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!

"It is at this cost that you can eat sugar in Europe" said the negro to Candide

Voltaire, the 18th Century French essayist, wrote about it in his 1762 smash hit, Candide: or the Optimist, and now one of my favorite social critics and class warriors, Barbara Ehrenreich, has attacked it in her latest offering, Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking has Undermined America (October 2009).

As an early skeptic of heedless happiness, I can tell you it’s a lonely position to assume, kind of like being against puppies, or summer barbecues. Who in their right mind would peg optimism as a bad thing, and how could it positive thinking possible have, well, negative side-effects?

What Warren Buffett famously said about financial markets and other forums of mass self-delusion also turns out to apply to the cult of positive thinking: it’s only when the tide goes out that you find out who’s been swimming naked.

Now that the gravy train of conspicuous consumption and exhuberance has come to a shrieking halt, you can practically hear the air  wheezing out of the positive thinking balloon. The movement is now under attack by the twin spear carriers of logic and reality.

My own opinion on this cultural craze went from indifference to alarm with the dizzying popularity of The Secret, a kind of insidiousphilosophy (and book, and DVD, and multi-million-dollar franchise) which purports that the Universe will work with you to achieve your goals - whatever they are, from health, wealth, or romance - if you believe yourself deserving of them. In other words, it’s a question of mind over matter.

This is not very far removed from Leibnizianism, the popular philosophy Voltaire spoofed in Candide, that sought to prove by logical brain acrobatics and so-called rational thinking that “all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds”. This theory relies heavily on the existence of an all-knowing, all-powerful and mysterious God, whose actions on Earth may seem confusing to mere mortals, but who is ultimately perfect. His perfection means that, however nonsensical and odd His works may seems to us, they must be perfect because He is perfect. Nowadays we would refer to this kind of thinking as a “divine plan” or else we might tell ourselves  that everything happens for a reason as a means of coping with a terrifying and unpredictable world over which we have little control, if any.

Positive thinking à la The Secret, The Millionaire Mind, and their self-help ilk is similar to that mode of fatalism in that it also tries to impose an element of control over what is, in essence, a very random reality where luck, accident and coincidence play bigger roles than people would like to admit. The same kind of fatalism prevalent in very poor, terminally violent countries is simply the other side of the delusion coin. The rich, first world nations get to call it “The Power of Positive Thinking” while people whose children still routinely die from malaria and starvation are likely to surrender their collective will to a higher power than themselves. In other words, why bother trying to change things when only those things that are “meant” to happen, ever will? In a prosperous place, people allow themselves to think they “deserve” only good things, while the remaining 80% of the world’s population, mired in misery, will surrender to debilitating fatalism where it’s generally pointless to try and have a better life here on Earth.

This is where, for wealthy societies like those of North America, the Cayman Islands, belief in a benevolent, obliging Universe preoccupiedwith responding to the hopes and positive “vibes” of credulant Earthlings becomes a problem.

Take cancer.

The Cayman Observer ran a brilliant and absolutely terrifying New York Times article a few weeks ago about the gap in perception of cancer survival rates, and actual cancer survival rates. With all the money poured into cancer research over the past 30 years, long-term survival rates have barely budged. But that’s not the impression you and I get when we read the labels on certain foods, or when fruits and vegetables like broccoli and strawberries are touted for their “antioxidant” or cancer-fighting abilities. Of course, none of these foods are promise they’ll prevent cancer, just like The Secret, or The Millionaire Minddon’t promise wealth, health, and happiness, but they imply a correlational relationship which suggests that if you don’t achieve your heart’s desire, it’s very likely because of something you did, ate, thought, didn’t do, didn’t eat, or didn’t think.

And that’s cruel. Not only is it cruel, but it becomes downright dangerous when positive thinking replaces action based on a realistic outlook, paving the way for quick-witted, unscrupulous opportunists to fleece the eternally optimistic among us for all we’ve got.

Like, for example, the recent fleecing of investors, employees, and home-owners by an unregulated and highly speculative financial system. Yes, there is a connection here, and it’s the way wishful thinking has completely replaced our natural aversion to risk taking. It’s more than just the marriage of a keep-up-with-the-Jones’s mentality and the over-availability of consumer credit that’s worrisome, but the injection of spirituality that positive thinking brings into the mix. We should no longer keep our Earthly desires in check because we deserve total fulfillment and happiness, whether in the form of a safe, happy family, or a pair of Gucci pumps. It’s the emotional equivalent of taking materialism out of the closet and placing it on a public alter of worship.

Which brings me to Kenneth and Gloria Copeland and their “prosperity gospel” mega-ministry/business. The Copelands have eschewed preaching humility and simple, conscientious living in favor of spreading the Word of God through conspicuous consumption and the lusting after material delights. The idea is that by giving (presumably, to the Copelands and their network of ministries) you can achieve happiness here on Earth, instead of waiting around for a heavenly reward. And they’ve made millions. About a hundred million a year, actually, lifted entirely from an economic class of people that religion professor Dr. Jonathan L. Watler says resides “in that nebulous category between the working poor and the middle class”. People like truckers, and elementary school teachers, and nursing assistants. People who’ve had plenty of reason to mistrust the banks that sold them predatory sub-prime mortgages, and a government that pockets large chunks of their meager salaries and offers very little in return. Why not resort to a kind of delusional positive thinking that promises payoffs through prayer, when lifetimes of working hard and being productive citizens have resulted in exorbitant personal debt, foreclosures, and the looming threat that they are one medical crisis away from complete ruin.

It’s only normal that people, whether those stricken with scary diseases or personal disasters, turn to spirituality. It’s only normal to want - to need- to believe that we are more than just these imperfect vessels of hardship, disease, and misfortune. This is why the words of a poor Judeancarpenter who praised  compassion and humanized the poor still resonate today. He voiced a truth suspected by most, that spiritual comfort could not be found in material things or endeavors. But for a world order that depends so mightily upon the United States, and other wealthy nations’ willingness to spend, spend, spend, Jesus’s original message proves decidedly impractical, if not outright subversive.

Positive thinking, on the other hand, offers an adequate substitute for true spirituality while insidiously fuelling the fires that ravage our daily existence.

While I don’t suggest that we boycott Oprah until she starts running a ”Oprah’s Most Reviled Things” segment, or CNBC unless they create a show featuring failed entrepreneurs, I wonder if all future cancer patients might not be served better with a realistic approach to the disease and better end-of-life counseling. Maybe then we’d see fit to prioritize funding of new and risky types of research (like stem cell) over spending on more F-16 fighter jets. Or if a realistic picture of how easy it is for middle-class people to fall into poverty might not breathe new life into debates over welfare, health care, and other social programs. Hope is great, until it gets turned into a business model.

Optimism that is not tempered by critical thinking breeds selfishness and passivity in societies, and at the personal level, instills the same kind of guilt Catholicism, Protestantism, and Islam burden their less-than-perfect flock with. Did the cancer come back because of something I did? as opposed to: cancer is notoriously difficult to beat. Am I struggling to feed my kids because I am lazy? versus large swathes of people suffer because they are simply a low priority for their governments who are more interested in giving tax breaks to corporations without asking for anything in return.

What kind of social change can be affected with a little less positive thinking, and a little more positive action?

I wonder.

I did it - I cracked the Cayman Islands opinion and commentary market with an Op-Ed piece about the military coup in Honduras - hizzah!

So my last name is misspelled… a small detail…

Here it is my Caymanian debut. The piece is called “Good Intentions, Wrong Side of History?” and it’s basically an admission that while we (me included… probably me more than most) can be self-righteous about events that happened in the past, with all the benefits of hind-sight this confers, when it comes to a proper analysis of current events, things are seldom as black and white as they seem.

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!

Let me just start off by saying that I’m about halfway through this book and I absolutely love it.

The premise is great - a sort of reverse Pride & Prejudice where a wealthy relative decrees in his will that the family fortune will go to the descendants of the femalepersuasion. And so it happens that the family fortune falls into the hands of the charming worrywart Penelope Cameron, who also just happens to love playing God and has an unhealthy fear of death. Her best friends, sister and heartthrob husband - also benefactors of her generosity - think they are humoring Penelope when she makes them all sign a pact, that should her untimely demise come about and Joey decide to remarry, then the future stepmother to Penelope’s two daughters must be approved by all three of Penelope’s best friends, and her sister Clover.

But of course, like a self-fulfilling prophesy, Penelope’s tragic demise does come about in the opening chapters of this wonderful novel, and the pact she made those closest to her sign becomes a document set in stone.

Besides the gripping premise, Sheila’s evocative and witty prose shines through every page of this book, and her characterization is multi-faceted and very original.

And now that I’m in lovely Puerto Rico with days of writing and soaking up the scenery stretching out before me, maybe I’ll finally have a chance to keep reading!

A few words with Sheila…

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

A. The beach.  Because the sound of the waves calms me.  Visitors to my  website should be able to find an article called THE COMFORT FOOD OF TRAVEL, which explains more. (I must concur… I love the beach so much, I moved to the Caymans!)

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. My setting had to be a southern beach town for EVERYONE SHE LOVED.  Old money in the New South…that sort of thing.  And for my first book, Diana Lively is Falling Down, the settings had to be Oxford, England and Arizona.

Q. What were some of your favorite books as a kid? 

A. A WRINKLE IN TIME, All Nancy Drews, all Hardy Boys, Lord of the Rings.

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

A. Gollum, from Lord of the Rings. Why?  He’s just so wormy and slight, and you keep thinking you can dismiss him because of that but he just keeps on radiating evil.

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

A. I’d stop worrying about money. (Wouldn’t we all, sista’)

Q. Any tried and true tricks for beating procrastination? 

A. Set a schedule, even if it’s just one hour a day.  Then repeat to yourself, “Seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.”  As my good friend, Carolyn Scarborough, who writes on  http://www.backyardpearls.com/ suggests, keep a notebook nearby and every time you think of something you should hop up and do, write it down on a to-do list instead of feeling like you have to do it right that minute. (Does blogging count as writing?..;-) )

Q. Which ’craft’ book has inspired or helped you the most throughout your writing career? 

A. Bird by Bird, by Ann Lamott, The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron, Story, McPhee, The Art of Fiction, John Gardener. (Bird by Bird rocks.)

Q. My most embarrassing-in-retrospect heartthrob is Jordan Knight of New Kids on the Block - who’s yours? 

A. It’s a tie between Michael Landon, on Bonanza or Davey of The Monkeys! (HA! I LOVE The Monkeys! Was Davey the little cute one? I think so….)

Thank you so much Sheila!

If you guys would like to get your hands on this original, charming new book, click here or check out the author’s gorgeous site (seriously… she’s got a mini-movie up there and everything!) at www.sheilacurran.com

I saw this Op-Ed piece in the NY Times this morning, from a prominent Jewish writer (and, presumably, Israeli supporter):

“The blatant cynicism of the present Israeli government should not blind us to the responsibility of its more respectable-looking predecessors. The settler population has grown consistently at a rate of 5 percent annually over the past two decades, three times the rate of increase of the Israeli population as a whole. Together with the Jewish population of East Jerusalem (itself illegally annexed to Israel), the settlers today number more than half a million people: just over 10 percent of the Jewish population of so-called Greater Israel. This is one reason why settlers count for so much in Israeli elections, where proportional representation gives undue political leverage to even the smallest constituency.”

He’s basically saying that just because hawkish, ultra-conservative, take-no-prisoners Benjamin Netanyahu is in power these days, doesn’t mean we ought to look kindly upon Israeli administrations past, who seemed at least to the world, to be committed to peace. They weren’t. As evidenced by the 5% annual growth he notes in the above quote.

What I’d like to know is, why do I have to keep pointing this inconvenient fact out to anyone who discovers my parents are Palestinian and decides they want to hash out the Middle East issue right then and there, and then proceed to look incredulously at me when I say something akin to the above?

People - it’s like debating the blueness of the sky. It’s blue, not tomato red. And Israeli settlements seem to grow and thrive, squeezing Palestinians of the West Bank onto ever-shrinking slivers of land, no matter who has been in power or what had been their stance on peace over the last 40 years.

Why can the NY Times say it, but I can’t without being looked upon as wacko?

I heart reviews. I really, really do. I don’t have a heart emoticon on my Wordpress platform but if I did, you’d be seeing some major heart action.

I also heart Puerto Rico. There are many reasons why I’m feeling very at home here, which I will get into one of these days on this blog, when I’m not under major deadline for a travel article I’m working on (yay!), but for now, suffice to say that Puerto Rico rocks, and not just because everyone is my height and wear their flats with pride.

Back to the review - this is what the lovely Eli Shulenburg of Need More Shelves had to say:

“I’m not sure I’ve read a book that was this much fun in a long time. Things are heading toward summer in my neck of the woods (I say heading, because we’ve had a pretty gray and gloomy week, but I still have hope), and Cutting Loose just FELT like a summer book. It’s set mainly in sunny Miami, and has a light, breezy tone that would make it perfect “sitting in the sun with a tropical drink in your hand” fare.

Dajani’s three main characters take turns narrating the novel, and each voice is distinct and developed. I felt an immediate empathy with both Ranya and Zahra - each was facing issues I could completely relate to, and it made me feel a connection to the characters right away. Rio took a little bit longer to click with me, but I came to appreciate her strength and drive, and by the end of the novel was rooting for her as well.

When I say the novel is fun and light, I don’t want to imply that it is lacking in depth or emotion. All three women have serious obstacles to face - from money and job situations to difficult family and personal relationship issues, each has to face up to their past and decide which path to take, and how to grasp happiness for themselves. It was this honest journey for each of her characters that kept me turning pages, eager to find out what happened next.

I completely enjoyed this novel. It would make a perfect beach or vacation read! It does contain adult language and situations, so if that bothers you, you might want to steer clear of this one. However, if you are looking for a novel that goes deeper than the usual chick-lit fare, but still retains the fun and romance, I would definitely recommend you pick up this book.”

Eli has alos devised one of the most original (and interesting) interview formats I’ve ever come across - based on an idea from the Fahrenheit 451where people “become” books in order to preserve the important ideas they hold, Eli asks you which book you would become, if books were suddenly in danger of being extinct. Eli hosts this interview every Friday (called “451 Fridays) on her blog, and past contributors’ choices are always fascinating and thought provoking.

You can read my interview here.

Happy Friday!

I think the secret to blogging is pouring out what happens to be on your mind (and in your heart) right there in the moment, and not worrying too much about editing your thoughts to suit your audience, or according to what you think your audience wants to hear from you (that’s what novels are for!).

There are basics of course - run Spellcheck, and read over at least once so you don’t annoy your readers with spelling mistakes (something I have been known to do on this blog. Sorry, guys) but let your mind roam, and spill. In its essence, that’s what writing is about. In the kind of writing that lingers and lasts, you might notice that the plot was just someplace to hang the writer’s inner thoughts, her worldview, her convictions, what stirs her soul and what drives her nuts.

You wouldn’t think that the random thoughts inside people’s heads would be interesting to others, but of course, through the explosion of blogging (who ARE these people writing random crazy and being read - by thousands! - must the established literary crowd be thinking), we now know that ramblings, as long as they are sincere and reasonably engaging, are fun to read. Maybe because they help us connect and feel less alone. Less like freaks on a planet where conformity is the de facto world religion.

Rebellious Arab Girl does this brilliantly - and has a really big following. Check her out. (that’s her poster at the top of this post)

So here’s what I’ve been thinking about today, as  sit here in this San Juan Starbucks, blogging when I should really be working on an article. Relationships (the romantic variety) and guys who drive you nuts.

There seem to be differing opinions on this. I’ve noticed this when it comes to reaction to my books, especially the first one, Fashionably Late, which recounts a heady fling with a seriously hot Cuban. Younger readers love the Cuban heartthrob, older readers are glad Ali, the main character, doesn’t take him too seriously. That doesn’t surprise me at all - older readers probably have a few crash-and-burn style relationships under their belt, and probably wanted to tell Ali, “there, there, dear, it’s just the hormones talking”. 

And if all you’ve ever been exposed are North American Male mating habits, then I can see where you’re coming from. Many of those types of males are disinclined to have big, loud, gesticulating fights about minor things. I have had a very serious relationship with one such male, and was always amazed at how he hardly ever instigated a fight. Never jealous, never loud, never bothered over my more minor flaws (of course, we had fights over chores, but not, say, that what I was wearing to go out was too revealing). But just because we didn’t have our big, throw-the-dishes-against-the-wall fights, did not mean I didn’t want to kill him much of the time.

I later entered another very serious relationship, and by contrast, became very acquainted with the throw-dishes-against-the-wall fighting. I also spend much of my time wanting to kill this boyfriend.

But here’s the funny thing - once the fighting lets up, there isn’t any trace of it left in my soul. Nothing, Whereas in my previous relationship, the fighting was far less frequent, but left a lingering malaise that poisoned everything else I did.

All this rambling to say,

1. Either I have finally grown up some, and learned not to hold grudges, or,
2. If you’re going to fight with someone and want to kill him much of the time, it might not be such a bad idea to choose someone with whom you have an intense chemical reaction. Sure, there’s more to a relationship than that (as is, you may throw stuff at the wall but never, under any circumstance whatsoever, at your partner), but really, you may be surprised at how passion - even passionate fighting - breathes freshness and lightheartedness into your life, and saps away predictability. And predictability, though a good friend to stability, is also an enemy to romance.

And that’s my random brain fart of the day.

Final announcement: Thank you to everyone who commented and e-mailed me privately and Facebooked me about last week’s contest - if you still want to get entered into the draw for the Amazon certificates it’s not too late - I kept this open until the end of June because I’m far too busy at the moment to manage a contest - take advantage of my pathetic lack of time management skills

It’s been a while since we’ve had any fellow authors here, so it’s with glee that I present to you our latest GCC tour.

There’s a whole lot of imagination that went into this one… accidentally finding yourself at the bottom of the sea? In the company of a hot merman?? Going off in search of lost treasure and ending up on a desert island with said hot merman? I don’t know about you, but “The Little Mermaid” was my hands-down favorite movie as a kid (both the original, heartbreaking Hans Christian Anderson tale, and the much more upbeat - of course - Disney version). And judging by where Judi takes her characters, Erica and Reel (Bermuda… Puerto Rico…) this promises to be one rollicking mer-tale.

A conversation with the author…

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

A. I have two. One is backpacking through Europe. I did that through Spain and I loved it. I love staying in non-touristy places because you get the flavor of the country and the people. My other ideal travel destination is a tropical beach. Anywhere. Sun, sand, a stack of books, and beautiful weather and calm seas. Just don’t expect me to go in the water. (I LOVE SPAIN!!! AM DYING TO MOVE THERE!!! And tropical beaches?… hmm, Judi and I may very well be sistas’ from other mistas’)

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

A. I loved writing when Erica wakes up under the sea and thinks she’s died and gone to Hell. I imagined what I’d be thinking/feeling if that happened to me and poured a lot of myself into that scene.

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. I picked Ocean City as the kick-off point for this story because we go down the shore every year as a family and stay in Ocean City, and have done this when I was growing up. OCNJ holds a special place in my heart and memory. But to then take it to Bermuda and Puerto Rico, well, the plot dictated certain elements and those locations fit the parameters.

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

A. I don’t. I say that Reel resembles Matthew McConaughey and his character in Failure to Launch, but my characters are all their own individuals. I don’t make them someone who exists, but I might base them on characteristics, but I write fiction. I want the reader to see the characters as they experience them.

Q. Where do you write?

A. In my office or at Borders, especially for the initial “splurge” writing where I get the story out. I need to turn off the internet and just immerse myself in the story.

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

A. Two words: cleaning service. (Amen, sister)

Q. Any tried and true tricks for beating procrastination?

A. Yep. Get Thee To Borders. Or B&N. Or Starbucks. Or the library. Any place where you can turn off the internet and don’t get distracted.

Q. Which ‘craft’ book has inspired or helped you the most throughout your writing career?

A. I’ve actually found joining a critique group the most helpful. I joined Charlotte Dillon’s online group and that was the turning point. I met some very talented writers and some of us have divided off and set up our own years ago and we’re still together, and almost all published, today.

Q. My most embarrassing-in-retrospect heartthrob is Jordan Knight of New Kids on the Block - who’s yours?

A. Parker Stevenson from the Hardy Boys? Although I don’t think he’s embarrassing - the man has aged well. Fabio is still a heart throb and I do get teased for that, but I don’t care. He’s a nice guy and knows how to treat his fans. A real gentleman. Feel free to check out the photos on my blog www.JudiFennell.wordpress.com from the Romantic Times Convention in 2008.

There you have it. Judi is also raffling off a trio of romantic beach getaways over at www.judifennell.com so go ahead and pop over there!