Author Billie Thomas and I have a lot in common. We've both written a cozy mystery, both of our books feature women sleuths, both are the first in a series, both are peppered with humor, and both are set in the South. So I am thrilled to have Billie's main character, Chloe Carstairs, from Murder on the First Day of Christmas here today. Darlin's, sit yourself down and be prepared to be charmed by Chloe.
About the book:
Finding a severed hand at a client’s house might throw lesser decorators off their games. But Chloe Carstairs and her mother, Amanda, won’t let a little thing like murder keep them from decking the halls. With a body under the partridge’s pear tree and a dead Santa in a sleigh, they have to crack the case before the killer strikes again – this time much too close to home.
Filled with laugh-out-loud humor, romance and a delightfully difficult mother-daughter relationship, this new series from Billie Thomas offers a fast-paced caper as these two southern ladies try to keep their very merry Christmas from turning into the Noel from hell.
About Chloe:
Chloe Carstairs is an interior decorator, amateur investigator, and serial dater. Together, she and her mother, Amanda Carstairs, solve mysteries. And try not to get each other killed in the process. Chloe is always looking for a clue, trying to catch a killer and a man. As she says on her blog, Chloe Gets A Clue, romance is the one mystery she can't seem to solve.
Interview with Chloe Carstairs:
Welcome, Chloe! I loved your book and am anxious to talk to you about it. In Murder On The First Day of Christmas, you and your mom team up to find a killer. How did that partnership come about?
Mom is actually a degreed interior designer who had a very successful business for years. She retired a couple of years ago and was only doing projects that really interested her, plus the Christmas houses. I could tell she was getting restless. I’ve been helping her on jobs since I was a teen, and after I got burned out on graphic design, I began taking on decorating jobs with her guidance. We had so much fun decorating and investigating, this past Christmas, we’ve decided to team up for more jobs. I think we were both surprised at how well we worked together. Our relationship’s always been a bit of a roller coaster.
I cannot imagine being partners with my mother. She would constantly play the mom card. How’s it been going since you teamed up with your mom?
Trust me, Amanda Carstairs whips out the mom card almost as fast as she whips out her Saks card. But I’ve learned to hold my own. I think she’s coming to respect me as a decorator, and the danger we got into during our first case somehow brought us closer. We still clash sometimes, but this is the best we’ve gotten along in years, so I’m trying not to jinx it.
How did an interior decorator end up being a sleuth?
Two clients were killed in houses we decorated and then a family friend was accused of the crime. My mom was furious. And, like we say in the South, when Mama ain’t happy, nobody’s happy. Turns out, our interior decorating skills come in handy when we’re investigating. We can profile a suspect by their décor better than any agent in the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit.
Chloe, how did you first meet your Billie?
I introduced myself at a coffee shop where she likes to hang out. We bonded over a mutual love of chai lattes and started spending a lot of time together during NaNo a few years ago. Want to dish about her?
Always. Billie Thomas (not her real name) works at an advertising agency, which might explain why she’s constantly thinking up ways to kill people without getting caught. She lives in Birmingham, not far from me and has a really cute boyfriend (must be nice) and an even cuter dog.
Did you ever think your life would end up being in a book?
Not a mystery book, no. But then I never thought I’d find a severed hand or have two clients drop dead in homes I decorated. Naturally, I blame Mom. Natch. Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.
I loved when I was interrogating Robin Woodson, a woman suspected of killing two of her husbands. I felt like I was matching wits with a clever killer, but I was surprised to find I kind of liked her too. Like me, she loves chick flicks and going to movies by herself. A very cool girl. As homicidal maniacs go.
Well, don't hold that against her, bless her heart. Did you have a hard time convincing Billie to write any particular scenes for you?
No she pretty much does what she wants. If anything, I'd love her to delete the scenes where my mom shamelessly flirts with one of Birmingham’s most notorious criminals to extract information. I don’t know what was worse: watching her do it or seeing that it worked.
If you could rewrite anything in your book, what would it be?
That scene near the end where I have to tackle the killer and end up mooning half the Birmingham Police Department, including that cute Yankee cop, who’s never going to let me live it down. That was uncalled for, Billie. Uncalled for!
And to top it off, she made you wear polka dot panties that day. She could have at least put you into a hot little Victoria's Secret number. Okay, now tell the truth. What do you think of your fellow characters?
Well, most of them are family so I’m kind of stuck with them. My mom drives me crazy, but we’re getting along better these days. My dad, Alex, is wonderful, except for his habit of always taking my mom’s side. And my sister, Bridget is a little too much like my mom for my taste, but her habit of tangling up clichés (“I know this town like the back of my head”) is really endearing.
What impression do you make on people when they first meet you? Does that impression change after they've known you for a while?
I’ve been told I come off a little ditzy, but after people get to know me better they revise that to a lot ditzy. Oh, honey, that's not true. Well, maybe a little bit. We'd best move on. Tell us about your best friend.
You think I’m romantically challenged? My best friend Dana is a mess. She caught her fiancé cheating and had to call off the wedding. Then a dating site only found one match for her in all of Birmingham. Her brother.
Ouch.
She said she was going to take a break from dating and just work on herself for a while, but the way she keeps going on and on about how hot her therapist is doesn’t bode well for that plan.
What are you most afraid of?
Turning into my mother and being totally okay with that. Shudder.
What’s the best trait Billie has given you?
My sense of humor is by far my best trait. It’s gotten me out of some pretty sticky situations, let me tell you.
Laugh or cry, that's what I say. What’s the worst trait she's given you?
I’d say the worst trait is my small-breastedness. Billie’d argue that the former contributes to the latter, but I’m not buying it.
What do you like best about your mother, Amanda?
Okay, she’s not going to see this, right?
I can't say never, because you know mothers--they tend to find out everything, but chances are slim.
Because, while I admire her confidence, I don’t think she needs any more of it. But yeah, I like the way she just projects this air of self-assurance that other people –especially men – respond to. I could definitely use a little more of that.
What do you dislike about her?
My least favorite quality is the way she always has to be right. Followed closely by the way she usually is.
Oh, that can be annoying. But that's not as bad as having a mother who's frequently wrong but never uncertain. Know what I mean? I'm not naming names, I'm just sayin'. How do you feel about your life right now? What, if anything, would you like to change?
This uncertainty about my relationship with Jacob is taking its toll. I’m thirty now and a little surprised to find I’m ready to be married and start a family. I never thought I’d be “that girl.” I just wish I knew definitively if it were going to work out for us, so I could move forward or move on. Billie’s not one for spoilers though, which is really an annoying trait in a writer.
So you’re...romantically challenged and a serial dater? Are you a serial dater because you’re romantically challenged?
I’m afraid so. I’d rather be with just Jacob, but when I hinted that I could see us getting married, he got a little freaked out. And then called my bluff when I suggested we see other people. So yeah, I’ve been dating like crazy – and I use that term deliberately – because I can’t just sit around waiting for Jacob to come to his senses.
Can you tell us a little about Jacob?
He’s a very cute architect with soccer player calves and commitment issues. Right up my alley. We’re working together on a project right now – turning an old castle into a bed-and-breakfast. I think collaborating is bringing us closer, but we’re still not officially back together.
Tell the truth—-were you attracted to that detective, or that cute DA—-you know, the one you called "Mr. Six Feet of Sex Appeal?"
The detective, Max McGowan was too infuriating to be attractive at first, but I admit, he grew on me. He’s not my type, really, but I can see the appeal. Maybe I’ll introduce him to my friend Dana. Jack Lassiter, on the other hand, is every girl’s type, and the perfect way to make a commitment-phobic boyfriend jealous. Appearances can be deceiving however. That guy had some major issues.
You just come on down to Goose Pimple Junction, Chloe. There are a few eligible men Tess could introduce you to.She or Louetta will fix you right up.But I wonder if Billie would let you go. What aspect of her writing style do you like best?
She really captures the humor and affection between my mom and myself. The reviews usually mention this, so I’m not alone in thinking she gets it right. I have the feeling she’s basing us on the real-life relationship she had with her mom, so it comes across as very genuine.
Yes it does. If your story were a movie, who would play you?
That’s a hard one. I’d definitely say a fifty-something Debbie Reynolds to play my mom, Amanda. She’s the perfect combination of sophistication and dry humor. As for me, Julia Louis-Dryfus at thirty, maybe. Or Mindy Kaling, though Billie would have to revise the plot quite a bit to accommodate Mindy’s ability to tan. Will you encourage Billie to write a sequel?
She’s already working on Murder in a Two-Seater.
Yay! Tell us about it.
Mom and I investigate a homicide at a spooky old castle during a classic car show. I’m not looking forward to it, to be honest. The castle is rumored to be haunted, and while I ain’t scared of no ghosts, I’m not about to go fooling around with the afterworld, especially when my dad’s being accused of murder in this one.
Oooh, that sounds so good. I can't wait to read it. And you better come back to tell us about it once it's out, or Tess will hunt you down and make you drink regular tea--sans the sweet or the lemon.Gasp!
Chloe, thanks for chatting with us. And thanks for talking with Tess on your blog about life in Goose Pimple Junction. She had a blast.
About the author:
Billie Thomas is the pseudonym of a Birmingham-based author.
After the real Billie passed away unexpectedly at the end of 2011, getting Murder on the First Day of Christmas,
the first of a series, revised and published was her daughter’s top priority as
a way to honor the mom who had given her a lifelong love of books.
In her real life, Ms. Thomas writes within the advertising
industry and is a founding member of the writing collective, IndieVisible.
I'm happy to have Colleen Oakes stop here today on her book tour with CLP Blog Tours. In addition to talking with Colleen, she's also treating us with an excerpt from her book, Elly In Bloom.
About Elly In Bloom:
Surrounded by lush flowers and neurotic brides, chubby thirty-two-year-old Elly Jordan has carved out a sweet little life for herself as the owner of Posies, a boutique wedding florist in St. Louis. It’s not bad for a woman who drove away from her entire life just two years ago when she found her husband entwined with a red-headed artist.
Sure, Elly has an embarrassingly beautiful best friend, a terribly behaved sheepdog and a sarcastic assistant who she simply calls “Snarky Teenager”, but overall her days are pleasantly uneventful. As a bonus, her new next door neighbor just happens to be an unnervingly handsome musician who has an eye for curvy Elly.
Just when she feels that she is finally moving on from her past, she discovers that an extravagant wedding contract, one that could change her financial future, is more than she bargained for. With the help of her friends, staff and the occasional well-made sandwich, Elly bravely agrees to take on the event that threatens to merge her painful history with her bright new life, and finds herself blooming in a direction she never imagined. Elly’s voice, both charming and hilarious, will appeal to those readers who have been looking for a new voice in chick-lit, and will give women of all sizes the realistic heroine they’ve been waiting for.
Interview with Colleen
How long have you been writing, and how did you start?
I always wanted to be a writer – in fact, in 4th grade I declared to my parents that I was going to write books. Though I’d been blogging for about seven years prior, it wasn’t until 2010 that I really put my passion into practice. It was New Year’s Eve - post wild bunco party - and over a glass of wine I confided to one of my best friends that I had started a book called Elly in Bloom in 2007, and that the first chapter was in a drawer somewhere. She looked at me and said “I want to write a book too!” From there on, we met once or twice a week to work on our respective novels. A year later, Elly in Bloom was finished. Her book, Serenade, will be arriving in about two months. Writing is what I should have always been doing, but like any true writer, I dragged my feet – and my pen – for years.
How did you create the plot for this book?
When I lived in St. Louis, I worked at an insanely busy florist. One night, after working late, I was driving home and listening to Missy Higgins. An idea came to me as I drove and sang, the wind unattractively tossing my hair in the spring breeze. The idea was simple: What if someone was hired to design their lover’s wedding? How would they express that frustration in floral design? Would they do it? What if the wedding was extremely profitable? Would they turn it down? The idea was intriguing, and as soon as I got home, I sat down at my computer and wrote the opening scene to Elly in Bloom. As per the question above, Elly sadly sat in a drawer for a few years after that. But that was how the plot originally came together. It almost wrote itself.
I love your cover. Did you have any say in it?
I absolutely LOVE my cover. I’m almost obsessed with it in a completely unhealthy way. It is so close to my original idea that it’s scary! My designer’s name is Ian Gao, and I found him through 99Designs. I knew I wanted a bright and simple cover, something that would stand out as a thumbnail and would convey immediately that this was a book about flowers. As a former florist, I was very picky about the type of flower that was on the cover – as in, I told them “It MUST be a peony.” Not only are they one of my favorite flowers, but to me, the peony is a perfect representation of Elly, my lead character. She’s big, she’s beautiful, and she’s slowly unfolding. I honestly couldn’t be more happy with my cover.
Which character did you most enjoy writing?
Elly, of course, is absolutely my favorite character to write because she is an embodiment of my own heart, my own insecurities, and the combined personalities of several extraordinary women in my life. Aside from my main character, my favorite character to write was definitely Snarky Teenager. She was so unlike anyone I know, but at the same time a chance to indulge in some truly bratty and sharply edged behavior.
Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.
It’s hard to do that without spoilers, so I’ll tread carefully here. My favorite scenes in the book would either be the large wedding towards the end, or the flashback scene, where we return to the events we shortly witnessed in the prologue. Both scenes are turning points in Elly’s life, where she experiences revelations that will change her life forever.
What song would you pick to go with your book?
There’s not a song, but there is an album! Kelly Clarkson’s My December was such an underrated album, and from “Sober” to “Never Again” and “Haunted”, this was absolutely the soundtrack of this novel.
Who are your favorite authors?
Far and away, the author that has influenced my writing the most would be Jennifer Weiner. Her books have made me laugh, cry and showed me that there could be enjoyable women’s literature that pulsed with a deeper current. Other authors that inspire me as a writer and engage me as a reader include: Ann Patchett, Barbara Kingsolver, Trisha Ashely, Audrey Niffennegger, George R.R Martin, J.K Rowling, and Leif Enger.
How do you handle criticism of your work?
Not well! Well, not at first anyways. I was warned by other authors about how terrible your first negative review would feel, and yet it still seemed like a boulder had been dropped on my chest. However, after that first terrible one, I was able to take any negative reviews or handle constructive criticism with a certain begrudging grace. While I might not take each suggestion to my book, I do take and consider each one in my heart. It’s never easy to hear, but criticism ultimately can make you a better writer, and a more introspective reader.
Do you have a routine for writing? Do you work better at night, in the afternoon, or in the morning?
I absolutely work better in the morning hours. My brain is rested and sharp, and my fingers seem to fly over the keys. The unfortunate thing about this is that I HATE mornings, and am totally a night owl. I love writing at night – but my writing at night tends to be sloppier, and I can skip words if I’m not careful. Therefore, a compromise must be made. I get up, shower and sit down to write. I don’t aim for a certain amount of time – I aim for half a chapter a day. Sometimes, that takes two hours. Sometimes, it takes six. I save my evening work period for my blog, emails and social media. Actual writing must be done in the mornings, and usually with a Starbucks at my side.
What three books have you read recently and would recommend?
This has been a great year for books! The three books that were my best read in 2012 would be: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, State of Wonder by Ann Patchett and the entire Song of Fire and Ice series by George R.R Martin. Reading those took about three blissful months. I am convinced that Martin might be the smartest person in the entire world.
What are you working on now?
Fans of Elly in Bloom will be glad to know that I have returned to Wydown Street, and that Elly in Love is about three-fourths finished. Besides debuting Elly in Bloom, I spent most of my year finishing my first venture into the fantasy genre with an epic book called Queen of Hearts. The book is a fresh twist on the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. It’s big, it’s whimsical, and it’s a bloody dark fairy tale.
Colleen, you definitely have to come back when those two books are published!
Excerpt from Elly In Bloom
Prologue
Georgia, two years ago, daybreak.
Early morning nauseated Elly.
That was normal, at least.
Her steering wheel smelled like spoiled milk and rotten freesia.
Gross. That was not normal.
Through the dirty windshield, she watched the creeping fingers of
dawn overtaking the horizon. Bright rays approached her car slowly, blasted
through the muddy glass, and turned her dark leather seats into blinding
mirrors of light that hurt her swollen eyes.
Elly hated the dawn; the insects chirping, the hazy mist. It turned her
stomach. And for once, the thought of food was unappealing to her. She
pressed her forehead against the pungent wheel and whimpered. It had
only been one day, one crappy stinking day, since her whole life had melted
down, and now she was in her car having a nervous breakdown. It was getting
unbearably hot. The blazing Georgia sun peeked over the hackberry
trees that held steady as a slight breeze tossed their leaves. Her eyes, stinging
from the sun and from the hysterical tears she’d indulged in the night
before, welcomed the moisture. She had cried for twelve hours straight,
drunk an entire bottle of wine, trashed a painting, and now she was here.
Sweating in her car.
She was filled with something stronger than anger, something more
pathetic than sadness. Elly exhaled, feeling the breath stutter out of her
lungs, stretched thin after hours of grieving. She hated her sad little life,
hated what she had become in this last day, hated the man who was her
husband. Who WAS her husband. She gave a whimper. Hated she’d been
forced to see everything she’d believed about her life was a lie.
More than that, at the moment, she hated being hot. She was hot so
often.
With a sigh, she turned the key and the toy-sized engine of her Toyota
Tercel roared to life. After a blast of scorching heat, crisp air puffed her
face and dried the mixture of tears and sweat on her cheeks. With the heat
retreating, she could think a little more clearly. She glanced at the bags
in the backseat: one giant suitcase with orange and blue ribbons dangling
from the handle, a couple of plastic bags stuffed with hair and make-up
supplies, a cooler filled with apples and sandwiches – a stupid decision,
now that she thought about it and her lace wedding dress that lay crumpled
in the corner. Elly pursed her lips and whipped around. She couldn’t think
about that. Not now. She would find a therapist later to tell about the dress.
Elly glanced nervously at the clock. She knew what she should do. She
should drive to her job. She should talk to her boss Jeff, who constantly
picked at his shirt near his stomach. She should call her best friend, Cassie,
and talk her into skipping work. They would cry – no, she would cry – and
talk about that moment, that horrible moment again and again. The creak
of stairs. A hand clutching white sheets. The moment when she’d found
her husband staring enamored at another woman. They would eat ice cream
until she was too exhausted from emotion and dairy to move.
Cassie would pretend to be amazed that he would cheat. She would
insist that Elly storm back into the house – she muffled a sob –and demand
that he be the one who leave. Demand the house. Demand faithfulness.
Demand love and bury what happened in a cemetery at the back of her
mind, never speaking of it again.
Yes, that sounded great...but that confrontation would require removing
her head from the steering wheel, and her neck seemed unable to do so
at the moment. She couldn’t move from this moment. Not now, not ever.
She heard a slam and jerked her head up. Her next-door neighbor Jen
was taking her son to school. Jen, looking confused as to why Elly was sitting
in her car, unmoving, waved enthusiastically. Elly rolled her eyes back
in her head and lifted her hand weakly. Filled with self-pity, she loathed
Jen, who was actually a nice person. Yes, act like nothing is wrong. Act like you
didn’t hear me screaming and wailing like a banshee until the sun came up. Act like
this is totally normal, sitting in my car at six in the morning, with a cooler full of
roast beef and suicidal thoughts. Jen’s tow-headed little boy climbed into the
backseat, and she lovingly buckled him in.
The tears Elly didn’t think she had left inside her snuck up so suddenly that she didn’t even have time to prepare. A wail, an unwomanly, unattractive wail escaped from her lips and she wept with liberal abandon.
Grief spread before her. Her perfect future, her imaginary child, a little boy
who climbed happily into his car seat was not here. That future was not in
this house, the one she had built for that purpose. It was not with the man
she had trusted to see her dreams through. It was not in the office where
she’d worked for years, where she’d happily gossiped with friends about the
love of her life. It wasn’t in the park where she’d envisioned pushing a baby
stroller, her artistic husband at her side. Her life as she’d dreamed it would
be had imploded yesterday. The shards had gone flying inward, into her
body, the moment she had seen them together. That life had fallen out of
her fingers before she understood what was happening to her.
How was it that a love story so beautifully constructed, so perfectly executed,
could be so flawed, so breakable? How, with a single act, could two
years of marriage burn to the ground, leaving only flecks of ash behind?
Her future as she’d imagined it was gone forever. It could not be fixed.
He had not chosen her.
She would later exaggerate, telling people it was inner strength, or her
great faith that propelled her forward into the unknown. She had no such
strength, no such faith. What she had was the desperation of having nothing
ahead of her and the total decimation of a dream behind her. Elly closed
her eyes and banged her skull against the headrest. She saw them again, his
face elated with joy, his green eyes flashing up at the woman on top of him,
a bead of sweat running down her naked spine. The mane of red hair.
Tears threatened to fall again.
Push it down.
With that thought, she made the decision, turned the key, her heart
still shattering into sharp, jagged pieces. Elly shifted the now-trembling
car into first gear and turned around on her cul-de-sac. She propelled the
car onto the road that led out of her perfect neighborhood, turned northwest,
and headed for the freeway. She cranked up the radio, found her favorite
station. And then she drove, and drove, and drove. With the sounds of
NPR mingling with her wrenching sobs, Elly drove until the sun set in
front of her.
She refused to look back.
About the author:
Colleen Oakes is a passionate Colorado native who really enjoys
living in other places. She attended college in Bronxville, New York where she
received her degree in Creative Writing. After college, she opened up a
successful wedding florist before the writing urge came knocking. Now
she is a night owl who does most of her writing in pajamas. When not
drowsily hitting the keys, Colleen enjoys swimming, reading, and
immersing herself in nerdy pop culture. Elly in Bloom debuted in
September, 2012 via Amazon Publishing. She now lives with her husband in
North Denver, where they are awaiting their first child through
adoption. Colleen blogs about life (good, bad, and awkward) pretty
frequently over at The Ranunculus Adventures. She is currently at work on
the sequel to Elly in Bloom.
Some of you may remember reading my Twenty Questions interview with Lisa Becker and an excerpt of her debut novel, Click: An Online Love Story, on this blog in January of this year. Lisa has just published the sequel to that novel,titledDouble Click, and I'm pleased to have her back for an interview. Lisa also let me sit down with main character Shelley Manning, and she's treating us to an excerpt from this newest book. So grab some sweet tea and settle in for two interviews and an excerpt.
Double Click is a sequel to Click: An Online Love Story, the modern epistolary novel that book bloggers and reviewers called hilarious, clever, and full of fun.
In the first book, 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 reluctantly joined her best guy pal on a journey to find love online in Los Angeles. The story unfolded entirely through emails between Renee and her best friends as well as the gentlemen suitors she met online. Fraught with BCC's, FWD's, and inadvertent Reply to All's, readers rooted for Renee to "click" with the right man.
Double Click, which follows the same all-email format, picks up with the same main characters six months after the original books ends. If the first book was about Renee’s search for love online, this book is about whether she and her friends have all found their “HEA” or “happily ever after.” Through a marriage proposal, wedding, new baby and unexpected love twist, Double Click allows readers to cheer, laugh, cry, and cringe following the email exploits of Renee and friends.
Interview with Lisa Becker
How long have you been writing, and how did you start?
I started writing Click: An Online Love Story after my husband and I married but before we had kids. Then I had to take a break from writing due to the rigors of motherhood. But I had always told myself – even as a little girl – that I would write a book one day. So I made the commitment to finish the book. I wrote in the mornings while the girls were at school or at night after they went to sleep. I made it a goal to write – even if only for a half hour – every day. Based on the positive reader response to the book, I started work on the sequel, Double Click.
How did you come up with the title of your book?
I liked the double meaning of click – both “clicking” a mouse while using a computer for online dating and “clicking” or making a special connection with someone.
Do you have another job outside of writing?
I’m fortunate to have had a series of wonderful careers outside of writing including being a wife, mom, PR professional, college professor, volunteer, and Girl Scout troop leader. But I’ve always wanted to learn to professionally decorate cakes. Not only does it look fun, but really yummy!
How did you create the plot for this book?
My husband and I met online on a popular dating website. After we married, I was recalling some of the hilarious experiences that I had with both traditional and online dating. I decided to capture some of them in writing and from there, a novel emerged. Click: An Online Love Story is loosely based on my real-life dating experiences, as well as stories friends have shared with me. In some cases, things are written as they actually occurred. Other scenarios are exaggerated for entertainment value or comedic affect. And some scenarios are completely fictionalized. I really did go out on a date with someone I met online who started every story (no joke!) with “My buddies and I were out drinking last night.” But the happy ending is real. Steve and I have been happily married for nearly 10 years and have two amazing daughters.
Tell us a book you’re an evangelist for. Years ago, I read a book called e by Matthew Beaumont, which tells the story of a fictitious ad agency vying for a big account, with the story all told in emails. I laughed out loud (on an airplane, no less) reading e. I highly recommend it! I thought that narrative style would work really well for the story I wanted to tell about the online dating world. It was a modern way of storytelling that fit the topic and the times. Sophie’s choice: Do you have a favorite of your characters?
I most identify with Renee. Her online dating profile is almost identical to the one I had when I met my husband. But my favorite character is Shelley. She’s confident, brash, outrageous and wholly unapologetic for her choices. Although she and I are as different as can be, she was so fun to write. Her hilarious habit of giving nicknames to her “man du jour” was inspired by a childhood friend of mine who had a nickname for a guy in college that she admired from across the dorm cafeteria. She called him Maverick because he looked like Tom Cruise in Top Gun. Much like Shelley, she is a self-confident, gorgeous, lovely gal, and it wasn't long before they met and dated for a spell.
Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.
I love the interaction between Renee and her two best girlfriends, Shelley and Ashley, who don’t always get along with one another. Their differing styles of support, friendship, and dating have a hilarious impact on Renee. It was fun to write their email exchanges and imagine their rapid fire responses. In my opinion, there’s nothing like having a group of close friends who can support you when things get tough, laugh with you when things get ridiculous, console you when you’re down, and cajole you into doing things that they can see are good for you, but you are reluctant to embrace.
Do you have a routine for writing? Do you work better at night, in the afternoon, or in the morning?
I sit in my home office at an HP desktop computer with a really big screen. My eyes grow tired pretty easily in my old age ;) 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.
Do you ever get writer’s block? What do you do when it happens?
Chocolate! No joke, I eat chocolate. If I’m stuck on a certain section or not feeling motivated to write, I give myself little chocolate incentives to get past the blockage. Judging by my thighs, I had some serious problems writing this book. ;)
What’s one of your favorite quotes?
Based on my response above, it should come as little surprise that my favorite quote is from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It’s from the end of the movie when Charlie decides not to give evil Slugworth his everlasting gobstopper and instead returns it to Mr. Wonka, even though he feels he was cheated out of a lifetime supply of chocolate. As he leaves the candy, Mr. Wonka covers it with his hand and says, “So shines a good deed in a weary world.” It’s a beautiful moment that makes me tear up every time.
Lisa, it's been fun talking to you. Can I have a few minutes alone with Shelley? I have a feeling she'll give us some real dirt!
Interview with Lisa Becker's Shelley Manning
Shelley Manning is a confident, sometimes brash tell-it-like-it-is gal with three missions in life: (1) recruit top talent for the evil corporate trolls she works for; (2) recruit top talent for her active social life and; (3) give her best friend Renee the boost she needs to be her very best.
What's the best pick up line you’ve ever used?
Oh sweetie, I don't use – or need – pick-up lines.
What's the best and worst pick-up line used on you?
Well, that’s a whole ‘nother story. I have heard plenty of them over the years from “Do you believe in love at first sight? Or, "Should I walk by again?” to “Do I know you, because you look a lot like my next girlfriend?”
To be honest, I’m not a big fan. But I certainly don’t mind being complimented. Trust me, even the waiter who calls me “Miss” gets a MUCH better tip than the one who calls me “Ma’am.”
What's the first thing you notice about a guy?
I’m all about a sparkling personality and strong sense of humor. HA! Couldn’t even say that with a straight face. When it comes to the first thing I notice, I’m as superficial as they come - and damn proud of it. Nothing beats a striking set of eyes or bulging biceps to get me going. What dating advice would you give?
I just read a great slogan on Facebook, of all places, which I think applies well to dating: “Don’t worry about people talking behind your back because it just means that you are one step ahead of them and they are facing exactly in the right direction to kiss your ass.”
Seriously, don’t worry about what other people think. Just do what feels good. That’s my motto and believe me, I feel great. What dating advice hasn't worked?
When I was 13, my friend’s older sister was reading a new book that had come out and was all the rage called The Rules. It was supposed to change the way men and women relate to each other in dating and was basically about how to snag a husband by not calling a guy back, wearing lots of make-up, and letting him take the lead. My friend and I “borrowed” the book and decided to put those “rules” into practice. Let’s just say when you play hard to get in junior high, you get a reputation as a prude. And that's certainly not how I viewed myself. So, I decided right then and there if I wanted something – or someone – I would go after it. And I won't apologize for it. I seem to be doing something right because I'm loving my fun-filled life. Is there anyone special in your life right now?
They’re all special in one way or another. And finding their hidden talents is what makes my life so much fun. Like your best friend, have you tried online dating?
As I recall, I joked to Renee that I wouldn’t mind reviewing, chatting with, judging and mocking a whole host of men while looking busy at my desk. But honestly, it’s not for me. It’s a great idea for her. She needed a gentle but oh-so-swift kick in the ass to get back into the dating scene after that bastard Derek broke her heart. (What a fool! He will never meet anyone better than her.) But, Renee is looking for a relationship and that’s why you date. I’m just looking for a good time and contrary to all of the porn sites online, you don’t need the Internet for that.
If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?
It all starts with a late lunch at Gladstone’s in Malibu complete with Mojitos and raw oysters on the half shell. (Nothing like an aphrodisiac to get things going.) After a long lunch, my companion and I would drive down the coast back to my place where we engage in some – Wait! Will any minors have access to this interview? – let’s just call it “adult fun.” In the early morning, after we’ve had our “fun,” he leaves without any drama, commitments or regrets.
Other than cuddling, are there any other dating deal breakers?
Smoking (except the occasional cigar, which can be kind of sexy). Cigarette smoking is a nasty habit. Not only does it stink and result in cancer, it causes wrinkles. Wrinkles! Just between you and me, is there anything going on with you and Mark Finlay?
Finlay?!? Our drunken Valentine's Day hookup is probably one of my most embarrassing moments, which is really saying a lot. If you haven't guessed by now, I've had my fair share of moments where I've been (literally!) caught with my pants down.
Excerpt from Double Click
From: Renee Greene – August 22, 2012 – 9:25 AM To: Shelley Manning Subject: Should I be worried?
Are you feeling okay? You don’t have a terminal illness that I, as you very best friend, should be aware of, do you?
____________________________________________________________________________
From: Shelley Manning – August 22, 2012 – 9:27 AM To: Renee Greene Subject: Re: Should I be worried?
No, I’m not dying. Why do you ask?
____________________________________________________________________________
From: Renee Greene – August 22, 2012 – 9:34 AM To: Shelley Manning Subject: Re: Should I be worried?
You just don’t seem like yourself. That really good looking guy at Flint’s happy hour was totally into you and you…well…you didn’t even really give him a second look. That’s so out of character for you that I’m just wondering if you are okay.
____________________________________________________________________________
From: Shelley Manning – August 22, 2012 – 9:37 AM To: Renee Greene Subject: Re: Should I be worried?
Goodness, girl! I can’t take a night off of being aroused without arousing suspicion?
____________________________________________________________________________
From: Renee Greene – August 22, 2012 – 9:42 AM To: Shelley Manning Subject: Re: Should I be worried?
Ha! That was funny!
But seriously, you just haven’t seemed your “normal,” make-me-“Greene”-with-envy self for quite a while now and I wanted to make sure you were okay.
____________________________________________________________________________
From: Shelley Manning – August 22, 2012 – 9:47 AM To: Renee Greene Subject: Re: Should I be worried?
I’m fine, Sweetie. And if you haven’t noticed, you don’t need to be – as you’ve joked about it – “Greene” with envy. You’ve got a great guy.
____________________________________________________________________________
From: Renee Greene – August 22, 2012 – 9:48 AM To: Shelley Manning Subject: Re: Should I be worried?
Are you bothered that you don’t have a great guy?
____________________________________________________________________________
From: Shelley Manning – August 22, 2012 – 9:54 AM To: Renee Greene Subject: Re: Should I be worried?
My, oh my. These emails are becoming so serious. I just didn’t feel like hooking up last night. Don’t make it into something bigger than it is.
____________________________________________________________________________
From: Renee Greene – August 22, 2012 – 9:59 AM To: Shelley Manning Subject: Re: Should I be worried?
Okay, okay. But really, we are getting older. Maybe you are thinking that you want to find that someone special. Maybe you’ve already found that someone special and it scares you?
____________________________________________________________________________
From: Shelley Manning – August 22, 2012 – 10:04 AM To: Renee Greene Subject: Re: Should I be worried?
Oh, Sweetie. The beauty of life (and me, for that matter), is that it doesn’t matter how old you are. You can still be as immature as you want to be.
____________________________________________________________________________
From: Renee Greene – August 22, 2012 – 10:05 AM To: Shelley Manning Subject: Re: Should I be worried?
Come on! I’m being serious!
____________________________________________________________________________
From: Shelley Manning – August 22, 2012 – 10:07 AM To: Renee Greene Subject: Re: Should I be worried?
Renee Michele Greene! If this is another veiled attempt to get me to admit (not that I’m admitting anything!) that I have feeling for Finlay, well, I’m going to scream. But this is email. So I will just have to type in ALL CAPS. Again, I DO NOT LIKE FINLAY!
____________________________________________________________________________ From: Renee Greene – August 22, 2012 – 10:09 AM To: Shelley Manning Subject: Re: Should I be worried?
I hear (read) you. I hear (read) you. I will drop the subject. Just glad to know you aren’t dying.
____________________________________________________________________________
From: Shelley Manning – August 22, 2012 – 10:10 AM To: Renee Greene Subject: Re: Should I be worried?
Just dying to stop having this conversation.
____________________________________________________________________________
From: Renee Greene – August 22, 2012 – 10:12 AM To: Shelley Manning Subject: Re: Should I be worried?
Message received! But thanks for bringing some levity back to things. I’d better get back to work. Talk with you later.
____________________________________________________________________________
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!
I love doing character interviews, and today I'm delighted to talk with Lucinda Norman, from Tracy Kauffman's YA fiction fantasy, My Boyfriend the Squire. Lucinda Norman is the sixteen-year-old only daughter of Maria and Robert Norman. She has a brother, Caleb, who is in the military, stationed in Italy. She's a shy girl but very pretty.
In addition to letting me talk to Lucinda, Tracy took my challenge of the Dirty Dozen. Scroll down to see why she earned the Dirty Dozen Daredevil Award.
Interview with Lucinda Norman
Welcome, Lucinda. How did you first meet Tracy Kauffman?
She was sitting on the plane next to me. I had to tell her everything that happened to me. Then she gave me her number and told me to fill her in on things that happened to me regarding my brother. We became friends after that.
Want to dish about her?
She is an interesting writer that loves to write about anything that would interest others except witchcraft or erotica-type stuff. Did you ever think that your life would end up being in a book?
Not at first but when I traveled back in time, I thought it would make a great book.
Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.
Chapter sixteen when we go to the Medieval Times dinner show, and then Chad and I are transported back in time together. It was funny watching him trying to act like a squire. Did you have a hard time convincing Tracy to write any particular scenes for you?
She thought I was way too young to get married, but hey, we are living in 2013. Lots of people get married at a young age.
What do you like to do when you are not being actively read somewhere?
I have other adventures that I have been on. You’ll have to wait until Tracy writes the next book to find out what happens.
If you could rewrite anything in your book, what would it be?
The chapter where my brother dies. I hated that it was in the book, but it needed to be. It happened to me, and I was glad my brother can be remembered.
Tell the truth. What do you think of your fellow characters?
Both Chad and Chadwick are good looking. It was kind of hard for me to accept Chadwick marrying the Princess, but I know deep down that he needed to in order for Chad to be here today. He is one of their ancestors. Do have any secret aspirations that your author doesn’t know about?
Since Chad was traced back to nobility, it would be nice if they considered him a prince today.
If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?
I would go back and visit Chadwick and Princess Grace.
What impression do you make on people when they first meet you?
I am shy and timid at first but then people usually love me after they get to know me. I have learned that I have more courage that I thought I had.
What's the worst thing that's happened in your life?
So far, my brother dying.
What did you learn from it?
Life is short, and you have to make the best of it.
Tell us about your best friend.
Veronica is a lot like me, but she is more out-going. Her mother works as a party planner, which was great for me.
What are you most afraid of?
Losing Chad.
What’s the best trait your author has given you?
I’m courageous.
What’s the worst?
The worst would be that I’m shy at first.
What do you like best about Countess Hildegarde?
She trusted me enough to bring me back in time.
Least?
The least is that she wasn’t upfront with me at first. How do you feel about your life right now? What, if anything, would you like to change?
I’m enjoying my life now with Chad. I fell in love being a princess. It would be nice to really be a princess, since Chad is really of noble blood. If your story were a movie, who would play you?
Lindsay Lohan
Describe the town where you live.
I’m from a small town in Alabama. Most people are like family to one another. Neighbors help each other out when they are needed. Will you encourage your author to write a sequel?
Yes, she has already started one.
Tracy Does the Dirty Dozen
1. Name one thing you couldn’t live without.
Hairbrush
2. If you could only keep one book, what would it be?
African Ice by Jeff Buick
3. Your last meal would be…
Tour of Italy from Olive Garden. It has a combination
of entrees and is quite large of a meal.
4. Would you rather work in a library or a bookstore?
Library
5. You won the lottery. What’s the first thing you would buy?
A new house on the beach.
6. Would you rather be stranded on a deserted island or the North Pole?
Deserted Island because I hate cold weather.
7. You’re given the day off, and you can do anything but write. What would you do?
Lay on a beach and sun bathe.
8. You’re driven to a private plane and told it will take you anywhere your want to go. Where would it be?
Japan to see my son. He is in the military.
9. You can be any fictional character for one day. Who would you be?
Hard one. Maybe Alice in Wonderland. 10. Where would your dream office be?
On a tropical Island.
11. If you could do only one, would you rather read or write?
Hard one. Write
12. One of your main characters has to die. Which one would you kill off?
Countess Hildegarde.
About the author:
Tracy Kauffman is a Christian fiction author of young adult and children stories. She grew up in North Alabama, where she still resides with her husband and daughter. She loves taking cruises and traveling with her family. Her favorite place that she has been to is the Grand Canyon.
Tracy has an associates degree in Nursing. She is a registered nurse and works part time in a local nursing home. The rest of the time she spends her time writing books and marketing them. Her titles include: Gwendolyn’s Wish, Southern Adventures, Richard the Lionheart, My Boyfriend the Squire, and Captain Honey Bear Saves Goldie Locks.
Tracy started writing poetry at a small age and won the title of editor in her school newspaper, when she was in second grade. She had her first poem published in a online writing contest called, The Cosmetology Student. She decided to write her first book, Southern Adventures, when her son left home for the Air Force.
She loves writing and hopes to be able to inspire her readers into living a happy healthier life. She feels like her own life experiences have made her a better writer.
Book 4 in the Lambda Award-winning Russel Middlebrook Series!
People aren't always what they seem to be. Sometimes we even surprise ourselves.
So discovers seventeen-year-old Russel Middlebrook in The Elephant of Surprise, a stand-alone sequel to Brent Hartinger's landmark 2003 gay young adult novel Geography Club (which has now been adapted as a feature film co-starring Scott Bakula and Nikki Blonsky).
In this latest book, Russel and his friends, Min and Gunnar, are laughing about something they call the Elephant of Surprise – the tendency for life to never turn out as expected. Sure enough, Russel soon happens upon a hot but mysterious homeless activist named Wade, even as he's drawn back to an old flame named Kevin. Meanwhile, Min is learning surprising things about her girlfriend Leah, and Gunnar just wants to be left alone to pursue his latest technology obsession.
But the elephant is definitely on the move in all three of their lives. Just who is Wade, and what are he and his friends planning? What is Leah hiding? And why is Gunnar taking naked pictures of Kevin in the shower?
The Elephant of Surprise includes Hartinger's trademark combination of humor and romance, angst and optimism. Before the story is over, Russel and his friends will learn that the Elephant of Surprise really does appear when you least expect him—and that when he stomps on you, it really, really hurts.
Interview with Brent
I’m very happy to have Brent Hartinger here today, to talk about The Elephant Of Surprise, his fourth book in the YA Russel Middlebrook series. Before we start talking about this latest book, due to launch tomorrow, I asked Brent to catch us up on the first three books in the series.
First of all, Brent, tell us a little bit about the three books leading up to The Elephant Of Surprise (great title, by the way). Geography Club tells the story of a gay kid and his misfit friends, as they create a secret gay-straight alliance in their school. It's mostly about Russel (the gay one), Min (who's bisexual), and Gunnar (who's straight).
As for the others in the series, well, my theory on sequels is that people THINK they want to know what happens "next" in a story -- they think they want a continuation of the last book. But that's not really what they want, because if a story is told well, it's resolved. It's over.
No, what readers want is a sequel that makes them FEEL the way that first book made them feel. To do that, you need to give your characters a whole new story: new challenges, new themes, new secondary characters, new twists, new resolutions.
So for The Order of the Poison Oak(the second book in the series), I had the three main characters, Russel, Min, and Gunnar, leave town completely: they go to work at a summer camp for burn survivors -- and they all learn about sex and betrayal.
Then inDouble Feature(the third book), the three of them get jobs as zombie extras working on a horror film -- and Russel has to deal with coming out to his parents, and also a long-distance relationship. That was a fun book to write, because we get to see the same period of time from two different perspectives -- Russel's and Min's -- and of course their experiences are COMPLETELY different.
You are living every author’s dream, Brent. A movie is being made of the first book, Geography Club. Congratulations! How did that come about?
Thank you. It's been a long time coming.
First of all, it took ten years to sell the book itself. I wrote the first draft in 1991. Over the next few years, lots of editors wanted to buy it, but their publishers wouldn't let them. The accountants always said, "There's no market for a book about gay teens."
So then HarperCollins finally buys it in early 2001, it's published in early 2003, and it's a big hit, right? I mean, right away. Apparently, there was a market for a book about gay teens. Who knew? And so the movie rights are optioned just a few months after it's published.
And for years, different producers tried to get it made. Big budgets, small budgets, as a TV series, you name it. It came really close to getting made a couple of times, but over and over, they kept hearing, "There's no market for a movie about gay teens."
I know. Right?
So when I learned in 2011 that it was finally really going to happen, I was, like, "Uh huh. Sure." In fact, even on the plane down to Los Angeles to the set, I was thinking, "I bet this still isn't going to happen." And when I got home, after the wrap party and everything, I remember thinking, "Boy, I really hope they back up their files!"
At that point, I'd been around the block a few times. But it did happen, and I'm overjoyed.
As a writer, I would be afraid of what a script would do to my story. Did you have anything to do with the movie? Did you have any say in the storyline?
I wasn't involved much with these particular producers, although they did ask my opinion from time-to-time. In a way, that's okay with me. There's much, much less pressure: I get credit if the movie's well-received, but I don't get blamed if it's not.
It helps that I have another movie that I wrote that will hopefully film this spring. Being involved with two movies in the span of a year has been wonderful. I feel like I've made so many new friends.
As for Geography Club, the movie, I finally saw it two weeks ago (and as I said, I was also on the set for a while). I'm pretty confident it'll be well-received, because it's very good. A little different from the book, but good.
An interesting thing about the individual scenes: I was watching them film one scene that was right out of the book and that also basically happened to me as a teenager. And as I was watching, I sort of had this weird, out-of-body experience where reality all ran together, and I couldn't quite remember which part happened to me, which I made up, and which I was seeing in front of my eyes.
Surreal!
Here's the trailer:
Go ahead, tell us the truth. Is the book better than the movie?
I'm not just being diplomatic when I say they're two totally different things. You can't compare them.
Okay, yes, I'm being diplomatic!
Okay then, I’ll say it: the book is always better! But I’ll still go see the movie. When will it be out?
No official release date just yet. They say by the end of the year, but you know how these things go.
(Fun fact: Justin Deeley who plays hunky Kevin in the movie was born in Louisville, Kentucky, where I live!)
He's a very nice guy! I hope he has a big career ahead of him.
Did any of the things that happen in the books actually happen to you? Have you ever saved someone from a forest fire? Did you ever join a baseball team to impress a guy...
It's almost never exactly what happened to me. I never saved anyone from a fire, and I never joined a baseball team for any reason. But when I write about something, I have almost always experienced the emotions involved. For example, I've worked with lots and lots of kids over the years, including some like Ian who are way wise beyond their years. I've always had a really easy rapport with kids and teenagers. One time one of their parents said that to me, and I said, "Really? I wonder why." And she said, "My child says it's because you don't treat him like a kid. You don't talk down to him." And for a minute, it didn't make sense. How else would you treat a kid? But then I remembered how adults had treated me as a kid, how patronizing they could be, and how incredibly frustrating that was. I guess that taught me not to do it!
I have saved kids from drowning (as a lifeguard). And unfortunately, I've also done waaay too many things to impress guys.
I also did once work as an extra in a movie, but it wasn't a zombie movie. It was Come See the Paradise with Dennis Quaid. And you can barely see me, and it ended up being a total flop. I mean, like one of the biggest flops of the year.
In Order of the Poison Oak, Russel is a camp counselor. It’s written so convincingly you must have also been a camp counselor once?
Nope, I was never a counselor, but I'm thrilled I fooled you!
I did have a couple of former camp counselor sources that I grilled mercilessly on the details of being a counselor. And just from life experience, I could sort of figure out the emotions involved.
There were certain things I wanted to include because they're seem so iconic to summer camp: skinny-dipping; an Indian legend; a summer romance; and lots of action around the camp fire. But I'd like to think I wrote about these things in a way that was somehow fresh and different. And just in its being a gay teen book, I think I subvert a lot of the camp stereotypes. How do you get your ideas for plotlines?
Usually something I read, or a story someone told me. Sometimes it actually happens to me. But whenever I see a good idea for a story, something fresh and new and original, I always know it right away. I think, "I'm going to write that story one day!"
And eventually, I do.
How do you handle the load of promoting published books and writing new books?
I don't sleep!
The truth is, I really, really, really love what I do. So even though I work really hard, it usually doesn't feel like work.
I've never enjoyed the "boring" parts of the business: pitching projects, outlining, putting together presentations or lesson plans, proof-reading, and the like.
But I can honestly say I love the actual writing, the answering emails from fans, doing interviews like this, meeting new people. I'm a shy person, but it's easy to talk to people when you're a writer, because everyone wants to talk to you!
Plus, I spend so much time alone, I'm always ready to go out into the world whenever anyone invites me. Is The Elephant of Surprise the last Russel Middlebrook book in the series or will there be more? Please say there will be more, please say there will be more...
It's very, very possible. It depends on how well this one sells. But if I do it, I'll jump five years into the future, with Russel in college. And if Geography Club, the movie, is a hit, there's already talk of doing the next book as a movie too.
Cool. I love the idea of a jump into Russel’s college years. Excellent idea. Now get writing it. :) I’ve read that you also had a trio friendship in real life, like Russel, Gunnar, and Min. Was your Gunnar a geek and Min a brain?
It's funny, those characters are so loosely based on my friends that I sort of forget that I've said they were. My friends are just as quirky, but in such different ways. Well, my "Gunnar" really did want a theramin once, and my "Min" is very smart, but not a know-it-all or a brainiac.
Incidentally, I love writing about Russel, Min, and Gunnar. I never get bored with them! I could write about them forever. It helps that they're all so different. But I especially love writing about their friendship -- how they affect each other, how they joke around. That's the most interesting aspect of all my friendships -- although, interestingly, my "Min" and my "Gunnar" live in different towns and barely know each other.
See how different my books are from my real life?
What do you like best about writing? What’s your least favorite thing?
It's actually the same thing. I love writing, and I hate writing.
I think everyone can write the first three chapters of any project based on excitement and momentum alone. But then you hit that wall. You realize you've got a whole story to tell – a whole damn world to create. And for me, that's intimidating and exhausting.
You're so right! I am totally there with my current WIP.
I always compare writing to getting a boulder rolling. It’s really, really, really hard for me to get it moving – so hard I really have to work myself up to even trying. And it’s so hard that once I get it rolling, I don’t want to stop, not until I’m done with the whole project. I'm sort of manic that way.
But there's another part of it too. Once I get rolling, once things are really coming, a sort of euphoria takes over. I'm not a religious person, but I gotta say: I find the writing process to be a transcendent experience. You're at one with the universe. It’s such a rush, pushing harder and harder for that elusive glimpse of infinity — and then, finally, getting it.
Basically, I hate the writing process, and I love it at exactly the same time.
Do you have another job outside of writing?
This is it. Which is great in those years when everything's hitting, and I'm making a lot of money. And it's terrifying when your projects aren't connecting, or your editor leaves, or when that "sure-fire" movie deal falls through.
They say writers should have a "back-up career," which is probably smart. The problem is, if I had a back-up career, I would have switched to it long ago. This is a high-wire act we writers do.
Writing fiction is a really, really, really hard way to make a (good) living. On the other hand, it's never dull.
How did you create the plot for this book?
This is book #4 in a series, and with every book, I've wanted my characters to have some interesting, but completely different experience. In Geography Club, they start a "secret" gay-straight alliance (they call it the Geography Club because they think that sounds so boring that no one else will want to join. And yes, I have heard from dozens of angry geographers over the years!).
In The Order of the Poison Oak (the second book in the series), they go to work at a summer camp for burn survivors. In Double Feature (the third book), they get jobs as zombie extras working on a horror film.
I've also always tried to make the books light and funny, which I think explains some of their success.
Well, for The Elephant of Surprise, this latest book, Russel gets involved with a mysterious guy who's a member of a group called "freegans." They're actually a real-life group of environmentalists who give up all their possessions and live on the streets, foraging for food and other necessities. I remember reading about them years ago. And the more I researched them for this book, the more interesting they became. It's a totally different kind of life – and as Russel learns in the book, it's a pretty fascinating one, and in some ways, even a very romantic one.
And dramatically speaking, there's nothing like a character who makes your main character question everything about his life. That's the function Wade (the freegan) has with Russel in The Elephant of Surprise.
Do you outline, write by the seat of your pants, or let your characters tell you what to write?
Oh, I'm a big outliner. I don't get into too much detail in the outline, and I never stick that closely to it, but I like knowing it's there. I need to know: can this story even work? IS there a story? Basically, I'd rather see the flaws in my story in an 8-page outline than after I've written myself into a corner in 200-page manuscript.
I know other writers use a different process, and whatever works for them works for them. I used to do it that way – for years, I resisted the whole idea of an outline. But I write screenplays too, and that's sort of impossible to do without outlining – screenplays are so much about plot and structure. So I was forced to outline, and it worked for me, and I'm so much more efficient now. I think my books are better to.
Did you have any say in your cover art? What do you think of it?
The cover was my idea, and I worked with an artist who I've worked with on all my recent books – April Martinez.
The title is a pun on the expression "the element of surprise," and it's a whole recurring theme in the book – when surprising things happen (and they do!), the character imagines an actual elephant stomping on him.
I wanted to convey the book's humor and fun, and I think April got the look exactly right. But then she always does.
I think she did too. Great cover. Have you ever bought any books just for the cover? Did you enjoy the book(s)?
Yes, when I was 12. And no. Learned that lesson well!
What do you do to market your book?
You name it. Wash your windows? Bake you some cookies?
Why yes, to both. But I have to admit I’ve already read all four in the series.
It's funny, just about the only thing I don't do anymore is tour. I've done that – I once did a 14-city tour. And it's fun to meet new people, make new friends. But it's also expensive and exhausting, especially for an introvert like I am. But the Internet has changed all that – bookstores have closed, and it's much harder to get people to turn out for any author's event (unless you're Suzanne Collins). Which is actually fine by me. I'd rather interact via social media anyway.
That said, I still do just enough events that if you really want to meet me in person, you can.
Do you have imaginary friends?
I do! I constructed these whole, elaborate fantasy worlds when I was a boy – super-spy, Middle Earth adventurer, member of a rock band. And I'm proud to say, but also a little embarrassed, that I still return to these worlds whenever I'm alone. And you know what? You're the first person I've ever admitted that too!
That's probably because you sense I have imaginary friends too. I’m constantly on the lookout for new names. How do you name your characters?
That's such a tough one. You want it to be unique, but not call too much attention to itself, not be too precious. You want it to maybe say something about the character's personality, but you're worried about being too literal.
I have a character named Otto Digmore, which is about as far out as I've even gotten. But it is my favorite name.
My main character in these books is Russel Middlebrook. I liked the named "Russel" because it seemed to suggest movement (and I spelled it with only one "l" to indicate he was different from other people). And the last name, which I love the sound of, was meant to sort of indicate that he was "mid-stream," in the process of moving from one place to another – on the border between one place and another. Since the title of the first book was Geography Club, and I sort of play with the metaphor of "geography," it seemed like the perfect choice.
What would your main character say about you?
"Geez, you're even more neurotic than I am!"
I think your imaginary friends have a lot in common with mine. Are any of your characters inspired by real people?
Russel is certainly "inspired" by me, and his two best friends Min and Gunnar were "inspired" by two of my friends. All through my life, I've also always had a thing for friendship trios. Maybe this has something to do my being a gay teenager -- life was safer that way. But it's interesting how quickly Russel, Min, and Gunnar became their own characters. In my mind, they now seem totally different from myself and my actual friends. Embarrassingly, I think of them as real people. Even now, when people ask me who they're based on, my first impulse is to think, "What do you mean 'based on'? They're real people!" Which I guess is the goal of writing fiction, right?
Absolutely. Tell us about your favorite scene in the book.
There are four long scenes that map out the trajectory of the love affair between the two main characters, two guys, but they're about as unlikely settings for a love story as you can get (by design!): the first takes place at a Dumpster and then a garbage dump; the next takes place in an abandoned building; the next takes place in an abandoned streetcar in the woods; and the last one takes place in the abandoned building again.
If I do say so myself – ahem! – I love everything that happens in all these scenes. I think it's one of the most unusual gay teen love stories ever I've ever heard about, and I think it's some of my best writing ever.
Thanks for asking!
Thanks for answering! How do you handle criticism of your work?
That's the real challenge, isn't it? Because the job of a writer isn't to be adored. It's to be read. And reading fictional is all about an emotional response, some good, some bad. It's literally a writer's job to be criticized.
That said, I stay as far away from criticism as I can. I write the book, and my job is pretty much done. While I'm writing the book, I listen to criticism from my editors and early readers. But once I'm done writing it, that means I'm satisfied. It also means it's out of my hands – it can't be changed. I let other people have their own reactions, and I don't want to intrude. I also don't want it to bum me out! It can be such an emotional roller coaster if you let it, because obviously everyone reacts to a book differently. Again, that's the whole point. But I don't want to be there to watch. I'd never get out of bed if I did.
Smart man, very smart. Tell us one weird thing, one nice thing, and one fact about where you live.
I live near Green Lake in Seattle, which is a neighborhood near this urban lake just north of downtown. It's so fantastic!
It has something called an "aqua theater," which means the stage is out on the water, and the seats are built on the shore. Good idea, huh? Um, yeah, except for synchronized swimming, it didn't work so well. Now they just use it for rowing.
There's a park that surrounds the whole lake – almost three miles. And almost every day, when I'm done writing, I walk it. It's WONDERFUL, especially for a work-at-home person like I am.
A fact? I think it's the second most-used urban park in the country (after Central Park in New York). Do you ever get writer’s block? What do you do when it happens?
What I get is "I don't want to write" block. Writing is hard, hard work for me (see above answer), so I procrastinate. But it's never been the case that if I actually turn off the Internet and sit down at the computer for five days in a row, nothing comes.
If anything, I have the opposite problem. There are way more stories that I want to write that I'll ever have the time to get down on paper.
Is there anything in particular that you do to help the writing flow?
Oh, I get stuck all the time. So I go for a walk, or take a shower. Or I give up for the day, think about it before I go to sleep that night, and let my subconscious mind work it out. What do you know? Nine times out of ten, that works!
You obviously write a lot, but what do you like to do when you’re not writing?
I confess I’m a little envious of writers like Stephen King, who writes for exactly four hours every day (even Christmas), stopping at noon. And I feel bad that I don’t do what all the writing books say I should do: keep a journal, constantly observe the world, make notes on napkins.
But when I’m not writing, I’m so not writing. I’m reading or biking or cooking or playing video games or going to plays and movies — basically, enjoying life — but I am definitely not writing. I don’t think I’ve ever once had an inspiration for anything writing-related if I’m in one of my “non-writing” phases.
I can’t just turn my creativity on and off, and it’s definitely not always running in the background, like my computer’s anti-virus program.
For me, it’s all or nothing: all consuming or completely checked out.
Fortunately for us, the "all consuming" wins out most of the time. I read all four books in the series and loved them all. Brent's characters stick with you and become your imaginary friends. Check them out, people.
About the author:
Brent Hartinger is an author, teacher,
playwright, and screenwriter. Geography Club, the first book in his
Lambda Award-winning Russel Middlebrook Series, is now a feature film.
In 1990, Brent helped found one of the country's first LGBT teen support
groups, in his hometown of Tacoma, Washington. In 2005, he co-founded
the entertainment website AfterElton.com, which was sold to MTV/Viacom
in 2006. Read more by and about Brent, or contact him at
www.brenthartinger.com.
About the author:
