tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91176894606226326282024-03-07T02:42:38.753-06:00Not Afraid of the "F" WordNo, it's not what you think . . . I've Faced my fears . . . I'm in my Forties, pushing Fifty . . . and having the time of my life. As a published novelist (Finally), I'm living a dream that began when I was a little girl. Thanks for stopping by.Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.comBlogger179125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-50757750313293340062010-12-15T07:27:00.005-06:002010-12-15T07:45:45.795-06:00<span style="font-weight:bold;">Buy a Book- You Can't Give More Enchantment For Less. <br />The Fiction Writers Co-Op—48 authors of distinguished, award-winning, and best-selling fiction—recommend:</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/2eyohd4">Dracula in Love</a></span> by Karen Essex. "...the writing is so vivid, lusciously sexy and chillingly outrageous by turns..." - The Star Ledger <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://theresewalsh.com/books.html">The Last Will of Moira Leahy</a></span> by Therese Walsh. "This tender tale of sisterhood, self-discovery, and forgiveness will captivate fans of contemporary women’s fiction.”- Library Journal <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/264efbn">The Murderer's Daughters</a></span> by Randy Susan Meyers. "A powerful portrait of sisters growing up in the shadow of violence . . . A thought-provoking, heart-tugging debut." Boston Magazine <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://tinyurl.com/2wmccyv">The Day the Falls Stood Still</a></span> by Cathy Marie Buchanan. "A wonderful love story…Buchanan weaves Niagara Falls’ history and her storytelling together masterfully.” − Elle <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://bit.ly/fzZoET">By Fire, By Water</a></span> by Mitchell James Kaplan. "Remarkably learned and heartbreaking romantic novel... Despite its medieval setting, the story has contemporary echoes... Hard to put down, beautifully executed, highly recommended." Minneapolis Star Tribune <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Simply From Scratch</span> by Alicia Bessette. "Fans of Cecelia Ahern’s PS, I Love You will find a lot to like here ... strong, richly detailed ... with a truly lovable heroine ... the spins and turns the story takes along the way are well worth the ride." —Library Journal<br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1439107238">The Love Goddess' Cooking School</a></span> by Melissa Senate. "Senate handles the hefty topics of loss and remembrances with lightness and respect and in so doing, redefines comfort food." --Publishers Weekly <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://ClaireCook.com/">Seven Year Switch</a></span> by Claire Cook. "Bestseller Cook [Must Love Dogs, Life's a Beach] charms again with this lively warm-hearted look at changing courses mid-life."<br />-People Magazine <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Lace Makers of Glenmara</span> by Heather Barbieri. "This hopeful, comforting novel is a testament to the power of taking chances and starting fresh, and a reminder that life can bring joy after sorrow."--Miami Herald <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.judymerrilllarsen.com/buy.htm">All the Numbers</a></span> by Judy Merrill Larsen. "Larsen depicts a mother's year of grief and recovery with a sure and honest voice."--Booklist <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Spin</span> by Catherine McKenzie. "The tag line is: ‘How far would you go to get what you always wanted?’ and Kate Sandford, protagonist of Catherine McKenzie's first novel, Spin, goes so far she makes you cringe. … Where A Million Little Pieces … was tortured and powerful, Spin is more about entertainment and fun. … Full of pop-culture allusions, some really funny ones. … Spin is a compelling, fast-paced read.” – The Globe and Mail <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Truth About Delilah Blue</span> by Tish Cohen. "Both of Cohen’s previous novels (Town House and Inside Out Girl) are in development as films, and The Truth About Delilah Blue is sure to follow. She is clearly familiar with the cinema’s propulsive rhythms, and has an almost Hitchcockian sense of how to uncoil audience guts and play double dutch with them." --The Globe and Mail <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.thebirdsisters.com/">The Bird Sisters</a></span> by Rebecca Rasmussen, forthcoming from Crown Publishers, April 12th. "A magical debut, original and poignant, lovely and moving. I absolutely loved The Bird Sisters and will carry Milly and Twiss with me as if in a locket for a long, long time." --Jenna Blum, Bestselling Author of Those Who Save Us. <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Belong to Me</span> by Marisa de los Santos. "[W]hat happens when life throws us kinks and crumbles the plans we've so carefully laid out . . . There is poetry in her words and all around the world she has created."--Richmond Times-Dispatch <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://melaniebenjamin.com/books.php#buy">Alice I Have Been</a></span> by Melanie Benjamin. Diana Gabaldon says of this fictional biography of Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland, "This is magic! Childhood, sensuality, love, sorrow and wonder, all bright and complex as the shifting patterns in a kaleidoscope.<br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://amzn.to/mistressofthesun ">Mistress of the Sun</a></span> by Sandra Gulland. "Here's a warning: Mistress of the Sun is dangerously seductive. It's one of those books that will grab you and hold you captive till the last page is turned." —Calgary Herald <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://allielarkinwrites.com/">Stay</a></span> by Allie Larkin. "Larkin makes writing look easy. Stay has everything...humor, heart -and, endearingly, buckets of dog slobber." —The Miami Herald <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.jonclinch.com/">Kings of the Earth</a></span> by Jon Clinch. Robert Goolrick calls it "eloquent and moving, written with precision and clarity to stave off loss — the loss of history, of art, of humanity." O Magazine's lead pick for summer reading, and a Washington Post Best Novel of 2010. <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://juliannabaggott.com/">My Husband's Sweethearts</a></span> by Bridget Asher. "... rendered with humor and heart." -- People "... a laugh-and-cry novel whose plot includes equal portions of heartache and hope." -- The Chicago Tribune <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Girl Who Fell From the Sky</span> by Heidi W. Durrow. Chosen by Barbara Kingsolver for the Bellwether Prize for Fiction, "Durrow's powerful novel is poised to find a place among classic stories of the American experience." --Miami Herald. A Washington Post Best Novel of 2010! <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.cwgortner.com/ ">The Confessions of Catherine de Medici</a></span> by C.W. GortnerPower. Passion. Poison: History's most notorious queen tells us her side of the story. "Fans of Alison Weir and Philippa Gregory will devour this!" - BookList. <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.theresefowler.com/">Souvenir</a></span> by Therese Fowler. An IndieBound selection and book club favorite, this novel about family, fate, regret and redemption is "truly impossible to put down.--Booklist. USA Today says it's "Compelling...the characters are likable, troubled, and human, and are well worth following on their journey." <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href=" http://www.juliebuxbaum.com/">After You</a></span> by Julie Buxbaum. Jodi Picoult says of this novel about love and friendship: "Buxbaum writes with honesty and grace about the things we know about our friends and the things we wish we didn't. After You highlights—beautifully and compellingly—the truth that sometimes we have to lose the people closest to us to find ourselves."<br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.carleenbrice.com">Children of the Waters</a></span> by Carleen Brice Jacquelyn Mitchard author,The Deep End of the Ocean, says of this novel about what really makes a family: <br />"I was exhausted and singing the blues the hour I began Carleen Brice's new novel, Children of the Waters. Five hours later, I'd finished this fresh, free-rein novel about mothers' secrets and children's sorrows and was shouting 'Hurray!'" <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.stephaniecowell.com">Claude and Camille</a></span> by Stephanie Cowell, the story of Claude Monet in his young struggling years which led to the birth of impressionism and his great love for his model and wife , the tragic Camille. The Boston Globe said, "an enthralling story, beautifully told" and Bookpage added, "A vivid portrait of Monet's remarkable career." <br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://tiny.cc/ofni9">Remedies</a></span> by Kate Ledger. Remedies explores the complicated nature of pain, in the nerves of the body and the longing of the heart.... "an immediately gripping, expertly woven tale of pain and healing. Ledger is a brilliant writer; the book is dazzling, but more importantly, it is moving."--Elin Hilderbrand<br /><br /> <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href=" http://juliettefay.com/">Shelter Me</a></span> by Juliette Fay “What a gorgeous paradox of a book: a deep, thoughtful exploration of a young mother’s first year of widowhood that is as much a page-turner as any thriller" says bestselling author Marisa de los Santos. Publishers Weekly deemed it "a wise and inspirational debut."Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-21712023220167271082010-11-22T12:02:00.001-06:002010-11-22T12:04:19.928-06:00ThanksgivingThis has become my traditional Thanksgiving post . . . <br /><br />I first wrote this post in 2007, and ask your indulgence as I post it again. It still seems appropriate. . . . <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMi5WDOlc7553QM6yt8yyA1vQAZegYs2sqPst1jS9MXxGe7NMTHaqr9Q_oPBHHP8PFZr5BjEl1hlHCjxVqGd50nosrK80S77Txx9JilSJyibXqGi5XOHtvXBSbecUSSAn6xIxpKzGjbYbZ/s1600-h/IMG_0090.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMi5WDOlc7553QM6yt8yyA1vQAZegYs2sqPst1jS9MXxGe7NMTHaqr9Q_oPBHHP8PFZr5BjEl1hlHCjxVqGd50nosrK80S77Txx9JilSJyibXqGi5XOHtvXBSbecUSSAn6xIxpKzGjbYbZ/s320/IMG_0090.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271525095040494866" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">"You can plan all you want to. You can lie in your morning bed and fill whole notebooks with schemes and intentions. But within a single afternoon, within hours or minutes, everything you plan and everything you have fought to make yourself can be undone as a slug is undone when salt is poured on him. And right up to the moment when you find yourself dissolving into foam you can still believe you are doing fine."<br /><br />Wallace Stegner, <span style="font-style:italic;">Crossing to Safety</span></span><br /><br />Thirteen years ago, just before dinnertime on the Monday of Thanksgiving week, my seven-year old son was hit by a car. Now twenty, he'll be arriving home from college tomorrow; his twenty-one year old brother the next day. We have much for which to be thankful. But that night, for a few moments, I wasn't sure I'd ever breathe a thankful breath again. When the neighbor boy burst into my house, yelling, "Eric just got hit by a car!" my world froze. I wasn't sure I could face what awaited me just outside my front door. Somehow, I propelled myself outside, after tossing the phone to the neighbor and telling him to call 911. When I hit the porch steps I heard my son's cries and I thought, <span style="font-style:italic;">Okay, he's alive</span>. When I knelt by his side, I saw his feet moving and told myself, <span style="font-style:italic;">Okay, he's not paralyzed</span>. And I knew right then we were incredibly lucky. And I was thankful beyond measure.<br /><br />Later, after the ambulance ride, after the X-rays, after the doctor shook his head and said, just before releasing him, "He's fine. He shouldn't be but he is," I remembered the above Stegner quote. The salt had been just ready to pour down on me, on us, on our life. And then it didn't. But I knew how easily it could have rained down over our world. A different driver. A bigger, faster car. A shift in the trajectory of my son's body as it flew through the air. But, even now, I have to turn my mind away from those awful possibilities.<br /><br />Our lives are full of such moments, but many times we don't even know it. We don't know what we've narrowly escaped, what's just missed us. And so, for what we know and don't know, I am thankful. For the times the salt didn't pour down and for the strength to continue when it did, I give thanks. <br /><br />I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, but even more, I wish you a spirit of thankfulness as you go about your lives everyday.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9rT8LUt3ZC02VLK5EXXmkg41ixTpGHBbAH6cV1fWiR2LT72Y8LgOhn55f1YXQQq8xR9QWgtVx5Oa7YOoL4MMZxdF9EuixIhVV18FxQGNgOVIbjjpTixHWpuB9O4b60EmoalLN5wBaWN0/s1600-h/home_banner%5B1%5D.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 42px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9rT8LUt3ZC02VLK5EXXmkg41ixTpGHBbAH6cV1fWiR2LT72Y8LgOhn55f1YXQQq8xR9QWgtVx5Oa7YOoL4MMZxdF9EuixIhVV18FxQGNgOVIbjjpTixHWpuB9O4b60EmoalLN5wBaWN0/s320/home_banner%5B1%5D.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272261750861004322" /></a>Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-38846776301070329572010-08-18T10:45:00.006-05:002010-08-18T10:53:43.097-05:00I'm Over Here . . . Among Friends<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkEZZ3V65ftkYL7XFoLntaV-SYSuqLKseY0q0DcTZ8uJcBFglgRqktmMGGnrnZrz0qBQPCnZPhTSYcsLwAQkAVo-BUt5p0tuajuzTMbBsU429K8PzZbk64SMqext66OIztWgSBx-qJAoG/s1600/IgnitionSuite_Image(213).jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 254px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkEZZ3V65ftkYL7XFoLntaV-SYSuqLKseY0q0DcTZ8uJcBFglgRqktmMGGnrnZrz0qBQPCnZPhTSYcsLwAQkAVo-BUt5p0tuajuzTMbBsU429K8PzZbk64SMqext66OIztWgSBx-qJAoG/s320/IgnitionSuite_Image(213).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506778144078392450" /></a><br /><br />Is anyone still reading this? Bueller? Anyone?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7NXf4P2Buw-drU2F2-ghL_4g3iJr5WiYghTVKzyrWgKSEsLmwdO8loeaXY3TEKPO9w4j3_sMMpsxRBWF4fyjrkcl6M5skxhsme7O8nOmxocie5PqUa1k6DB4RnmWyE2x9zXSGYY4eZgs/s1600/Mar_09_Online_Lives_Book_Club.jpg_e_63d51a6c885c0071b3a74da4341ed27e.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 270px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7NXf4P2Buw-drU2F2-ghL_4g3iJr5WiYghTVKzyrWgKSEsLmwdO8loeaXY3TEKPO9w4j3_sMMpsxRBWF4fyjrkcl6M5skxhsme7O8nOmxocie5PqUa1k6DB4RnmWyE2x9zXSGYY4eZgs/s320/Mar_09_Online_Lives_Book_Club.jpg_e_63d51a6c885c0071b3a74da4341ed27e.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506778367742561698" /></a><br /><br />I'm now over at the<a href="http://girlfriendbooks.blogspot.com/"> Girlfriends Book Club Blog</a> along with 34 other wonderful writers and we so hope you'll join us. I'll still try to post here occasionally.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFk-TTCqLjQYmD-hJrJYwqj_KKqYO-nAtDnDvisi-LnKe9cmeG6xp-NthTE7h6DoVrcSgQcMwcem_IOeyCu3N39zBv0wQft_gSPizzB_y52_EVt8nNx2kssJDkyFaiM72JxZ980sE6kPb/s1600/online_book_clubs.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFk-TTCqLjQYmD-hJrJYwqj_KKqYO-nAtDnDvisi-LnKe9cmeG6xp-NthTE7h6DoVrcSgQcMwcem_IOeyCu3N39zBv0wQft_gSPizzB_y52_EVt8nNx2kssJDkyFaiM72JxZ980sE6kPb/s320/online_book_clubs.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506778501095179986" /></a>Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-54592900877884649192010-07-04T00:01:00.001-05:002010-07-03T14:09:46.519-05:00Happy Fourth!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4GBhU-5Y_GMzljhEkNxqmHC3ZGXKrKp208KPvsSW2RJcQg0o2FkjUbUy9nkkLn8YmX15SG4Oi0g74jq87oWSKYpHD3ee4LCcN2mgU8REeMXUDCLLFnqPzEiIEzSpCmgRzyuHYuy2j8GK/s1600-h/wp_fireworks_dual3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4GBhU-5Y_GMzljhEkNxqmHC3ZGXKrKp208KPvsSW2RJcQg0o2FkjUbUy9nkkLn8YmX15SG4Oi0g74jq87oWSKYpHD3ee4LCcN2mgU8REeMXUDCLLFnqPzEiIEzSpCmgRzyuHYuy2j8GK/s320/wp_fireworks_dual3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219219305175015490" /></a><br />I love the Fourth of July. Not just because I have a big party and blast Springsteen from the porch speakers and we watch the fireworks from my front yard.<br /><br />No, it's much more than that. I am unabashedly patriotic (in my dyed-in-the-wool liberal democrat way). I love what the day represents--fighting for what we believe in. Standing up for our rights. Saying, no way, we're not gonna put up with unfairness. <br /><br />I love that over 200 years ago, men were willing to die to create a new democracy, a democracy that has withstood wars and impeachments and terrorism and bungled elections. A government that often works in spite of itself. <br /><br />And I hope that in 2010 we haven't become blase to the freedoms we have that others around the world can only dream about.<br /><br />So, as you celebrate today, maybe take a moment to appreciate what we have and say a little prayer for all those who don't.<br /><br />(This was originally posted in 2008. I still feel like it's appropriate.)Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-2795025763023031952010-03-30T17:17:00.003-05:002010-03-30T17:22:22.526-05:00Writers in Their Own Words-GCCIn case you didn't pick this up last summer . . . or you did and were hoping it'd soon be out in paperback, you're in luck! To get an insider's look at what Sheila has gone through since writing her book, read <a href="http://sheilacurran.typepad.com/">this</a>. <br /><br />And here is what I wrote last summer when it first came out . . . <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj035B3J4OqI0cx1_q1f6OuDPOM9B9gIZDqaaSO0YQzlLhfigVkDSKhwsesF2aMwQFdUYlP3EfMtkYnUsRH-ethQN0gAaJ4_NUCAzUZ3A48tRTb0I1LEIdB6BEFA7SWOx46NEph-fLkjlX/s1600-h/She+pic+Sarasota%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj035B3J4OqI0cx1_q1f6OuDPOM9B9gIZDqaaSO0YQzlLhfigVkDSKhwsesF2aMwQFdUYlP3EfMtkYnUsRH-ethQN0gAaJ4_NUCAzUZ3A48tRTb0I1LEIdB6BEFA7SWOx46NEph-fLkjlX/s200/She+pic+Sarasota%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350170203686582338" /></a><br /><br />I've got a fun new book to tout today by my buddy Sheila Curran.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidcGmwmPpjWicfuSm0CJP-ceWlvmzDpDAVz_cAEszU0zMpRYmxUYjiW27W3c8up8H8CfBZ_fjSmIFtYyZ571MzDY3rpFnQmSYpve2nzdLQTFsiANxG6QQjxTzYc2I6oQ-Rnnkrs_Yc2vU/s1600-h/cover+art+everyone.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidcGmwmPpjWicfuSm0CJP-ceWlvmzDpDAVz_cAEszU0zMpRYmxUYjiW27W3c8up8H8CfBZ_fjSmIFtYyZ571MzDY3rpFnQmSYpve2nzdLQTFsiANxG6QQjxTzYc2I6oQ-Rnnkrs_Yc2vU/s200/cover+art+everyone.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350171010682410578" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Everyone-She-Loved-Sheila-Curran/dp/1416590668/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243534513&sr=1-1">Everyone She Loved</a></span> is getting some boffo press like:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Penelope Cameron May's unusual last request sets off the action in this riveting novel of love and friendship, betrayal and lies. Sheila Curran draws the reader in and this inventive book won't let go. Prepare to be surprised and moved. I read it in one delicious gulp.<br />Masha Hamilton, The Camel Bookmobile, The Distance Between Us<br /> <br />'Everyone She Loved' was the voice inside my head - at a time when I first contemplated my own mortality ... this could have been my husband, my girlfriends and my children ... it raises every emotion and suppressed fear within us all, with a clarity that is both deeply uncomfortable and yet stridently beautiful. Julz Graham, Dimensions</span><br /><br />To whet your appetite even more, here's Sheila in her own words:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? </span><br /><br />Books are born in strange places. This one was conceived in the front seat of a car. <br /> <br />No, not that kind of conception. My friend Julianna was driving. Our daughters were chatting in the back seat. I was talking about an article I’d written for McCall’s about two young girls in Arizona whose parents had died within months of each other. “Did you know that in some states, if there isn’t a will, the kids can be sent to foster care?”<br /> <br /> The girls in my story weren’t so unfortunate. Their mother had named her best friends, another pair of sisters, as the children’s guardians. ”Just make sure you chose someone to take over if something happens to you.”<br /> <br /> From there we talked about difficult it would be to chose which couple among one’s siblings and friends would best be suited for the job. Where did one couple’s permissiveness slide into overindulgence, another’s consistency into unbearable strictness? The idea of dying was hard enough, but figuring out which couple would most love your kids in your absence? Impossible.<br /><br />We paused in our conversation just long enough for my brain to settle on yet another catastrophic possibility. “You know what would be worse?” I asked. “What if I died and John (my husband) married someone awful? I’d have no control at all!”<br /> <br /> Another pause. “Unless,” I continued. “I could get him to agree that if he remarried, my sisters and friends would check out the bride. Make sure she wasn’t some kind of wicked stepmother.”<br /> <br /> And thus was hatched the idea of EVERYONE SHE LOVED, a novel that explores the faith one woman placed in her dearest friends, the care she took to protect her family, and the many ways in which romantic entanglements will confound and confuse even the most determined of planners.<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2.) Are you more driven by plot or by character? </span> <br /><br />I always start with a character who intrigues me.<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why? </span><br /><br />I think because I come from a big family, it’s really hard to choose a favorite. I love all of them. There’s Penelope, who has died by the time the book begins but whose oversized personality permeates the novel. Her stepsister Clover, who seems like such a ditz at the beginning, is dear to my heart because she makes me laugh. Lucy, who is my main character, is, of course, my alter-ego, and so is Martha, who’s such a smart-a*&s.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?</span> <br /><br />I’m lucky enough to have an office in one of the upstairs bedrooms. I sit in a comfy armchair, feet on an ottoman and write on my laptop, coffee on a table to my right, dog lying to my left. I try to write from 9-3 but sometimes it’s just two hours a day. A few times a year I sit there and can’t even get a word written. Those aren’t fun. In the early phase, I write a lot of scenes I’ll later throw away. Some days I ‘go down the rabbit hole,’ which is what I call researching on the Internet.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5.) What's your favorite part of writing?</span> <br /><br />Getting into the flow where I’m not even really aware that I’m writing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">6.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?</span> <br /><br />Well, Ann Lamott’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Bird by Bird</span> has a chapter called Shitty First Drafts. I like that. I tell myself that if I can write even one bad page a day, it’s better than no pages.Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-10562821490365866312010-03-16T11:01:00.007-05:002010-03-16T11:14:03.326-05:00Writers in Their Own Words-GCC<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1F5IyijMxvz90GLiJsC2FY-gbu236KONXD3L08CMfqCmGGh0ZFSEo_5ogF6xzAH_pyDrFf446JtjP8d9kXWnrIpfE05tozlYjnEFQctwT25zDEHmIQG-ka84GjXf1yRnDxJ1bvXXbqj_/s1600-h/JennyGardiner1-300x210.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1F5IyijMxvz90GLiJsC2FY-gbu236KONXD3L08CMfqCmGGh0ZFSEo_5ogF6xzAH_pyDrFf446JtjP8d9kXWnrIpfE05tozlYjnEFQctwT25zDEHmIQG-ka84GjXf1yRnDxJ1bvXXbqj_/s200/JennyGardiner1-300x210.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449263735240714594" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXBvOGmZldfJp2pBKhQVPnSBMVBGZ8A6C8uyfY5gw-16MxOE_4IRkH9w4owMSxxvHVcw-LH8z2mNLK0C3D99_0O59QhJ89nFvB-xr6wNDrk_F5iDnIxjKm18SuOyY7FvgE5v7wq51e9r1/s1600-h/Winging-It.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 131px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXBvOGmZldfJp2pBKhQVPnSBMVBGZ8A6C8uyfY5gw-16MxOE_4IRkH9w4owMSxxvHVcw-LH8z2mNLK0C3D99_0O59QhJ89nFvB-xr6wNDrk_F5iDnIxjKm18SuOyY7FvgE5v7wq51e9r1/s200/Winging-It.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449263636399427298" /></a><br /><br />This morning I am thrilled to be introducing you to my buddy<a href="http://jennygardiner.net/"> Jenny Gardiner's</a> memoir, <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Winging-It/Jenny-Gardiner/e/9781439157619/?itm=2&USRI=jenny+gardiner">WINGING IT</a>! It's getting great press . . . <br /><br />"Often comical and sometimes tragic but never dull, Gardiner's memoir proves that the hope of having a model pet (or child) is usually not realistic. It will speak to animal lovers and offer fair warning to anyone considering the 40-year-plus commitment of owning a parrot." --Library Journal <br /><br />"As sweet as a song and sharp as a beak, <span style="font-style:italic;">Winging It</span> really soars as a memoir about family--children and husbands, feathers and fur--and our capacity to keep loving though life may occasionally bite."<br />--Wade Rouse, bestselling author of <span style="font-style:italic;">At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream</span>, and <span style="font-style:italic;">Confessions of a Prep School Mommy Handler</span><br /><br />And, I know from personal experience and her debut novel, <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780505527479&itm=1">Sleeping With Ward Cleaver</a></span>, that Jenny will absolutely make you laugh out loud. Now, let's hear from Jenny in her own words . . . <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?</span><br /><br />We've had this crazy parrot for almost 2 decades and people are always so entertained by her and stories about her, so I thought it would be fun to do a book. My sort of funny backstory is YEARS ago, I was sitting in a bat mitzvah, and I get really antsy when I'm a captive audience, especially when everything isn't in a language I can remotely understand. So when I was sitting there for like 3-1/2 arduous hours (it was a high holiday so they had a huge service with it), I pulled out a notebook and pen and HANDWROTE four chapters of what would eventually become this book...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?</span><br /><br />Well, I know this is a question to be applied to a novel, but I'll bite anyhow ;-). Graycie, my parrot. Because she is a complex character with both internal and external conflicts, and her arriving at our doorstep with many imperfections and issues then led to both internal and external conflict with me and my family. hehe<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?</span><br /><br />I write very catch as catch can. I have 3 teens and lots of pets and so much going on, I try to steal time whenever possible. I prefer to write in the morning. If I'm on deadline, I will escape to a coffee shop--I have a favorite where I can tuck into the back of the shop and tune everything out. But I can't do that often because I'd feel badly leaving my pets home unattended--they get very unhappy when they're left alone for long (and then they cause trouble!).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4.) What's your favorite part of writing?</span><br /><br />I love to just concoct things out of nothing. And to take various bits of information and weave them together into a cohesive story. It's always a challenge and the process of it is so fun (especially if there aren't things getting in the way of your being able to focus on the writing).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?</span><br /><br />Just go with your gut and write what's in you. I do believe that ultimately that's how the best book will be written.Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-39993444905993620482010-03-10T10:24:00.006-06:002010-03-10T10:33:50.761-06:00Shout out to Sarah's Debut!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8opFDT0esIgH9CqRNyur_BzV_Kk7Ef3Jfkz4U6lAeif8Nq0BDCpRzca8sJkSkuxrH_nKtrSimYo7R0FPFSNnzrC1FR8bQGFs3wliQhW2NkehBI_8s-BoVySJpY4hKGiTjMxYd-oyIqgD/s1600-h/final+cover+image.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8opFDT0esIgH9CqRNyur_BzV_Kk7Ef3Jfkz4U6lAeif8Nq0BDCpRzca8sJkSkuxrH_nKtrSimYo7R0FPFSNnzrC1FR8bQGFs3wliQhW2NkehBI_8s-BoVySJpY4hKGiTjMxYd-oyIqgD/s200/final+cover+image.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447043230012021890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4s_1lFT5njWPFfHCx4tqPhyphenhyphen9FLnum8E2SzWI2BWHmXEObkkjoLAxUoKKKobs09rUYAbB-Zp5d1CgaD6C7Osr2Nxw5fajO0VYgan2SuoVtl21-_dveQjqmfXa4FXretpwwqAh5pEasgYN/s1600-h/Sarah_Bella_03-5.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 157px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4s_1lFT5njWPFfHCx4tqPhyphenhyphen9FLnum8E2SzWI2BWHmXEObkkjoLAxUoKKKobs09rUYAbB-Zp5d1CgaD6C7Osr2Nxw5fajO0VYgan2SuoVtl21-_dveQjqmfXa4FXretpwwqAh5pEasgYN/s200/Sarah_Bella_03-5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447043142582376098" /></a><br /><br /><br />My buddy, <a href="http://www.sarahpekkanen.com">Sarah Pekkanen's</a> debut novel <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Opposite-of-Me/Sarah-Pekkanen/e/9781439121986/?itm=1&USRI=the+opposite+of+me">THE OPPOSITE OF ME</a> is out! Yay! I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advance copy and I loved it. Funny, sweet, smart and totally unputdownable. It's getting tons of great press (Redbook, Jennifer Weiner, etc.), so you'll want to snap it up NOW.<br /><br />Don't say I didn't warn you.<br /><br />Happy reading!Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-66005794670178447262010-02-24T12:09:00.009-06:002010-02-24T12:24:23.704-06:00More GCC-Writers in Their Own WordsSo, we're still stuck in February and all looking for an escape. Fear not, here's another one for you: <a href="http://www.megancrane.com"> Megan Crane's</a> <span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Everyone-Elses-Girl/Megan-Crane/e/9780446694339/?itm=1&usri=everyone+else+s+girl">Everyone Else's Girl</a></span></span>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJHpBwJ0PtkfAoUBNicUYNFmILHY3xrLlLtUuBPK4nfjqpmDSUDaGnITFyucIDIOGR7KbSRTjtp-HcpAp3m2jCwDdYwRFbsaWjCRov7KuPy4rbBpIOEyHXSoTXqYOVZhPQZEElXadG31hW/s1600-h/Megan+Crane+Author+Photo.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJHpBwJ0PtkfAoUBNicUYNFmILHY3xrLlLtUuBPK4nfjqpmDSUDaGnITFyucIDIOGR7KbSRTjtp-HcpAp3m2jCwDdYwRFbsaWjCRov7KuPy4rbBpIOEyHXSoTXqYOVZhPQZEElXadG31hW/s200/Megan+Crane+Author+Photo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441875482038311890" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCew-lRVUTXGGBo5w3XLxFadrsBCQ-O0hgZG11bqzM7xZf8iSu8RjBW8_8Xb15IguDM5XqwKQH1_0O1toFmhdh-9-AMq1oEZGU4uPVSLcA7KYMULhFAteBbBNeqGd-8XJcbURB_g43RN4/s1600-h/Everyone+Else%27s+Girl+UK+Cover.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 131px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCew-lRVUTXGGBo5w3XLxFadrsBCQ-O0hgZG11bqzM7xZf8iSu8RjBW8_8Xb15IguDM5XqwKQH1_0O1toFmhdh-9-AMq1oEZGU4uPVSLcA7KYMULhFAteBbBNeqGd-8XJcbURB_g43RN4/s200/Everyone+Else%27s+Girl+UK+Cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441875337620956610" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Meredith does things for other people. She irons clothes for her boyfriend, she attends her ex-best friend's horrendous hen party for her brother (who's about to marry the girl) and she moves back to her parents' house to look after her dad when his leg is broken. She's a good girl and that matters. But when she gets back home, all is not as Meredith remembered. Especially Scott, that geeky teenager from her old class at school. He's definitely different now. And so, it seems, is she. One by one, her family and old friends start to tell her some home truths and Meredith begins to realise she's not so perfect after all. Maybe it is time she stopped being everyone else's girl and started living for herself..</span>.<br /><br />It's been called "Amusing, heartfelt and emotionally sophisticated chick-lit" by Kirkus and none other than Meg Cabot says, "Megan Crane rules! Cancel your evening plans: You won't want to stop reading until you've devoured every delicious word."<br /><br />Now here's Megan in her own words:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?</span><br />This was the second book I wrote. I had finished the first, sold it, and was living in my parents' attic for a few months while I finished up my dissertation. So I could see that there were all kinds of people I grew up with who were still in my hometown, and I was intrigued as to why. Some were settling there. Some, like me, were passing through between other parts of their life. Others were lost. I wanted to write about that feeling--about not knowing who you are, and how coming back home to your parents as an adult can muddy the water but can also help you see the truth. It was an interesting process! <br /><br />I am much more driven by character than plot. I try to dig inside characters and figure them out, because I'm fascinated by identity--by the things we all cling to as markers of who we are. I try to do this in social situations, too, with less success--at least in books I can force the characters to make sense!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?</span><br />I've always had a strange relationship with this book. I felt that the characters never really did what I wanted them to, and that I never really got a handle on Meredith the way I should have. But when I got my hands on this version of the book, about five years now since the book first came out, I re-read it and realized that I actually really like this book. I like how messy the characters are--especially Meredith. She's in a rough place here. She has to fall face-first into the muck, and she's really only just figured out how to climb out of it by the end... but I like her for it. I hope readers will, too.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like</span>?<br />I'm pretty fierce about my daily word quotas, which are really the only way I can write as much as I do. (I wrote five books last year and will write at least four this year.) I usually write 2,000 words a day--although at a certain point last fall I had to write 3000 a day to hit a particular deadline, and I found that dizzyingly difficult. The internet is my greatest time-waster. I'm starting to use Mac Freedom to turn it off for stretches here and there, because I can't be trusted--and I will often look up to see that hours have passed and there I am reading Jezebel and hitting refresh on Twitter... Not good. <br /><br />I have written all my books (I'm on number 15!) on the same desk, which I'm a little superstitious about these days. It's currently located in the office I share with my husband, overlooking a pretty sweep of trees and mountains and the Hollywood sign here in Los Angeles. It's filled with books and pictures, and somehow, helps the words come.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4.) What's your favorite part of writing?</span><br />When the story just flows from my head to the page, and it feels like magic.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?</span><br /> Just do it. Just write. Everything else is smoke and mirrors.Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-18689203149198999212010-02-17T14:11:00.006-06:002010-02-17T14:27:35.094-06:00GCC Tour and book giveaway!Just what we need to get us through these cold dreary days of February . . . a fabulous new book--<a href="search.barnesandnoble.com/Drive-Time/Hank-Phillippi-Ryan/e/9780778327974/?itm=1&usri=drive+time">DRIVE TIME</a> by my buddy <a href="http://www.HankPhillippiRyan.com">Hank Phillipi Ryan</a> . . . and free books to two lucky commenters.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLczNq9qZJFvi0cembOpoFBLEYvrqT-X05GkuZbg_UmJWti0o1L34mmDqTAKZ5HuscYg0MWIutvUPvmoMm_IKls2NrJm_AeyE31q0t_IyXIsBY50vuxulUxrEZuK2IMVfKLblKuk8M9g7O/s1600-h/HPRdrivetime+FINAL++300med+(2).jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 126px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLczNq9qZJFvi0cembOpoFBLEYvrqT-X05GkuZbg_UmJWti0o1L34mmDqTAKZ5HuscYg0MWIutvUPvmoMm_IKls2NrJm_AeyE31q0t_IyXIsBY50vuxulUxrEZuK2IMVfKLblKuk8M9g7O/s200/HPRdrivetime+FINAL++300med+(2).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439308619297006882" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnmQU36SVHnVUVJVM2cMvRruOL83IYBiJhL5WYCjUJdcThtUdh0jmQlhpnMKouAeRuXLrADkoYUnPdnJqiimaMkSmvIyBbcmrdPB4MV_mo8mWlExl258W-uN2PuHVQvXWn-OJZPBXY24a/s1600-h/HPR-stoolvertCROPPED2MUG-300lg.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 137px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnmQU36SVHnVUVJVM2cMvRruOL83IYBiJhL5WYCjUJdcThtUdh0jmQlhpnMKouAeRuXLrADkoYUnPdnJqiimaMkSmvIyBbcmrdPB4MV_mo8mWlExl258W-uN2PuHVQvXWn-OJZPBXY24a/s200/HPR-stoolvertCROPPED2MUG-300lg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439308448119740690" /></a><br /><br />In a starred review from Library Journal, they wrote: <span style="font-style:italic;">Buckle up and prepare for a wild ride as Charlie McNally and Boston’s Channel 3 News investigate a nefarious car theft/forgery operation and race to get their story on the air before their lives are endangered. In the meantime, Charlie becomes consumed with secret sleuthing as blackmail and suspicious deaths threaten the private, prestigious Bexter Academy where her fiancé teaches. Amid late-night stakeouts and dangerous car chases, Charlie finds time for romance, wedding planning, and bonding with her future stepdaughter. In her fourth series entry (after Prime Time, Face Time, and Air Time), Ryan once again channels her Emmy-winning investigative reporting expertise to craft a realistic and compelling mystery, full of hairpin turns and dangerous intersections at breakneck speed.</span><br /><br />Let's hear from Hank in her own words . . . <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1. How did the character of Charlotte ‘Charlie’ McNally come about?</span><br /> <br />What a great question. I have NO idea. She was born when I got a weird spam in my email. It was what looked like lines from a play by Shakespeare. I thought--why would someone send a spam like that? And it crossed my mind--maybe it's a secret message.<br /> <br />I still get goose bumps telling you about it. And I knew, after all those years of wanting to write a mystery, that was my plot. And that turned out to be the Agatha-winning PRIME TIME. But Charlie? Well, I knew I had a good story, but who would tell it? A television reporter, of course. And she just instantly popped into my head. Named, fully formed. I knew her perfectly. <br /> <br />The other characters were more difficult to get to know. But now, Charlie surprises me a lot! And I love when that happens.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. Any mistakes you’ve made along the way, have you learned anything from them?</span><br /> <br />Hah. That’s another long blog for another day. Mistakes? Ah, on a huge level, people always yell at me for working all the time. ALL the time. Is that a mistake? None of this would have happened without that. Would I change it? I have to say no. So is that a mistake? I'm not sure. On a tiny level, I should have put together a mailing list of bookstores. Still haven’t done that. Wish I had. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. Advice to fledgling writers?</span><br /><br />On my bulletin board there are two quotes. One is a Zen saying: “Leap and the net will appear.” To me, that means: Just do it. The other says “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” And I think that’s so wonderful—just have the confidence to carry on. Writing is tough, arduous, not always rewarding in the moment—but no successful author has ever had an easy path. When you hit an obstacle, pat yourself on the back. You’re a writer!<br /><br /><br />So, leave a comment between now and Friday, Feb. 19 at 5 p.m. CST and be entered into a drawing to win one of two copies of DRIEV TIME!Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-30359474557031578132009-12-23T08:40:00.007-06:002009-12-23T08:55:28.628-06:00Peace on Earth; Good Will toward MenIt feels so close, I can almost touch it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqo3p4C2TReD_mNV6QJrhW2vSjrYu5wUijAS27FOtn1Ys70nYhUvEUI244Rfh0IHspubhYUaaNOoy9YdBB-lA_rADSvzc67vyt7d7Kkk-WA6Zk_hOZL_Vrv64u1OW6LqWuoaFQRn3HBMxz/s1600-h/beautiful-christmas-tree.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqo3p4C2TReD_mNV6QJrhW2vSjrYu5wUijAS27FOtn1Ys70nYhUvEUI244Rfh0IHspubhYUaaNOoy9YdBB-lA_rADSvzc67vyt7d7Kkk-WA6Zk_hOZL_Vrv64u1OW6LqWuoaFQRn3HBMxz/s320/beautiful-christmas-tree.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418443317651241538" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />By dinner time on Christmas Eve, my two sons will be home, and with the rest of the family we'll gather round the table and eat dinner as a family. I'll try to make a toast--to us, to life, to happiness--but I'm sure my voice will catch in my throat, my eyes will fill, my younger son will laugh, my older son will smile, and my husband will finish the toast for me.<br /><br />We're incredibly lucky and I know it.<br /><br />Not that it's been an easy year, but it's been another year in our lives and that counts the most.<br /><br />I spent Monday baking cookies and chex mix, finalizing my grocery lists, wrapping the last few presents, and thinking back on Christmases past.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8svR0YoTJFimJsc1pKMjel9zvGW4IhF8ciT4pyUga7i2RQtuUl3OzReA-ZMOGeVX3gXaEejakEj0dzzaRO-eT1Sa0pAG-FJv7yXrv8xT89wVnYDOmvuY0nZn2O6ye55u0X5Q8V-VAThn/s1600-h/christmas-cookies-freaksanon.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8svR0YoTJFimJsc1pKMjel9zvGW4IhF8ciT4pyUga7i2RQtuUl3OzReA-ZMOGeVX3gXaEejakEj0dzzaRO-eT1Sa0pAG-FJv7yXrv8xT89wVnYDOmvuY0nZn2O6ye55u0X5Q8V-VAThn/s320/christmas-cookies-freaksanon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418443156567176914" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This afternoon, I'll bake several batches of Christmas cut-out cookies, wrap the stocking stuffers, and settle down by the fire and read for awhile. Tomorrow, I'll worry until one old jeep pulls into the driveway and one airplane arrives from Seattle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4f19U6x2JMVYehyLPwBL0i8PUuhlof_J-Bm6TzOMXJjRXgGnjL2qSwj2qm-0s88fTP8v44wfURX2cFHEs_shzX6nHri088cCOEFpP8HOpZJLdLB0QqHEAF9YpN6Bye8j_1CLIZDDxEi9l/s1600-h/vintage-christmas-ornaments.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4f19U6x2JMVYehyLPwBL0i8PUuhlof_J-Bm6TzOMXJjRXgGnjL2qSwj2qm-0s88fTP8v44wfURX2cFHEs_shzX6nHri088cCOEFpP8HOpZJLdLB0QqHEAF9YpN6Bye8j_1CLIZDDxEi9l/s320/vintage-christmas-ornaments.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418444691199865426" /></a><br /><br />Then, all I'll have to do is enjoy having all of us under the same roof for a few days. <br /><br />And we'll make memories that will carry me through until the next time.<br /><br />And that's what I wish for all of you--warmth, family, memories. Sweet times. Hold tight to all of them. <br /><br />All the best for 2010.Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-75816907903674556622009-12-11T11:51:00.001-06:002009-12-11T11:52:26.123-06:00Food, Glorious Food!I'm guest posting at <a href="http://nevertoomanycooks.blogspot.com/">(Never) Too Many Cooks</a> today. Check out my musings (and recipe) on Risotto.Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-87438847026072773082009-12-03T14:49:00.011-06:002009-12-03T15:28:22.680-06:00Holiday Gift Ideas and Writers in Their Own wordsI hope you all had wonderful Thanksgivings filled with family and food and laughter. I don't know if you're like me, but I don't even really think about holiday shopping until, well, until the pumpkin pie is gone. So, like, now. And then I start realizing, whoops, I better get cracking. And then I worry about what to get and when to find the time to shop.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ABCyon55eenKr7VfII2LtPqRr8_R_sOJ5B09Y6dwK6zF7728FhZBMPCkND7dCp9q13tMK8Sw4YCXXEGkFsJhoA32SFC9iU3IeBXNaG2VSdDy493B1lwc2ySvATDoFwCI-LToqONe605H/s1600-h/Love+in+Translation+coverFIN1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ABCyon55eenKr7VfII2LtPqRr8_R_sOJ5B09Y6dwK6zF7728FhZBMPCkND7dCp9q13tMK8Sw4YCXXEGkFsJhoA32SFC9iU3IeBXNaG2VSdDy493B1lwc2ySvATDoFwCI-LToqONe605H/s320/Love+in+Translation+coverFIN1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411121649511090770" /></a><br /><br /><br />Well, worry not because BOOKS are always the perfect gift (and the perfect fit. Plus, they are so so so easy to wrap!). And I have two to recommend, via the GCC. Without further ado, let me introduce <a href="http://WendyNelsonTokunaga.com">Wendy Tokunaga</a> and <a href="http://www.melissasenate.com">Melissa Senate</a>.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniYOVgXVvYpo25DZGcwVTm0rx7wbxgxo5CV6AAlR7TeaLIYLzvjQIDCrSA3_6jZsDPKYfuxBw8BS9UZc39nJzpcNo680st6nK871u1m_sbXsEbPFvTDGwtpdywD4P0mqKSMX7rVUXdsn3/s1600-h/WendyB&w.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhniYOVgXVvYpo25DZGcwVTm0rx7wbxgxo5CV6AAlR7TeaLIYLzvjQIDCrSA3_6jZsDPKYfuxBw8BS9UZc39nJzpcNo680st6nK871u1m_sbXsEbPFvTDGwtpdywD4P0mqKSMX7rVUXdsn3/s200/WendyB&w.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411116649067536898" /></a><br /><br />Wendy's new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-Translation-Wendy-Nelson-Tokunaga/dp/0312372663/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258672687&sr=1-1">LOVE IN TRANSLATION</a> is for anyone who’s ever dreamt of finding love and family in an unexpected place... Michelle Redmond, New York Times bestselling author of <span style="font-style:italic;">The Year of Fog</span> calls it “A delightful novel about love, identity, and what it means to be adrift in a strange land. This story of a search has an Alice in Wonderland vibe; when Celeste climbs down the rabbit hole, one can't help but follow along.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtx1ANIzIyuCsRfBrnZuyYy10V8lFdYhDrHDHpnXtFAEaC9YoJRUNqMOn4eBM9o7zWG34ckZA7XUDshpwSmJBRkajBricUTkBwSzPChMAXlanOCgKSEz7qfzMxcR_DKVS6lU1Pi0iEMDp/s1600-h/new.photo.Melissa.Senate.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtx1ANIzIyuCsRfBrnZuyYy10V8lFdYhDrHDHpnXtFAEaC9YoJRUNqMOn4eBM9o7zWG34ckZA7XUDshpwSmJBRkajBricUTkBwSzPChMAXlanOCgKSEz7qfzMxcR_DKVS6lU1Pi0iEMDp/s200/new.photo.Melissa.Senate.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411116822722618226" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4H2QDll35M_pNZci5d9dsCzcrf2y1FsxFF9r2COt2CTDo_8kez31f0NYfn2LEUq9ealr7bzknxVw7ZqYmQW0GYK5H5sqLBg26QRabRH2vRb7omvKGKiPUpboHk-WbMRpyVFuWmWWynDG/s1600-h/COVER.SecretofJoy.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4H2QDll35M_pNZci5d9dsCzcrf2y1FsxFF9r2COt2CTDo_8kez31f0NYfn2LEUq9ealr7bzknxVw7ZqYmQW0GYK5H5sqLBg26QRabRH2vRb7omvKGKiPUpboHk-WbMRpyVFuWmWWynDG/s320/COVER.SecretofJoy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411121524926539074" /></a><br /><br />And Melissa's book,<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Joy-Melissa-Senate/dp/1439107173/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258292510&sr=8-1"> THE SECRET OF JOY</a>, starts with the question: What would you do if you discovered you had a half-sister you never knew existed? "The Secret of Joy is a warm hug of a book. Insightful, wise, and romantic, it's as inviting as the small-town life it depicts." –Claire LaZebnik says, "The Secret of Joy is a warm hug of a book. Insightful, wise, and romantic, it's as inviting as the small-town life it depicts."<br /><br />Let's hear from them in their own words:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Wendy</span>: In this case I was driven by the character. I wanted to write about what it’s like to be a female gaijin (foreigner) in Japan, a place that despite its sophistication still can be construed as somewhat xenophobic, with many Japanese displaying a weird fascination mixed with disdain toward people who are different, especially Westerners. I also wanted to write about a cross-cultural relationship and how love can transcend culture, as well as the power of music. So with all this, I had to put a plot together, which came second. But this plot also spawned other themes: the meaning of family, identity, and what it means to discover your own voice.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Melissa</span>: Several years ago, I received a startling email: I think you might be my half sister. Whoa. I was, indeed. I didn’t know how I felt about everything such an email had swirled up, so I ended up writing about a woman who discovers she has a half-sister she never knew existed and set her off to find her. Only the very nugget of the idea is based on my own life; I flipped everything else on its head. But the emotional force driving the story is very real.<br /><br />I often steal from my own life when I start to write a new book, so in that sense I’m driven by plot, but because I never base the characters on myself or anyone I know, the characters take over completely and drive the plot themselves.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Melissa</span>: I love Joy Jayhawk, the main character’s half sister. I share some of her trials and tribulations, and I understood her reserve and emotional journey in a way that made me feel so close to her.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Wendy</span>: I have a special fondness for Mariko. She’s a native-born Japanese who grew up frustrated with the social restrictions placed on her in Japan as a Japanese woman. She married an American and ended up living in the United States. But a family issue has brought her back to Japan and her American-influenced personality makes her stick out like a sore thumb. She’s much too direct, laughs too loud, and has a penchant for using every English swear word possible. But she also doesn’t give a damn what people think about her.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like</span>?<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Wendy</span>: I work in my own home office when I’m writing new material for a novel. Once I’ve written a significant amount of pages (or, more like when I just can’t come up with any more to write!) I print them out and go to a coffee house or somewhere, read the pages and make notes. Then I will go back to my office and input changes. Then hopefully I’ll write more new material, though that is what I find the most difficult.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Melissa</span>: I fell madly in love with this beautiful mahogany secretary-desk that is completely useless for writing, so of course I bought it with a matching beautiful chair. The desk is tiny and barely holds my laptop and the glass of Coke Zero I can’t seem to write without. But the desk itself inspires me! My writing process hasn’t changed since my first book (and I’m now on my 10th, though I keep hoping it will): I write and revise as I go, so it takes me a verrrry long time to write a first draft. The good news is that when I’m done, I only have to do a second draft to edit, then a third to polish. I wish I could just write a draft all the way through, letting it be shitty, as my hero Anne Lamott advises, and just getting it all down. Maybe one day.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4.) What's your favorite part of writing?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Melissa</span>: When my characters truly begin telling the story for me, when the words come that easily. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Wendy</span>: Definitely the revision process. I like kneading and massaging the rough prose I’ve already written.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Melissa</span>: Trust your gut. It knows. <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Wendy</span>: In the words of Anne Lamott, you are allowed to have a shitty first draft. And it’s nothing to be ashamed about.Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-86307890536473652402009-11-13T12:42:00.005-06:002009-11-13T12:54:38.109-06:00Writers in Their Own Words-GCC<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuoPUNxDVeqlSb64n7UCiIVWkUgTYBcNZLkzeIhQatSUTP1SJaCCdK7jSpN8KYSx70JdPFw76zTHCNmrIJv7ER1O7YUyrXUqAe9CV1-iDobCk9h8LoaDbamOqNF4wrOz4dkvO1fJkp7Yv/s1600-h/Jessica+Brody+-+Author+Photo.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuoPUNxDVeqlSb64n7UCiIVWkUgTYBcNZLkzeIhQatSUTP1SJaCCdK7jSpN8KYSx70JdPFw76zTHCNmrIJv7ER1O7YUyrXUqAe9CV1-iDobCk9h8LoaDbamOqNF4wrOz4dkvO1fJkp7Yv/s200/Jessica+Brody+-+Author+Photo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403661757251770306" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89SEDAtNuQrTyxJPrOQKDPwQloCzmf0_uDY0zD3bvrVlKe673dm_7qXT63rxh9BhQjuHQGnllIE3-dPfxZBba8ezwr-FJLyyNCtKKom6aKFoy10Qmu-jX13rnSkwvKCPOFnB01Yi-C5h8/s1600-h/Love+Under+Cover+-+FINAL.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89SEDAtNuQrTyxJPrOQKDPwQloCzmf0_uDY0zD3bvrVlKe673dm_7qXT63rxh9BhQjuHQGnllIE3-dPfxZBba8ezwr-FJLyyNCtKKom6aKFoy10Qmu-jX13rnSkwvKCPOFnB01Yi-C5h8/s200/Love+Under+Cover+-+FINAL.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403661892191316034" /></a><br /><br />I'm thrilled to be "touring" my fellow GCC buddy, <a href="http://www.jessicabrody.com">Jessica Brody</a> whose newest novel, <span style="font-style:italic;">Love Under Cover</span>, is in stores now! Booklist calls it an "an honest, witty portrayal of modern love."<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">In her job, she’s an expert on men…<br /><br />In her own relationship, she doesn’t have a clue.<br /><br />Boyfriend behaving badly? Suspect your husband of straying? Jennifer Hunter can supply the ultimate test. She runs a company which specializes in conducting fidelity inspections for those who suspect their loved ones are capable of infidelity.<br /><br />An expert on men, Jennifer can usually tell if they're single, married or lying... Unfortunately, her new boyfriend, Jamie, is one of the few men that she's never been able to 'read.' Has she finally found the perfect man or is he too good to be true?<br /><br />A captivating new novel from the bestselling author of <span style="font-weight:bold;">The Fidelity Files</span>.</span><br /><br />Let's hear from Jessica in her own words:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?</span><br /><br />As soon as I finished writing my first novel, T<span style="font-style:italic;">he Fidelity Files</span>¸ I knew that Jennifer’s journey wasn’t over yet. Although she had seemed to find her happy ending there was so much more fun stuff I had in mind for another book. Setting Jennifer up with an entire agency of fidelity inspectors was definitely the first and foremost on my mind for the next instalment. <br /><br />Plus, I really wanted to explore what a fidelity inspector would be like in a committed relationship. After everything she’s seen—all the cheating, dishonesty, and betrayal—would she really be capable of settling down herself? So that’s what I set out to focus on in this book. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?</span><br /><br />I love Jennifer’s three friends. They’re all fun to write in their own unique ways. Zoë has a terrible road rage problem and she has a habit of talking on the phone while driving so those conversations with Jen and Zoë on the phone are always really entertaining for me. I get to channel my inner turrets patient. Sophie is totally neurotic. I love going over the top with her. <br />And John is the flamboyant gay boy from West Hollywood who is always quick with his sarcasm and wit. Sometimes I don’t know where his remarks come from. I must be channelling my inner gay man because I’ll write something that he says and think, “That’s really funny. Where the hell did that come from?” <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?</span><br /><br />I have a desktop and a laptop but I prefer to write on my laptop. I do all my “busy work” like emails, interviews, website stuff, on my desktop and I found that switching computers helped me switch focus. <br />I used to not be able to write in a public place. But then I discovered “white noise” mp3s. They basically play nothing but…well, white noise. Now I go to my favorite coffee shop, pop in my ear phones, crank up the white noise and the world around me dissolves away. Plus… coffee helps. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4.) What's your favorite part of writing?</span><br /><br />My favorite part? Definitely the first 50 pages. They fly by. They’re brilliant and fresh and exciting and full of promise. I feel like I could do anything. I feel like I write an entire novel in two weeks. <br /><br />My least favorite part? Everything that comes after that. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?</span><br /><br />Jump and the net will appear. You can’t wait for the perfect opportunity to come along, you just have to go for it. When I decided I would be a published author, I made the decision and I leapt off the cliff…without a parachute. I quit my high-paying, corporate job at a move studio, started taking odd jobs off of Craigslist to make ends meet, downgraded my car, my apartment and my lifestyle to save money and just went for it. I never looked back. I turned down three job offers from other studios, all which paid even more than I was making when I left my previous one. I sold my first novel a year and a half after I quit. Now I write full time and this year, for the first time since I quit my corporate job in 2005, I’m making more as a writer than I was making as a “suit.” Do what you love and the money will eventually come. I’m a big believer in this. And I am living proof that it works!Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-25002243611643262302009-10-20T00:01:00.000-05:002009-10-20T00:01:00.254-05:00Out of the Mouths of Babes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFZR5u4ttZn9s2W4X8zIZb-W7y3APamcpgvmRSjGZMrIy0r2CsOOhSLtAqq6Rn5GOZVY-ltzI08Ew6-2ZgamJcRjIMzwrskmJDdSWERvWpNcv8bWpSQwweoDY2XOoGHhMB7rhM30f-z0/s1600-h/IMG_0132.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIFZR5u4ttZn9s2W4X8zIZb-W7y3APamcpgvmRSjGZMrIy0r2CsOOhSLtAqq6Rn5GOZVY-ltzI08Ew6-2ZgamJcRjIMzwrskmJDdSWERvWpNcv8bWpSQwweoDY2XOoGHhMB7rhM30f-z0/s200/IMG_0132.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394507431640706546" /></a><br />It's another "Tuesday's Child is Full of Grace" NICE HAPPENS Tuesday over on my <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://whatmamataught.blogspot.com">JUST BE NICE</a></span> blog. And it's also my younger son's birthday. (So please excuse the cross-post.)<br /><br />It's fitting. He was born at 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday night 22 years ago today. I'd like to say he's been full of grace his whole life. I'm not sure that'd be totally accurate. <br /><br />He's been full of boy. And trips to the emergency room. And sweetness. <br /><br />He made us a family. <br /><br />He makes me laugh and smile.<br /><br />And here's one thing I've learned from him about niceness (among many other things. He really is a sweet kid.)--when you call someone, start with "First, I wanted to say 'hi.' And see how you are." That's the way to start the conversation, even if you're calling to complain or ask for money or explain you might not have done so great on that test you took last week.<br /><br />Start with showing you care. Start with love. After that, everything else is easy.<br /><br />Happy Birthday, Eric! Come home and visit soon. Your mom misses you.Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-89827603381620014402009-09-29T10:47:00.007-05:002009-09-29T11:07:11.819-05:00Writers in Their Own Words-GCC<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOLAAolJ7ToVHLpF5wv0bgFA0TcT5siYVSGvSMNtGHGeWAoa6KnIgQPr6WCR13UteBV4irB2YLvI06IJTLsR0VCvX93U62YOlfKYAjduKvBZthf1aFb7-5LVVZVLuhdSmAiEvV9E3SxXT/s1600-h/MarilynBrant%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 154px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOLAAolJ7ToVHLpF5wv0bgFA0TcT5siYVSGvSMNtGHGeWAoa6KnIgQPr6WCR13UteBV4irB2YLvI06IJTLsR0VCvX93U62YOlfKYAjduKvBZthf1aFb7-5LVVZVLuhdSmAiEvV9E3SxXT/s200/MarilynBrant%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386919306616593618" /></a><br /><br />Today is the first real autumn-y feeling day we've had. I love it. There's Italian Beef in the crock pot, I'm wearing a light sweater, the jeans I haven't worn in 6 months still fit, and I'm ready to make a cup of tea and curl up with a good book. Lucky for me, <a href="http://www.marilynbrant.com">Marilyn Brant</a> has provided the perfect book: <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/According-Jane-Marilyn-Brant/dp/0758234619/ref=ed_oe_p">According to Jane.</a></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0EkNIJEO87HSHuzazPurQ742kgAwaP_ghRTZgk7WldRmXIB3HmOMsIcdc82ONpETkr95c7NCYdHz6LrII-VOcDwZf9bXj7UFu8uBACOf8fxjcPO3Ox5mJfyKFeSXqPFgTozLPRRgYGUX/s1600-h/accordingtojane%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 130px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0EkNIJEO87HSHuzazPurQ742kgAwaP_ghRTZgk7WldRmXIB3HmOMsIcdc82ONpETkr95c7NCYdHz6LrII-VOcDwZf9bXj7UFu8uBACOf8fxjcPO3Ox5mJfyKFeSXqPFgTozLPRRgYGUX/s200/accordingtojane%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386919455624230818" /></a><br /><br />Susan Wiggs, a #1 New York Times bestselling author, describes it a "A warm, witty and charmingly original story." And Cathy Lamb, author of <span style="font-style:italic;">Henry's Sisters</span>, says it's "An engaging read for all who have been through the long, dark, dating wars, and still believe there's sunshine, and a Mr. Darcy, at the end of the tunnel."<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett's teacher is assigning Jane Austen's <span style="font-weight:bold;">Pride and Prejudice</span>. From nowhere comes a quiet "tsk" of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who's teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten. Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author's ghost has taken up residence in Ellie's mind, and seems determined to stay there. <br /><br />Jane's wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the hell of adolescence and beyond, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own. Years and boyfriends come and go--sometimes a little too quickly, sometimes not nearly fast enough. But Jane's counsel is constant, and on the subject of Sam, quite insistent. Stay away, Jane demands. He is your Mr. Wickham. <br /><br />Still, everyone has something to learn about love--perhaps even Jane herself. And lately, the voice in Ellie's head is being drowned out by another, urging her to look beyond everything she thought she knew and seek out her very own, very unexpected, happy ending. . . </span><br /><br />Now, let's hear from Marilyn in her own words . . . <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?</span><br />I’m definitely more driven by character, but I think a good set of characters leads to situations that can be shaped into an interesting plot. For <span style="font-style:italic;">According to Jane</span>, I started with a “What If?” premise: What if a young woman had Jane Austen’s ghost giving her dating advice? How would Jane instruct her? Would she listen? What might go awry? And what if Jane were wrong about someone? Would the young woman have the courage to follow her heart against the voice of wisdom?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?</span><br />Ellie, my heroine. She and I share a certain introspection and we each had a tendency toward perfectionism in school, plus, we were both children of ‘80s pop culture. I gave her those sides of me and love her like a favorite cousin. However, we’re not one and the same. Most of her painful relationship problems were (thankfully) extrapolated from things I observed or they were exaggerated from some real events and grafted to modernized versions of scenes I found fascinating in Austen’s novels. I like to think she handled those challenges fairly well, at least given how difficult it is to grow up. Certainly better than I would have.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like?</span><br />I write in my home office--a messy place, cluttered with stacks of paper and towers of books, 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 by hand on notebook paper), and that has the advantage of endless cups of coffee and occasional snacks. As for my process, I’m a very slow writer. It’s rare that I can draft more than a page or two in an hour. I obsessively reread and wordsmith before moving on to the next scene, which in no way means that I don’t also revise again (multiple times) at the end of a manuscript. It takes me about 9-10 months to completely write a women’s fiction book from start to finish.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4.) What's your favorite part of writing?</span><br />Getting to do something creative every single day. Truly, that’s been such a gift. Even when the plotting of a scene is giving me fits or the synopsis doesn’t seem to make sense at all…I love knowing that I have a place to play with these characters and storylines. My hope is that by writing about women’s dreams and experiences as honestly as possible, I might get closer to helping readers recognize truths about their own lives. It was this sense of “recognition” that my favorite novelists gave to me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?</span><br />I’ve gotten a few good ones, applicable to life as well as writing, I think: <br />“Begin as you intend to go on.”<br />“It’s better to be than to seem to be.”<br />“Always over-deliver and under-promise.”<br /><br />Marilyn lives in the northern Chicago suburbs with her family, but she also hangs out online at her blog "Brant Flakes." When she isn't rereading Jane's books or enjoying the latest releases by her writer friends, she's working on her next novel, eating chocolate indiscriminately and hiding from the laundry.Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-9568112696176559272009-09-21T07:40:00.009-05:002009-09-21T09:23:12.380-05:00Novel 101: Begin Wherever You StartA few weeks ago, I was a couple of days away from going back to a WIP I'd set aside last April. Back then (last spring) I was going back to the drawing board and completely rewriting/revising a novel I thought I'd finished several times. I finished that rewrite at the end of June, took some time away from all writing (except thinking about it), then did another read-through and tweaked things here or there and sent it off to my agent.<br /><br />Then I skipped town for a week.<br /><br />Then I was ready to go back to that WIP. I knew the characters, knew their voices, had the whole story arc in mind.<br /><br />But, the week I was getting all ready to dive back into Full-Writing-Mode, something happened. Something I had very little power over. Absolutely no control.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Q25USI6B8lUB719YcIs6Ekp2QMHJVpbsxxcsltnHeDkQ28L5NCaasWm3DE8XTNIrB5TAp7mlbNXMHkzoft80_0VvrTrpovAqgjszjrA248vW-cjjXV0fk8xYUjaQ3Mb5tKZ_Nx-pxWVD/s1600-h/Women+Talking-Narges+Hashemi-Nov+5,+2008.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Q25USI6B8lUB719YcIs6Ekp2QMHJVpbsxxcsltnHeDkQ28L5NCaasWm3DE8XTNIrB5TAp7mlbNXMHkzoft80_0VvrTrpovAqgjszjrA248vW-cjjXV0fk8xYUjaQ3Mb5tKZ_Nx-pxWVD/s320/Women+Talking-Narges+Hashemi-Nov+5,+2008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383924097303524098" /></a><br /><br />A mother started telling me things. She wouldn't let me go. I couldn't ignore her no matter how hard I tried. And, damn, what she had to say was incredibly compelling. I even found myself dreaming about her. Seriously.<br /><br />So, I started writing her story. And her daughter's. And then, the detective who's working with them started telling me about some of the struggles in her life. <br /><br />And an image was in the background, an image that lends itself to a really lovely, haunting title.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0bp74j-OLG_f3xCpBqrH2tFYUMlJ8FljmvtjxDxE2pMAMX-Vw2cV-eCEbgDaVu0LXAG3vxM4kjbxi3cXhYOEC7tqy51qczQuVzhs3IqIDqDwqQNLVyp40sGiEysED5TbDgh2iljEaXYD/s1600-h/1056172205_d9ee71db4e_b.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0bp74j-OLG_f3xCpBqrH2tFYUMlJ8FljmvtjxDxE2pMAMX-Vw2cV-eCEbgDaVu0LXAG3vxM4kjbxi3cXhYOEC7tqy51qczQuVzhs3IqIDqDwqQNLVyp40sGiEysED5TbDgh2iljEaXYD/s320/1056172205_d9ee71db4e_b.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383923874265537282" /></a><br /><br />So, I began writing. Not the story I thought I'd be writing, not even, necessarily where I thought it would start. But I began it. And I've pecked away at it nearly every day since then. It's starting to take shape. The characters are telling me more, letting me into their lives. And I can't stop thinking about them. It's kind of like falling in love.<br /><br />Scary, thrilling, and never quite what you expect.Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-70342036385820826942009-09-16T08:03:00.003-05:002009-09-16T08:05:43.002-05:00Spreading the word . . .The lovely<a href="http://thediviningwand.com/"> Larramie</a>, fairy godmother to writers and readers, wrote an incredibly nice post about my new blog . . . and I have a <a href="http://whatmamataught.blogspot.com">new post up over there as well</a>. Please stop by . . . <br /><br />Thanks!Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-4712167698074758842009-09-14T09:45:00.005-05:002009-09-14T16:40:58.478-05:00My Mama Taught Me BetterWhat's going on in society these days? I mean really. Look at Kanye West and Joe Wilson (two names that have probably never been uttered in the same sentence before!).<br /><br />When did rudeness become acceptable? Defensible? The status quo?<br /><br />When did apologizing become a sign of weakness or backing down?<br /><br />My mother taught me to be kind. Be responsible. And yes, to stand up for what I believe in but in a civilized manner. She taught me that the world doesn't revolve around me. I passed those lessons on to my sons. I said I was sorry . . . and I MEANT it when I said it . . . when I'd been unfair to them. Or even just short-tempered. I believe that being willing to apologize shows strength and compassion.<br /><br />Rudeness is never acceptable. Even when I've been treated poorly, it's not okay. I don't want to stoop to the lowest common denominator. I want to rise above it.<br /><br />Breaking rules is not okay. I learned this one many times, but the best reminder came when I was 16 and had gotten caught going off campus for lunch (something only seniors could do and I was a junior). Since I was the driver, I got three days detention. Since I wouldn't rat on who else was in the car with me they tacked on another two days (I felt sort of noble about that!). When I tried to defend myself to my mom (who wasn't buying any of my teenaged outrage, by the way) by exclaiming, loudly, that it was a stupid rule, she calmly replied that it might well be but I had two choices: obey it or work to change it. Breaking it was not okay. In honesty, I'd like to say I worked to change it, but no. I did get better at not getting caught (it was all in which parking lot I parked in, I discovered).<br /><br />But, I digress.<br /><br />Joe Wilson was out of line to yell "You lie!" during President Obama's speech. He could have groaned or booed. That's what the parties in opposition do. And now he's acting like not apologizing makes him more of a man. Uh, no. It makes him look weak and stubborn and ill-bred. His mama must be shaking her head.<br /><br />And Kanye? Most of the folks nominated for any award DON'T win. That's the law of numbers. And just because you think the voters got it wrong, you don't get to hop up and announce your opinion to the world. You win some and you lose some. That's life. Deal with it without looking like a doofus. Or worse. What must your mama think?<br /><br />What's happening? Do we need a MOM SQUAD or something to go from town to town and teach civility? Kindness? The Golden Rule?<br /><br />Shouldn't it come naturally?<br /><br />***UPDATE*** check out my NEW blog <a href="http://whatmamataught.blogspot.com">Just Be Nice</a> . . .Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-80231786806471937572009-09-11T10:44:00.002-05:002009-09-11T10:46:37.840-05:00Remembering . . .<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinY86sZ7dDttVkebMMKqVA9na_hndLPXqAmKKVvFmpV2rkFdldrG2G3bCuEwOQdNPZ01AzJzqazpwyBXrmfO1rGlG2kHafmQKg5RITk4rcOQM4GrP6O0Pj5-nz1JDBQpbxi0jVs2HJD9rp/s1600-h/6a00d83452afad69e200e54f261ac38833-800wi.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 308px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinY86sZ7dDttVkebMMKqVA9na_hndLPXqAmKKVvFmpV2rkFdldrG2G3bCuEwOQdNPZ01AzJzqazpwyBXrmfO1rGlG2kHafmQKg5RITk4rcOQM4GrP6O0Pj5-nz1JDBQpbxi0jVs2HJD9rp/s400/6a00d83452afad69e200e54f261ac38833-800wi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380236458976061186" /></a><br /><br />It's a strange day this morning . . . crisp blue sky, just like 8 years ago. I was teaching that morning, and I still remember my students' faces as they watched the towers fall.Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-88376466828026699112009-09-08T20:31:00.005-05:002009-09-08T20:47:04.621-05:00Writers in Their Own Words--Take Two!I have another fab recommendation for you . . . and another great writer to introduce you to (if you don't already know her). <a href="http://www.HankPhillippiRyan.com">Hank Phillippi Ryan</a>, an Emmy-winning Boston television reporter and award winning mystery writer has a funny, smart <a href="http://www.jungleredwriters.com/">group blog</a> and a series that you'll love! <span style="font-style:italic;">Air Time</span> is the third installment.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YN2BHiyfsgIBXMsVcYPxvB_VQbovoJlk6Xa7l_den-py84szJficq9_17fXSX2cf_z6RTjDNE2VH2r3kbjkFQgE6l_LuVkLaSDiG-dF7T1b1RPGAbw7TVnB_p7COEp_R1FfJo9ZLFoW8/s1600-h/hpr-stoolvertcropped2mug-300lg%5B1%5D+(2).jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 137px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YN2BHiyfsgIBXMsVcYPxvB_VQbovoJlk6Xa7l_den-py84szJficq9_17fXSX2cf_z6RTjDNE2VH2r3kbjkFQgE6l_LuVkLaSDiG-dF7T1b1RPGAbw7TVnB_p7COEp_R1FfJo9ZLFoW8/s200/hpr-stoolvertcropped2mug-300lg%5B1%5D+(2).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379276001751730402" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZp4dq32MNDqjgBF0jWf05wrbFyobEmzo6uky3ZuLy9Qzuu4iFJD-RmmungYr9FABpwynWVPp0GFp_Yx_18uAo6a65jxHzDx_JAKP-hs9LjoCIl856yy9548UNcrwMNRb45ajzEonTJ43/s1600-h/airtime_press.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 126px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZp4dq32MNDqjgBF0jWf05wrbFyobEmzo6uky3ZuLy9Qzuu4iFJD-RmmungYr9FABpwynWVPp0GFp_Yx_18uAo6a65jxHzDx_JAKP-hs9LjoCIl856yy9548UNcrwMNRb45ajzEonTJ43/s200/airtime_press.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379276224849205218" /></a><br /><br />Some would say, It's Prime Time for <span style="font-style:italic;">Air Time</span>! Here's what else is being said:<br /><br />“Sassy, fast-paced and appealing. First-class entertainment.” Sue Grafton<br /><br />“I love this series!” Suzanne Brockmann<br /><br />“AIR TIME is a fun, fast read with a heroine who's sexy, stylish, and smart. I loved it." Nancy Pickard<br /><br />Smart and savvy Boston TV reporter Charlotte McNally is back. In AIR TIME she’s taking on the fashion industry, where she learns “When purses are fake – the danger is real.” AIR TIME is the third of the back-to-back-to back Charlie mysteries—the first PRIME TIME (also in bookstores now) won the Agatha Award for best first novel. FACE TIME (also in bookstores now) is a BookSense notable book.<br /><br />Let's hear from Hank in her own words:<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? </span> <br /><br />Imagine the research I had to do into the world of designer purses! It was tough, but someone had to dive in…<br /><br />Actually, Charlie’s investigation into the world of counterfeit couture came s straight from been there-done that. In my day job as a TV reporter, my producer (not Franklin!) and I have done several in-depth investigations into the world of knock-offs—not only purses and scarves, but blue jeans and watches and DVDs and videos.<br /><br />We went undercover and with a hidden camera—like Charlie does—into various back-alley stores where counterfeit merchandise was being sold, and also into some suburban purse parties where women—certainly knowing they were fake and thinking was fine—were scooping up piles of counterfeit Burberrys and Chanels.<br /><br />You should know— law enforcement tells us, it’s not illegal to buy the purses—unless you’re buying large amounts that are obviously for resale. The illegality is in the copying and manufacture and sale of what’s clearly a trademarked and proprietary item. (As the elegant fashion exec Zuzu Mazny-Latos tells Charlie in AIR TIME—it’s like taking Gone with the Wind—and putting your name on the cover.)<br /><br />Anyway—lots of AIR TIME is based on research and reality—besides the undercover work, and the research, I’ve done many interviews with the federal agencies in charge of battling counterfeiting, the attorneys who help big companies protest their products, and even the private investigators the designers hire to scout out counterfeits.<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2.)Are you more driven by plot or by character?</span><br /> <br />Ah, it's both. I start with one little germ of a plot twist--and then figure out how Charlie is going to figure it out! So I know what I know--and she knows what she knows. And then she has to solve the mystery--based on what I let her know. <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?</span><br /> <br />Oh, I can't possibly answer that. Charlie McNally is dear to my heart of course. When my husband talks about Charlie, he calls her “you.” As in: when “you” get chased by the bad guys, or when “you” get held at gunpoint. And I have to remind him, “Sweetheart, it’s fiction.” But Charlie can say things I can’t say about the reality of television, and because she’s fictional, she can go places I can’t go. And say things I can’t say!<br /><br />And the very sweet 8-year-old Penny, I must say, touches me every time I write about her And I get so many letters from readers, concerned about her, and asking about her, and who I based her on. But really? She’s right out of my imagination. (She’s the character who sometimes makes readers cry...along with Charlie’s mother. I guess family relationships are sometimes—universal.)<br /><br />And in AIR TIME there’s a new character . a gorgeous FBI agent named Keresey Stone. She’s amazing. And unpredictable. But I wonder what you’ll think about her?<br /> <br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">3.) What's your writing process/writing environment like</span>?<br /><br />I’ve been a television reporter since 19, um, 75. I’m still on the air at Boston’s NBC affiliate, and still at work as an investigative reporter. (And I’m always hoping my best story ever is just around the corner.) So I come to work at Channel 7 every morning—tracking down clues, doing research, hoping for justice and looking for a great story that will change people’s lives. (Hmm..sounds a lot like mystery writing!) <br /> <br />Then at night we go back home—and when I’m in writing mode, I write til about ten pm, in a wonderful study that’s lined with bookshelves. I admit—I have a cluttered desk, and no real filing system, except for “piles.” But I know where everything is. I like it to be quiet.. At the TV station, it’s chaotic and loud, with three TV’s blasting all the time—and I can work fine there! But at home, with the books—quiet. <br /><br />Because my schedule is so tight, I keep track of my words. If I know I have to write 90,000 words by the deadline, I literally divide that number by the number of days I have—and then set that as a goal. I try to write maybe—to pages a day. And on weekends, more. If I can do that, I’m thrilled.<br /><br />I push my way through a first draft. I say to myself—just get the story down. Just do it. And you can fix it later.<br /><br />Then I cook dinner, and my husband and I have a very late dinner together! You can imagine how patient he is!<br /> <br />I used to be a pretty good cook, and diligent about exercise. My husband and I gave dinner parties and went to movies and went on vacation. Sigh. That’s all pretty much over. I have a full time job as reporter, a full time job as a mystery author, and a full time job as a wife (with two step-children and two step-grandchildren!) That doesn’t leave much time for much else.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4.) What's your favorite part of writing?</span><br /><br />Revision, no question. I love that. You have this whole first draft, and you get to go back and see what you really have. I often have wonderful revelations when I read over the first draft—there are themes and rhythms and even clues that I didn’t realize were there! It’s always so rewarding.<br /><br />And after 30 years in TV, I know how valuable editing is—so I look at it as a real treat. To get to polish, and tweak, and rearrange, and make it all shine—oh, it’s great fun. <br /><br />The other favorite part—when readers love the books. I can’t tell you how often I’m out on a story, for instance, and a stranger will come up to me , and pull the book out of a purse or briefcase, and ask me to sign it. I can barely resist bursting into tears. It somehow completes the writing, you know? when someone reads it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?</span><br /><br />There’s a plaque on my bulletin board with the question: “What would you attempt to do if you know you could not fail?” That gives me a lot of courage. <br /><br /><br />Hank’s giving away five ARC’s of PRIME TIME to readers…to enter the drawing contact her through her <a href="http://www.HankPhillippiRyan.com">website</a> and put ‘PRIME TIME ARC’ in the subject line!Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-21282321648747894672009-09-02T14:57:00.005-05:002009-09-02T15:09:49.693-05:00Writers in Their Own WordsWith September now upon us, I'm excited to tell you about a new release by one of my Girlfriend Cyber Circuit buddies, <a href="http://www.joannerendell.com">Joanne Rendell</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUqBxbAdVGpRM3GPe1kXi-7mWtHZqC0LcZD8wwpu59iqgOJ1kKTgAt-ezx307zfHtc_aOjmCW06c3xIxfzZN5CnNjYaCS4rpf-nt4ksipCTboGmHnhefEE-xBSXSSRb8Idhphm6e97zZRD/s1600-h/DSC_0091_edited-1small.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUqBxbAdVGpRM3GPe1kXi-7mWtHZqC0LcZD8wwpu59iqgOJ1kKTgAt-ezx307zfHtc_aOjmCW06c3xIxfzZN5CnNjYaCS4rpf-nt4ksipCTboGmHnhefEE-xBSXSSRb8Idhphm6e97zZRD/s320/DSC_0091_edited-1small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376962822832907378" /></a><br /><br />Her new novel, <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Washington-Square-Joanne-Rendell/dp/0451227840/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251921850&sr=1-1">Crossing Washington Square</a></span>, is drawing rave reviews, and seems like the perfect book to curl up with as you watch the eaves begin to turn and the kids head back to school.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFXSRjF1-welQx1XGAx7nOTbcCzT8h3znle5gYhWdpBTd1HPIyT8EVgeDEMktzQaYQoHq-edQfX_-BUoTO59T1LPmfepoKI_GsC9m8FKsXhH-ihzo63PLyXAybJ7_UR_5iXHlK6EZvyes/s1600-h/crossing+wash+sq+cover+final.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFXSRjF1-welQx1XGAx7nOTbcCzT8h3znle5gYhWdpBTd1HPIyT8EVgeDEMktzQaYQoHq-edQfX_-BUoTO59T1LPmfepoKI_GsC9m8FKsXhH-ihzo63PLyXAybJ7_UR_5iXHlK6EZvyes/s320/crossing+wash+sq+cover+final.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376963775987370690" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Across Washington Square live two very different women …with their very different love of books.<br /><br />Some women follow their hearts; others follow their minds. In this “charming, witty, and cerebral” second novel from the acclaimed author of The Professors’ Wives’ Club, we return to Manhattan University, where two strong-willed women are compelled to unite their senses and sensibilities.<br /><br />Professor Diana Monroe is a highly respected scholar of Sylvia Plath. Serious and aloof, she steadfastly keeps her mind on track. Professor Rachel Grey is young and impulsive, with a penchant for teaching popular women’s fiction like Bridget Jones’ Diary and The Devil Wears Prada, and for wearing her heart on her sleeve.<br /><br />The two conflicting personalities meet head to heart when Carson McEvoy, a handsome and brilliant professor visiting from Harvard, sets his eyes on both women and creates even more tension between them. Now Diana and Rachel are slated to accompany an undergraduate trip to London, where an almost life-threatening experience with a student celebrity will force them to change their minds and heal their hearts…together.</span><br /><br />Let's hear from Joanne in her own words:<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character</span>?<br /> <br />The idea for this book evolved over a few years. As someone who has lived the academic life (I have a PhD in literature and now I’m married to a professor at NYU), I’ve always loved books about the university – books like Michael Chabon’s Wonder Boys or Richard Russo’s The Straight Man. But what I noticed about such campus fiction was the lack of female professors in leading roles. Even the female authors like Francine Prose and Zadie Smith, who’ve written campus novels, they too focus on male professors. Furthermore, most of these male professors are disillusioned drunks who quite often sleep with their students! I wanted to write a novel with women professors taking the lead and I wanted these women to be strong and smart and interesting – instead of drunk, despondent, and preoccupied with questionable sexual liaisons!<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"> Who's your favorite character in this book and why?</span><br /> <br />That’s a tough one! My knee jerk response is to say Professor Rachel Grey because, out of the two female leads, I identify most with her. Rachel teaches chick lit in her classes and has to defend her work and the genre to her stuffy colleagues who think only the classics and literary fiction should be studied. As a grad student, I would be reading classical literature and poetry by day, but then secretly read popular women’s fiction at night (Bridget Jones’ Diary, I have to say, is one of my all time favorite books!). Rachel is also flawed and emotional, yet good and honest and brave. I like that about her.<br /> <br />Every time I revisit the book, however, I like Professor Diana Monroe more too. She’s super smart and has great poise and grace as a teacher. She’s the kind of uber-professor that every academic secretly wants to be. She’s also pretty darn scary in her austerity and brilliance. But she has a vulnerability too and her life started out pretty tough and therefore, every time I revisit the book, I like her more. <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What's your writing process/writing environment like?</span><br /> <br />I write early every morning while my six year old sleeps. I try and write a minimum of 500 words a day. It doesn’t always happen, but that’s my goal. I write at my desk at the front of our apartment. We live on a very busy street in Manhattan so my writing is “lulled” by taxis honking, firetrucks hooting, and jackhammers pounding. With all this practice, I could probably keep writing through a meteorite shower!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What's your favorite part of writing?</span><br /> <br />Sharing book ideas with my husband. He’s my biggest fan and my inspiration.<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing?</span><br /> <br />Write 500 words a day. It doesn’t matter if they are complete rubbish, you can always edit them later, just try and get 500 words down. <br /><br />Good advice, from a fabulous writer who's written a wonderful book!Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-8262065986844070722009-08-17T13:38:00.006-05:002009-08-17T14:05:59.673-05:00Vacation Preparations . . .I'm in list-mode. You know the kind:<br /><br />~arrange for house-sitter<br />~get pedicure and spray-on tan<br />~do laundry<br />~pick up cute new sandals (on sale)<br />~decide which books to take<br />~print out mapquest from airport to hotel<br />~print out boarding passes<br />~check the National Hurricane Center for 5-day (less reliable than 3-day) forecasts. Repeat as needed every few hours.<br /><br />What? That last weather related item isn't on your get-ready-for-vacation list? Yeah, me neither. Until now. Until I happened to notice last week an item on my google homepage about "hurricane activity picking up in the Atlantic and heading to Florida."<br /><br />Whoops. So, the first trip my husband and I have been able to take in<a href="http://notafraidofthefword.blogspot.com/2007/08/we-just-want-to-go-back.html"> two years</a>, that doesn't involve work or family obligations, just the two of us, nothing but sun and sand and wine and good food. And, well perhaps a hurricane evacuation plan.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SscFraSQAckJcD9248PtvDn7oLyJwmUNccuAXY3Hn0oRwQxn6sZUsft3Jc1pSegBFtOaIx8WF5iLbhWbY854FMGP3BajOL2vLLmoUzpKgTKCtnRZllFsrA8ZAq8nqUnJNsPqmzEcF1tk/s1600-h/isaehatl.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SscFraSQAckJcD9248PtvDn7oLyJwmUNccuAXY3Hn0oRwQxn6sZUsft3Jc1pSegBFtOaIx8WF5iLbhWbY854FMGP3BajOL2vLLmoUzpKgTKCtnRZllFsrA8ZAq8nqUnJNsPqmzEcF1tk/s320/isaehatl.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371007720174002562" /></a><br /><br />So, on the positive side, it would certainly be an adventure ("Something for the Christmas card" my husband commented), but I'm really not looking for a "roughing it" vacation. I never am. I'm not a camper. I like electricity. I also like not worrying about being swept out to sea. Although, should I survive such an ordeal I might finally have a topic for a memoir.<br /><br />Yesterday afternoon, perhaps tiring from my frequent updates about Bill (and Ana which is no longer an issue and Claudette, which never was), my husband suggested that I call our hotel. I needed to make dinner reservations (and clarify if our room came with a fridge. It does.), so he said that I could ask them about the impending storm. Good idea, I thought, make sure they have an up-to-date evacuation plan. (Yeah, like they need me, a born and bred midwesterner, double-checking their hurricane preparedness.) <br /><br />So, that's what I did. I called this morning. A delightful young man named Robert took my call. I started with the dinner reservation. "No problem, ma'am." Then asked about the fridge. "Yes, ma'am." Okay, I said, what about Hurricane Bill, I asked. "Bill? A hurricane? That hasn't even made the news here." Huh, I thought? How can that be? So, I said, I guess I don't need to be worrying about that. "No, ma'am."<br /><br />Whew. <br /><br />I guess. <br /><br />But I'm still checking. Every few hours.<br /><br />I'll file a full report upon my return.Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-14686756609243906372009-08-05T09:56:00.005-05:002009-08-05T10:05:42.177-05:00What's Cooking?As mentioned in my last post, I'm between writing projects. My manuscript is off in other people's hands right now and I'm not yet in full-panic mode. I'm making notes and brainstorming Book #3, but won't buckle down with it until September. So, one of the ways I fill my time is by cooking. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgka3hhzez8BgnnF2Q9M6-wUNWg14hU_DaUPfnVe_ziOczRxBHfgSAwr6H7uNBvURRPDsqxz7MKG1Q-jM7MBi5ez3WNskfbZQxyZ_T_7INAKskrbyrCCkCQtymx8N2HVXxXtEOiBVRPJg8a/s1600-h/berries.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgka3hhzez8BgnnF2Q9M6-wUNWg14hU_DaUPfnVe_ziOczRxBHfgSAwr6H7uNBvURRPDsqxz7MKG1Q-jM7MBi5ez3WNskfbZQxyZ_T_7INAKskrbyrCCkCQtymx8N2HVXxXtEOiBVRPJg8a/s320/berries.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366495681330462258" /></a><br /><br />Last week the food editor for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch called me to see if I I'd be interested in being featured in "What's Cooking" and if I had any good summer recipes. Fortunately, I was and do. Here's the <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/lifestyle/stories.nsf/cooking/story/0EE4E575AB45C5A78625760700688AD7?OpenDocument">link</a>:<br /><br /><br />and, um, it might be good to not pay any attention to the calorie count.Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-81052824929479965492009-07-28T11:02:00.005-05:002009-07-28T11:23:59.563-05:00Back to the blogworld . . . and GCC!Whew! I'm back. It's been a crazy summer, but I finally feel like I've got my head above water (and groceries bought and laundry done).<br /><br />The completely new rewrite (and I mean NEW . . . different POV, new setting, lots of previous characters gone, others in much larger roles, etc.) was written in record time (for me, that is) and is now off to my agent. So that means I can now look around and take care of all the things I let slip. I'm reading and cooking and ignoring the weeds that have taken over my garden. And that also means I get to blog about my buddy <a href="http://www.carleenbrice.com">Carleen Brice's</a> newest release, CHILDREN OF THE WATERS, which Booklist hailed as "a compelling read; difficult to put down." It explores the connection between love and race, and what it really means to be family and poses the intriguing question: Can two strangers become sisters?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DFLuFPnMGhLes5BByS1qaeDmahFr9Q96pWTrTj4tQxobfbuAs5WHyjNPVpw5grGaGvZpQBmGLyHd4Upv_X8ZFB3a1Hle9_hopQGRGrKOBh6qb4HNwqWNNM_t5rqqiqdDq4_L35sk38LG/s1600-h/carleenbriceauthorphoto.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 270px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5DFLuFPnMGhLes5BByS1qaeDmahFr9Q96pWTrTj4tQxobfbuAs5WHyjNPVpw5grGaGvZpQBmGLyHd4Upv_X8ZFB3a1Hle9_hopQGRGrKOBh6qb4HNwqWNNM_t5rqqiqdDq4_L35sk38LG/s320/carleenbriceauthorphoto.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363547070253845746" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfqt7LnEnPyCUca6FQ3F5qLBmWkeZwFI6uSHcMmZf1Bz8fAQCKwJ70M6xX86e33kt2AGtl5krMVXU97t1cIW4ljxgBZVvQrq6BxugZXGxejouuK_oNl1LPWcZfPBC_S9p-Q-UHH6anuxG/s1600-h/children+of+the+waters.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfqt7LnEnPyCUca6FQ3F5qLBmWkeZwFI6uSHcMmZf1Bz8fAQCKwJ70M6xX86e33kt2AGtl5krMVXU97t1cIW4ljxgBZVvQrq6BxugZXGxejouuK_oNl1LPWcZfPBC_S9p-Q-UHH6anuxG/s320/children+of+the+waters.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363546775108022578" /></a><br /><br />Let me first say I love Carleen. She's smart and fun and creative and wonderfully supportive of her fellow writers. I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of her debut novel, ORANGE MINT AND HONEY, and I knew within the first few pages that she was a fabulous writer. And you don't have to take my word for it because it's being made into a Lifetime movie(!!) and also won her a slew of awards.<br /><br />Let's hear from Carleen in her own words . . . <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">1.) How did you come up with the idea for this book? Are you more driven by plot or by character?</span> <br /><br />The idea came from a story my sister-in-law told me. She’s biracial and was given up for adoption and raised by a white family. Her birth sister, who’s also white, found her when they were adults. I wondered what would happen if she had been adopted and raised by a black family.<br /><br />I can’t really separate character and plot—they go hand in hand for me. But I need a strong handle on the story or else I’ll just keep writing in circles.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">2.) Who's your favorite character in this book and why?</span> <br /><br />A secondary character named Fletcher who is a senior citizen who sells marijuana to other seniors. The why is obvious, right?<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">3.) What's your writing process/writing env</span>ironment like? <br /><br />Haphazard. My process is whatever it takes at the time—a walk, going to a coffee shop, getting up early or staying up late, working in the kitchen. And my office is always a mess.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">4.) What's your favorite part of writing</span>? <br /><br />When I find little clues in my story that I’ve left for myself that help me work out the problems. I like how the subconscious and the collective unconscious work or serendipity, whatever it is.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">5.) What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten about writing? </span><br /><br />Do what works for you. I hate those “absolutes” people toss out. You must always or can’t ever. Phooey. Do what works for you and your story.<br /><br />Carleen has written an amazing book--lyrical, moving, and one that will have you singing for joy. I promise.Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117689460622632628.post-83846492936265294692009-07-02T08:23:00.003-05:002009-07-02T08:34:02.245-05:00Can I get an "Amen" on Overkill?Is this just me? Or did anyone else scream at the sight of Matt Lauer on The Today Show this morning, standing in Michael Jackson's kitchen with his (Michael's) two dogs? I mean, yes, Michael's passing was sad, he lived a very tragic life (even in the classical, Greek sense of the word, not just the overused "News at Five!" sense in which everything is a tragedy). I was a big fan of The Jackson Five growing up, still break into song at times. He was adorable and grew into an incredibly talented solo artist.<br /><br />Then he went nuts. With the plastic surgery and lifestyle and dancing on top of his lawyer's car last fall.<br /><br />So, yes, his death at age 50 was sad. But a week's worth of mourning and retrospectives and headlines? Please. That was the entire Today show today. After the "dog scene" mentioned above, I flipped to Good Morning America only to be greeted with the breathless news that "Coming up, a look inside the King of Pop's Bathroom!"<br /><br />No thank you very much. I don't really want to see inside anybody's bathroom.<br /><br />Is it just me? Has my curmudgeonly nature completely taken over? Or can I get an "Amen" to letting people die in peace and giving them and their loved ones some privacy?<br /><br />Me, I'm off to read the paper and drink coffee on my front porch.Judy Merrill Larsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06675069484490433295noreply@blogger.com5