GCC Tour: Don’t Get It Twisted by Paula Chase

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Meet Paula Chase -- this week's GCC touring author!

“So, wait…this writing thing actually doesn’t get easier?” author Paula Chase asks. “If I’d known that I would have taken up a much easier profession like shark wrestling.” {{Oh, yes! I'm so with Paula on that ... }} And compared to living in the minds of a clique of six teenagers, shark wrestling really may be easier.

In Don’t Get It Twisted, the sequel to her debut, So Not The Drama, Chase gives readers a peek into the Del Rio Bay clique’s foray into dating, while also dipping her toe into the issue of student athletics and cheating. Using humor and earnest insight, Chase continues the story of Mina Mooney and her mixed bag of friends.

The Buzz on Don’t Get It Twisted & The Del Rio Bay Clique Series

“Surprisingly real and deep…well worth reading.” – Teens Read Too

“Excellent for showing friendship that crosses racial and social boundaries.” – YA Books Central

“Don’t Get It Twisted, is another winner.” – Urban Reviews


About Paula
Author, Paula Chase has written for Girls Life, Sweet 16 and Baltimore Magazine, among others. In addition to her background in corporate communications and public relations, she founded the Committed Black Women, a youth mentoring program for 14-17 year old girls. Her Del Rio Bay Clique series helped launch Kensington Books YA line and joins a burgeoning number of YA books targeted to multi-culti suburbanite teens. Chase calls her brand of teen literature, Hip Lit, a nod to the diversity spawned by the MTV-watching, 106 & Park-ing, pop culture hungry hip hop generation. The author lives in Maryland with her husband and two daughters. Learn more about the series and author at www.paulachasehyman.com

Paula's answers to my GCC Questions:


HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”? It changes with every single book. This time around, it’s writing around 8 or 9 on the lap top surrounded by my family interrupting every few minutes. They did that anyway when I went into the office so I’m just saving them the trouble. My goal is to write two hours a day, that way anything I write beyond that is gravy.

DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK? I actually wrote it immediately after the first book – five years ago. So not really. I just remember that the story was still flowing, in my mind, once I closed out book #1 so I started Don’t Get It Twisted.

PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER. My main character Mina has the interest of two guys in this book. And it pretty much makes her a basket case. That is so me! When I was a teenager and even in my 20’s I was never good at dating more than one guy. Every time I’d try the casual, seeing more than one guy thing it blew up in my face. I’m simply unable to switch that quickly emotionally. So I’d be with guy #1 and we’d be having a good time. Then guy #2 might call later and I’d snap at him, annoyed because I hadn’t flicked the lever to be in the mood to talk to him. It’s like I’d pick a fight, not purposely, but it ended up that way. Juggling guys never worked out for me.

IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND , WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE? If I also have a couple of pens on hand, I’ll choose the paper. I get so frustrated when a story idea comes to me and I can’t capture it. I mean, I get seriously irritated and snappy. I don’t want anyone talking to me until I’ve written down at least the concept. So I can imagine being on this island with no paper and simply spiraling into madness.

BEER OR WINE? Wine. I’m a Merlot gal.

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Vanilla. That’s so plain Jane isn’t it? But vanilla has lots of flavor.

WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK? I’m prone to “obsessions.” There’s no one favorite anything for me. Instead, I go through bouts of obsession with one book, movie, song or another. Today, my all-time favorite book is Time Line by Michael Crichton. That book really swept me into it. Now, ask me this same question tomorrow and the answer will be completely different.

GCC Tour - EARTHLY PLEASURES by Karen Neches

”Karen Neches' Earthly Pleasures is a rare treat. I laughed from the first page and cried in all the right places. Do yourself a favor and curl up with this book. Heaven knows, you won't be sorry!" -- Julie Kenner

I'm so excited to be touring Karen and her book, EARTHLY PLEASURES, as I had the supreme privilege of reading it back when it was still in galleys. Loved it, and I'm sure you will too! Check it out.

In Earthly Pleasures (Simon and Schuster, February 2008, $14) great love can transcend the dimensions, narrowing the vast difference between Heaven and Earth.

Advance Praise for Earthly Pleasures:

"What a treat! Earthly Pleasures more than lives up to its name. I was glued to the pages of this delightful little gem of a novel, and wish it could have been twice as long!"
-- Megan Crane, author of Frenemies


”Karen Neches' Earthly Pleasures is a rare treat. I laughed from the first page and cried in all the right places. Do yourself a favor and curl up with this book. Heaven knows, you won't be sorry!"
--Julie Kenner, author of Demons Are Forever

"Equally hilarious and poignant, Earthly Pleasures is a little powerhouse of a novel about love, life...and what comes next."
--Melissa Senate, author of See Jane Date and Love You to Death
"Karen Neches’s novel is an intriguing love story with a rare combination of both wit and depth. In her fresh voice Neches gives us an innovative version of heaven where the one true thing still remains: love that transcends both time and space."

--Patti Callahan Henry, National bestselling novelist of Between the Tides

“Earthly Pleasures is more than just a novel. It's a dream, a calling, a divine trip from which you won't want to come home. I loved it!—Valerie Frankel, author of I Take This Man and Hex and the Single Girl.


About the Author



Karen Neches was single for over twenty years. She used to tell people she was in the “hospice stage” of being single as she never expected to recover. Then at the age of forty-three she finally met her soul mate. Earthly Pleasures is dedicated to him. She maintains a web site at www.karenneches.com
Neches also writes under the name Karin Gillespie and is the nationally bestselling author of The Sweet Potato Queen’s First Big-Ass Novel with Jill Conner Browne and three novels in the critically acclaimed Bottom Dollar Girl series. She’s founder of the virtual tour The Girlfriend Circuit as well as the grog for Southern authors A Good Blog is Hard to Find. She is a former lifestyle columnist for the Augusta Chronicle.

Here are Karen's answers to my GCC questions!

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”?

Type a sentence, check email, eat chocolate, repeat

DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?

I had this sudden thought: Lovely Bones meets Bridget Jones. , I was so excited, I felt like I’d discovered how to turn rocks into gold. Then I spoke with a publicist who said, “What a horrific notion.” Too late. I was already 70,000 words in. My agent hated it. My editor wanted to use it for kindling. I almost gave up on it. I cursed the novel many times but now it’s my favorite.

PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.
My character, Skyem who is a greeter in Heaven, longs for a deep connection with people and I could say the same about myself.

IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?
Limitless paper.


BEER OR WINE?

wine

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?

chocolate

WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

GCC Tour: THE BOYS NEXT DOOR by Jennifer Echols

I'm thrilled to be touring Jennifer Echols this week, and her book, The Boys Next Door. Check it out!





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About the Book:

Lori has spent every summer on the lake, swimming and wakeboarding with the three boys next door, and working at the boys’ family marina. Lori is close to Adam, the “baby” of the family, who's her age. But secretly, she’s always had a thing for the middle brother, Sean. And this summer, Sean actually seems to be—dare she think it—flirting with her. She figures he’s only being nice because they're like family, since he’s not into younger girls. Until he steals Adam's (even younger) girlfriend.

Lori and Adam team up to get Adam’s girlfriend back, and to get Sean for Lori. But then Lori begins to notice ADAM. He’s grown taller. More mature. And Lori thinks Adam is interested in her, too. And that’s when their ploy finally works. Adam gets his girlfriend back, and Lori gets Sean. The right couples are finally in place, and everything should be smooth sailing. So what’s with all the waves?

About the Author:

Jennifer Echols is the author of the National Readers Choice Award-winning Major Crush, about a high school pageant queen turned band geek in a small southern town. Boy in Blue, about a rebellious teen who is sentence to accompany a police officer on his night shift patrol—and falls for him, will be published by MTV Books in February 2009. Growing up on beautiful Lake Martin in Alabama, Jennifer learned to water-ski when she was five (wakeboarding wasn't invented yet). She now lives high and dry with her husband and son in Birmingham. Visit her on the web at www.jennifer-echols.com

Jennifer's Answers to My GCC Questions:

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”?
I get up at 4:30 a.m. and write until I have 1350 words or whatever my quota is for that day. Then I start my “real” job as a freelance copyeditor.

DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
I wrote a proposal for a book with a similar plot that was set at a dirt-racing track, and a book with a different plot that was set on the lake where I grew up. My editor asked me to take the first plot and set it at the lake.

PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.
The heroine, Lori, is the character I’ve written who’s closest to the real me. I am exactly that dorky. In fact, when my critique partner read the manuscript, she called me and said, “OMG YOU’VE WRITTEN YOURSELF!”

IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?
Since I read A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh, I’ve been haunted by the specter of being trapped in the jungle, reading the collected works of Charles Dickens over and over like that book's protagonist. So I’ll take the paper.

BEER OR WINE? Beer.

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Chocolate!

WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK? Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

GCC Tour: BEYOND COOL by Bev Katz Rosenbaum

I'm so behind on blogging (deadlines! ack!) and that's a shame because I want to make sure everyone sees this fabulous book:







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Beyond Cool is the sequel (which can also be read as a stand-alone) to Bev Katz Rosenbaum’s phenomenally successful young adult novel, I Was a Teenage Popsicle! (Sarah Mlynowski, author of Bras & Broomsticks, said Popsicle was, “Fresh and fun—an absolute blast!” Melissa Senate, author of Theodora Twist, described Popsicle as, “Cool, clever, and full of charm!” Girlslife.com called it “super cool”. Popsicle was also recommended on Meg Cabot’s blog and included in a book quiz on seventeen.com!)

So, the story…

Floe Ryan was frozen for ten years. Crazy, but true. She was vitrified at sixteen because of a rare disease. Now she’s been thawed back to her normal self, but absolutely everything else has changed. Her little sister’s older than her, her teachers are now holograms (but still annoying), and instead of learning to drive a car, she’s trying to master a hovercar. And just when she starts warming up to this new scene, everything falls apart…

Her boyfriend is giving her the, er, cold shoulder, and worse, Dr. Dixon at the Cryonics Center tells her that people who were frozen are more susceptible to illnesses. The one doctor who can cure this immune system weakness has gone AWOL. Now it’s up to Floe and her brainy friend Sophie to find him. But they’re not the only ones looking for him--and this time, Floe could be iced for good…

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? And I love the mystery/adventure component.

Here's what Bev has to say in response to my GCC questions:

How would you describe your typical writing day?



8:00 At computer.

9:00 Ready to write or revise (depending on what needs to be done) after an hour of checking and replying to e-mails, checking blogs (mine and others) and posting new blog entries and/or comments, and getting totally sidetracked by MSN entertainment (i.e. gossip) news...

12:00 Quick lunch.

12:30 More writing/editing.

2:00 Manuscript critiquing (I run a popular critique service)

4:30 Exercise/Help kids with homework/Chauffeur kids to various activities or friends' houses/Make dinner

6:30 Dinner with family

7:30 More manuscript critiquing, interspersed with more helping and chauffeuring

10:30 Bedtime!

(Note from Julie: Bev is WAY more organized than me writing-wise. Sigh.)



Do you recall the kernel of inspiration for this book?



Well, this is the sequel (which can also be read as a standalone) to I Was a Teenage Popsicle. The idea for that one came when my hubby and I were talking about the whole Ted Williams cryonics brouhaha . I thought, hey, cryonics could be the basis for a really cool--ha-ha--teen book!



Please tell us about your latest novel (title, publisher, release date) and what we can expect from your characters.



Like I Was a Teenage Popsicle, Beyond Cool is a crazy mix of teen lit, romance, sci-fi, action-adventure, and comedy. In this book, cryonically preserved and recently 'thawed' Venice Beach teen Floe Ryan finds out all the human popsicles have immune system deficiencies, and the one doctor who can solve the problem is AWOL. Spunky (and witty!) Floe takes it upon herself to find the doctor and save the frozen zombies--while trying to hang onto her hot new boyfriend and learning how to hoverdrive...



What's up next? Do you have another project in the works? If so, please tell us a bout it.



I'm going all dark and dramatic with a top secret new project geared to older teens, but I'm also working on something fun and light for tweens...



Would you like to close with a writing tip?



You can't go wrong with the old standby: Show, don't tell!

Want to learn a bit about Bev? She's a former fiction and magazine editor who found her calling when she fell in love with the books her kids were reading and the TV shows they were watching. She lives in Toronto with her family. Be sure to check out her awesome website at www.bevkatzrosenbaum.com and her myspace page at www.myspace.com/bevkatzrosenbaum, where she also blogs weekly. (You can also catch her occasional blog posts at www.teenfictioncafe.blogspot.com.)

GCC Tour: IT'S NOT ABOUT THE ACCENT by Caridad Ferrer

I'm thrilled to be hosting Caridad Ferrar this week on the GCC tour! Check out her latest book; it sounds awesome!






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IT’S NOT ABOUT THE ACCENT traces the bold transformation of Caroline Darcy, a college-bound beige-blonde born and bred in small town Hampshire, Ohio, into “Carolina,” a half-Cuban aspiring actress, with striking Havana Brown hair, a caliente wardrobe, a taste for platanos, and a hunger for adventure. Carolina has no problem dressing, dancing, and talking the part, down to her effortlessly rolled rrrs – even though she’s only one-eighth Cuban. She owes her attraction to her exotic heritage and her yearning for something… different to Elisa Maribel Teresa de La Natividad Sevilla y Tabares – her Nana Ellie, the great-grandmother she loved, dearly and fiercely, and lost when she was thirteen. Carolina vividly remembers Nana Ellie’s romantic stories of her encounters with everything from the Eiffel Tower to Russian nobility. And she regrets missing the chance to unravel the facts from the fantastic tales – and learn more about her Nana’s mysterious, scandalous past.

The story opens at the beginning of Caroline’s Latina rebirth and undergrad career at the University of Southern Ohio for the summer session. To her thrill and amazement, her Cuban act works like a charm on the opposite sex. Faster than her first beer buzz, Caroline finds herself becoming more popular and getting increasingly intimate with Erik, a smooth-talking frat guy with gorgeous baby blues. The only male on campus who doesn’t fall for Carolina’s Latina allure is Peter, the full-blooded son of Cuban immigrants, who hails from Miami. Despite the danger of being exposed as a fraud, Caroline is drawn to this quiet, serious student – on a strictly friendship basis. But when Carolina gets in over her head and on the edge of a dangerous situation, Peter is the one who comes to her rescue. What’s more, he accepts her for who she is – and leads her on a real adventure to discover the truth about Nana Ellie and the very wealthy family she left behind in Cuba. What Caroline discovers about her ancestors – including one unknown living relative – is more exciting than she ever could have imagined.


Part mystery, part romance, and all captivating, IT’S NOT ABOUT THE ACCENT affirms Caridad Ferrer as a gifted teller of stories that resonate with young women, both Latina and Anglo.

About Caridad

CARIDAD FERRER is a first generation, bilingual Cuban-American, born in Manhattan and raised in Miami. Her debut novel, Adiós to My Old Life (MTV Books), was named Latinidad’s Top Teen Read for 2006 as well as winning the Romance Writers of America's 2007 RITA® for Best Contemporary Single Title Romance. Writing as Barbara Ferrer she has also contributed to the anthology, Fifteen Candles: 15 Tales of Taffeta, Hairspray, Drunk Uncles, and Other Quinceañera Stories (Harper Collins/Rayo). Find her on the web at CaridadFerrer.com and BarbaraFerrer.com.

Caridad's Answers to My GCC Questions:

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”?

Well, especially now that my kids are back in school, it’s a case of wait for the coffee to kick in— while I’m doing so, check email and a few websites, then after doing a quick review of the latest new material, settle down and keep going. I’m a very linear writer, so I find that reading a little bit of what I last wrote helps get me in the groove, as it were. If I’m particularly stuck, I’ll either do some editing or research for later chapters. But I always try to do something that keeps me in the writing headspace. If it’s really bad, then I’ll just go cruise by Bluefly.com or Anthropolgie.com.

DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?

It was very simple, actually, when I was trying to think of what I wanted to do for a second YA— I had long been fascinated by how many girls, especially Latinas, seem to want to anglicize themselves by changing their hair color or their eye color. I thought it would be fun to turn it on its ear and have a very white bread, at least on the surface, character, try to transform herself into a more “exotic” girl. As I worked through the plot, other elements fell into place and I found myself with a much bigger story, but as far as the kernel goes, that’s where it started.

PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.

Caroline turns out to be a bit of history geek and enjoys research, which is a trait I share with her— I absolutely adore history and when people have asked why I don’t write historical fiction, my response is always, “I’d get too sucked into the research and would never write an original word ever again!” When it comes to that kind of research, I’m like a little kid in a toy store, going, “Oooh, SHINY!”

IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?

Paper. Without a doubt.

BEER OR WINE?

Wine

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?

Chocolate. Dark, dark chocolate.

WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?

Oh man... are you SERIOUS?? I don’t know— it’s probably a tossup between Anton Myrer’s THE LAST CONVERTIBLE and Anne Rivers Siddons’ HEARTBREAK HOTEL.


There you go! Don't miss this book!!!!!!

GCC Tour: You Had Me at Halo, by Amanda Ashby

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This is one of those 'wish I'd thought of it' premises. It sounds like a riot, and I can't wait to get my copy!

Holly Evans has just seen her own body laid to rest. If it had been up to her, she wouldn’t have chosen that particular polyester dress for the event. Still, she could live with that (so to speak), if it guaranteed a quick jump to Level 3 of the afterlife, which she hopes will feature both reruns of Friends and reunions with long-lost loved ones.

But Holly has some mortal baggage to unload first, starting with the matter of how she died. Yes, she drowned in her bathtub under suspicious circumstances, but she did not kill herself. Holly had too much to live for, from her recent promotion to taking the next big step in her relationship. Okay, her life had a few loose ends, but whose doesn’t?

Holly's heavenly shrink isn’t buying it. He says she has to return to earth to straighten things out. The thing is, she’ll need to borrow someone’s body to do it—and the body in question belongs to none other than computer geek Vince Murphy. Oh, and although Vince was supposed to have vacated the premises, he apparently never got the memo.

Now, Holly has forty-eight hours to resolve her issues while sharing arms, legs, and...other things...with a guy she barely noticed while she was alive. But the real surprise is what life has to offer when you have only two days to live it...

“It’s The Lovely Bones meets Bridget Jones in this fluffy take on what happens after death. It's a fun, witty traipse through the afterlife.” Publisher’s Weekly

“This book has a delightfully quirky concept that develops into a fun and interesting story. Peopled with a fascinating variety of characters, it also has an intriguing mystery and a charmingly different type of interaction between the hero and heroine. Expect a delightful tale with a wonderfully distinctive ending.” 4 ½ stars Romantic Times Bookclub Magazine.

“Drop-dead funny. Readers will fall inlove with Holly Evans – a girl who won’t let a little thing like death keep her from getting everything she wants out of life.” Brenda Scott Royce, Author of Monkey Love

“Who knew the afterlife could be so funny? Dead – it’s the new alive!” Allison Rushby, Author of Friday Night Cocktails

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amanda Ashby was born in Australia and studied English and Journalism at Queensland University. Since graduation she has worked in sales, marketing and travel before discovering that she was no good at any of them and so decided to turn her attention to writing instead. She is married with two young children and has recently returned from the UK to live in New Zealand.

www.amandaashby.com
http://amandaashby.blogspot.com

Here are Amanda's answers to my GCC questions!

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”?

A typical writing day normally involves me checking my
emails while my kids are throwing their breakfast all
around the room, then when I hustle them off to school
and nursery I scrape all the food off the walls, check
my emails again, wonder why everyone in the world has
something to write apart from me, check my watch,
check my emails, realize that I have to pick my son up
in fifteen minutes and then I write like the clappers
so that my husband doesn’t think I’m a lazy cow when
he arrives home later that day.

DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS
BOOK?

When I was at my dad’s funeral I kept imagining that
he was still there, commentating on the events – and
it was fair to say that all was not to his liking
(especially my rubbish attempts at cleaning the
house). Also, the idea of creating an afterlife that
would’ve given my dad the giggles, was a big motivator
as well.


PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT
YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT
CHARACTER.
My character Holly and I both have a great fondness
for M&Ms. Actually, apart from that we’re almost the
opposite because Holly says all the things out loud
that I would only ever say in my head. Probably why
writing her was so much fun!!


IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU
RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS
BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH
TO WRITE?

Eek, tough one, but I’d have to go for books because I
was a reader long before I was a writer.



BEER OR WINE?
beer

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?
I have to choose??? I have a deep love for both.

WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?
Again on the choosing. It’s probably a three way tie
between The Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula LeGuin,
Magician by Raymond E Feist and Arabella by Georgette
Heyer.


.... now go read the book!

A bit o' news, DAF hits stores, and GCC Tour: TANYA LEE STONE and A BAD BOY CAN BE GOOD FOR A GIRL

I have sent off the book!!!! Whoo hoo! Hooray! Release the balloons (what???? that's not the reason for all those fireworks outside my window????)

Anyhoo, hopefully I'll get back on the blog-train before the next (soon!) deadline approacheth, but it won't be tomorrow. We hit the road for a pre-RWA vacation. Me, the dh, and the 2 precious munchkins in a rented minivan. We're heading up to Oklahoma to see Alice, with whom Catherine bonded in China (those of you who followed the China blog may recall the "sticks in your head even though you don't want it to" Mr. Mutt song that the girls sang). Four days visiting, then down to Dallas for RWA ... and intermittent internet connectivity. Yikes! How will I survive w/o google and my WTM message board?

I will, however, have great things to read along the journey. **I** won't be reading DEMONS ARE FOREVER (since I, you know, wrote it, I already know what happens), but YOU can because -- hooray! -- it's in stores now!




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But since I won't be reading my own book, I might just have to pick up Tanya LEE Stone's paperback release of A BAD BOY CAN BE GOOD FOR A GIRL. Check out the awesome buzz:

"brave and beautiful...honest and nonjudgmental" - Megan McCafferty, New York Times best-selling author

"Sure to be the new Forever." - Award-Winning Author Cynthia Leitich Smith

"...the kind of tell-it-like-it-is wisdom that comes from your best girlfriends."
- Libba Bray, New York Times best-selling author

“Vagina Monologues…for the teen crowd.” Donna Freitas, Beliefnet.com

"every high-school age girl in the world needs to read this book...a story of self-discovery, broken hearts, and renewed spirits...a wake-up call." - Teens Read Too!

"spot-on...evidence that feminism is alive and worth fighting for." - Avenging Sybil

"This is not a book that will sit quietly on any shelf; it will be passed from girl to girl to girl." - School Library Journal

"This amazing first novel is one of the most honest treatments of teenage sexuality to be found in YA fiction.” - Kliatt

"This should be on every girl's ninth grade reading list for life." - BookSnog



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Tanya Lee Stone is the author of more than 80 books for young readers. A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl is her first Young Adult novel. She has a degree in English from Oberlin College and a Master in Education degree from Southern CT State University. In addition to her books, publication credits include VOYA and the New York Times.

She loves chocolate-covered pretzels and Wild Berry Skittles. She hates the word tasty.

And more about the book ...

Don't let the title scare you.

A BAD BOY CAN BE GOOD FOR A GIRL is a cautionary tale. Teens are dealing with sex, whether we’re ready or not. This novel is about three very different girls who date the same player guy. About how the choices they make shape who they want to be. About empowerment.

Meet Josie, Nicolette, and Aviva. Three very different girls who all meet the same bad boy with an irresistible knack for getting into their blood and under their skin.

Three girls. One guy. Who will come out on top?

In A BAD BOY CAN BE GOOD FOR A GIRL, Tanya Lee Stone takes a hard look at love and sex and asks the questions: “When can a bad boy be good for a girl?”

Tanya says, “I get lots of email from teens thanking me for ‘being honest,’ saying my book helped them, or they ‘gave it to a friend who needs it.’ What’s better than that?”

Since the book came out, Tanya has been outspoken about censorship and the need for tackling tough topics in teen books. Check out her VOYA article: “From Forever to Today: The Importance of Sex in Young Adult Literature” and a recent interview with AS IF! (Authors Support Intellectual Freedom) in which she discusses sex, censorship, and Judy Blume.

The new paperback includes a bonus Reading Guide. Book Club Folks: If you have chat software and want Tanya to do a virtual book club visit, let her know.

For a free bookmark and signed bookplate, email her at tanyastone@tanyastone.com

Read an excerpt: http://www.tanyastone.com/badboy.pdf


In addition to her website (www.tanyastone.com) Tanya’s online blogging at Live Journal (http://tanyaleestone.livejournal.com/ ) and MySpace (www.myspace.com/tanyaleestoneauthor)


And here are her answers to my GCC questions!



HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”?

I have kids, so I often wake up before the rest of the house does and sneak in some quiet time. Then the ruckus begins! Once they’re off for the day, I work until about 2 pm. Then the hat changes from writer to Mom.
DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
Oh yes, the inspiration was the moment the title struck me. I was sitting in a lecture and the speaker was talking about upcoming anthology themes. One was bad boys; one was good girls. I scrawled the title in my notebook and was possessed for the next nine months.

PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.
I have three main characters; all girls. I share a bit with each of them, which was fairly intentional. My goal was to have three very different girls be faced with the same awful guy and explore how any of us are vulnerable to that type at one moment or another. By putting a piece of me in each, I was more able to do that. Josie and I share a strong sense of self. Nicolette and I share a skewed sense of power—meaning, there are times when you think you are immune to being hurt because you are so strong—and you are wrong. Aviva and I share the artsy thing. What’s interesting is that girls often write to me and say the same thing as I’m saying now—there are pieces of them in each girl, even though they may relate the strongest to one in particular.

IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?
Limitless books to read. I think the pressure of having limitless paper would be too much to handle!

BEER OR WINE? Beer.

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Chocolate.

WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?
I’m afraid I answer this differently each time I’m asked! There are just too many favorites. Let’s go with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Basil and Josephine Stories.

GCC Tour: FRENEMIES by Megan Crane

I'm so excited to get to host Megan and Frenemies because I had the chance to peek at this book months ago, and thought it was just fabulous!


Order the book!

Check it out ...

FREN-E-MY\noun: The friend who gives you the sweetest smile to your face, while holding the sharpest knife to your back.

We’ve all heard the saying, “keep your friends close and your enemies closer,” but what if they’re one and the same? It’s the cardinal, number-one girlfriend rule: don’t date your friend’s ex. In FRENEMIES by Megan Crane, it is Gus Curtis’ supposed friend and old college roommate Helen who breaks that rule and goes one step further: she doesn’t just date an ex-boyfriend; she steals him from right under Gus’s nose!

Just a few months shy of her 30th birthday, Gus discovers Nate, her "Mr. Right," hooking up behind her back with her so-called "friend" Helen. Soon it seems despite working to hard to appear all grown up, Gus is still living the life of a teenager.

Gus is left with more questions than answers: Can she win Nate back before she turns 30 (And if so, does she really want him?) Is Helen really as devious and manipulative as she seems, or, worse, is Gus more like her frenemy Helen than she’d care to admit? And is she ever going to grow up? With the clock ticking down to her birthday, Gus discovers that sometimes the best thing about best-laid plans is trashing them altogether.

In FRENEMIES, Gus experiences first hand what happens when you reach that inevitable point in life when you must surrender yourself to adulthood and the big 3-0.


About Megan ...

Megan Crane is a New Jersey native who graduated from Vassar and got her MA and PhD in literature from the University of York in England. She is the author of Everyone Else’s Girl and English as a Second Language. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

Visit her on the web at http://megancrane.livejournal.com/
or http://www.megancrane.com


And now for Megan's answers to my GCC questions ...

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”? My typical
writing day involves installing myself in my chair around 8, sucking
down coffee, opening my Word document, and then proceeding to spend
3-5 hours rotting my brain on the Internet at such places as Go Fug
Yourself. I console myself with the knowledge that as a chick lit
writer, I need to be up on pop culture. (Yeah, sure.) At this
point, I am usually in a panic, which means I try to crank out
pages. I usually have set page limits when I'm writing, or otherwise
I would still be lounging in my pajamas on the couch, waiting for The
Muse. On days when I am more stressed (read: closer to a deadline) I
surf the net less and write more pages. It all works out in the end!

DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK? It was a
combination of the movie Mean Girls, some personal friend implosions,
and my belief that it was time to write about severe drama queeniness.

PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR
COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER. Like my main
character, Gus, I have had long periods in my life where I over-
dramatized every last thing like it was going out of style. These
days, I contain that impulse to the medical realm. So instead of
saying, "my neck aches," I am much more likely to say, "honey, I
think I have bacterial meningitis." As you do.

IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A
MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS
SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE? This is an evil question. I'll
choose the books, since those books would inevitably contain blank
pages, and that way, I could do both.

BEER OR WINE? Neither. I'm a fan of the ridiculous cocktail with
foliage attached. If it's served in a pineapple, all the better.

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Chocolate. I don't actually understand the
point of vanilla....

WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK? I don't have one! I have
shelves and shelves of books I love, that I refuse to give away...

GCC Tour: Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson

Order the book!

Congrats to Joshilyn -- the current GCC tourer! Jackson won GEORGIA AUTHOR OF THE YEAR for this book. How cool is that?

More, Jackson read the audio version herself and won a Publisher’s Weekly Listen Up award, a starred review in PW, and made AudioFile’s best of 2006 list!

But, wait ... there's more!

Between, Georgia was a #1 BookSense pick, making Jackson the first author in BookSense history to achieve #1 status is back-to-back years.

Here's some quotes:

"One of this decade's most commendable novels. Every now and then a remarkable writer, following in the footsteps of great authors, comes along to reenergize American fiction. So it is with Joshilyn Jackson. ...overflows with gut-wrenching sadness and laugh-out-loud humor. Jackson's novel brilliantly explores abstractions - redemption, love and grace - through the most compelling characterizations to be found in contemporary fiction. Between, Georgia is an exemplary novel by a singular writer who is in full command of the art of story telling. Don't miss it!"
- Bookpage

"Between, Georgia is a small miracle, and Nonny Frett is the most engaging woman who ever lived in the pages of a book. Joshilyn Jackson is an enormously talented writer."
- Anne Rivers Siddons, New York Times bestselling author of Sweetwater Creek


Want to hear more? Here's a summary of the book:

There's always been bad blood between the Fretts and the Crabtrees. After all, the Fretts practically own the tiny town of Between, Georgia, while the Crabtrees only rent space in its jail cells.

Stacia Frett is a deaf artist with a genetic condition that is causing her to slowly go blind. She's lost the love of her life, and when her vision goes, she'll lose her career as well. She's asking God why He keeps her breathing in and out, until the night fifteen year old Hazel Crabtree shows up on her doorstep brandishing a stomach swollen with a pregnancy she'd hidden for nine months. Stacia thinks Hazel's unwanted baby might be God's answer, and so the Fretts decide to steal it...

Thirty years later, Nonny Frett is a successful interpreter living in Athens, Georgia. She understands the meanings of "rock" and "hard place" better than any woman ever born. She's got two mothers, "one deaf-blind and the other four baby steps from flat crazy." She's got two men; Her husband is easing out the back door and her best friend is laying siege to her heart in her front yard. She has a job that holds her in the city, and she's addicted to a little girl who's stuck deep in the country. And she has two families; The Fretts, who stole her and raised her right, and the Crabtrees, who lost her and can't forget that they've been done wrong.

In Between, Georgia, population 90, the feud that began before Nonny was born is escalating, and a random act of violence will set the torch to a thirty-year old stash of highly flammable secrets. This might be just what the town needs, if only Nonny wasn't sitting in the middle of it...

Here are Joshilyn's answers to my GCC questions:

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”?



I don’t have one. I have two kids instead. I don’t have time for the luxury of ritual. Oh how I wish I did! It would be romantic and fun to say, “I can only write a pink room…” or “I can’t work if there’s a black cat within a mile of me…” But the truth is much more pragmatic and dull: If I get an hour or more with no kids in the house, I work. My husband takes them out of town for long weekends when I need to draft. If I get desperate I leave and check into a hotel.



DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?



About 15 years ago, I was attending UGA in Athens, and I had friends in Atlanta, so I drove back and forth quite a bit. On the old route 78, I used to see this sign---I don’t know if it’s still there. It said something like, “Exit here to see Between, Georgia, Population 97.”



One day, I saw someone had snuck over and crossed out the “97” and written in “96.” That tickled me to death. I started wondering who would do such a thing. I was young, so of course my first thought was that it was some kid near my age who was born and bred in that tiniest of towns. He had always sworn he would get out and have a bigger life. As he headed off to college or New York or someplace that felt “big” to him, he stopped to lower the number as a triumphant farewell.



I thought about that kid for a few years, but he never gelled for me. I’m more interested in someone who can live a huge life in a town of 90 people than someone who tries to find significance externally. I never forgot Between, though. I started imagining the town layout, created families who lived there, and gave it its own specific and odd economy. Sadly, I never had a story that fit there. All I had was a strong sense of place.



About ten years later, maybe I had grown up a little, and I realized a kid had not changed that sign. It was an old southern lady, tough as nails, someone with her thumb ground down on that town. Earlier that day, the preacher had laid her greatest rival in the ground. She stood at the church in her best black dress and pressed a hanky to her mouth, but her eyes were alive with triumph and she had on a thick coat of monkey butt red victory lipstick. Later that same night, she’d crept out of her house, driven to the highway, and changed the sign in a gesture of small-minded and terrible victory.



That scene never happens in the novel, but the idea of a character who would do such a thing, of a rivalry between Southern Matriarchs that strong and virulent, began a story in my head. The sign changer became Bernese Frett, and I pulled her rival from the grave and let her grow into a crafty, drunken criminal named Ona Crabtree. Nonny Frett, the narrator, is by birth one of those trashy Crabtrees, but she is stolen and raised by the unbendingly respectable Frett clan.



I started to get a strong feel for Nonny, bravery, her desire to be loved, her good, good heart, and the way she hesitates, hopeful and cautious. I felt she was a character who lived “in between” on any number of levels, so the town itself, that strong sense of place I’d been growing for almost fifteen years, became a character as I started playing around with ideas about identity and nature v/s nurture, and what makes someone a mother.



PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.



My main character, Nonny Jane Frett, is a bit of a waffler. She’s Between on a lot of levels, and over the course of the book I think she grows into her own big voice…I am not sure I have yet. I am STILL a bit of a waffler. Her waffling irritated me no end, and I was so glad when she started standing up and making decisions and saying DAMMIT and fighting for what matters to her. I keep waiting for me to do that…

IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?



I’m a pragmatist. I’d rather have fresh water and limitless supply of Lean Cuisines with a solar powered microwave…Hrm. I think the books. I have to read!



I could write in my head and memorize it --- I came out of theatre and I often think of writing in terms of performance. I’d perform each chapter as a monolog and when the boat came for me I’d write it down.




BEER OR WINE? Wine. Or a dirty martini. OH! Or wait, a Blueberry Smash made with Jack and POM wonderful. Or.okay, why not! Beer. You got Rolling rock? Or no, I’ll have what your having. Make mine a double. ßSee! I waffle!

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Chocolate. The darker the better!

WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?



Oh Hrm. Can I have a tie? From childhood, it is TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. I still reread that probably more than any other book. But the book that spoke to me loudest since I (allegedly) became an adult is THE SOLACE OF LEAVING EARLY. I love everything Kimmel has ever written, but her first novel, about finding all kinds of love in the ruins of broken families, remains my favorite. It’s hard to find a book this elegant, precise, and intelligent that has such a warm heart.


Visit http://www.joshilynjackson.com for more!

GCC Tour: THE SECRET SISTERS by Joni Rodgers

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Currently touring with the GCC is Joni Rodgers and the mass market release of THE SECRET SISTERS. I've got this one in my TBR pile. Can't wait!

Exploring the timeless themes of family, self, misfortune, and hope that have made the novels of Anna Quindlen and Sue Miller bestsellers, Joni Rodgers's moving and powerful tale tells the story of three women bound together by loss and set free by love.

Pia feels the walls of her life closing in around her, until she discovers a strangely sensual world that leads her to a new existence. Lily, Pia's brash, tough-talking sister, makes a tragic mistake that leaves her incarcerated, body and soul, but in the prison library discovers a key that will unlock her mind and open her heart. Beth, married to Pia and Lily's brother, has never been able to admit her own failure as a mother. Finally forced to confront a tragedy of her own making, she discovers that the truth can set her free.

Praise for The Secret Sisters

"Believable...brilliant...beautifully written..." Armchair Reviews

"Honesty, humor, and fearlessness...(Rodgers) illuminates the internal landscapes all women navigate." Houston Chronicle

"A page turner, full of surprises, insight, and spine-tingling erotica..." Helena Independent Record

"A rough gem of a narrative...Pia's tale has it all: death, danger, sexual discovery, and resurrection." Missoula Independent

"An emotional maelstrom worth getting wrapped up in." Easton Express-Times

"A modern tragedy...Rodgers wisely resists the temptation to whip up tidy endings, and her smart choices give The Secret Sisters the necessary measure of grit." Texas Monthly

Here are Joni's answers to my GCC questions:

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”?

What? There’s such a thing as a typical writing day? Why was I not informed of this?!


DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?

THE SECRET SISTERS began with an erotic short story I tucked in my husband’s suitcase as a sexy little surprise when he went away on a fishing trip to Cabo San Lucas. The story about the shopkeeper/con artist Dalphine was never intended for publication, but the characters stayed with me. I kept dreaming about Pia sitting in a chair in a waiting room. I kept wondering how this smart and competent woman had become so vulnerable. Then the world changed on 9/11. Over the next year or so, I saw our country embrace fear as a lifestyle, and it was eerily reminiscent of my own fragile and fearful state in the aftermath of cancer. THE SECRET SISTERS is my response to that. It’s a parable about how vulnerable we become when we embrace fear as a lifestyle. It’s also an examination of the way that tragedy can – and should! – change us. Survivorship is about accountability, courage, and hope. As we emerge from life’s refining fires, we have to learn from our mistakes, celebrate our strengths, and seize hold of every new day with joy. I finally understood what Pia was waiting to tell me: That redemption is tragedy cross-pollinated with grace.



PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.

When family tragedy leaves her shaken to her core, Pia is seized by a panic disorder that has the walls of her world closing in around her. As I researched agoraphobia, some of the symptoms began to feel uncomfortably familiar. Writing is of necessity a lonesome task, and since my kids went off to college and I’ve become more focused on my craft and career, I’ve become more and more of a hermit. This realization prompted me to pay attention to some friendships I’d let slide and to seek out some new writer friends to network and socialize with. I joined The Midwives, a critique group of accomplished women authors. Best thing that’s happened to me in years, both professionally and personally.


IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?

If you stop reading, your writing is going to shrivel up and die, so I’ll take the books and write on the endpapers.


BEER OR WINE?

My husband’s homemade pinot grigio is pomegranate-nuanced orgasm in a bottle.



CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?

I used to be a major choco-holic, but ever since chemotherapy, the smell and taste of it make me nauseous. How sad is that?!



WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?

SIDHARTHA by Hermann Hesse. Whenever the vagaries of the publishing biz start to overwhelm, I try hard to remember the mantra of the emerging Buddha: “I can fast, I can pray, and I can wait.”



About the Author

Joni Rodgers, a Houston author who ghostwrites celebrity memoirs between novels, has a unique take on the popular idea that everyone has a book in them. “Everyone has a story in them,” says Rodgers. “But everyone has a pancreas, too. Only in rare cases should it be taken out and displayed on a shelf.”

The ghost gigs pay well and make for “some interesting elevator rides”, but Rodgers is selective about new projects. “It takes a compelling client to drag me away from fiction, my first love.” Rodgers’ latest novel The Secret Sisters (Harper Collins 2006) comes out in trade paperback this week with an added “PS Section” in which Rodgers discusses the story behind the book. The added material is bound to generate some juicy book club discussions. “I can’t wait for the sparks to start flying,” says Rodgers, who intended the story of a woman’s struggle with agoraphobia to be “a parable about how easily exploited we are when we embrace fear as a lifestyle.”

Joni is a long-time wife, ridiculously proud mother, and doting dog owner. She divides her time between Houston and New York City.


Visit Joni Rodgers on the web at www.jonirodgers.com

Joni Rodgers blogs about the writing life on “Boxing the Octopus”: http://boxingoctopus.blogspot.com

GCC Tour: COUPON GIRL by Becky Motew

ORDER THE BOOK!


Check this one out! It sounds like fun!


"Hi, you've reached the voice mail of Jeanie Callahan. I'm auditioning right now for the lead role in The Sound of Music and hopefully not throwing up or fainting. If you're a business owner and would like to do a coupon to attract more customers, leave me a message." BEEP

"Hey, Jeanie. I can't give 25 percent off a donut. Do you think I’m crazy?" BEEP.

"Miss Callahan? This is Sergeant Smith at the Worcester Fire Department. We got your grandfather down from the roof again, maam, and he’s okay like usual. But maam, you need to call us. " BEEP.

"My name Mike. You call." BEEP

Jeanie Callahan sells coupons. Dry cleaners, mechanics, pizza guys—all of them are friends and clients, deadbeats and tormentors. This summer Jeanie has joined the local community theatre, hoping to snag a collection of customers to win her company’s sales contest.

But weighed down in a nun costume and fighting with middle-aged women about whose crucifix should be bigger, she wonders if it was a good idea. Frankly, there’s not a business owner to be seen. The handsome director is in sight, though, and Jeanie thinks she may have found true love. Or maybe it’s a course in Sex Fetishes 101. Opening night looms and some unusual sales propel Jeanie to the brink of victory.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Becky Motew sold coupons on the road in Worcester for more than ten years and those experiences are reflected in COUPON GIRL, her debut novel. Becky’s second love is the stage and she has been active in numerous community theatre groups in Massachusetts. She has played Ado Annie in Oklahoma!, Rosalie in Carnival, and Miss Hannigan in Annie, where she scared her own daughter.

Here are Becky's answers to my GCC questions:


HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”?

I like to eat some ham and grapes, do a little web browsing, and then start in. If I’m lucky, things start to take shape. I try to finish the scene or the part of a scene from the day before and go forward into new territory before I stop. The worst thing is to stop at the very end of a scene without starting another. That’s a sure invitation to disaster the next day. If I’m really stumped, I go back to a previous scene and work on it until an idea presents itself. Eventually, it’s lunch time. I sometimes come back in the evening and work as well.
DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
I always knew I would write CG. The kernel of inspiration was having that job. Sales people are buffeted by everyone—the boss thinks he knows the best way for you to do something, the customers don’t want it that way, and THEY tell you how you should do it. Then your colleagues have their own ideas. You have to find your own way and that’s the story I tried to tell with Jeanie.

PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.
It would be foolish for me to deny my connection with Jeanie. She is me in many ways, though I got lead parts in shows and was never in the chorus. Wow, that sounds snobby. I don’t mean it to be. But that is a key difference between us—Jeanie is not interested in performing and I was.

IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?
Wow, good question. Probably books to read, because I don’t really trust the cruise line to rescue me and maybe I could find a way to read a book, then write over it.

BEER OR WINE? Wine, dahling.

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Chocolate in Perpetuity

WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?
Catch-22

How to visit Becky or learn more:

Her web site: www.beckymotew.com
Her blog: www.beckymotew.blogspot.com

GCC Tour: Grafitti Girl by Kelly Parra

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This week, I'm hosting Kelly Parra and her new release, GRAFITTI GIRL, an awesome young adult novel. Check it out:

Graffiti art. It's bold. It's thrilling. And it can get a girl into serious trouble...

Raised by her single mom (who's always dating the wrong kind of man) in a struggling California neighborhood, Angel Rodriguez is a headstrong, independent young woman who channels her hopes and dreams for the future into her painting. But when her entry for a community mural doesn't rate, she's heartbroken. Even with the winning artist Nathan Ramos--a senior track start and Angel's secret crush--taking a sudden interest in Angel and her art, she's angry and hurt. She's determined to find her own place in the art world, her own way.

That's when Miguel Badalin--from the notorious graffiti crew Reyes del Norte--opens her eyes to an underground world of graf tags and turf wars. She's blown away by this bad boy's fantastic work and finds herself drawn to his dangerous charm. Soon she's running with Miguel's crew, pushing her skills to the limit and beginning to emerge as the artist she always dreamed she could be. But Nathan and Miguel are bitter enemies with a shared past, and choosing between them and their wildly different approaches to life and art means that Angel must decide what matters most before the artist inside her can truly break free.

Praise for Graffiti Girl

"With characters as bold and exciting as the art they love, and an honesty that keeps them raw and real, Graffiti Girl shows us that they only thing better than discovering your talent is finding yourself along the way." ~ Jenny O'Connell, author of Plan B and The Book of Luke

"Graffiti Girl is a fast-paced story that boldly looks dreams and temptations in the eye. 16 year-old Angel Rodriguez steals your heart as she tries to find her place in the world--artistically, socially, and even inside her own family. Don't miss this one!" ~ Tina Ferraro, author of Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress

"This book blew me away. Kelly Parra writes with the keen eye of an artist. Graffiti Girl is warm, gutsy, and true-to-life--an unflinching, honest portrayal of young adults. A seamless and impressive debut." ~ Anne Frasier, USA Today bestselling author of Pale Immortal

About the Author

Kelly Parra writes young adult fiction for MTV Books. When not at work on her current novel, she spends her free time roaming book stores, surfing the blogosphere, and watching reality TV. Graffiti Girl is her debut novel. For an excerpt visit, www.kellyparra.com or check out the YA Fresh blog at http://yafresh.blogspot.com


And here are Kelly's answers to my GCC questions! (Check out her answer to the favorite book question ... I'm right there with Kelly!

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”?

KP: My typical day is to get up and ready my kids for school and get them out the door. Then when I return home, I refuel, check email and my numerous blogs, and that takes at least an hour. I can then settle into where I left off with my current book. I usually read the prior chapter to get back into the tone and scene, and that goes on with breaks until it's time to pick up the kids. Pretty typical day unless, you know, the procrastinator bug bites me in the butt. :)

DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?

KP: Basically my love for art in high school and my friends who were into Graffiti art inspired me to write Graffiti Girl. When I was sixteen, I tried my hand at graffiti designs in what is called a "piecebook" but could never really do justice to the bold style. I pretty much flunked as a graffiti artist in training.

PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.

KP: My character Angel has a whimsical artistic style in the book and while I was in high school I felt the same way about my own art. My creativity was not realistic enough to satisfy me for some reason. So it was just as easy to give all my feelings to Angel to work through in Graffiti Girl. I'm such a stinker. :)

IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?

KP: This is not a fair question! Reading and writing are pretty much equal with me. If I really have to choose, I'd have to go with limitless books to read forever.

BEER OR WINE?

KP: Sorry, neither! I'm all about taste and they just don't taste good to me.

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?

KP: Chocolate. Yay!

WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?

KP: I do not have an all time favorite single book, but an all time favorite series of books. The Death Series by J.D. Robb.

GCC Tour: INSIDER DATING by JENNIFER O'CONNELL

I'm thrilled to be hosting Jennifer and her new book, INSIDER DATING, this week as part of the GCC Tour!




ORDER THE BOOK!

Here's a bit about the book:

Abby Dunn, barely past thirty and still reeling from her divorce, has taken herself off the dating market. Instead, she’s using her experience to turn the tables on the opposite sex by building a database to rank underperforming men and set women straight when investing their greatest asset: themselves.

Now, what started as a pet project is becoming a full-time enterprise. But while Abby’s busy hedging bets, someone is skewing her data and threatening to ruin her business. Abby is about to find out that sometimes even the savviest market wizards can be headed for a crash.

While it may be perfectly legal, nothing good can come from insider dating.

ABOUT JENNIFER:

Jennifer O’Connell received her BA from Smith College and her MBA from the University of Chicago. She lives outside Boston and when she’s not writing, she spends her days as a market strategy consultant. She is the bestselling author of Bachelorette #1, Dress Rehearsal, and Off The Record.

PRAISE FOR JENNIFER'S OTHER TITLES:

“Insight and humor…entertaining.”
—The Denver Post

“A poolside page-turner.”
—Cosmopolitan

“Hot.”
—Us Weekly

JENNIFER'S ANSWERS TO MY GCC QUESTIONS:


HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL "WRITING DAY"?
The only thing that’s typical when I’m writing is that I hit the “word count” function in MS Word about a million times. I’m very goal oriented – it’s all about the word count.

DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
One summer afternoon I was out on our deck, flipping through People magazine. One of those blow-ins for the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes fell onto my lap and I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a clearinghouse for men.” The idea for INSIDER DATING came immediately, that a woman could create a sort of clearinghouse that allowed women to share information in a members-only club.

PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.
Out of all of my books, Abby, the main character in INSIDER DATING, most closely resembles me. We’d both like to believe we can control what happens, that as long as we’re prepared for the worst, we’ll never be caught off guard.

IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?
I’d read. I always read when I’m writing, I find it inspiring to read what other writers are writing, see how they’re thinking. I read with a pen and paper in hand, because books always spark ideas. I’m actually a frustrated editor masquerading as a writer. I love to read.

BEER OR WINE?
Beer

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?
Chocolate

WHAT'S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?
So hard. Probably a book I read in high school, it’s YA – IT’S OKAY IF YOU DON’T LOVE ME by Norma Klein. The best ever.


Thanks, Jennifer! The book sounds great!

GCC Tour: A DAMSEL UNDER STRESS by Shanna Swendson

I love this series, so I'm thrilled to be blogging this latest release from Shanna, A DAMSEL UNDER STRESS.



Click here to order the book!

About the book:

Shanna Swendson’s beloved blend of fantasy and romance is back in her delicious new novel DAMSEL UNDER STRESS (A Ballantine Books Trade Paperback Original; May 2007).

I love Shanna Swendson’s Katie Chandler novels. They’re quirky and make me laugh out loud. The dialogue is snappy, the characters endearing (well, maybe not the evil ones...) and the plots are fascinating. She’s taken over the throne from Buffy, Sabrina is losing ground and Bridget Jones doesn’t shine as bright anymore, because we have Katie Chandler and she rules.”
—Armchair Interviews on DAMSEL UNDER STRESS

“Great entertainment, full of humor both magical and everyday, and some truly engaging characters.”
—Locus on Once Upon Stilettos

“A fascinating story that will keep readers turning the pages. Don’t miss Once Upon Stilettos.”
—Romance Reviews Today

“Fans of both chick-lit and Harry Potter should not miss out on this series set in magical modern-day Manhattan.”
—Fresh Fiction

“Mayhem at its most enchanting.”
—Romantic Times on Damsel Under Stress


Here's a bit about Shanna:

SHANNA SWENDSON escaped the corporate rat race to be a novelist and pop culture essayist. She is the author of Enchanted, Inc. and Once Upon Stilettos, in addition to contributing essays to books about television series, authors, and novels. When she’s not writing or watching television and movies so she can write about them, she enjoys cooking, traveling, and singing.

And now that you know about Shanna, here are her answers to my GCC Tour questions:


HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”?

This book was a little different from my usual pattern, which involves hours
of handling business stuff and goofing off until late afternoon. Instead, I
goofed off and handled business stuff all day, then started writing after 9
at night and went until around midnight or one in the morning. Before I
figured that out, I went for a while spending a couple of frustrating hours
late in the afternoon staring at the blank computer screen, then had trouble
falling asleep at night because my brain was suddenly wide awake. {{JK Comments: Welcome to my world. I think our neighbors must wonder why my office light burns bright at 2 am}}

DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?

The main plot was part of the ongoing series, but the inspiration for the
fairy godmother subplot came from something I often say about my very
pathetic love life. I'm always saying I could really use a fairy godmother,
and after saying that one time more recently, I realized that in the
universe of my books, I could make that happen literally. {{JK Comments: Love it. Playing God is cool}}

PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME
CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.

I share the housekeeping abilities of Owen, my hero. In his office, he
organizes with stacks that only make sense to him, and in his home, every
horizontal surface is covered with books and papers. That's pretty much the
way I live. {{JK Comments: Soulmate!}}

IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK
THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON
WHICH TO WRITE?

I'd take the books because I can write in my head, just as long as no one
expects me to turn them in for publication anytime soon. {{JK Comments: THAT is a machine someone should invent. A brain-story transcription device. I'd buy it!}}

BEER OR WINE?

Wine. I may get kicked out of Texas for this, but I don't like beer at all. {{JK Comments: I'll be on the rails right with you, though, actually, I've started to develop a taste for beer. But, um, it's imported beer.}}

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?

Chocolate for flavor, vanilla for scent {{JK Comments: I'll go with that!}}

WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?

To Say Nothing of the Dog, by Connie Willis. It's a book that has everything
-- a science fiction Victorian farce time travel romance World War II
mystery romantic comedy. {{JK Comments: Oh! I have so been meaning to read that one!}}




Want more?

Shanna's Web site:
http://www.shannaswendson.com

Read an Excerpt:
http://www.shannaswendson.com/damselexcerpt.html

Check out Shanna's Blog:
http://shanna-s.livejournal.com/

GCC Tour: THE SECRET IDENTITY OF DEVON DELANEY by Lauren Barnholdt

Click here to order THE SECRET IDENTITY OF DEVON DELANEY!

This week, I have the pleasure of hosting Lauren Barnholdt, whose book THE SECRET IDENTITY OF DEVON DELANEY is launching the new Simon and Schuster MIX line for tweens.

Mom says karma always comes around to get you, and I guess it's true. Because last summer I was a total liar, and now, right in the middle of Mr. Pritchard's third-period math class, my whole world is about to come crashing down…..

That's because while Devon was living with her grandmother for the summer, she told her "summer friend," Lexi, that she was really popular back home and dating Jared Bentley, only the most popular guy at school. Harmless lies, right? Wrong. Not when Lexi is standing at the front of Devon's class, having just moved to Devon's town.

Uh-oh.

Devon knows there's only one way to handle this -- she'll just have to become popular! But how is Devon supposed to accomplish that when she's never even talked to Jared, much less dated him?! And it seems the more Devon tries to keep up her "image," the more things go wrong. Her family thinks she's nuts, her best friend won't speak to her, and, as if it's not all complicated enough, Jared starts crushing on Lexi and Devon starts crushing on Jared's best friend, Luke. It all has Devon wondering -- who is the real Devon Delaney?


Lauren answers my GCC Tour Questions:


HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”? I don’t really have a typical writing day. I like to mix it up. Sometimes I’ll stay in bed with the laptop, or head out to Barnes and Noble. I like to have coffee or Diet Coke with Lime. I always set a word count goal for the day, too – I find it helps if I have something to work toward.

DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK? When my friends and I were in junior high, we were dating this group of guys from another school. So we made it seem like we were super popular at our school, and that all the boys wanted us. Which wasn’t even close to being true. One night some of the guys we lied to played basketball against some of the boys from our school who supposedly wanted us, and I just kept thinking, God, I hope none of them talk. And that was the inspiration for THE SECRET IDENTITY OF DEVON DELANEY. Only, unlike in my situation, poor Devon’s lies catch up with her.

PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER. I think my junior high self was a lot like Devon – had very good intentions, but was slightly misguided in some ways!

IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND , WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE? Books

BEER OR WINE? Neither, really. I’m a total lightweight when it comes to alcohol. I’d rather have one of those drinks that’s mostly ice cream.

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Vanilla.

WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK? The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.




Want to know more?

Here's Lauren's bio: Lauren Barnholdt’s first book for teens, REALITY CHICK, was a Teen People Can’t-Miss Pick and a New York Public Library Best Book for the Teen Age 2007. In junior high, she was known to have a few “secret identities” of her own. She currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts, where she’s hard at work on her next book.

Visit Lauren online at www.laurenbarnholdt.com or www.livejournal.com/users/laurenbarnholdt

GCC Tour: SO NOT THE DRAMA by Paula Chase

This week, I'm hosting SO NOT THE DRAMA, which looks like a fabulous YA debut! Check it out:



Click Here To Order the Book!

“I just realized, I’m the Seinfeld of YA lit,” author Paula Chase says. “Taking tiny teen crisis and turning them into an entire book is my ‘thing.’ In her debut, So Not The Drama, Chase takes her Seinfeldian-style and turns a high school sociology project into a catalyst for good old-fashioned, light-hearted teen angst.

So Not The Drama [Kensington Books/Dafina for Young Readers] introduces readers ages 11+ to bright-eyed, optimist Mina Mooney, a high school freshman with nothing more on her mind than climbing the popularity ladder, until a sociology experiment to rid the world – or at least Del Rio Bay High School – of prejudice backfires. The project causes a rift between Mina and her best friend, Lizzie and sends Mina on a journey of exploration that’s both funny and eye-opening.

So Not The Drama is about the transition from middle to high school and the impact it can have on friendship.

Set to burst on the scene with her self-proclaimed Hip Lit, Chase takes readers back to high school where cliques reign supreme and going to class…a place to be seen.


The Buzz On The Book
“Contemporary friendship story, which revels in rich diversity of race, color and class.”
—Booklist

“Readers will like the genuine dialogue.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A multi-layered story…contemporary and thoughtful.”
—Little Willow of Bildungsroman


Paula Chase has written for Girls Life, Sweet 16 and Baltimore Magazine, among others. In addition to her background in corporate communications and public relations, she founded the Committed Black Women, a youth mentoring program for 14-17 year old girls. Her Del Rio Bay Clique series helped launch Kensington Books YA line and joins a burgeoning number of YA books targeted to multi-culti suburbanite teens. Chase calls her brand of teen literature, Hip Lit, a nod to the diversity spawned by the MTV-watching, 106 & Park-ing, pop culture hungry hip hop generation. The author lives in Maryland with her husband and two daughters. Learn more about the series and author at www.paulachasehyman.com

Paula's Answers To My GCC Questions!

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”?
My writing schedule recently changed. I used to be a night writer. But two months ago, I switched to mornings. Now, I get up anywhere between 6:30 and 7:00 and head into the office. I write until my youngest daughter wakes up. Normally I can get a good hour and a half in before the house is too full of her chatter. My goal is to get in at least 1,000 words a day. Some days I get more done. Some days less. But mornings are great because then I avoid that writer’s guilt, worrying if I’ll be too tired later on to push myself to write. Also, morning writing leaves me wanting to write more. So I find that, I’ll usually get in a few more words later in the day to capture thoughts as they come to me.

DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
Actually, I do. It was a Saturday morning. I was in a perfect sleep. The type where it feels like you could snooze for a few more hours. I went to turn over and the name, Mina Mooney, entered my head. I knew what she looked like and what made her tic. Soon other names popped up in my head and I popped out of bed and went into my office to write them down. Within thirty minutes I had a decent outline of characters and the places they lived. It felt very Sweet Valley High and I ran with it.

PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.
My character, Jacinta, is the “sassy” chick. I love her! She’s outspoken, unafraid to hit you with her sarcastic wit and very grounded in reality. Jacinta is very much me as an adult. I wish I had been like her as a fourteen year old – so unconcerned with what others think about me.

IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE? Books. If I became really desperate, maybe I could write on the blank spaces in the books. Gotta tell you, that’s a darn hard choice.

BEER OR WINE? Wine, Merlot to be specific

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Ohhh….depends on my mood. But nothing beats a good creamy vanilla cone

WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK? Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor

GCC Tour: Staying Home Is A Killer by Sara Rosett

click here to order the book

This week, I'm blogging GCC Author Sara Rosett and her new release, STAYING HOME IS A KILLER, the second book in the mom lit mystery series about a military spouse who runs a professional organizing business.

Now, I LOVE Jill Churchill's mysteries, and so the blurb in Sara's material that says the book will appeal to Churchill fans really caught my eye. And, yes, STAYING HOME IS A KILLER looks like a fabulous read. Check out the info below, and then read Sara's answers to my GCC questions:

Diaper bag over her shoulder and adorable toddler wriggling in her arms, Ellie Avery strives to balance motherhood, marriage, and her professional organizing business, Everything in Its Place, but her ordered world is thrown into disarray when a fellow military spouse’s death looks more like murder than suicide. Toss in her husband’s deployment and her daughter’s separation anxiety, and Ellie has to keep the home fires burning as she sort clues from chaos and proves that home is not for killers.

The Reviews!

Publishers Weekly: The author, also the wife of an air force pilot, includes practical tips for organizing closets, but the novel's most valuable insight is its window into women's lives on a military base.

Romantic Times: Thoroughly entertaining. The author’s smooth, succinct writing style enables the plot to flow effortlessly until its captivating conclusion. (Four stars)

Armchair Interviews: If you like cozy mysteries that have plenty of action and lots of suspects and clues, Staying Home Is A Killer will be a fun romp through murder and mayhem.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born and raised in Amarillo, Texas, Sara Rosett has always loved to curl up with a good book. The wife of an Air Force pilot, she and her family moved ten times—giving her plenty of expertise to write the Mom Zone mystery series about a military spouse. Sara and her family currently live in southern California. Her work appeared in Chicken Soup for the Military Wife’s Soul, and she is working on the next Mom Zone mystery, Getting Away is Dangerous (Kensington, April 2008).

SARA'S ANSWERS TO MY GCC QUESTIONS:

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”?
It depends on what type of writing I’m doing. If I’m in the
composition/rough draft stage, then I drop the kids at school, go home, and
write for a couple of hours, then take a break to run errands or do whatever
needs to be done to maintain the semblance of normality in our lives. If I’m
in the revision stage of writing I usually have my manuscript in a huge
binder that I tote everywhere with me. I can revise while I’m waiting in the
carpool line.

DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
Since I write about an amateur sleuth I have to look for a legitimate reason
to involve Ellie in an investigation into what looks like a suicide. I had
to come up with something that Ellie would know about the person who died
that would be so compelling that it would completely rule out the
possibility of suicide and convince Ellie that her friend had been murdered.
I don’t want to spoil the story, so I won’t give away Ellie’s inside
knowledge. I’ll let readers discover that on their own.

PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME
CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.
My main character Ellie and I are both very stubborn. Everyone always asks
if I’m Ellie. Overall, no, but that trait of stubbornness is shared. Her
stubbornness helps me in plotting because I know if she’s got an idea in her
head about who did something or why they did it, she’s going to pursue it.
In real life, I don’t know if that stubbornness is always such a good thing!

IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK
THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON
WHICH TO WRITE?
Oh, I have to pick the paper. I think I’d go crazy if I could get the
stories in my head down on paper!

BEER OR WINE? Ah—Diet coke?

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? No question. Chocolate. Preferably dark.

WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK? So hard to narrow it down. My favorite
children’s book is The Secret Garden and for adult fiction I’d have to say
anything by Mary Stewart.

****

Visit Sara on the web here:
Website: http://www.SaraRosett.com
Blog: http://www.RosettWrites.Bravejournal.com
Blog: http://www.good-girls-kill.com

GCC Tour: I TAKE THIS MAN by Valerie Frankel

Touring this week on the GCC, I TAKE THIS MAN by Valerie Frankel. This one sounds great! How could it not, being described as "a hilarious story of suspense, revenge and revelation, involving a bride, a groom, her mother and his father"?

Penny Bracket has waited two years to marry her dream man, Bram Shiraz. Just as Penny’s putting on the final touches on her wedding day, she receives a note from her beloved that simply says, “Penny, I can’t go through with it. Sorry, Bram” Mortified, Penny is determined to figure out what went wrong, even if it kills her, or, preferably Bram.

Ester Bracket, Penny’s divorced mother wants Bram’s head on a platter. And she gets it: In a fit of maternal rage, Ester finds Bram as he’s packing to flee, knocks him out with a bottle of champagne, and kidnaps him to a secret room in her mansion in affluent Short Hares, New Jersey. Will Penny get the answers and revenge she’s after from Bram, who (as she may or may not discover) is locked in her attic? Will Bram’s widowed father, handsome tough guy Keith Shiraz locate his son and/or seduce Ester Bracket? Will Bram, athletic and regretful, escape both his wedding and his imprisonment in one piece? Find out in I TAKE THIS MAN.

About the author:

“Valerie Frankel cracks me up! Kooky, sexy, and downright hilarious, Hex and the Single Girl had me laughing to the very last magical page”
— Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries series and Size 12 Is Not Fat

“Reading a novel by Valerie Frankel is like hanging out with your favorite and funniest friend”
-Melissa Senate, author of See Jane Date


Valerie Frankel is a freelance writer who resides in Brooklyn, NY with her two daughters and husband. She contributes to many national magazines, including O, [Glamour], Allure, Self, and Parenting. She’s also been a featured writer for the New York Times Style section. [Val has written thirteen novels thus far, including The Accidental Virgin which has been optioned to become a movie starring Heather Graham, Smart Vs. Pretty, optioned to be made into TV show, and The Girlfriend Curse, nominated for a Quills award.

Val's Answers to My GCC Questions:


HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”?

I take my kids to school at 8:30, go to the gym, come home, shower, waste an hour online, and then I write straight until school pick-up at 3. I'm lucky to get three hours of solid writing time, during which I hope to get 1,000 words of raw material down.

DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?

The basic idea for I Take This Man was cranked out on a typical day in the life of a working mother. My daughter came home from school, and announced that some little girl in her first grade class made her cry. A flash of anger flooded my brain. After a minute or two, I calmed myself down. Lucy and I discussed what had happened, and worked out an appropriate response. But that flash of maternal rage got my meat grinder going. Any intense emotion is a kick-start. It made me wonder: What offense against one of my daughters would actually move me to lash out with violence against another human being? I fixated on the question, lay awake in bed, wondering what indeed would make an otherwise controlled, rational woman thirsty for blood? I imagined being the mother of a jilted bride who, in a fit of vengeance, attacks the runaway groom. From there, I asked more questions: “Why did the groom cancel the wedding?” “What did the mother do with the groom after she bashed him?” “How would the bride find out what happened?”

Five hours later, at three o’clock in the morning, I had the framework of a plot.




PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.
In I Take This Man, I relate to Esther, the brides mother, the most. She's a mom, a widow, in her forties, like me. Also like me, she finds herself a new man to love who makes all the pain of her past go away.


IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?

I'll take the books.



BEER OR WINE?
Wine. But I'm not much of a drinker anymore. I get insta-hangovers.


CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?

does anyone say Vanilla? Chocolate, of course.


WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?
Simply impossible to say.