Challenge:Post Reviews:November
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Interview with Anne McAneny
Q: Why is writing a passion for you?
It’s one of the few things I can do for 8 hours straight without reaching for M&M’s every 20 minutes.
Q: Where do you find inspiration for your stories and characters?
I read everything from cereal boxes to political editorials, from off-kilter magazines to other people’s personal notes (if I can catch a glimpse). It all gets churned through a warped WHAT IF gear in my head. No different than other people’s minds. It’s just that my wacky conclusions get written down.
Many ideas come to me while exercising. For example, thinking about how I would act as a hostage during a bank robbery led to wondering about who would make an ideal hostage, which led to pondering if a blind person would be a good hostage, which led to musing about a blind hostage who merely pretends to be blind… but who would do that? An actress, of course! And all of that resulted in a screenplay I wrote that’s been very well-received — and is available for any producers out there reading this… wink-wink.
Q: Can you describe your latest novel, Our Eyes Met Over Cantaloupe in twenty words or less?
No way! Wait, do those count? Fourteen left… What happens after someone places a cheesy personal ad… or refuses to?
Q: Besides writing books, you have also written screenplays. How does your writing process differ for these, or how is it the same?
Screenplays and novels both have to be well-constructed stories with heart and plot, but screenplays do it with far fewer words. In a screenplay, each description or set-up is limited to 4 lines or less so each word must be treated like gold.
Novels intimidated me at first because writing descriptive prose is like smashing my head against a cinder block: do it hard enough and long enough, and something worthwhile might fall onto the page – from either my head or the cinder block. You might notice my books are plot-driven with plenty of dialogue and relatively short scenes. That comes from having learned to write efficient, visual screenplays. And even though novels can stretch to 100,000 words or more, I try to value each word.
Q: What are your thoughts on the surge of eBooks? Do you own an eReader?
Ebooks are the iTunes of the publishing industry. They’re shaking it up and they’re here to stay so we might as well embrace them. Besides, what’s not to love? I used to lug around expensive, hard-cover books and now I can carry 50 e-books on my iTouch and even read them in the dark! It’s like the week I spent in the hospital at age five, all x-rays and needles. Guess what I remember about it? The TV remote. At home, we had a 12” black and white television with three channels and a manual dial. The remote control seemed light years ahead. I was living the high life! To me, e-book technology is the great game-changer. It’s that amazing, needle-filled week we all remember so fondly from childhood.
Ebooks also allowed me to find a real, live, reading audience for which I am grateful every minute of every day. My readers are even better than a remote!
Q: Who are a few authors that you would love to work with?
Helen Fielding, Nicholas Hornby, Jennifer Weiner, the late Erma Bombeck. And John Irving – but I wouldn’t speak to him – I’d just gape in awe.
Q: How important do you think social media is for authors?
I’m a bit of a social media Newbie but I think it’s going to play a huge role once everybody cracks the code. John Locke used Twitter and blogs to sell over a million e-books. Others have followed suit. We’re going to see rapid, mind-blowing changes as entire new industries blossom around e-books and social media. I love seeing the entrepreneurial spirit of individuals, i.e., Blog Tour Sites (go ChickLitPlus!), e-book cover design companies, e-book trailer producers, promotional websites, etc.
Q: What are you currently reading?
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME by Mark Haddon; THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak; and just finished BEL CANTO by Ann Patchett. All excellent.
Q: Where would be your dream vacation?
Belgium. Belgian chocolate and Belgian beer. ‘Nuff said.
Q: What is your advice to aspiring writers?
Know your story before you begin and write towards its wonderful conclusion. If you change your story midstream (which you probably will), go back and edit, edit, edit. And of course, read Anne McAneny’s books – not for any great writing lessons, but because it will help me get to Belgium. Thanks!
Jessica Simpson Confirms Pregnancy
Well, hallelujah. Jessica Simpson has finally confirmed that her large baby bump is indeed a baby bump. I was getting worried there. The singer and fashion designer, 31, tweeted a photo of herself on Monday wrapped up as a mummy––holding her baby bump a la Beyonce at the VMA’s. The caption? “It’s true – I’m going to be a mummy!” Haha. Oh, dear. This will be the first child for Simpson and fiancé Eric Johnson, a former NFL athlete. The couple were engaged in November.
Kim Kardashian to File for Divorce
Who saw this one coming? Oh, right––the majority of America! After Kim Kardashian received her 20.5 carat ring from NBA player Kris Humphries, the reality star and fiancée embarked on their engagement journey––all filmed courtesy of the E! network. When preparations for the wedding began, one could easily tell this couple was just not meant to be. The constant fights, Kim’s prissy attitude compared to the laid-back one Kris showed, the family’s angst against their new addition––who really thought this was going to last? Even the days right before the wedding seemed to be a joke. What I wondered––was it for real, or just a show for the cameras? Now the bigger question––was the whole wedding a joke?
Just 72 days after saying “I do” in a lavish ceremony in Montecito, California in front of 440 guests, Kim Kardashian is filing for divorce. Ryan Seacrest tweeted early today, “Yes @kimkardashian is filing for divorce this morning. I touched base with her, getting a statement in just a few minutes.” TMZ is reporting that Kardashian, 31, will not seek an annulment and plans to cite “irreconcilable differences in her filing.”
If you can’t tell, I’m just grossed out by this whole thing. The preparations that went into it, the time, effort, and money that went into making “Kim’s Fairytale Wedding” are all for a naught. Some “sources” are claiming that Kardashian knew before the wedding that she had made a mistake, but got “caught up” in the wedding planning and the fairytale aspect. How selfish. Usually, I am not this opinionated over celebrities, but this just really rubbed me the wrong way. And for how many viewers and followers Kim and the whole Kardashian family has––how does that look? To me, the message is no matter how much is costs or who it will affect, make sure you have your way. When it doesn’t work, marriage isn’t a big deal––just get a divorce! What a great role model. Then again, this is the same woman who to rose to fame off a sex tape.
How do you feel about the divorce? Did you see it coming? Do you care? Would love to get your thoughts!
In My Mailbox: Week of October 30
In My Mailbox: Week of October 30
Title: Hot Water
Author: Erin Brockovich with CJ CLyons
Received: From Leyane @ FSB Media
Synopsis: No stranger to balancing an intensely demanding work schedule with the stresses of keeping her family together, AJ Palladino now faces another challenge: she is leaving her young son home with her ailing parents so that she can travel to the site of a new case involving a nuclear power plant in peril. And it will take all her skills to keep her cool while the action and tension build to a fever pitch.
Colleton River, a new, one-of-a-kind nuclear facility designed to create medical isotopes with the potential to save millions of lives, has recently been plagued by a series of unexplained mishaps. The accidents have caused the locals to protest the plant, drawing the attention of an anti-nuclear protest group as well as several home-grown terrorists who sense an opportunity to sow fear and chaos. The plant’s owner, Owen Grandel, has traveled from South Carolina to West Virginia to personally ask AJ for help. AJ knows she’s going to have her hands full investigating the accidents and calming the situation at the plant. What she doesn’t foresee is her simple business trip turning into disaster, with her family coming apart at the seams in her absence—and her young son disappearing. While AJ tries to find her missing child, she also discovers what caused the “accidents.” Soon the plant begins hurtling towards nuclear catastrophe, with AJ stranded at ground zero. But can she save her son, herself, and the community—and prevent a nuclear meltdown before it’s too late?
Title: Too Much Trouble in Paradise
Author: Michelle Betham
Received: From Michelle Bethan
Synopsis: Molly Parker is a DWAG – a darts wife and girlfriend. Or rather, she’s an ex-DWAG after divorcing Paul “Bad Lad” Parker, a professional darts player and the self-pronounced Geordie pantomime villain of the sport, after catching him aiming more than his arrows in the direction of more than a few very willing glamour models.
So, leaving her life – and her ex-husband – behind in their native North East of England, she moves to the Canarian island of Tenerife with her best friend Fran, putting the past behind her, determined to start a whole new life abroad.
Within months of arriving on the island she finds herself engaged to her Spanish boyfriend Antonio – a handsome Canarian bar owner – and with their whirlwind wedding just weeks away she’s the happiest she’s been in a long time with a great job at a Timeshare complex, fantastic friends, and a lovely little home in a country she’s fallen completely in love with.
But what Molly didn’t bank on was her ex-husband turning up out of the blue declaring his undying love for her and begging her to come back to him – and not just because his darts were suffering! His unannounced arrival turns Molly’s new and seemingly perfect life upside down as she suddenly has to face up to feelings she’d thought were long gone, and make decisions she never thought she’d have to make as her whole world is thrown into total confusion. Does she stay in Tenerife and marry her wonderful, romantic, drop-dead-gorgeous Spanish fiancé? Or does she give the man she’d once loved but who’d treated her so badly another chance? Days in the sun or darts – it’s the choice she has to make. Throw in a Bolton-born lounge singer and a Take That tribute act, a famous TV actor with a reputation as a shameless flirt, and a major darts tournament that throws up more than it’s fair share of surprises, and all of a sudden Molly Parker’s life really is ‘Too Much Trouble in Paradise’ – a story of new beginnings, second chances, sun, sea – and darts!
Title: Growing Up Beautiful
Author: Lori Jones
Received: From Lori Jones
Synopsis: In the summer of 1986, three young American models are chosen to join a modeling agency in Europe’s fashion capital of Milan. United as roommates by chance, Star, Joanne and Casey soon find their dreamed-of careers as models taking paths as different as their personalities.
Star, who leaves behind a waitress job along with a handful of crumpled up dollar tips, sees her beauty as a way to move to the top of Milan’s social strata.
Joanne, raised in a privileged lifestyle, is expected to continue an Ivy League education, which doesn’t interest her as much as a young photographer she meets on a casting.
Casey is a naive seventeen year old who is ready for adventure, even the dangerous kind.
Together, these three learn the funny, unexpected and sometimes ugly truth about growing up beautiful.
Destined to Fail- eBooks Available
Well, I’ll be. My eBooks are here. Like- you can buy them. Yep. It’s official. Destined to Fail is for sale. That is so surreal to type. And to say. It has only been three days, but I don’t think it has quite sunk in yet. And get this- people are buying my book! Say what?? I can’t believe it. I’m hoping the shock feeling will wear off sometime soon.
Anyways, the eBooks are here. As of right now, they are available on Smashwords and Amazon. I also have a GoodReads author page that you can visit, and my Samantha March website. Samantha March is also on Facebook and Twitter. I’m all over the place 🙂 My paperbacks should become available as scheduled in November, so be on the lookout for those if you are not an eReader lover yet. For all you lovely book bloggers that have embarked on many blog tours with me and CLP Blog Tours- don’t you worry, I will be going on tour. You should be hearing from me shortly.
Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me throughout my journey. Many of you are in my acknowledgement, so be sure to find your name in there. I couldn’t have done this alone. All the writing, re-writing, editing, revisions, formatting (I hate formatting), designing, uploading…has led to this. Now the fun part- and frightening part. Having readers. Getting reviews. I know not everyone will love the book. I hope not everyone hates it. But I do hope you enjoy and appreciate Jasmine’s journey, and take away a little something from Destined to Fail. Of course, I would love to see reviews on Amazon and other sites, your own blogs, or little comments on this website. Feel free to email me anytime as well. I am preparing for a whirlwind of marketing, but will also be continuing work on my second novel. I’m hoping to release that one by the spring of 2012. Listen to me- talking about my next release. Surreal. Thanks again for all the support, encouragement, and guidance.
Samantha March
Meet Laura Pepper Wu and Ladies Who Critique
How does a writer join Ladies Who Critique?
Log onto LadiesWhoCritique.com and click on ‘Sign Up’. The sign up form will ask you some questions about your writing and critiquing experience in order to create your profile. It’s easy, free and shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes. Then voila! You are part of the LWC family 😉
How does someone who wants to be a critique partner join?
The process is the same as above. You can choose to state whether you are “looking for a critique partner” or not and this will be displayed on your profile so that other writers know that it’s okay to contact you through our internal messaging system or not.
How was Ladies Who Created started?
Great question! It was born from my own struggle to find critique partners that “got” my genre (chick lit actually!). I attended a fantastic writers group for a year but I was about 20 years younger than everyone else there, and because the group was constantly growing in size we had to listen to 3 hours of reading for 20 minutes of feedback. As I started getting more serious about my writing I realized that I needed to step up the game a little!
You can read more about how the site fell into place here.
What are the benefits of joining Ladies Who Critique? What will writers get out of LWC that they couldn’t from just asking a friend?
Critiquing is certainly not for everyone and it does take guts to put your baby out there and receive good, honest feedback. A friend will most likely praise your work and give you some sugar which is great, and these so-called “beta readers” do serve a very important purpose of their own. But for the most part it is hard to hear honest feedback from friends and family. Plus they don’t often give it!
For writers who are serious about improving their style, seeking publication and to really “taking their writing to the next level” (the tagline for LWC atually!) a good critique partner will help you to see where you need to make improvements and also point out what you are doing right, objectively and without the emotional attachment. That stuff will do wonders for your writing!
What really goes into critiquing a novel?
There are a lot of different aspects; the bigger picture stuff and the smaller details. The bigger picture includes the consistency of the main character, the believability of the characters, pacing, description, setting, holes in the plot and so on. Smaller details include awkward phrases, repetitive use of words, unrealistic dialogue and so on. There’s a lot to consider! A good critique partner will help you work on this step by step, and many writers find that having several critique partners (all with different strengths) is the best way of polishing their novels.
Why is having a critique partner so valuable to a writer?
You can read the 11 top reasons why having a CP will rock your world here! In sum though, not only will they provide a fresh pair of eyes for your work (crucial when you have been so close to the writing for so long), they will also support you and raise your spirits when writing gets hard, share your successes when you get published, and also keep you on track with the editing process. Accountability is one of writers’ greatest motivations and a good critique partner can get your ass into gear with the process for sure!
Thanks for having me on Chick Lit Plus! I’d be delighted to see more chick lit writers at Ladies Who Critique. Join me over there or follow me on Twitter @LauraPepWu for more updates.
In My Mailbox: Week of October 23
In My Mailbox: Week of October 23
Title: A Heart in Sun and Shadow
Author: Annie Bellet
Received: From Annie Bellet via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: In an ancient Wales that never was…
Twin brothers Emyr and Idrys are cursed to live as hounds; Emyr by night, and Idrys by day. The twins believe they will be trapped this way forever until they meet the fierce and curious Áine, a changeling woman born with Fey blood and gifts struggling to fit into a suspicious human world.
Áine unravels the fate of Emyr and his twin as all three of them fall in love. To free her lovers from the curse, she embarks on a journey to the realm of the fey where she confronts her own unique gifts and heritage. Ultimately, she must decide where her heart truly lies and what she’s willing to risk to get what she desires most.
Title: LA Commandments
Author: Gillian Duffy
Received: From Gillian Duffy
Synopsis: Joanne Kavanagh and best friend Suzie pack their bags and swap dreary, depressing Dublin for the cool Californian coast. Both are determined to start a new life in the land of opportunity, leaving behind the recession and their complicated families.
They make a pact at the airport to stick religiously to the ‘LA Commandments’, a list of ten ‘Thou Shalt Nots’ for their new life in LA, including ‘Thou Shall Not Fall in Love,’ but when Jo befriends sexy, shy musician Marc, and Suzie falls for womanizing bar-man Chris, not only are the commandments at risk of being broken, but also the girls’ hearts…
With all California has to offer —sunshine, shopping, killer nightlife, and drop-dead-gorgeous men, will the girls stay faithful to the LA Commandments?
Title: Chosen
Author: Chandra Hoffman
Received: From Chandra/Harper Collins via CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: In the spirit of Jodi Picoult and Anna Quindlen, CHOSEN features a young caseworker increasingly entangled in the lives of the adoptive and birth parents she represents, and who faces life-altering choices when an extortion attempt goes horribly wrong.
It all begins with a fantasy: the caseworker in her “signing paperwork” charcoal suit, paired with beaming parents cradling their adopted newborn, against a fluorescent-lit delivery room backdrop. It’s this blissful picture that keeps Chloe Pinter, director of The Chosen Child’s domestic adoption program, happy juggling the high demands of her boss and the incessant needs of parents on both sides.
But the job that offers Chloe refuge from her turbulent personal life and Portland’s winter rains soon becomes a battleground itself involving three very different couples: the Novas, college sweethearts who suffered fertility problems but are now expecting their own baby; the McAdoos, a wealthy husband and desperate wife for whom adoption is a last chance; and Jason and Penny, an impoverished couple who have nothing-except the baby everyone wants. When a child goes missing, dreams dissolve into nightmares, and everyone is forced to examine what they really want and where it all went wrong.
Debut Author and Titles- November 2011
Debut Authors and Titles- November 2011
Title: One Little White Lie
Author: Pricilla Bleik
Synopsis: India Roman has always come second best. Growing up with a clinically depressed sister, overbearing mother and then settling for a controlling marriage to a much older man, India is used to accepting what little life throws at her. When her husband leaves her with two young children and a mortgage, on the same day her sister goes missing after successfully auditioning in the first round for the world’s premier talent show, India decides to take a chance on herself. Taking her sister’s place on the talent show, India lies about her age and pretends to be her sibling to make it through to the finals. But there is more than one dark secret in her past, and just when it seems that India might finally come first, a shocking revelation rears up to steal the limelight once more.
Available: ebook in November and paperback early 2012.
Title: The Bollywood Breakup Agency
Author: Naina Gupta
Synopsis: Twenty-six-year-old Neela Solanki’s family is fed up with her rude refusal to either work or marry any of the eminently suitable men put before her, so they cut her off without a penny. Unable to make her designer ends meet, Neela stumbles upon a unique business idea – a breakup agency that helps ‘de-arrange’ unsavoury Indian engagements. However, Neela’s brash attitude to her culture soon comes back to haunt her, when she finds love in the most unusual of places.”
Available: ebook in November and paperback early 2012.
Title: Destined To Fail
Author: Samantha March
Synopsis: ADD
Available: November 2011
Title: Unscripted
Authors: Natalie Aaron & Maria Schwartz
Synopsis: ADD
Available: November
