In honor of my first post in an embarrassingly long time, let me present a wonderful emerging talent in the world of women’s fiction and a lovely person, Japan aficionado Wendy Tokunaga!!!!

Wendy is the author of the well-received, MIDORI BY MOONLIGHT, two children’s novels, and many short stories published in various literary journals. Not only is she a rockin’ novelist, but in her spare time, Wendy is Wendy sings bossa nova, cool pop, jazz standards and Japanese songs accompanied by her surfer dude husband Manabu on electronic keyboards. Her latest is LOVE IN TRANSLATION a November 2009 release from St. Martin’s.

A teaser…..

After receiving a puzzling phone call and a box full of mysterious family heirlooms, 33-year-old fledgling singer Celeste Duncan is off to Japan to search for a long, lost relative who could hold the key to the identity of the father she never knew. Once there she stumbles head first into a weird, wonderful world where nothing is quite as it seems—a land with an inexplicable fascination with foreigners, karaoke boxes, and unbearably perky TV stars.

What inspired Love in Translation?

Many things. LOVE IN TRANSLATION is my cockeyed valentine to Japan, which is a place I’ve both loved and loathed, a place that has fueled both fascination and frustration. And it is also a place that has had a huge impact on my life and writing. I also wanted to explore what it means to be a gaijin (foreigner) in Japanand the benefits and downsides of that status and what happens when a gaijin sings in Japanese. I also am fascinated by the concept of the homestay, (something I never experienced), and how that would impact someone as an adult who grew up in foster homes and who never experienced a real family.

How do you go about choosing a setting for your novel? Does it, like New York in Sex and the City, almost play the part of another character in the book?

Love in Translation takes place mainly in Tokyo and because of the circumstances of the story, that’s really the only place it can be. Yes, I think Tokyo does become a character in the book. The novel is sort of my cockeyed valentine to Japan, a place I’ve found both fascinating and frustrating at different times in my life and one that has had a major impact on my life and writing. 

Who’s your favorite literary villain? Why?

Actually, I like it when the hero or heroine can also be seen as kind of a villain. And one of my favorite literary characters of this variety is probably Emma Bovary in Madame Bovary. She can be construed as both an oppressed woman and a selfish jerk, a victim of her time and circumstances and a conniving manipulator. When I first read it in high school, I found her deeply sympathetic. When I revisited the book again more recently, a lot of my reaction was along the lines of, “What a bitch!” (Sorry…must interceed…Nadine here. I LOVED Madame Bovary. I had the opposite reaction. Wasn’t too sypathetic towards her as a still-in-the-bloom-of-youth teenager, but as I got older, I totally got her.)

Where do you write?

I’m lucky enough to have my own office at home where I do most of my writing. In the last place we lived I used to share an office with my husband and that was much too distracting and cramped. But after I’ve done some writing I like to print out what I’ve written and go to a coffee house or somewhere to read it and make notes. And I also do writing in my mind as I lie awake in bed, trying to fall asleep! (Isnt that the most inspiring time of the day?? Maybe it’s all that reflecting on the hours that just passed…)

Which craft books have inspired or helped you throughout your writing career?

 There are many and some are not technically “craft” books such as “The Resilient Writer: Tales of Rejection and Triumph from 23 Top Authors” by Catherine Wald. Others include “bird by bird” by Anne Lamott, “The First Five Pages” by Noah Lukeman and “The Art & Craft of Novel Writing” by Oakley Hall.

What comes most naturally for you to write, dialogue? plot? character? What’s the hardest?

 Easiest for me is plot and that’s what I try to spend time sorting that out on the first draft.  I also like to “talk out” my plot to friends and keep refining it that way. The most difficult is slowing down and spending time on description. I don’t care for long passages of description, but you must have some. So I try and strike a happy medium, but it isn’t easy for me.

What has brought the greatest joy since you were published? The greatest angst?

 I’d say the greatest joy is having readers who appreciate your writing. And the greatest angst is in working hard to keep those readers and gain more.

What do you love about being an author?

 There’s so much that I enjoy. First, it’s great to be paid for something you love to do. But I also find it inspiring to help other writers. I enjoy telling my story of woe on my road to publication and let others know that they don’t need any special connections to the publishing world in order to get published. I like to promote the message that you should never give up. And if you work hard, keep at it and be flexible, your publishing dream may come true. I also like helping other writers make their work the best it can be.

What’s one piece of writing advice you’ve found valuable on your journey to publication?

 That often you won’t discover the real story you’re trying to tell until the revision process. (Amen, sista)

What’s next for you?

 I’m working on a novel that is a different departure for me: it has very little to do with Japan!

Find more information at Wendy’s website (www.WendyTokunaga.com). And look for her on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wendy-Nelson-Tokunaga/52795977320) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/Wendy_Tokunaga)

I could not possibly be more thrilled to present According to Jane, a debut novel by one of my dearest writer friends, and one of the kindest people I’ve ever had the pleasure to know.  And Marylin is truly the postergirl for that karmic adage - what goes around comes around. After joining RWA and become an active member of her chapter and online communities, tirelessly supporting writer friends and soaking up valuable craft knowledge in the meantime, Marylin got every novice author’s Cinderella moment: According to Janewon the much coveted Golden Heart Award for best novel with Romantic Elements and it would go one to be published by Kensington a few months later.

I was lucky enough to read a preview copy of AtJ - fans of Jane Austen, or of great, heartwarming romantic stories shouldn’t miss this one!

Without further ado, here’s the charming author.

(PS - Check out Marylin’s much-trafficked blog where she often hosts coffee, books, and /or chocolate - but mostly chocolate - inspired giveaways, plenty of writing advice, and hilarious life musings)

Q:Tell us about your latest release and the inspiration behind it.
A: My debut novel, According to Jane, is the story of a modern woman who–for almost two decades–has the ghost of Jane Austen in her head giving her dating advice. I first read Pride & Prejudice as a high-school freshman. Like my heroine Ellie, I raced through the novel way ahead of the reading assignments. I loved both the story and Austen’s writing style immediately. Her books changed the way I perceived the behavior of everyone around me, and I spent the rest of freshman year trying to figure out which Austen character each of my friends and family members most resembled! Also like Ellie, I had a few (okay, a lot) of less-than-wonderful boyfriends, and I would have loved to have been given romantic advice from the author I most respected and the one who’d written one of my all-time favorite love stories.

Q: Which scene in your novel did you love writing? Why?
A: One scene I had a lot of fun with was the bar scene in the first chapter where my main character runs into her ex-high-school boyfriend for the first time in four years. It was a situation I had never experienced personally, but I could imagine the comical possibilities so clearly and feel and the frustration of my heroine as if I’d been the one standing there, facing the jerk and his latest girlfriend, while Jane Austen ranted about how “insufferable” he was.

Q: Could you please tell us a little about your writing background and how you made your first sale?
A: Aside from being on the newspaper and yearbook staff in high school and publishing some academic work in college, I didn’t take writing seriously until I was about 30. I was a stay-at-home mom with a baby and desperately in need of a creative outlet, so I began writing poems, essays on being a parent and educational articles for family magazines. I wrote my first book having never taken a creative-writing class or even having read a book on the craft of fiction. (The lack of craft is very evident when I reread chapters from that first book, btw! I don’t recommend this level of ignorance…)  I got some feedback though–mostly negative–from a prominent literary agency, which led me to study fiction formally, delve into craft books and, eventually, go to my first writing conference. It was there that I heard about RWA. I joined, wrote three more unpublished manuscripts and, then, came up with the idea for According to Jane. My agent signed me on this book and submitted it to editors, but it needed to be significantly restructured before it sold. Nine months after it won the Golden Heart and was revised (again), it finally did sell–to John Scognamiglio at Kensington–on a sunny and surrealistic day in April 2008 J.

Q: Which ‘craft’ book has inspired or helped you the most throughout your writing career?
A: I’m a BIG fan of craft books, so I have more than one! I used Blake Snyder’s SAVE THE CAT! almost religiously in the plotting of my past several books. I’m still very sad that he’s no longer with us. As far as a great reference guide, Robert McKee’s STORY is incredible. It has more information about writing craft than I can ever internalize. Also, whenever I need a more emotional pick-me-up, I grab the Ralph Keyes book THE COURAGE TO WRITE. I recommend it to everyone.

Q: Where do you write? Describe your writing space – is it a cluttered mess or minimalist heaven?!
A: I write in my home office–a messy, absolutely cluttered place–I won’t deny it! There are stacks of paper and towers of books everywhere, but also a very nice window overlooking our backyard. Sometimes I’ll write at a local coffee shop (either with my laptop or, most often, just with pen and notebook paper), and that location has the advantage of endless cups of coffee and occasional snacks.

Q: What’s one piece of writing advice you’ve found valuable on your journey to publication?
A: Don’t follow trends just because you think it’ll be an easier sell. And write the books that fit your voice. If what you love writing happens to be a hot-selling genre, great. If your writing voice happens to be perfect for the genre you want to write in and love to read, that’s awesome, too. But–if not–write long and hard enough to find what DOES fit you and your style best. Because then, even if it takes longer to make that first sale than you expect, you’re writing the kinds of stories you most enjoy, and that passion has a way of working itself into the projects you’re creating.

Q: Do you have a sample chapter posted? (URL to chapter, if you have it.)
A: Yes! On my website I have a segment of Chapter One available for anyone interested in reading. It’s here: http://www.marilynbrant.com/extras.html Also, if you go to the Amazon page for According to Jane (here: http://www.amazon.com/According-Jane-Marilyn-Brant/dp/0758234619/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238387155&sr=1-1), there’s a “Search Inside This Book” feature, and people can read samples from scenes throughout the novel.

Thanks for a great interview Marylin!

For the chance to win  a copy of According to Jane (and other cool stuff) please visit Marylin’s blog!

I’m very excited to be touring Carleen Brice today, and her second novel, Children of the Waters, the follow-up to her best-selling debut novel, Orange Mint and Honey.

Carleen doesn’t just write and blog about racially diverse characters - in the age of exploding Hispanic and Latino populations in the US, a half-Hawaiian, half-Kenyan President at the helm of the world’s sole Superpower, and, my personal favorite, an Arab version of American Idol on my mother’s kitchen TV set, you have to have something more than a racially diverse cast of characters to contribute to the dialogue.

In Children of the Waters, Carleen presents us with two sisters on opposite sides of the racial divide, and spins a tale of reconciliation through a maze of rejection, lies, and pain.

Here’s the author, in her own words…

Q. Readers of this blog know I am very seriously into traveling - what’s your idea of the perfect travel destination and why?

A. Someplace with a beach, turquoise waters, a hammock & drinks with umbrellas in them. Self-explanatory I think.

Q. How do you go about choosing a setting for your novel? Does it, like New York in Sex and the City, almost play the part of another character in the book, or could the plot be transported to another setting and work?

A. So far, my books have been set in Denver and I kind of like writing about this city, but setting isn’t really a character in either novel.

Q. Who’s your favorite literary (or movie) villain? Why?

A. The monster in Aliens. I love that it’s a kick-ass female monster vs. a kick-ass female heroine!

Q. What would you change about your life if you became the next Sophie Kinsella?

A. I’ve fantasized a lot about winning the Oprah lottery or having one of my books pictured in Michelle Obama’s hands. But really my imagination fails after paying off debt, helping out my family and taking a trip to some destination like the above. I think I’m pretty much living the way I want to be living, so I don’t think much would really change.

About the author

Carleen Brice’s debut novel, Orange Mint and Honey, was an Essence “Recommended Read” and a Target “Bookmarked Breakout Book.”  For this book, she won the 2009 First Novelist Award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and the 2008 Break Out Author Award at the African American Literary Awards Show. Orange Mint and Honey was optioned by Lifetime Movie Network.

Her second novel, Children of the Waters (One World/Ballantine), a book about race, love and family, just came out at the end of June. Booklist Online called it “a compelling read, difficult to put down.” Essence says, “Brice has a new hit.” You can read an excerpt at her website http://www.carleenbrice.com/.

She is at work on her third novel, Calling Every Good Wish Home, and she maintains the blogs “White Readers Meet Black Authors” www.welcomewhitefolks.blogspot.com and “The Pajama Gardener” www.pajamagardener.blogspot.com.

Thanks so much for stopping by, Carleen!

Though I hate to admit it, I’m a creature of habit. The “latte factor” (the theory that there a fortune lying hidden in our little, daily, needless expenses) annoys me to no end. Yes, if you tally up what I spend a month on cappuccinos ($90) and multiplied it by 12, ($1,080), or what I spend a month on magazines ($24) and extrapolated that for a year ($288), I would probably find that I have more disposable income than I thought.

But, what kind of a life would I have if I was deprived of my daily cappuccino-sipping-in-front-of-nytimes.com ritual? Or Glamour’s monthly Dos and Don’ts page, and InStyle’s insipid recycled celeb style (actually - it’s probably time I kicked my InStyle addiction)? A crappy life, if a slightly richer one.

Another ritual I’ve developed (and also robs me of a few deliciously-spent $$$s) is waiting impatiently for my favorite writers to come out with their latest releases, which usually happens over the summer (only Emily Giffin has broken with tradition… maybe little Harriet and the twins ran her haggard last year - her next book isn’t coming out until spring 2010).

Last year, I lusted after This Charming Man (Marian Keyes), The Beach House (Jane Green), Love the One You’re With (Emily Giffin), and Dirty Girls on Top (Alisa Valdez-Rodriguez) for many months until they were finally released in a slow progression over June and July.

This summer these authors did not disappoint. Here are some of the books on my must-buy list:

…and though these don’t have a cover yet, word on the street is that Marian Keyes’ next one, called The Brightest Star in the Sky is imminent, as is Sophie Kinsella’s Twenties Girl.

Of course, there’s another major release coming out this summer… the mass paperback edition of Cutting Loose in a mere two weeks! Happy summer reading!

I’m still slogging through difficult rewrites with my back to an unmet deadline (how, how, how do other writers meet deadlines when they work full-time, how??).

I had run head-on into the dragon of writer self-doubt. It had been in hiding for some time - I was in love with my current novel, I thought it kicked my last novel’s ass, my characters felt deep and fully drawn, the writing light and lyrical. Then I hit a rough patch and suddenly, the same characters that felt so real to me that we could’ve sat down and had martinis together - those same characters started to feel unrealistic, unbelievable, wooden. Their troubles suddenly went from vivid to contrived. Plot fog overtook me. I was paralyzed.

Then, like a sign straight out of a Charlton Heston movie, I got a Google alert for this:

“All I can say is ‘WOW, what a book!!!‘

When I received this book in mail, my only intention was to scan the book, read a couple of pages and then keep it aside for future reading. I mean I do have a TBR pile and I would feel kind of guilty reading this book immediately. But honestly, once I read the first couple of pages I couldn’t stop. It was just that good.”

You can read the rest of the review here at VioletCrush.

How’s that for a kick in the behind? I thanked Violet for her lovely review (Violet’s blog by the way, is a great read in its own right with a well-attended community of readers. The Internet is fabulous for this - I never realized how FEW people I know actually read novels until I started writing myself. It’s lonely being a bookworm these days, so thanks to bloggers like Swapna and Violet for creating these communities)

Then, just days after that, fan mail started trickling in. It had been a while since I’d gotten any of that, and to be honest, Fashionably Late was so long ago for me that I feel completely removed from it. Until I got a a couple of lovely, heartfelt e-mails - one from a reader for whom a trip to the Dominican Republic had changed her life. For another reader, the magic had happened in Mexico.

In “On Writing” Stephen King says that writing is telepathy. It an intimate conversation that crosses the boundaries of time and space and convention. Let’s face it, if you happened to be introduced to a woman at a lounge one Saturday night and struck up a polite conversation, you might walk away from it twenty minutes later knowing a few basic facts about her: claims administrator at a medium-sized insurance firm, just got out of a committed relationship, last vacation was to Barcelona, likes dancing, loved Slumdog Millionaire.

You wouldn’t know that that trip to Barcelona changed her entire outlook on life, that things were never quite the same afterwards, or that while she complained about how boring her job was - like everyone does - that she wonders why she feels like she’s living life in the tedium of black and white instead of in vivd color. You won’t walk away from that conversation knowing that the two of you are profoundly connected - that you share the same struggle of trying to figure out your place in the world without the benefit of a guidebook to help you out. Without novels, chances are you would have never met that woman in the first place.

That’s what’s so wonderful about novels - they might not have the answer the you’re looking for, but they do show you that we’re all in it together.

I should have posted this ages agom when the hilarious Jackie Kessler had it up on Cat and Muse, her great website (which you should really check out for her laugh-ou-loud funny alter-egos, Jezebel and Melpomene interviews with fictional characters of guest authors).

Ranya had her turn in the spotlight back in January, and since it’s a slow news days, here’s Ranya, star of Cutting Loose and reigning Princes Charming (if only in her own head).

Enjoy!

***

Princess Charming

JEZEBEL:
Heya, Avid Fans! Welcome back to Cat and Muse, the Internet talk-radio show run by and about fiction characters. I’m your host, the former demon Jezebel, coming at you live from the sordid depths of Jackie Kessler’s website. With me, as always, is the lovely, lamentable Muse of Tragedy…Melpomene!

[APPLAUSE]

Hi, Mel!

MELPOMENE:
YO.

JEZ:
Our next guest on Cat and Muse is a modern-day princess, and no, that’s not code for JAP. She was brought up behind the gilded walls of Saudi Arabian high society and winner of the Dream Husband sweepstakes . . . until said husband turns out to be more interested in Paolo, the interior-decorator-slash-underwear-model, than in his virginal new wife. Yikes!

MEL:
I KNOW WHAT BOYS LIKE…

JEZ:
Heh. Publishers Weekly calls CUTTING LOOSE “engrossing,” and Romantic Times says, “Dajani spins a tale of three women and their individual journeys to find happiness. Through strong writing and distinctive characters, readers are drawn into their lives, their loves, and their internal struggles. Dajani wraps it up nicely in the end, leaving us with a delectable tale that is hard to put down.”

Delectable? Yum! Boys and girls, say hello to one of the stars of Nadine Dajani’s CUTTING LOOSE…Ranya!

[APPLAUSE]

Heya, Ranya!

RANYA:
Hello, darlings.

JEZ:
So you’re this hot young woman with a rich dad, and…[GLANCES AT CUE CARDS] Is this right? You’re really 32 and still a virgin? Mel, is this a typo?

RANYA:
[SIGHS] I’m a virgin who’s been saving herself for Mr. Right for the past 32 – that’s right, 32 – years.

JEZ:
And then you meet the One…

RANYA:
And my Mr. Right turns out to be gay. That’s total [BLEEP]!!!

JEZ:
Oh, sweetie. I don’t know what to say.

RANYA:
I’ve always fit everywhere. I used to be the playground princess, and then the popular girl in high school—even if it was an all-girl high school in Riyadh, Saudi. Hey, I rubbed shoulders with real royalty, okay? And then I was this super eligible bachelorette. And then one day, poof! I find my husband at my favorite department store, making a grab for our decorator’s ass while he buys him that totally hot Hermes red croc passport holder.

JEZ:
That bastard.

RANYA:
I don’t know what was worse: that he was buying it for someone else when I’d begged and pleaded for it to no avail, or that the someone else was a dude!

JEZ:
The former. Definitely.

RANYA:
And just like that, I turn into a social pariah, in the circles I roll in at least—rich girls with too much time on their hands and access to other people’s money.

JEZ:
Ack. Surely, nothing can be worse than that. Right?

RANYA:
Besides the being cut off from any income from my parents thing? [TICS OFF POINTS ON FINGERS] I have no skills. Unless you count rolling vines leave into little rice-stuffed fingers of gastronomical goodness a “skill”…

JEZ:
Every little bit helps…

RANYA:
There’s also that total biatch of an editor I work for.

JEZ:
[READS CUE CARDS] That would be Rio.

MEL:
AND SHE DANCES ON THE SAND.

RANYA:
I swear, if Georges wouldn’t kill her for it, she’d have me cleaning toilets at the Suleltate offices.

JEZ:
The say what now?

RANYA:
[SIGHS] I know, I know, I can barely pronounce the name of this magazine I work for, either. It’s supposed to mean “Cut Loose” or “Let Loose” or something like that in Spanish. Also another brilliant idea of Rio’s.

JEZ:
Gotcha. Workplace issues. I can relate.

RANYA:
And let’s not forget the other bane of my existence, my roommate Zahra, who Georges totally guilt-tripped into taking me in. Isn’t he a sweetie?

JEZ:
I like him already!

RANYA:
I think all the fat from those Krispy Kreme doughnuts is cutting off circulation to Zahra’s niceness glands… I have no freaking clue what her problem is, but that girl has it in for me.

JEZ:
With all this badness, there has to be some good, right?

RANYA:
[GRINS] Zahra’s condo rocks! It’s on this fabulous street overlooking Biscayne Bay, and hey, I’ve never had a single moment in my entire life where I didn’t have to answer to my parents or act like a lady of my social standing (or else face the gossiping hoards) or whatever. No one in Miami knows me, and even if I’m a total charity case that Georges took pity on when he found me dazed and confused on the executive floor of the London hotel I was hiding in (that would have been before my credits cards were frozen…), I’m earning some money now, which, I won’t lie to you, doesn’t beat a Chanel sample sale—but it is nice.

JEZ:
Congratulations on your anonymity. You mentioned frozen credit cards, poor thing. Have you adjusted OK?

RANYA:
[SHURGS] I had to really change up my wardrobe since moving to Miami. My standard black or otherwise chic, trendy-yet-sophisticated outfits that killed in Montreal would look totally wrong in Miami.

JEZ:
Yeah. No way would you blend.

RANYA:
[GIGGLES] But I’m poor now, so I’ve had to make some, um, tradeoffs.

JEZ:‘Spain, please.

RANYA:
Let’s just say H&M and Zara have come in handy. But you will never catch me in those second-skin white denim capris, yellow halter tops, wedge heels and curtain-rod-ring earrings these women wear. Ugh!

JEZ:
Not that there’s anything wrong with that…[COUGHS] So, you mentioned Georges…

RANYA:
[NODS] The big boss. Who, I suspect, has a crush on me. But I’m too pure-of-mind to actually notice.

JEZ:
Un huh.

RANYA:
Not to mention it would be totally inconvenient to fall for Georges, seeing as I am MARRIED…

JEZ:
To a gay dude. I think you should do Georges.

RANYA:
Really, have you no shame?

JEZ:
None. So, you and Georges. Who’s on top? Or are there other preferred positions?

RANYA:
I’m a prude sweetie—I don’t kiss and tell. Actually… I don’t kiss, period.

JEZ:
Come on, pretend. What’s your romantic fantasy? Don’t worry. It’s just us girls. You can be as graphic as you want. [GRINS] In fact, I insist.

RANYA:
Really?

JEZ:
Really really.

RANYA:
Wow… I’ve never thought about that before…. Oh, who the hell am I kidding? I’ve fantasized about every position, place, possibility I can imagine! I AM SO HORNY! I NEED TO HAVE SEX ALREADY!!!!

JEZ:
[BURSTS OUT LAUGHING]

RANYA:
On the hood of Georges’ Beemer, in his office, I’ll have sex with him in his mom’s living room if it means I WILL FINALLY GET [BLEEP] LAID!!!!!

JEZ:
I almost feel bad asking this. Which is better: sex or chocolate?

RANYA:
Umm… ahhh… let me get back to you on that.

JEZ:
Hee! So, in CUTTING LOOSE, were there any parts of the story where you were like, Nad, sweetie, what the Hell are you making me do? Or were you and your Creator in sync the entire time?

RANYA:
[GLARES AT COMPUTER SCREEN] She made me into a freaking SEX COLUMNIST!

JEZ:
Oh wow.

MEL:
DON’T BE CRUEL.

RANYA:
Can you believe it? Me – Ranya – the VIRGIN! Nuts, I tell you.

JEZ:
Some Creators are such total bitches. [GLARES AT COMPUTER SCREEN] Hear that, Kessler?

RANYA:
Oh, Nadine made it sound like it was Rio’s desperate bid to inject newness to the magazine, but I was onto her… Nad had it in for me too, just like the other two, Rio and Zahra.

JEZ:
If you had your way, what would you change about CUTTING LOOSE?

RANYA:
[GRINS] I’d get a piece of that luscious Diego too.

JEZ:
Ooh. Details!

RANYA:
No, I’m kidding. Rio can have him. Georges is a total catch. But couldn’t I have gotten a better job at the magazine? Also, why the hell do Rio and Zahra get to all the sex in the book and I get NOTHING? Isn’t 32 years of waiting enough? Jeez.

JEZ:
Aww. If you could make Nadine do anything, what would it be?

RANYA:
I’d get her to write another book about me. Actually, scratch that—she’s welcome to write about the other two while Georges and I get a chance to, um, take care of some unfinished business…

JEZ:
That’s what I’m talking about! Tell me one thing in the real world that you wish you could change.

RANYA:
Sigh. Okay – I’ll admit, I spent a big chunk of my life being really self-centered, not to mention, fairly delusional. But getting to know Rio and Zahra really opened my eyes. I got this big expensive education, while Rio had to fight tooth and nail to go to college—apparently, her family thinks education is wasted on women! Can you believe that?

JEZ:
Unfortunately, I can.

RANYA:
And Zahra… poor thing, no wonder she’s so bitter. Her whole family is trapped in the West Bank, under military curfew, and they’d pretty much starve if she didn’t work her butt off to help. Is it too much to ask for politicians who don’t play Russian roulette with ordinary people’s lives, and access to education for all? How else are you going to get anywhere in this complicated world? [BLINKS] Wow—did I really just say of that?

JEZ:
You did great! If CUTTING LOOSE goes Hollywood, who should play you in the movie?

RANYA:
Nadine thinks Aishwarya Rai—you know, that hot Indian chick from Bride and Prejudice—should play me. But I think I’m partial to Penelope Cruz.

JEZ:
Nice. What about Georges?

RANYA:
Who better to play opposite Penelope than the celeb I’m totally crushing on right now, Javier Bardem?

JEZ:
Perfect! Finally, if you could be evil for one day, and you were granted spiffy evil powers, what would the powers be and how would you use them?

RANYA:
I would turn my ex-husband’s penis into a button mushroom.

JEZ:
HAH! Perfect yet again!

Avid Fans, give another round of applause for one of the stars of Nadine Dajani’s CUTTING LOOSE…Ranya!

Not only do I love the title of Brenda Janowitz’s latest, but her twist (so to speak) on the usual wedding planning stress is irresistable. Here’s the blurb:

Planning a wedding can be a trying experience…

A little prewedding anxiety is normal for every bride, and Manhattan attorney Brooke Miller isn’t worried. She’s got the loving support of the world’s greatest guy, so planning her nuptials should be a piece of cake.

But that was yesterday.

Today, Brooke’s landed her first big case and has just discovered that the opposing attorney is none other than her fiancé, Jack. But that’s okay. These two professionals aren’t going to let a little courtroom sparring get their legal briefs in a bunch.… Right? Wrong! Now Jack’s pulling every dirty trick in the law books, and Brooke’s starting to suspect that maybe he isn’t the man she thought he was. Warring with her fiancé at work and at home, Brooke realizes that she’ll have to choose between the case of her life, or actually having a life.

And now for the author, in her own words:

Q: Readers of this blog know I am very seriously into traveling - what’s your idea of the perfect travel destination and why?

A. Since I honeymooned in Hawaii this past summer, I’d have to say Hawaii. It’s such a beautiful and quiet place. There’s a rich history there, which is so much fun to explore.

And, of course, there’s just something for me about the beach—feeling the sand under my toes, listening to the crashing waves—that relaxes me to the core and allows my creative juices to flow. What could be more inspiring than a place like Hawaii?! (Does this mean that I get to go there again now?)

Q. Which scene (or scenes) in your novel did you love writing? Why?

A. The most fun I had was writing the scene when Brooke’s family met her fiancé’s family for the first time. There was just so much room to be funny, crazy and completely out there. Those situations are always so stressful, so it was fun to infuse that scene with lots of humor and heart.

Q. Actor/celeb you fantasize the most about while writing your male characters?

A. For Brooke’s fiancé, Jack, I could see a lot of my Hollywood crushes playing the part: Adam Sandler, Jack Black, or Paul Rudd would be perfect. (Yes, I like me a funny guy.)

Q. Where do you write?

I write on my laptop which means that I can pretty much write wherever I please! I love to write on my couch at home, or, if I’m too distracted, at a nearby coffee shop. A fun thing for me is to meet my writer friends and have coffee or breakfast and then put our laptops on the table and write the rest of the day away!

Thanks Brenda!

Imagine waking up one morning, after what seems like an interminable dry spell, and find out you’re pregnant. That’s the high concept behind Melissa Clark’s clever Swimming Upstream, Slowly. Here’s the author, in her own words…

(cute cover, no?)

Q. Tell us about your latest release and the inspiration behind it.

A. “Swimming Upstream, Slowly” is a novel about Sasha Salter, who wakes up one day to find she is pregnant. Only problem is she hasn’t had sex in over 2 years. The doctor’s diagnosis is that Sasha’s body has been harboring a ‘lazy sperm’. Sasha must now open up the Pandora’s box of her past loves to figure out which of her exes is the father - and what the future holds in store.

The idea was born because I was having lunch with a friend and overate. I lifted my shirt to expose my bloated belly and the friend said, half joking, “Are you sure you’re not pregnant?” and I said, “Yeah, right, from a lazy sperm.” I went home that night and started outlining the idea for a movie. I decided, eventually, to write it as a novel instead.

Q. If you were in charge of casting the movie adaptation of your book, who gets the call?

A. Natalie Portman gets the first call. I think she could bring depth and humor to the character. If she’s busy making another movie or doing something wonderfully humanitarian we give Jennifer Gardner a jingle. She’s likable, vulnerable. If she’s having a baby then we try Drew Barrymore because she has nailed these roles in the past. There are lots of male parts in this movie, too. I’d love to see Emile Hirsch do a romantic comedy.

Q. Could you please tell us a little about your writing background?

A. My dad is a writer, so I was always playing on his typewriter and writing on legal steno pads. I wrote short stories from the time that I could write. I studied writing and literature in both college and graduate school. In my 20’s to mid-30’s I worked as a writer in television. I created a kid’s show called “Braceface” which ran for 5 seasons. I loved that experience, but really wanted to write a novel, so I quit my own show and set out to write “Swimming Upstream, Slowly.” It was the best risk I’ve ever taken!

Q. Is writing your main job?

A. I still consider writing my main job even though I’m now teaching at the college level. In between grading, preparing lectures, meeting with students, etc. I somehow manage to find time to write. When I wrote “Swimming…” it was my only job. I had the luxury of time and money from the TV show. Now, my writing time is more precious because it is limited.

Q. What comes most naturally for you to write, dialogue? plot? character? And what’s hardest?

A. I love writing dialogue. I’ve written a few plays in the past and found it incredibly satisfying. I learn so much about my characters through what they say. I often have the feeling that they speak through me and I’m just listening and transcribing their words. I know a lot of writers feel this way. It’s hard for me to slow down and be descriptive - really describe a setting or something. I am very aware of this and tried to do it more consciously in the new book.

Q. What is one of the nicest compliments that you have ever received about your book(s)?

A. “I read it in one sitting.” Since it took a year and three months to write, I am amazed and flattered when someone tells me they zipped through it.

Thanks Melissa!

Melissa Clark is the creator and executive producer of the award-winning television series, ‘Braceface’, and has written for shows on the Disney Channel, Cartoon Network and Fox. She received a master’s degree from the writing program at U.C. Davis, and currently lives in Los Angeles. This is her first novel

I am very proud to present my longtime friend and agent buddy - Malena Lott!

Her latest -Dating DaVinci (how cute is that title??) - opens with the sad state of Ramona Elise’s life. Widowed, 36, with two children, Ramona is a pro when it comes to making her kids happy, but what about herself? Will a young Italian student help her find her way?…

Q. Readers of this blog know I am very seriously into travelling - what’s your idea of the perfect travel destination and why?

As a manic mod mama of three, I don’t get to travel nearly as often as I’d like. That being said, I love to get away with the whole family at least twice a year - this year we went to Branson, MO, Colorado and Ft. Worth (on the train!). I love spending as much time as possible in nature. My favorite vacay was Kauai, Hawaii -it’s just so picturesque and tranquil. Must. Return. Soon.

Q. How do you go about choosing a setting for your novel? Does it, like New York in Sex and the City, almost play the part of another character in the book, or could the plot be transported to another setting and work?

Picking the setting is one of my favorite parts of brainstorming upfront, because I do think it’s so important. I selected Austin, Texas as the setting for Dating da Vinci because I wanted a college town and Austin is the home of UT (rival to my beloved Sooners), because I needed Leonardo da Vinci to be in America on a student visa and Ramona is finishing her Ph.D. And I’ve actually been there several times, so that helps, too. 

Q. What would you change about your life if you became the next Sophie Kinsella?

After hiring the cook, the nanny and the housekeeper, I guess I’d start interviewing stylists and personal shoppers (loathe grocery shopping.) No, seriously, I don’t think much about my life would change except that I wouldn’t get “that look” from my darling husband when I’ve gone on a shopping spree and I’d get to vacation more and feel good that my kids can go to college easily and perhaps not have to work as much as I did. not that I’m complaining. On second thought, maybe I would spring for the housekeeper. Loathe laundry nearly as much as grocery shopping. That reminds me, that load needs to be changed out. Be back in a sec.

Q. Any tried and true tricks for beating procrastination?

I have to say, I’m pretty lucky. Hugh (Jackman) typically promises a shirtless steak dinner (him, not me)  if I meet my word count goal.  If that’s not enough motivation, Brad’s aromatherapy massages usually get me in the mood, though sad to say, it’s not for writing. Heck, usually my imagination can trick me into getting back on the laptop to write away into the sunrise. Like, “finish this and you’ll be as famous as Sophie Kinsella and you’ll never have to buy groceries again and you can spend all your time lounging on the beaches drinking frozen Flirtinis!” I’m so easy.

Thanks Malena!

Here’s a great premise from young author (who also hapens to be gorgeous - check out that author pic!) who has met with publishing success in this doom-and-gloom economy: To her family and friends, Jennifer is an investment banker with too little time on her hands to date. In reality, Jennifer is an undercover ”temptress” sleuth who goes by the name Ashlyn and specializes in testing the fidelity of spouses with dubious inclinations.

The Fidelity Files has already hit the Denver Post bestsellers’ list and is being released in the UK, France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Russia, and Taiwan. Can you say ‘wow’?

Here’s the author, Jessica Brody, in her own words:

Do you put your friends in your books? Names, incidents, characteristics? Have any of them recognized themselves in a not-so-good way?

My friends are definitely in my books. There’s one in particular that stands out. One of Jen’s friends, Zoë, has a bad case of road rage. And she tends to talk on the phone while she drives, so Jen often finds herself on the phone with Zoë while she’s cursing out another driver. I have a friend who does that and that’s where I got the idea. This friend has read the book but I’m not sure how she feels about the similarities. She acts like she’s fine with it, but I guess you never know. She could secretly be totally offended. (I am so psyched Jessica admits to this… to all those authors out there who venhemently deny this: I’M NOT BUYING!)

I can’t sing enough praise for Save the Cat by Blake Snyder. It has “saved” so many manuscripts of mine. It’s meant for screenwriters but it works flawlessly for novels as well. It’s just a very intuitive way to write stories and make sure the audience isn’t bored to tears because nothing is happening for fifty pages. Now, I consult the book before I even start writing and I use his “beat sheet” to help me outline the major story points. It saves me so much time later on! (I actually saw Blake in person in San Fran earlier this year and he’s GREAT. I ran to the Borders across the street to buy the book but they were out… thanks for reminding me to order it!)

Do you write from a character or from a plot idea?

I’m definitely more driven by character. I like thinking up interesting characters with intriguing back stories and then forming a world around them. Like, “Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a story about a woman who tests men’s fidelity for a living?” Then I go forward from there. “What would her life be like?” And “What kind of interesting things would happen to someone like that?”

What other art form inspires you as much as writing?

Before I started writing full time, I actually dabbled a bit in songwriting. One of my songs even won a songwriting competition. But I soon realized that I could only write song lyrics after I’d had my heart totally stomped on and destroyed by some dumb, stupid boy. Apparently, that was the outlet for my pain. And so once I found myself in a good relationship, the song lyrics stopped coming. I have to say, though, I don’t really miss them! (Wow… how talented is this girl??)

Now that you are published, what (if anything) have you changed about your writing routine?

I hate to say it, but I tend to procrastinate a lot more now than I ever did before I got published.  I think there’s something about that desperation for a book deal that keeps you on track. Now, I just find so many other things to do. It’s really bad! In terms of actual writing, I think I’ve definitely grown as a writer since I got published and I’m learning to trust my instincts more when it comes to what is working and what isn’t. I used to fight that voice inside that says, “This scene really sucks,” convinced that I wasn’t experienced to know what I was talking about. Now, when I hear that voice, I listen and start pounding on that delete key.

Thanks for a wonderful interview Jessica!