Showing posts with label humorous romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label humorous romance. Show all posts
Monday, February 1, 2016
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Excerpt from Click: An Online Love Story
Fast approaching her 30th birthday and finding herself not married, not dating, and without even a prospect or a house full of cats, Renee Greene, the heroine of Click: An Online Love Story, reluctantly joins her best guy pal on a journey to find love online in Los Angeles. The story unfolds through a series of emails between Renee and her best friends (anal-compulsive Mark, the overly-judgmental Ashley, and the over-sexed Shelley) as well as the gentlemen suitors she meets online. From the guy who starts every story with "My buddies and I were out drinking one night," to the egotistical "B" celebrity looking for someone to stroke his ego, Renee endures her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates. Fraught with BCC's, FWD's and inadvertent Reply to All's, readers will root for Renee to "click" with the right man.
Excerpt from Chapter Two
From: meet@choosejews.com/L’Chiam22 – January 14, 2011 – 5:54 AM
To: meet@choosejews.com/PRGal1981
Subject: Shalom
Shalom, PRGal1981. Don’t know your real name…yet :)
You seem like a really smart and interesting person and I think we would have a lot in common. I’m originally from New York – Queens to be specific – but made Alliyah to Israel a little more than 8 years ago. I had visited when I was 13 for my Bar Mitzvah and felt a spiritual connection to the land and to my people. So, when an opportunity came up to transfer from the Internet company I worked for to the Tel Aviv office, I jumped at it. When the Internet boom went bust, so did my job. But I decided to stay and found work as a computer engineer for a software developer.
I live in Tel Aviv and am looking for a spiritual woman to share a Jewish life with.
From: Renee Greene – January 14, 2011 – 9:04 AM
To: Shelley Manning
Subject: Fwd: Shalom
Okay, so I sent my profile in last night and thought I would take a chance that someone emailed me this morning. Yes, I know that seems egotistical thinking that someone would email me so quickly after my profile was posted. And considering it didn’t officially go online until 1:00 am, I’m not sure I want to date anyone who was trolling the Internet for a date in the wee hours of the morning. But, to be honest, I’m kind of excited about the possibilities. Imagine that. Me…being hopeful. Who knew? Anyway, I was elated – yes, elated – to find I had a message. Hurrah! Then I read it. He is very religious, is looking for a “spiritual” woman and lives in Israel. Good lord! (HA! Maybe that does indeed make me “spiritual” enough for this guy.) Israel!!!
Okay, don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against Israel. I am one of the Chosen People after all. And, apparently “chosen” in more ways than one, huh? But do you picture me living in an area where 1) Most people take the bus – I’m from LA for goodness sake, where we LIVE in our cars. In fact, I have this theory that no one walks in LA. But, we all own treadmills. So, even though it is nice all year long, we won’t walk outside. We’d rather walk in our houses. But, I digress. Back to what’s important here: 2) These buses blow up into fiery messes; 3) And speaking of fiery messes, it is hot in Israel. Yes, yes. It’s a dry heat. But you know what? A blast furnace is a dry heat. But it’s still HOT and I wouldn’t want to live in it. Yeah, right. Like I’m going to start a relationship with some man in Israel.
And, he is so intense about Judaism. I haven’t been to temple since my nephew’s baby naming three years ago. Oh, this would NEVER work. NEVER.
So, how do I get out of this? Do I ignore his message? Do I email back and say thanks but no thanks? Yikes! I’m not sure what to do?
From: Shelley Manning – January 14, 2011 – 10:45 AM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Fwd: Shalom
Step 1. Revise your profile. No spiritual junkies or out of towners accepted.
Step 2. Email him back and tell him you are not interested in a long distance thing.
Step 3. Laugh your ass off. He obviously does NOT know you.
Okay. So this one isn’t going to work out. But, to your point, it’s only been a few hours. And, in this man’s defense, it’s probably not 1:00 am his time. It’s like two days later and early evening or something. So, it is flattering that he thinks you are the funny, smart and…okay, maybe not “spiritual” but certainly awesome…person that you really are. You’re going to get a TON of emails and have your pick of tons of great guys. Just you wait. Trust me.
Speaking of great guy, going out again with The Cuddler tonight. Hoping to break him of his bad habits. I’m willing to use force if necessary. Hope he likes it rough ;) Gotta run. Evil corporate trolls demanding reports. Call me tonight. Mwah! Mwah!
From: meet@choosejews.com/PRGal1981 – January 14, 2011 – 11:30 AM
To: meet@choosejews.com/ L’Chiam22
Bcc: Shelley Manning
Subject: Shalom back
Dear L’Chiam22. Thank you very much for your nice email. I must confess yours is the first email I’ve received. It’s quite flattering, especially to have someone from so far away take an interest. Thank you. But, I also must confess that I’m looking to meet someone local. So, best of luck in meeting that woman of your dreams. I’m sure she’s out there.
From: Shelley Manning – January 14, 2011 – 11:34 AM
To: Renee Greene
Subject: Re: Shalom back
Nicely done, sweetie. Ever the diplomat.
From: Renee Greene – January 14, 2011 – 11:47 AM
To: Shelley Manning
Subject: Re: Shalom back
It’s so much easier to reject someone over the Internet than in real life. Score one for online dating!
About the author:
Lisa Becker had endured her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates, many of which inspired Click: An Online Love Story and Double Click. She is now happily married to a wonderful man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach with him and their two daughters. So, if it happened for her, there’s hope for you!
Follow Lisa on Facebook here
Buy Click on Amazon
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Twenty Questions With Lisa Becker
Lisa Becker, author of Click: An Online Love Story, stopped by and accepted the challenge to my new feature--Twenty Questions. The questions are short and sweet but help us get to know Lisa. 1. Love or money?
My husband and I met 12 years ago when he was a poor, struggling medical resident and I was a successful PR executive. He always joked this would be his marriage for money and the next time he married, it would be for love. I always respond that my next marriage will be for looks. HA! In all seriousness, it's definitely love.
2. Plain or peanut?
Peanut. I can justify eating more because I’m getting protein.
3. Beef or chicken?
Neither. Nearly a year ago, I read Michael Pollan’s nonfiction book, In Defense of Food, which examines the western diet and its effect on our health. His advice is simple: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” That, coupled with a viewing of a documentary called Forks Over Knives, which examines how many degenerative diseases can be controlled or reversed with a whole-food, plant-based diet, changed my life. I’m now nearly a year into being a vegetarian and have never felt better.
4. Coffee or tea?
Neither. Believe it or not, I’ve never had a cup of coffee. Ever. I tried it once and didn’t like it, so I never tried it again. Sadly, I fell in love with chocolate after the first taste and haven’t stopped. My thighs can attest to that, believe me. So, I suppose a hot chocolate with a big dollop of whipped cream would be my go-to choice.
5. Oxford comma: yes or no?
Thank goodness for Google! I had no idea what an Oxford comma was.Now that I’ve been educated, I say no. Not a fan. Seems extraneous.
6. Hardback or Kindle?
I’ve surprised myself and become a Kindle girl. I always thought I would be married to physical books, but I love the freedom, ease and portability of my Kindle.
7. Salty or sweet?
Oooh…put them together and you’ve hit gold!
8. City or country?
I’m a city girl at heart. I love museums, shopping, historical sites, movies, malls and all of the hustle and bustle that comes with big city living.
9. Dog or cat?
Neither. With two active little girls (and a husband who sometimes acts like a third child), I don’t have time for a pet.
10. Fame or fortune?
Fortune! I live in Los Angeles where famous people (and I use this term loosely, as many are famous for the most inane reasons) are a dime a dozen. I’d rather be one in a million by having millions.
11. Laptop or desktop?
Desktop. I like a big screen and full-sized keyboard when I’m writing. Oh, and I like to write with the television on in the background. When I first started writing, I was obsessed with Law & Order reruns. Now, I can’t seem to get enough of NCIS. I guess there’s a part of me that likes to see justice served.
12. Health food or junk food?
Health food, of course. I make well-informed food choices. I buy organic and locally-grown produce. I’m an excellent role model for my children and instill good eating habits in them. Oh, who the heck am I kidding?
13. Mountains or beach?
I live in a part of Los Angeles County called Manhattan Beach, less than two miles from the ocean. I love walking along the strand, looking out over the ocean, searching for dolphins and playing in the sand with my girls.
14. Gourmet or diner?
Take the diner chow, make it gourmet and you’ve got yourself a winner. Nothin’ I love more than a high-end version of mac ‘n’ cheese.
15. Sweet or unsweet? (Tea of course.)
True story: After graduate school I moved to Atlanta to work at a boutique PR firm. During the 1996 Olympics, I wrote the “Official Grits Guide to Atlanta” as part of a guerilla marketing effort for Quaker. I got quoted in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as saying, “I’ve eaten grits once in my life. It’s corn. Who knew?” After that embarrassing mistake, I have learned my lesson. It’s sweet tea. My dear Southern Belle friends, the Skinner sisters, would be so proud.
16. Humor or drama?
Humor! I get enough drama dealing with the other moms in the PTA.
17. Dr. Seuss or Mr. Spock?
Dear Dr. Seuss makes my heart sing. He’s taught me many an important thing. He’s all about kindness and being true. True the very best parts of you. So if I had to choose, make a good choice, I’d pick Dr. Seuss, who helped give me a voice.
18. Halloween or Christmas?
Halloween! As previously established, I’m all about candy. My girls come home with huge buckets full of the stuff and get to keep as many pieces as they are years old. The rest is left for the “Halloween Fairy” who whisks the candy away and leaves a toy or book. Then the Fairy (read: me) eats the candy. It’s the BEST!
19. Spring or fall?
Fall. I love wearing a sweater and sunglasses at the same time. Feeling the cool breeze and being all nestled and cozy, but still feeling the warm sun on my face is fantastic. I live in the Los Angeles area where it’s pretty much the same all year long. But I went to graduate school in Boston and seeing the leaves change in fall was really a miracle of nature. Plus, I have to flash too much skin in the summer and spring. No one wants to see that, trust me. (Are you noticing a self-deprecating pattern here or what?!?)
20. Morning or night?
Late morning/early afternoon is when I’m at my best. Good thing that’s when I was answering these questions. ;)
About Lisa:
Lisa Becker had endured her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates, many of which inspired Click: An Online Love Story and Double Click. She is now happily married to a wonderful man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach with him and their two daughters. So, if it happened for her, there’s hope for you!
Find Lisa on Facebook
Buy the book on Amazon
Trailer for Click: An Online Love Story
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Talking With Chrissy Anderson
My guest today is Chrissy Anderson, author of The Life List, book one in The List series. Chrissy's book is fiction, based on a true story--hers.
About The Life List:
Chrissy Anderson, a twenty-eight year old fashion executive, created a seven-point life list at the age of sixteen, and she’s been steadily checking off the boxes and mocking the style and life choices of everyone around her ever since. Her life begins to run amuck when she unexpectedly meets a much younger man, Leo, who makes her question her “perfect life.”
Chrissy’s lifelong friendships and her marriage are put to the test as she tries to sort out her feelings for Leo. With the help of her brassy, no-nonsense therapist, Dr. Maria, Chrissy learns more about herself than she anticipates. But, it isn’t until the untimely death of her best friend that Chrissy is catapulted into long overdue authenticity and scrambles to correct the mistakes of her past….trying to figure out if it’s her husband, Kurt, Leo or both that she has to get rid of to make everything right.
Women of all kinds- twenty-somethings, housewives, and superwomen wannabes- will all be able to relate to the pressure of constructing the ideal life, only to fall short. Not everyone will agree with Chrissy Anderson’s decisions, but all will pause as they follow along on her journey to ask, “What would I do if I were her?”
Welcome, Chrissy. I‘m so glad you’re here to talk about The Life List. How did you come up with that title?
I came up with the title pretty easily as it was what I called the piece of paper that I carried around with me since I was sixteen years old. I’m one of those types of people who, once she puts a task or a goal on a list, she’s committed to accomplishing it. Unfortunately, I started getting more satisfaction out of crossing things off of my life list than what I was actually accomplishing. Needless to say, I woke up one day to realize I had everything I ever wanted, but happiness was nowhere in sight.
The original title of The Life List was "When She Died," but my editor thought it was too depressing. Given that there is a whole lot of humor in the book , it was a good choice!
I agree. I like The Life List. Your book is based on your real life. Am I right in assuming most of the events in the book really happened, but you've fictionalized parts and some of the characters?
You are correct. Most of the events happened, but of course, no one's life is that interesting so parts were definitely embellished to make it more..."WOW this girl is a mess!"
Why did you choose to write fiction instead of a memoir?
After five minutes of researching agents for each genre, I determined no one really wants to represent memoir. Plus, I knew my story wasn't 100% true and didn't want to get James Frey'd by the media if I advertised it as a memoir!
Which character did you most enjoy writing?
Without a doubt, Slutty co-worker! Interestingly, Slutty is the only character not based on an actual single individual from my past, she’s a morph of three women. It was fun to take the most influential (and hilarious) aspects of three women I used to work with and build this character that I just knew readers would adore. Out of all characters in The Life List, the most endearing feedback I receive is about Slutty co-worker. Everyone seems to crave her honesty, her humor, her unwavering support…her sex life!
I’ll bet. What would your main character say about you?
Chrissy Anderson is the main character, and since she’s me, I hope she’d say I have a lot of courage for putting her story out there. I cover some very heavy subjects in my book: teen pregnancy and adultery. I also dive deeply into integrity and conviction and the powerful roles they play in living a fulfilling life.
I think Chrissy would thank me for bringing to light some very taboo subjects and demonstrating that seemingly normal people have deep dark secrets that haunt them every single day, and in a lot of instances those secrets makes them stuck.
What song would you pick to go with your book?
Great question. Music plays an important role in Chrissy’s life and sets the mood for many of the chapters in my novel. There’s actually a sound track to The Life List on iTunes.
We’ve all been “that girl,” sitting there next to the fireplace, reflecting on some kind of heartbreak or obsessing about a major decision we’re petrified to make. We sit there with our sad music and ginormous glass of wine, listening to sad music, wondering, “what the hell?” Or, one song on the radio can take us back to some magical moment from our past, and it’s as if we can almost reach out and touch the experience. That’s what happens to me whenever I hear Alphaville’s, Forever Young and Dave Matthew’s, Crash Into Me. I’m able to hear laughter, feel excitement…nervousness. I’m literally transported to these moments in my life that, without realizing it at the time, defined me.
What song would I pick to go with my book? Ironically, it’s one that didn’t even make it into The Life List. It’s the song that’s associated with my book video trailer and it’s the song that opens the first chapter of the next book in The List series, The Unexpected List. It’s MaryAnne Marino’s, For One Moment. It encompasses all that The Life List is about. Like me, MaryAnne isn’t that well known. I hope that’s about to change for the both of us soon!
How do you handle criticism of your work?
My editor said it best when she said, “We want people to either love the book or hate it, no in-betweeners…bad for business.” And she has to keep repeating it to me! For the most part, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I’ve been falling in the 4-5 star review range on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads. I also have a very loyal following on my Facebook page and my website. However, I do get an occasional review that punches me in the stomach! Like, recently I logged on to Goodreads to see if there was any new action, and I found that someone had given me 1 star. I scrambled to look at the ratings she’d given to other books (that’s just how insecure I am!) and found that she never gave ANYONE more than 3 stars, including Stephen King, Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Weiner. It made me feel a little better, but I was still pretty upset. I went to Amazon and looked at the hundreds of thousands of bad reviews written about The Twilight series, Fifty Shades of Grey, and all the other stuff making a killing out there and then I felt a lot better! Bad reviews can be just as good for business if you have just as many great reviews to counter them. It creates interest and makes readers want to be the judge of things themselves…the result is more readers and potentially more fans. And those are very good things.
Surprisingly, no one has been critical of my real life experiences that I write about in The Life List. That was the thing I most feared as I entered the publication stage of my work. In fact, at the last minute I almost pulled out; I was too afraid of being called a failure, a cheater…the bad guy. The big three I never wanted to be! (That’ll make a lot more sense when you read the book.)
But my husband talked me off of the ledge and convinced me to put my story out there, and I’m sooooooo glad he did. I haven’t been called a derogatory name yet! In fact, I receive emails every week from woman who have been, or currently find themselves, at the same crossroads as Chrissy Anderson. They’re either thanking me for having the courage to tell my story or asking me for advice on how to get through their own.
That’s great. And I think you’re right about a few bad reviews. It generates interest. Tell us one of your favorite quotes.
The tagline to The Life List is…
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I’d pick my house up and move it 10 miles west to Helvetia, Oregon. I love my home, and have worked very hard on it for the past two years, but my neighbors live like pigs, and I get anxiety attacks whenever I leave the house and am forced to look at their home. My husband and I have worked very hard for what we have, so we take really good care of our stuff. And now that I’ve given up a stable income to do this writing thing, we don’t buy too much new stuff! I wish other people in my neighborhood would have the same pride of ownership as us, but they don’t, and a million dirty looks from me hasn’t done much to change that. I’m not one who can block out things easily, so our next house will not be in a neighborhood, but down some remote road instead. Hopefully some healthy book sales will help make that move happen before I have a heart attack. Oh look….there they are now! Getting on their tandem bike to go for a ride as the siding on their house is falling off and their lawn is 3 feet tall! I need a cocktail!!!!!!!!!!!!
I feel for you! You published with Abbott Press. Can you tell us about your road to publication? Do you have an agent? How many queries did you send out before finding the one? How long did it take for you to find a publisher? Do you have any advice for unpublished writers?
Ugh. The road to pub. was harder than writing the damn book! I don't have an agent...yet! I sent out about 40 queries, and I have NO DOUBT not a single one was even read. The rejections came thru like they were on autopilot. It hurt, because as you know each query is very specific to each agent and they take HOURS to create. But, I'm an unknown, unpublished writer, and my name isn't Kim Kardashian or Snooki! Also, I've never won $1.00 in my life and figured the chances of me becoming the next Stephani Meyer were slim to none. I knew I had a great story that spoke to millions of women, and to keep spinning my wheels in agent land was a road block in getting my story out there, so I self-published. It took me many months to research self-publishing, and I was scared to death to take the leap, but I'm glad I did, and I don't regret it for one minute. I feel like I have so much more control over my processes, and I like that. Sadly, I don't have any advice for unpublished writers as I'm just trying to figure this all out for myself. Plus, everyone's story is different, and I think the paths for publishing them is different.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on book #2 in The List series, The Unexpected List. I’m in the final stages of the last draft, and then it’ll go to my editor. The goal is to have it out by March, 2013. It’s crazy because it took me four years to write The Life List and only six months to write The Unexpected List!
I’m in absolute love with the characters, and I know them so much more intimately now. I know where they’re all headed, and I can’t wait to get them there! In fact, it’s hard for me to take baby steps sometimes. Right now all of my characters are on edge and in this gigantic state of limbo, and sometimes when I’m writing, I yell at them. I’m like, “UGH! Why do you guys keep creating these roadblocks to getting you to the end of your journey! You’re making me crazy!” Then I laugh at myself because it’s the exact reaction I want my readers to feel. I want them to get frustrated with Chrissy, Leo and Kurt. Mostly though, I want them to identify with them. So far…so good.
Can you tell us the major theme of The Unexpected List? What will readers
learn or take away from it?
It's part II of The List Trilogy and covers the next two years of Chrissy's
life. The Life List leaves on an "Oh no, what did she do now?" note and The
Unexpected List tells ya! In The Unexpected List, Chrissy does a good job of
showing readers how much she's grown from her experiences in The Life List,
but something so majorly unexpected happens, and it throws her world out of
whack once again. Readers are once again left wondering, is it Kurt, Leo or
both she has to get rid of to make her life right. The cover art for the
book gives you a little hint of things to come.
Oh my! I've seen the cover art. I won't give it away except to say I'm expecting people to love it. Hint hint.
About Chrissy:
Chrissy Anderson is the author of The Life List and the people, their quirks, and the major events of her story are derived from personal life events. She sees bits and pieces of her checkered past in almost every woman she encounters,
and she wants to help them, tell them they’re NOT crazy.
Chrissy’s choices were stupid and sometimes sleazy, but,
unfortunately, not all too uncommon.
Chrissy currently lives in Portland, Oregon, with the love of her life and her beautiful daughter. A former fashion executive, she is now a writer, wife, and mother, who spends her life doing exactly what she always wanted, doting on those she loves.
Find Chrissy:
Website
Facebook page
Twitter
Amazon
About The Life List:
Chrissy Anderson, a twenty-eight year old fashion executive, created a seven-point life list at the age of sixteen, and she’s been steadily checking off the boxes and mocking the style and life choices of everyone around her ever since. Her life begins to run amuck when she unexpectedly meets a much younger man, Leo, who makes her question her “perfect life.”
Chrissy’s lifelong friendships and her marriage are put to the test as she tries to sort out her feelings for Leo. With the help of her brassy, no-nonsense therapist, Dr. Maria, Chrissy learns more about herself than she anticipates. But, it isn’t until the untimely death of her best friend that Chrissy is catapulted into long overdue authenticity and scrambles to correct the mistakes of her past….trying to figure out if it’s her husband, Kurt, Leo or both that she has to get rid of to make everything right.
Women of all kinds- twenty-somethings, housewives, and superwomen wannabes- will all be able to relate to the pressure of constructing the ideal life, only to fall short. Not everyone will agree with Chrissy Anderson’s decisions, but all will pause as they follow along on her journey to ask, “What would I do if I were her?”
Welcome, Chrissy. I‘m so glad you’re here to talk about The Life List. How did you come up with that title?
I came up with the title pretty easily as it was what I called the piece of paper that I carried around with me since I was sixteen years old. I’m one of those types of people who, once she puts a task or a goal on a list, she’s committed to accomplishing it. Unfortunately, I started getting more satisfaction out of crossing things off of my life list than what I was actually accomplishing. Needless to say, I woke up one day to realize I had everything I ever wanted, but happiness was nowhere in sight.
The original title of The Life List was "When She Died," but my editor thought it was too depressing. Given that there is a whole lot of humor in the book , it was a good choice!
I agree. I like The Life List. Your book is based on your real life. Am I right in assuming most of the events in the book really happened, but you've fictionalized parts and some of the characters?
You are correct. Most of the events happened, but of course, no one's life is that interesting so parts were definitely embellished to make it more..."WOW this girl is a mess!"
Why did you choose to write fiction instead of a memoir?
After five minutes of researching agents for each genre, I determined no one really wants to represent memoir. Plus, I knew my story wasn't 100% true and didn't want to get James Frey'd by the media if I advertised it as a memoir!
Which character did you most enjoy writing?
Without a doubt, Slutty co-worker! Interestingly, Slutty is the only character not based on an actual single individual from my past, she’s a morph of three women. It was fun to take the most influential (and hilarious) aspects of three women I used to work with and build this character that I just knew readers would adore. Out of all characters in The Life List, the most endearing feedback I receive is about Slutty co-worker. Everyone seems to crave her honesty, her humor, her unwavering support…her sex life!
I’ll bet. What would your main character say about you?
Chrissy Anderson is the main character, and since she’s me, I hope she’d say I have a lot of courage for putting her story out there. I cover some very heavy subjects in my book: teen pregnancy and adultery. I also dive deeply into integrity and conviction and the powerful roles they play in living a fulfilling life.
I think Chrissy would thank me for bringing to light some very taboo subjects and demonstrating that seemingly normal people have deep dark secrets that haunt them every single day, and in a lot of instances those secrets makes them stuck.
What song would you pick to go with your book?
Great question. Music plays an important role in Chrissy’s life and sets the mood for many of the chapters in my novel. There’s actually a sound track to The Life List on iTunes.
We’ve all been “that girl,” sitting there next to the fireplace, reflecting on some kind of heartbreak or obsessing about a major decision we’re petrified to make. We sit there with our sad music and ginormous glass of wine, listening to sad music, wondering, “what the hell?” Or, one song on the radio can take us back to some magical moment from our past, and it’s as if we can almost reach out and touch the experience. That’s what happens to me whenever I hear Alphaville’s, Forever Young and Dave Matthew’s, Crash Into Me. I’m able to hear laughter, feel excitement…nervousness. I’m literally transported to these moments in my life that, without realizing it at the time, defined me.
What song would I pick to go with my book? Ironically, it’s one that didn’t even make it into The Life List. It’s the song that’s associated with my book video trailer and it’s the song that opens the first chapter of the next book in The List series, The Unexpected List. It’s MaryAnne Marino’s, For One Moment. It encompasses all that The Life List is about. Like me, MaryAnne isn’t that well known. I hope that’s about to change for the both of us soon!
How do you handle criticism of your work?
My editor said it best when she said, “We want people to either love the book or hate it, no in-betweeners…bad for business.” And she has to keep repeating it to me! For the most part, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I’ve been falling in the 4-5 star review range on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads. I also have a very loyal following on my Facebook page and my website. However, I do get an occasional review that punches me in the stomach! Like, recently I logged on to Goodreads to see if there was any new action, and I found that someone had given me 1 star. I scrambled to look at the ratings she’d given to other books (that’s just how insecure I am!) and found that she never gave ANYONE more than 3 stars, including Stephen King, Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Weiner. It made me feel a little better, but I was still pretty upset. I went to Amazon and looked at the hundreds of thousands of bad reviews written about The Twilight series, Fifty Shades of Grey, and all the other stuff making a killing out there and then I felt a lot better! Bad reviews can be just as good for business if you have just as many great reviews to counter them. It creates interest and makes readers want to be the judge of things themselves…the result is more readers and potentially more fans. And those are very good things.
Surprisingly, no one has been critical of my real life experiences that I write about in The Life List. That was the thing I most feared as I entered the publication stage of my work. In fact, at the last minute I almost pulled out; I was too afraid of being called a failure, a cheater…the bad guy. The big three I never wanted to be! (That’ll make a lot more sense when you read the book.)
But my husband talked me off of the ledge and convinced me to put my story out there, and I’m sooooooo glad he did. I haven’t been called a derogatory name yet! In fact, I receive emails every week from woman who have been, or currently find themselves, at the same crossroads as Chrissy Anderson. They’re either thanking me for having the courage to tell my story or asking me for advice on how to get through their own.
That’s great. And I think you’re right about a few bad reviews. It generates interest. Tell us one of your favorite quotes.
The tagline to The Life List is…
“The difference between doing something and doing nothing is everything.”The journey through my real life love story taught me that, and now I apply it to every single thing I tackle in life. In fact, my husband used it against me when I was struggling with whether or not to publish! If I caved in to my fears of public scrutiny I never would’ve known the joys of taking the risk. I never would’ve experienced the thrill of a book sale or good review. I never would’ve received emails from women thanking me for the courage to tell my story, and I NEVER would’ve been given the privilege of hearing their own stories if I didn’t put myself out there. Nothing would’ve happened with my story if I did nothing.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I’d pick my house up and move it 10 miles west to Helvetia, Oregon. I love my home, and have worked very hard on it for the past two years, but my neighbors live like pigs, and I get anxiety attacks whenever I leave the house and am forced to look at their home. My husband and I have worked very hard for what we have, so we take really good care of our stuff. And now that I’ve given up a stable income to do this writing thing, we don’t buy too much new stuff! I wish other people in my neighborhood would have the same pride of ownership as us, but they don’t, and a million dirty looks from me hasn’t done much to change that. I’m not one who can block out things easily, so our next house will not be in a neighborhood, but down some remote road instead. Hopefully some healthy book sales will help make that move happen before I have a heart attack. Oh look….there they are now! Getting on their tandem bike to go for a ride as the siding on their house is falling off and their lawn is 3 feet tall! I need a cocktail!!!!!!!!!!!!
I feel for you! You published with Abbott Press. Can you tell us about your road to publication? Do you have an agent? How many queries did you send out before finding the one? How long did it take for you to find a publisher? Do you have any advice for unpublished writers?
Ugh. The road to pub. was harder than writing the damn book! I don't have an agent...yet! I sent out about 40 queries, and I have NO DOUBT not a single one was even read. The rejections came thru like they were on autopilot. It hurt, because as you know each query is very specific to each agent and they take HOURS to create. But, I'm an unknown, unpublished writer, and my name isn't Kim Kardashian or Snooki! Also, I've never won $1.00 in my life and figured the chances of me becoming the next Stephani Meyer were slim to none. I knew I had a great story that spoke to millions of women, and to keep spinning my wheels in agent land was a road block in getting my story out there, so I self-published. It took me many months to research self-publishing, and I was scared to death to take the leap, but I'm glad I did, and I don't regret it for one minute. I feel like I have so much more control over my processes, and I like that. Sadly, I don't have any advice for unpublished writers as I'm just trying to figure this all out for myself. Plus, everyone's story is different, and I think the paths for publishing them is different.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on book #2 in The List series, The Unexpected List. I’m in the final stages of the last draft, and then it’ll go to my editor. The goal is to have it out by March, 2013. It’s crazy because it took me four years to write The Life List and only six months to write The Unexpected List!
I’m in absolute love with the characters, and I know them so much more intimately now. I know where they’re all headed, and I can’t wait to get them there! In fact, it’s hard for me to take baby steps sometimes. Right now all of my characters are on edge and in this gigantic state of limbo, and sometimes when I’m writing, I yell at them. I’m like, “UGH! Why do you guys keep creating these roadblocks to getting you to the end of your journey! You’re making me crazy!” Then I laugh at myself because it’s the exact reaction I want my readers to feel. I want them to get frustrated with Chrissy, Leo and Kurt. Mostly though, I want them to identify with them. So far…so good.
Can you tell us the major theme of The Unexpected List? What will readers
learn or take away from it?
It's part II of The List Trilogy and covers the next two years of Chrissy's
life. The Life List leaves on an "Oh no, what did she do now?" note and The
Unexpected List tells ya! In The Unexpected List, Chrissy does a good job of
showing readers how much she's grown from her experiences in The Life List,
but something so majorly unexpected happens, and it throws her world out of
whack once again. Readers are once again left wondering, is it Kurt, Leo or
both she has to get rid of to make her life right. The cover art for the
book gives you a little hint of things to come.
Oh my! I've seen the cover art. I won't give it away except to say I'm expecting people to love it. Hint hint.
About Chrissy:
Chrissy Anderson is the author of The Life List and the people, their quirks, and the major events of her story are derived from personal life events. She sees bits and pieces of her checkered past in almost every woman she encounters,
and she wants to help them, tell them they’re NOT crazy.
Chrissy’s choices were stupid and sometimes sleazy, but,
unfortunately, not all too uncommon. Chrissy currently lives in Portland, Oregon, with the love of her life and her beautiful daughter. A former fashion executive, she is now a writer, wife, and mother, who spends her life doing exactly what she always wanted, doting on those she loves.
Find Chrissy:
Website
Facebook page
Amazon
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