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Allison Winn Scotch, High-flying author tells all
PostDateIcon  June 27, 2011  |  PostAuthorIcon  Author:  admin

~ Interview by Chris Bailey

Days before the June 28 release of the paperback edition of New York Times bestseller The One That I Want, author Allison Winn Scotch is traveling cross country–and making time to answer questions about her novels and her writing process for Chick Lit writers and fans.

Before turning her talents to full-time writing, Allison dabbled in PR, marketing and the Internet. As a free-lance writer, she was a frequent contributor to national magazines, including Glamour, Self, Shape and Redbook. And then she broke into fiction in a big way with the 2007 publication of The Department of Lost and Found.

In Allison’s third novel, The One That I Want (2010), 32-year-old Tilly Farmer has the perfect life she always dreamed of: married to her high school sweetheart, working as a school guidance counselor, trying for a baby. Perfect.

But one sweltering afternoon at the local fair, everything changes. Tilly wanders into a fortune teller’s tent and meets an old childhood friend, who offers her more than just a reading. “I’m giving you the gift of clarity,” her friend says. “It’s what I always thought you needed.” And soon enough, Tilly starts seeing things: her alcoholic father relapsing, staggering out of a bar with his car keys in hand; her husband uprooting their happy, stable life, a packed U-Haul in their driveway. And even more disturbing, these visions start coming true. Suddenly Tilly’s perfect life, so meticulously mapped out, seems to be crumbling around her. And as she furiously races to keep up with–and hopefully change –her destiny, she faces the question: Which life does she want? The one she’s carefully nursed for decades, or the one she never considered possible?

Q. How is a paperback release different from the original hardback release?

A. Well, hopefully, there’s a familiarity among readers, but with the hardback, you get reviews and have a better chance at third-party promotion. With the paperback, it’s all on you! So there’s both more pressure and less: you know that you can do what you can do, and after that, you just hope that the book connects. Also, there’s a much bigger reach with book clubs, so you extend yourself as far as possible with those readers.

Q. Publishers Weekly writes that, “Scotch answers hard questions about the nature of personal identity and overwhelming loss with a wise, absorbing narrative.” What was the hardest of those hard questions for you to answer, and why?

A. Great question! I definitely really struggled to answer the question of why someone would stay in a life that she’s unhappy with (even if she doesn’t realize the depths of her unhappiness), and it took me a long time to understand my main character, Tilly, because of this. It wasn’t until I stepped back and realize that we all make small concessions every day and that sometimes, they can snowball into something much bigger that is much harder to dig out of, that I think I really “got” both Tilly and the book. It’s a tough (and big) question to ask: what happens when you wake up and find that your life isn’t the one you wanted? What then? Do you try to fix it or do you flee because in some ways, fleeing might be the easier choice?

Q. When you write, what role do you play? Do you envision yourself inside the character, or are you an audience member witnessing the character’s trials?

A. I am totally inside my character’s head. In fact, I often find myself talking aloud as my character, trying to really envision (or fully envisioning) how she would behave, think and speak. Prior to finding my voice as a writer, I dabbled my toe in acting, and I’ve found that the two aren’t that dissimilar, at least for me. In order for a character to really work, to really jump off the page, I have to be 100% inside of her head, or else it comes off as an author working to put words and thoughts into a two-dimensional creation.

Q. Before The One That I Want, with its protagonists’ visions of an unwelcome future, you created a main character with breast cancer and one with a chance for a seven-year do-over. Next up, plane crash survivor with amnesia. Would you say that your fiction is transitioning from realism into magical realism?

A. Actually, just the reverse! : ) Yes, my first book [The Department of Lost and Found] dealt with cancer, but from there, I really leapt into the world of magical realism [Time of My Life and The One That I Want], and I loved every second of it. But when it came time to write my next book, I very purposefully moved away from the suspensions of disbelief. I felt like I’d taken that device as far as I wanted, and I wanted to ground the next book in reality. Though the description of my next book, The Song Remains the Same, might sound like it’s in fantasy-land, it’s really a pretty dark view at what happens when someone has to start her life over entirely, from a blank slate. I suppose it gets back to the question I often explore in my books: are you living the most fulfilled life that you want to be? But in this book, I don’t use fantastical elements to force my character into her decisions.

Q. You offer to join book club discussions by phone. What have you learned from your readers’ questions?

A. That no matter our place and state in life, we all struggle with the same questions and same problems and same joys. From women my mom’s age to my younger peers: we’re all just in this together, mucking our way through. And also: just because someone picked your book for a book club, doesn’t mean that she’s necessarily enjoy it. : ) And she won’t hesitate to let you know!

Q. Do you have much input into your reading group guides?

A. Yes. In fact, I’m usually asked to draft most of the questions. Then someone at my publisher finesses them and adds in a few of her own.

Q. What pros and cons would you offer for the unpublished writer regarding traditional vs. e-publishing?

A. Well, e-publishing is obviously exploding right now, but I’d caution someone about just throwing his or her book up on the web and expecting it to have a major impact on his/her career. What people don’t realize until they’re on the other side is that the marketing aspect of this industry is BRUTAL–you are literally competing with thousands of other books, many of which have publishing houses behind them and they STILL don’t get bought. While it’s wonderful to have your e-published book out there to be read, I think you have to consider your goals: is it to share your work with friends/family/a few readers who may buy it or do you want to hold off to see if you can land a bigger fish? And look, I’m not trying to be discouraging at all. If you read my blog, you know that I am so supportive of aspiring writers. But it’s all about the end result: simply “publishing” your book may not change much in the course of your career. And if you’re okay with that (and I mean that 100 percent genuinely), then go for it. Otherwise, until things have shifted even more, I probably wouldn’t recommend it.

Q. Any words of wisdom on the chick-lit-is-dead debate?

A. I find the whole debate so inane. Seriously. I don’t get it at all. “Chick lit” is a title that was given to books a decade ago because someone, somewhere needed to have a neat little category for a type of book that was being written at the time. I don’t think it has much to do with anything that is being written now. All I know is that I have dozens of female writer friends who write kick-ass, amazing work, and I don’t give a flying fig whether they’re called “chick lit” or “women’s fiction” or “commercial fiction.” What I do care about is that they explore real issues and real problems and offer compelling, moving characters and stories. If someone wants to call that chick lit, then it’s a compliment. If someone wants to be small minded and ignore a book because it’s written by someone with boobs, well, then, I’m probably not going to like him or her so much in the first place.

Q. Any late-breaking news you’d like to share?

A. Hmmm…I’m writing this from 36,000 feet? No, that’s probably not what you were thinking of. How about this: I get asked a lot about the Time of My Life movie adaptation, and I expect and hope to have some fun news about it after the summer ends!

Allison is currently in the midst of a summer reads book giveaway on her Allison Winn Scotch author facebook page. For more about Allison and her books, go to allisonwinn.com or follow her on Twitter at @aswinn.

Allison, thanks so much for being a guest on our blog. Our best chick lit wishes are with you.

Chris Bailey’s writing for hire has appeared online, in numerous U.S. newspapers and in mailboxes across the U.S. and Canada.

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This Week In Chick Lit
PostDateIcon  June 24, 2011  |  PostAuthorIcon  Author:  admin

~ By Melina Kantor

Hi Everyone,

In honor RWA Nationals in NYC, which start next week, I thought it would be fun to collect sites with conference posts at tips.

I’ll start the list, and I hope you’ll leave a comment and add to it!

Also, just for fun, here’s a nice and inspiring story from the New York Times. (Thanks Chris Bailey!)

Have a great weekend, everybody! 🙂

Melina writes contemporary women’s fiction with a pinch of oregano and a dash of chutzpah. By day, she is an elementary school computer teacher. You can visit her at http://melinakantor.com.

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YOU THWARTED ME BUT I DID IT ANYWAY! SO THERE!
PostDateIcon  June 22, 2011  |  PostAuthorIcon  Author:  admin

Note: This summer, we’ll occasionally be bringing back some of our favorite posts.

Enjoy! 🙂

~ By Michelle Cunnah

If you have kids (or know any kids, or have been a kid yourself) then you know that telling them not to do something is an absolute-sure-fire-100%-guaranteed way of making them try do exactly what it is you are trying to discourage them from doing. I am living proof of this.

I’ve loved reading and writing since I was very young. I really can’t remember a time when I wasn’t in a quiet corner reading, or making up stories, or adapting well-known tales into scripts for my friends and I to act out. But my love of romance novels (and later Chick Lit novels) began with my maternal grandmother, one of the nicest people I’ve ever known.

In my teens I spent a lot of time at her house, and because she was such an avid reader of Harlequin Mills & Boon books I decided to try one myself. If they were good enough for Nan Mary, they were good enough for me.

The book was “The Bartered Bride” by Margaret Rome. I devoured it. I was totally hooked. I felt like I’d come home. Many weekends of blissful reading with Nan Mary, and accompanying her to the book exchange in the market to get more books, ensued. And when the movie of Anne Mather’s “Leopard in the Snow” was released, Nan Mary and I went to the very first screening. And then we went again.

I promised Nan Mary there and then that one day I would write a romance book, too. And have it made into a movie. She believed in me completely. She was the only one, as I was soon to discover.

You see, about the same time as I made this promise I discovered a treasure trove of Mills & Boon romances in the school library. It even had my favorite book, “The Bartered Bride.” I was thrilled, because Nan Mary’s copy of that same book had long since gone to the book exchange. Many hours of reading ensued. And then disaster struck.

One day, just as I was checking out my latest stash, the school librarian (who also happened to be one of the English teachers) pulled me to one side. She told me that she’d looked at my reading history. She thought that I should add different genres for balance. But I already read different genres, I wanted to say. What about all the D.H. Lawrence, Charles Dickens, and Thomas Hardy I am studying in English? What about all the Albert Camus, Emile Zola, Gunther Grass, and Annette von Droste-Hülshoff I am studying for French and German? But I didn’t.

She took my romance books away from me and told me that I had to read “proper” books. Then she selected some “proper” books for me. Books by Catherine Cookson and Emily Bronte. And although I have nothing but respect for these authors, it has to be said that their books aren’t exactly the lightest, happiest of reads. I reinforced my promise to myself and Nan Mary. I would write an “improper” book. I would show that librarian!

Sometime later my English teacher (not the librarian/English teacher) set us a piece of homework. To write a short story about anything we wanted. Anything at all. I took a deep breath and plunged into writing my first ever romance. After all, I might as well make a start on that promise to Nan Mary.

I sweated blood over that short story. I edited it. I rewrote it, and then I rewrote it some more. Bear in mind in those days all homework was done by applying pens to paper. And then the deadline date arrived, and I handed it in. I was so nervous, because I thought it was the best thing I had ever written. Surely I would get at least an A-?

I scored a B. I was gutted. What had I done wrong?

Turns out that this teacher was also intent on thwarting me. She pulled me to one side and told me that she couldn’t give me an A because, although my story was imaginative and well written, it was too “women’s magazine.” How unfair was that? Who knew that there was so much discrimination against romance stories? This stiffened my backbone even more. Too “women’s magazine?” Pah! I would show that English teacher.

More discrimination followed .

In the green room at the theater where I worked part time, the front-of-house manager (usually a kind person) asked me what I was reading. When I showed him my Mills & Boon he laughed and poked fun at me for reading “that kind of rubbish.” My other coworkers thought that it was okay to laugh and poke fun at me, too. “That kind of rubbish,” indeed! One day, when I had a romance book with my name on the cover, I would show them all!

Fast forward a few years. Finally, after my family moved to the Netherlands, I had time. I wrote my first romance and sent it off to Mills & Boon, along with a fifty-page synopsis. Yes. That’s right. Fifty pages of synopsis. Unsurprisingly it was rejected. I think maybe having the heroine look at herself in the mirror in chapter one (you know, so that I could tell the editor what she looked like), and had her whole back story in chapter one (you know, so that I could tell the editor what a terrible life she’d had), might have had something to do with it. I don’t think having the heroine go to bed at the end of chapter one helped, either (I was clueless–I didn’t realize this would also send the editor to sleep).  Also, maybe I should have written the whole book before sending off the first three chapters.

So I wrote another story, and over a period of years I wrote another eighteen or nineteen stories in total for Mills & Boon, along with eighteen or nineteen more fifty-page synopses. All were rejected. I can’t remember how many heroines looked at themselves in mirrors or went to bed at the end of chapters.

By this time we’d moved to New Jersey. So I joined RWA, found my local chapter, learned a lot about the business and craft of writing (no mirror descriptions or heroines falling asleep at the end of chapters!), and synopsis writing (and that a synopsis should not be fifty pages long), and decided to try my hand at chick lit. After all, if it was good enough for Jane Austen, it was good enough for me. Plus writing it was great fun, and meant that there was more than one publisher who I could send it to. And receive even more rejections.

And one day I got the call. I had an agent! Yes! And not long after that (although ten years after my first Mills & Boon rejection) my agent sold 32AA to Avon, and I had a three-book deal.

One of the first people to receive a copy of that book was Nan Mary. I had done it, and she couldn’t be prouder. Even though it wasn’t Mills & Boon.

Of course, I’m still living in hope that one of my books will be made into a movie.

Michelle is the author of three women’s fiction and two Young Adult books. She is currently at work on a new women’s fiction story and can be found just outside London, England, where she spends her time either attached at the hip to her computer, or struggling to remember the UK English words for cell phone, sidewalk and spackle. If you’d like to find out more about Michelle’s antics with “improper books”, travel, telephones, red tape and other little life disasters, check out her blog, michellecunnah.com/blog.

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Finding Inspiration
PostDateIcon  June 20, 2011  |  PostAuthorIcon  Author:  admin

~ By Tina Gallagher

Note: This post, by Tina Gallagher, originally appeared on chapter member Lois Winston’s blog. Thank you Tina and Lois for allowing us to repost it!

Enjoy!

When people find out I’m a writer, they usually ask where I get my story ideas. Actually, ideas come pretty easily…sometimes it’s as simple as reading a story and wondering “what if this happened instead of that?” In fact, I often have snippets of potential characters’ conversations running around in my head as ideas come to mind.

What I have more of a problem with in the writing process is the setting. In fiction, the setting can be just as important as any character and needs to be developed just as well in order to make it come alive. And it’s not just the city or town the story takes place in that needs to be described, it’s everything. Unless my characters are going to have all those conversations that are running through my head in a one room shack, I need to find places for them to go, and I need to describe those places well.

Since setting is so important, I try to notice things everywhere I go. Restaurants, parks, schools, houses, hotels, roads…pretty much everything. You never know what can be used in a story somewhere down the road.

In my new release, Misguided, Jake takes Cassie for a romantic New Year’s Eve dinner at a hotel that was formerly a passenger train station. While the town Misguided is set in is fictitious, the hotel is not. I based it on an actual hotel located in my hometown of Scranton, Pa.

The Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel was formerly known as the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad Station, whose routes stretched across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. This six-story landmark was constructed in 1908 and considered one of the most beautiful terminals in the East, having been built as a showplace for the company’s central business offices and doubling as a depot. It has been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places since 1977.

The last train left this station in 1970 and for ten years, the building fell into disrepair, falling victim to vandals and the elements. After extensive renovations, it reopened on New Year’s Eve 1983, emerging with all the grandeur of the original station, plus so much more.

The care that was taken throughout the restorations is evidenced throughout the building. The Grand Lobby, which originally served as the station’s waiting area, boasts a barrel-vaulted Tiffany stained-glass ceiling, Siena marble walls, and a mosaic tile floor. Surrounding the walls are 36 tile murals that depict scenes along the railroad’s lines, starting at Hoboken Station and ending at Niagara Falls. Above the dining room walls are a dozen matching stained glass lamps, all but one is original to the old station.

Today, the Grand Lobby holds a fine dining restaurant and a wine bar. This structure is truly a feast for the eyes. If you’re ever passing through Scranton, be sure to make a stop at the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel. Grab a cocktail, settle into a comfy chair, and check out the history.

Tina writes contemporary romance novels and non-fiction. Tina began writing as a young girl. In-between softball, basketball, and music lessons, she and her best friend would create their own “happily ever afters” for their favorite soap opera couples. After a while, the soap operas lost their appeal, but the writing never did. Tina lives in Northeast Pennsylvania and is an active member of the Pocono/Lehigh Romance Writers. To learn more about Tina, visit her website.

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This Week In Chick Lit
PostDateIcon  June 17, 2011  |  PostAuthorIcon  Author:  admin

~ By Melina Kantor

Hello Everybody, and happy Friday!

I hope you’ve all had a good week.

I also hope you’ve got some great summer reading / writing planned for this weekend.

If not, here’s a bit of motivation from Meg Cabot:

Writing in bed wearing yoga pants. . . Raise your hand if you’ve done that. *happily raises hand*

As for this week’s news:

  1. According to the Times of India, reading too much romance and chick lit may not be the greatest thing for your love life. Hmm.
  2. Hardcore geek heroines in romance novels? Thank you, Heroes and Heartbreakers! You’ve made my computer teacher heart very happy.
  3. Here’s an article from USA Today about chick lit reads to “heat up your summer.”

As always, if you’ve got any links to share, leave a comment and let us know!

Have a great weekend! 🙂

Melina writes contemporary women’s fiction with a pinch of oregano and a dash of chutzpah. By day, she is an elementary school computer teacher. You can visit her at http://melinakantor.com.

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Homonyms for Adults
PostDateIcon  June 15, 2011  |  PostAuthorIcon  Author:  admin

~ By Chris Bailey

During the school year, I tutor one afternoon a week with a program called Start the Adventure in Reading (STAIR) that targets at-risk second graders. It’s totally selfish. We must teach children to read so that one day, they will buy our books.

As is always the case with trying to give back, I learn a lot more than I teach. One lesson I never thought much about is homonyms. You remember- words that sound alike, but have different meanings and spellings. With my STAIR student, I read stories and search for words like sea and see; tale and tail; blue and blew; to, too and two.

In the past couple of months, I’ve noticed quite a few misrepresented nouns and verbs in published works-a few of them in paperbacks and blog posts, but most between hard covers. I know even high-end hardback books can’t be perfect, and that a few mistakes among 100,000 words doesn’t destroy a good story. But I thought I’d share what I’ve seen because. . .well, because there’s no excuse for it. And I’m a curmudgeon.

Shears/Sheers

Shears hanging in the window of a hair salon would make a creative statement. But the picture window in the elderly widow’s home probably has translucent fabric panels called sheers.

Teaming/Teaming

People who join a team may be the teaming type, but I suspect that the mention of a “teaming crowd” was not supposed to evoke the image of people joining together in cooperative groups. I suspect the author meant to use the word “teeming,” or numerous, as in the sonnet by Emma Lazarus engraved on a plaque inside the base of the Statue of Liberty.

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Flare/Flair

Someone with a flair for style may be bright, but wouldn’t light the sky the way a flare does.

Sight/Site

When a character sets her sights on visiting a “grave sight,” she could have meant a specter or ghost, or even a place where she might view something somber. But given the context, the author probably meant “a grave site,” a particular location within a cemetery.

Phased/Fazed

One hero was notably unphased by a bomb. I think the author meant “unfazed,” or heroically undaunted, rather than unsynchronized.

All through school, English classes address common homonyms, but no handy “i before e” rule applies. Spell checkers rarely help. You have to learn the words. And the only way to do that is to read lists of homonyms to raise awareness. Here’s a link to Alan Cooper’s exhaustive online list: http://www.cooper.com/alan/homonym.html

He welcomes additions to the list!

Chris Bailey’s writing for hire has appeared online, in numerous U.S. newspapers and in mailboxes across the U.S. and Canada.

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YA Saves: Another Response
PostDateIcon  June 13, 2011  |  PostAuthorIcon  Author:  admin

~ By M-E Girard

This might almost be old news by now, seeing as it’s been all over Twitter, the blogosphere—the Wall Street Journal—for over a week now. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, then allow me to explain…

On June 4th, the Wall Street Journal posted an article to explore the “dark” factor in contemporary young adult fiction—mainly that it is too dark. Several points were brought up, but the gist of it was that the dark subject matter (or “pathologies” as the writer, Mrs. Gurdon, referred to them) is much too present and young people should not be exposed to such “ugliness”. She even goes as far as suggesting that exploring these “pathologies” normalizes the behaviours in teens, and that it is in young people’s nature to infect each other with the current trend in self-destructive behaviours. To be clear, we’re talking about sex, drugs, rape, cutting, bullying, etc.

As an adult who chooses to read YA, I’ve often gotten odd looks when I tell other adults my taste in literature. I know most older folk assume the young adult books I read to be like those they may have read as “children”. My response is always the same, “YA fiction today is not at all what it was years ago; give it a try, you’ll see”. A lot of it is dark—I will give the Wall Street Journal that. But never did I consider “dark” to be a bad thing, or a “pathology”; the dark factor is simply another reality characterizing that age group. In my opinion, YA fiction has done us all a favour: it has moved forward with the times. It is true YA fiction, accurately reflecting the voice of today’s young adult. Being a young adult—even more so these days—is not easy and I would venture that today’s older adults just do not want to know the full extent of the difficulties teens can encounter. It’s shocking, it’s terrible, it’s unfortunate—it’s real life.

When I first read Mrs. Gurdon’s article, my inner teen came to the surface and her reaction went a little something like this: “Pfft…typical old person’s reaction. Whatever.” As I stated in my last blog, I spent my teen years with an R.L. Stine or Christopher Pike novel in my hands; not once did I get the urge to organize a ski trip in order to secretly murder all my friends, or suspect my babysitter of trying to murder me, etc. My adult self chimed in, adding that an adolescent mind that susceptible to such behaviours was probably already headed down that path anyhow. An individual who cannot cope with internal turmoil and is looking for a release will likely pick up the razor blade—whether or not they read about a teen protagonist doing the same thing. And even if the book is what introduced them to that particular behaviour, it does not mean that they wouldn’t have found another way to self-destruct. The teen was already on that path and the written words have nothing to do with that. If anything, those written words may be one of the only lifelines that teen has while he or she is navigating dark territory. Adding to that is the fact that by reading about YA protagonists who struggle, the teen reader gets an inside look at how other teens might live, which may foster a sense of empathy when they’re at school, taking a second look at classmates they may have dismissed or misunderstood in the past.

There has been an influx of blogs in response to the Wall Street Journal article. I’m going to switch it up a bit and turn the mic over to real live young adults and pick their brains about Mrs. Gurdon’s position on today’s “dark pathologies” and their place in YA fiction.

Katherine is a seventeen year-old, twelfth grade student. Rachel is a fifteen year-old, tenth grade student. I asked them a few questions on the subject and I am sharing their answers with you now.

How much YA fiction do you read?

Katherine: About two a year

Rachel: A lot. I’d say about 75% of what I read is YA. I’d say, maybe 3 or 4 books a month.

What kind of subject matter in fiction are you drawn to?

Katherine: I’m mostly drawn to things I can relate to. I like subcultures and sexual identity/orientation related subjects mostly.

Rachel: I like a lot of vampire stuff—not all Twilight, but all kinds of other ones. I like stuff that deals with drug abuse—that comes off as kind of weird, I guess.

How do you feel about so-called “dark” themes?

Katherine: I love dark themes, It adds realism and complexity to a story line. I can usually relate to them very well. Most times, to be honest, if there aren’t any I get bored and stop reading.

Rachel: I wouldn’t even really say they’re “dark”. It’s what a lot of kids have to deal with. Through the books you can learn a lot about people. You’re not as sheltered. It teaches how bad these things are. You get to read about the struggle that it is; it’s not like they’re teaching you to do these things. It’ll focus on the negative aspects.

In your opinion, is there any truth to the fact that reading about such “dark” things might cause a teen to want to go out and do it?

Katherine: I think that sometimes a teen will read and decide to try it. I think it really just depends on the person, I guess.

Rachel: I think that some teenagers are easily persuaded but not a lot of us are like that. You’d probably learn about that stuff anyway. You’d learn about it through your friends and parents. I think that kids who would do that kind of stuff probably wouldn’t be reading books much anyway.

Do you think YA fiction should be censored or not allow such dark themes in order to protect some teens from “picking up” certain self-destructive behaviours from them?

Katherine: No. F*** that. I’d never want them to be censored. I like them the way they are. Sometimes they’re even too censored for me…

Rachel: I don’t think so. That’s limiting creative expression. They don’t have limits for books. It doesn’t make sense. I don’t think it’ll stop teens from picking up bad habits anyway.

Well, there you have it, right out of the teenager’s mouth.

In conclusion, I would like to give some advice to parents looking to monitor what their teens are reading—because I can completely empathize with parents looking for milder, softer literature to entertain their kids with, especially when said parents are really making a valiant effort at sheltering their kids from today’s insanity: Get on the internet and do some research. The same way my low-carb dieting self has to wade through the carbohydrate-ridden products to find the ones I’m allowed to consume, a parent might have to put some research to find specific books he or she deems acceptable for their young adult to read. But remember this: No matter how much one might prevent “dark” books from reaching their teenaged children, the real world will still be there waiting for them.

M-E Girard is a registered nurse moonlighting as a fiction writer. A Young Adult Fiction buff, M-E spends most of her time telling tales of teenage angst and happenings of high school halls, with a focus on LGBT realities. She is currently working on her first novel (runner-up in the 2010 Young Adult Novel Discovery Contest) and regularly participates in short story competitions. Her short stories—The Welkin and Limbo—were published in Confabulation 4, a Canadian anthology. M-E lives just outside of Toronto, in Ajax, Ontario, Canada, with her partner-in-crime Melissa and their two Chihuahua babies.

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This Week in Chick Lit
PostDateIcon  June 10, 2011  |  PostAuthorIcon  Author:  admin

Summer Kick-Off Edition

~ By Melina Kantor

Hi Everyone!

Happy Friday, and happy almost summer!

I’m so excited about summer vacation (I’m a teacher) I’m not even going to complain about this week’s unbearable weather, and the humidity that’s so bad I feel like I’m spinning around in a working dryer.

Nope. Not going to complain. 🙂

This week, I’d thought we could use some articles about summer reading. And, read on to the end for info on the fantastic Chick Lit Chapter Party that’ll be taking place during Nationals in NYC.

So, onto summer reads. . . Here are some articles that may help you spice up your summer reading list:

As always, if you have any suggestions, leave a comment and let us know!

Now for the party info:

The party is on Thursday, June 30, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Astra. Astra is located in mid-town Manhattan’s exclusive Decoration & Design building and features panoramic river views from the large fourteenth floor terrace.

Astra

979 Third Avenue

14th Floor

New York, New York 10022

We are allowing guests this year, so pass this along to everyone you know who is going to Nationals! A $20 cover charge is required for members. A $25 cover charge is required for non-members/guests.

Be sure to sign up if you’re going to Nationals.

See you next week! 🙂

Melina writes contemporary women’s fiction with a pinch of oregano and a dash of chutzpah. By day, she is an elementary school computer teacher. You can visit her at http://melinakantor.com.

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Don’t short-change your characters …
PostDateIcon  June 8, 2011  |  PostAuthorIcon  Author:  admin

They may be deeper than you realize

~ By Jeff Salter

I’m sharing one of my real-life experiences:  something I observed at our Veterinary Clinic about 14 months ago.  I learned something important about others and about myself — and I realized how it can (or should) tie-in to our writing.

——

A heavy-set man was in front of me in line at the Veterinary Clinic counter — he looked pretty rough and dour.  I didn’t pay all that much attention except to note the receptionist had him sit to wait for Dr. B.

I began my business with the receptionist and also had to wait [I was picking up my mother-in-law’s dog].  I didn’t really resent having to run this errand, but I was NOT happy about it.  I fiddled with my phone camera because I’d been instructed to take a pix of ‘Ginger’ (after her grooming).  Nobody else was in the waiting room, so I tried to engage that man by verbalizing my difficulty in getting the camera to function.  No response.

It seemed odd.  Usually most people at the Vet seem eager to engage.  So I chalked him off as somebody who also didn’t want to be there; I guessed he’d been coerced into running this errand and really wanted to be off somewhere pounding nails or pouring concrete.

Shortly, Dr. B. appeared in the waiting room’s doorway.  I didn’t catch everything he said because I wasn’t really paying attention.  But I heard Dr. B. ask if the man wanted to go ‘back’ to the office to go over the results.  Or would he like to have ‘her’ – I presume wife or daughter – call Dr. B. later for those results.  Difficult to tell what the man replied.  I still had him pegged as not giving a hoot either way.

Shortly a clinic employee appeared with a little frou-frou dog like a Bichon.  Now I had assumed the whole story:  the guy was coerced into running this errand, he was impatient to leave, and the frou-frou dog was his wife’s pet.  He just wanted to pay and get on with his real interests.

Then Dr. B. began going over the results … right there in the doorway.  “These readings are literally off the chart, that’s why you don’t see a mark.  The other levels are way high.”  More medical detail about the test results.

It was then I noticed the man (his back to me) wiping tears from his eyes.

Dr. B. kept on explaining with no visible emotion [I guess Vets have to be that way].  Soon the man began sobbing … but he never said a word.

Why do I share this story?  [Depressing as it is]. Because most of us have been there — hearing that bad news from a Vet.  But mostly because I stood there and ‘judged’ this man as an uncaring bum … when all the time he was grieving (clearly knowing that this little dog would have to be put down).

He left with the dog and Dr. B. gave him some private phone numbers.  “Have your wife call me when y’all make up your minds.  Any time.”

With tears streaming down his face, the man left … without saying a word.

Me too.

——

Just as I learned a heart-breaking lesson about this actual individual – that he was a LOT deeper than I had assumed (by his appearance and lack of interaction) – it’s often too easy for us to write characters with a similar lack of dimension.  That man was a lot deeper than I gave him credit for.

I realized that I’ve written characters who were too shallow because I took the easy way out and just propped up some one-dimensional cut-outs … to move along my story.

For me, the lesson is:  be attentive to your characters and look for something which can sneak up on your reader … just as this man’s tears sneaked up on me.

Your characters may be – or perhaps should be – deeper than you may realize.  Don’t short-change them … or your readers.

QUESTION:  Have you ever written a character who does something much deeper than you’ve led the reader to expect?

Jeff Salter has completed seven novel manuscripts, three of which he considers chick lit.  He also co-authored two non-fiction books with a royalty publisher, in addition to an encyclopedia article and a signed chapter. Jeff has also published articles, book reviews, and over 120 poems. His writing has won nearly 40 awards, including several in national contests. He’s a retired librarian, a decorated Air Force veteran, and a published photo journalist. He’s married with two children and six grandchildren.

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License for High Heels
PostDateIcon  June 6, 2011  |  PostAuthorIcon  Author:  admin

~ By Alana Albertson

I just returned from a glorious weekend in my favorite town – Carmel-by-the-Sea.

An artist’s enclave, I was charmed by the storybook cottages, many galleries, and dog friendly shops and restaurants.

But the highlight of my trip – the ultimate chick lit lover’s souvenir.

A high heel shoes permit! Though many people think it’s a myth, Carmel-by-the-Sea bans ladies from wearing high heels. So to strut in your Louboutins, you must get a permit. I strolled into City Hall and the lovely City Clerk took my driver’s license.

I think I’ll frame it!

Alana Albertson is the President of RWA’s Chick Lit Writers Chapter and the founder of Academe Advantage, a college admissions & test preparation company. A recovering Chick Lit author, Alana currently writes contemporary romance and young adult fiction. She lives in San Diego, California, with her husband, seven-month old baby boy, and a menagerie of rescue pets. When she’s not spending her time needlepointing, dancing or playing the drums, she can be found watching episodes of House Hunters, Big Love, or Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team. Keep up with her at alanaalbertson.com.

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