Love To Readers; August Winner

First off, I want to thank you all so so much for helping me with my mini-accident. I don’t know how I can even tell you how helpful it was to read every single comment. The broad range of opinions and suggestions really gave me enough knowledge to make what I think is a good decision.

After much fretting, I suggested we go through the insurance and the other party agreed. I feel better knowing that she’ll get the repair she wants and I’ll get a clear conscience knowing that it’s all above board. LOVE LOVE LOVE to all of you who generously took time out of your day to help me. People like YOU are the reason my faith in humanity remains strong.

So, now, I’m pleased to say that life can go on and I think I’ve shaken off whatever bad energy was following me around. I’ve had a great week – and now I get to do one of my favorite things, which is announce the winner of my monthly LOVE TO READERS prize.

Let’s turn to my trusty assistant (okay, my fiancé) to pick the random winner:

And it looks like…

Bruce Greene

You won for the month! Please take a look at my LOVE TO READERS page and let me know what you’d like.

More soon!

Lisa Dale
www.LisaDaleBooks.com

Why They Call It A (car) Accident

There’s something I neglected to tell you in my last post because, frankly, I believe that dwelling on minor inconveniences in life is as helpful as pouring lemon juice on a paper cut. But I’m very distracted tonight and I thought blogging may help.

The past weekend, in a rainstorm, I was driving down a small hill when the car in front of me stopped short at a yield sign. I hit the brake—and on any other day there would have been no problem—but the combination of the hill and the rain made my car slide in to the SUV in front of me. There was a 2.5 inch scratch on the bumper. It was such a gentle little accident that the officer who showed up just shrugged his shoulders. I heard him radio back to the police department that “yeh, this was extremely minor—nothing to be done here.”

Of course, I was panicked a bit—more worried about the insurance company than anything else. I told the young woman that I would be glad to pay for the scratch to her bumper, rather than go through the insurance. At first, she refused. But the officer advised her to essentially cool it and just let me pay on my own since it was so, so minor. I’ll include a picture of the bumper here.

What really got me fired up was that the girl (she must have been in her early twenties, and driving a brand new car that—forgive me—was more than likely purchased by Mom and Dad) was extremely skeptical that I would pay her. “But how do I know you won’t just take off?” I felt really bummed out to be the object of such bald cynicism. Really makes you feel about as big as a flea. I gave her all my information with the cop looking on.

Anyway, today, the woman emailed me a copy of the autobody’s bill to say that the bumper would cost $1,000. Rather than having the scratch buffed out, she has opted to have the whole bumper replaced. She wants to come pick up the check—made out to her—tomorrow. I was fumbling for an answer, so I said, okay. But I realize now that I should probably take some pains to make sure I’m not being taken advantage of. 

Tomorrow, I have a little bit of investigating to do—to see if the estimate is sound. And to figure out whether or not it makes more sense to go through the insurance company. Also, I’ll need to figure out how to pay the autoshop directly, rather than just write her a blank check for a thousand dollars that I don’t have.

Prior to this weekend, three separate people have rear-ended my little, fuel-efficient economy car. Three people—and I let every single one of them go with a smile and a wave (literally). Yes, my car got dinged. But at the end of the day, it’s a car. An object. I saw an opportunity to do some good for another human being on a potentially bad day, and I did it. Not saying I should be sainted.

I’m just saying, Hello? Universe? Don’t I merit some kind of karmic generosity in the situation? (Or perhaps I should say “carmic” generosity?)

LOVE TO READERS: If you have thoughts, please do share them. I don’t imagine this girl is taking advantage of me—and I will certainly do whatever it takes to repair the problem. Just feeling kind of…dehumanized…if that makes any sense.

The Guernsey Literary and Inglourious Basterds Society

Oddly enough, I spent much of this weekend thinking about WWII. I picked up the much-discussed book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society early last week (by Mary Ann Shaffer and her niece Annie Barrows), and the novel was just what I thought it would be.

It’s the epistolary story of a writer who corresponds with a bunch of folks on an island in the English Channel just after the Nazi occupation of their territory ended. When some residents of the island were caught out after curfew by Nazis, they pretended they started an impromptu book club to cover up the fact that they were having a pig roast. The Nazis, to prove themselves to be model occupiers, were amenable to the idea of a reading group. Some even joined.

And though I haven’t finished it yet, it’s pretty much a brilliant book in terms of marketing (though I don’t think the authors thought of it that way). First off, it’s a book about a reading club (instant best-seller material there). Second, not only is it about a book club-but it’s not just any book club. It’s a book club formed to resist the Nazis. It’s such a great premise. Why didn’t I think of that?

Anyway–to further cement its popularity–there are quotes in the book that readers will just eat up. Here’s a few:

“Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers. How delightful if that were true.”

“It was amazing to me then, and still is, that so many people who wander into bookshops don’t really know what they’re after–they only want to look around and hope to see a book that will strike their fancy. And then, being bright enough not to trust the publisher’s blurb, they will ask the book clerk the three questions: (1) What is it about? (2) Have you read it? (3) Was it any good?”

Anyway, The Guernsey Potato Peel and Literary Society–or is it The Literary Potato and Guernsey Society (I can never get it straight)--is a very quiet and almost self-conscious feeling look at Nazi occupation.

You can imagine what a shock it was when–in the middle of this book–I went out to see Inglourious Basterds (which, if you don’t know, is the new Tarantino with Brad Pitt). If there was ever an opposite of Guernsey, it’s this movie. Yes, there’s gore and wild excess and frippery and operatic acting. (I enjoyed it a lot). It’s also an alternative history–so big, ballsy, and hideous. Really, everything that Guernsey is, Inglourious Basterds is not (and vice versa).

So where is the real WWII in all of this?

Somewhere in the middle, I suspect. And far less hyped.

LOVE TO READERS: What WWII books and movies have you read? And–if you’re a romance reader–do you go for the whole WWII subgenre (which I admit to not knowing much about)?

Are you a good listener?

I hope you all are having a great summer. Last week’s meltdown notwithstanding, my summer’s really been fantastic. This past weekend I went up to Albany with a bunch of friends to see my fiancé, and today I’m off with one of my girlfriends to watch a football game. 

But the thing that’s most blog-worthy since I last wrote is that my MFA program invited me back to their summer residency as their featured alumni speaker.

I’ve got to admit, it’s been an especially busy week, and I didn’t really have as much time to prepare as I’d wanted. I didn’t think I was nervous until I found myself standing in front of the mike. Then, my heart started beating like crazy and my head started to pound.

Normally I’m pretty good at speaking. I know all the tricks: Imagine the audience naked. Pretend you’re someone else (like a movie star). Or take the Paris Hilton approach and act like you’re wearing an invisible tiara. But sometimes the tricks get…tricky. I saw this picture in the window of the public library this week and I thought it was destined to be on my blog. (I wonder if the universe is trying to tell me something.)

So–here’s why I’m writing about this today. I’m toying with the idea of adding a little audio clip on my Web site so people can listen to an excerpt of the new book, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT. But I’m wondering, What do you think about that? There’s pros and cons to hearing an author read aloud.  

For me, reading a book is such a personal experience. When I’m reading (alone), I want the experience to be about me and the page.  There’s something that happens in the space between the story and me that’s so intimate, it feels really weird to share that private magic.

Plus, when I hear someone reading their work, it really influences the way that I hear and experience the story. I read the rest of the book in the author’s voice! I told another writer once that I love hearing writers talk about their work, but I’m a little less enthusiastic about hearing writers read their work. She disagreed.

LOVE TO READERS: What do you think? Do you like to hear authors read their work? Does it change the work for you to hear a writer read?

Thanks for the book recommendations: Sherry Thomas’s Private Arrangements

Last night (which was Friday) started out as a not very good night. You see, my fiancé is gone (away at training camp) for the rest of the month, and since he works in football as a scout, he’s pretty much going to be eating, drinking, and breathing football seven-days-a-week until next March.

I LOVE how passionate he is (he’s the only guy I’ve ever met whose passion for what he does equals my passion for what I do). But sometimes it’s a bummer too.  Plus, to top off the lonely week, the transmission on my car died, which meant I couldn’t go see my friends who were in NJ from Baltimore this weekend. Yup, pretty glum.

Finally, I kicked myself in the butt and decided to do something besides wallow in the sludge of my own self-pity. Earlier that day, I’d gone to the library with all your wonderful book recommendations and I ended up bringing home Private Arrangements, by Sherry Thomas, partly because I’d read her book Delicious before and I’d liked it.

Private Arrangements was recommend to me by cheryl c. Cheryl, I know you said not to enter you in the contest, dear. But I really think it was fated to be (since this was the only book that the library had in stock of all the books that were recommended!). This book changed my whole evening. Let me explain.  

I started reading (in my chocolate- and carb-induced psychosis) at around ten o’clock at night, and when I looked up at the clock again, it was two a.m.! That’s when you know you’ve stumbled across something really special.

Without giving away too much, here’s what Private Arrangements is about. Gigi is on the hunt for a title–she’ll be a duchess if it kills her. But hers is no schoolgirl’s fantasy. She ruthlessly finds a way to make a duke marry her. Then, when the duke dies and his title passes to another, she gets a new quary, Tremaine, in her sights.  For three weeks they are wildly in love.

Flash forward. Gigi, who has not seen her husband in ten years ,wants a divorce so she can marry another. But Tremaine–who hates her, despises her to the point of revulsion–says, no way. Not ’til you grant me an heir. The sex scenes are complicated and interesting–which is super happy for me, since I tend not to like them to be too rote.

As the narrative moves forward, it feels like reading two amazing stories at the same time–it’s really an unusual plot structure for the genre, and in Sherry Thomas’s hands, it works beautifully. We’ve got the one plot (where Gigi and Tremaine are falling in love for the first time) moving forward at the same time as the present-day plot (where they both seem to truly hate each other-having somehow ruined each other’s lives).

I got so caught up in that central myster–how on earth did these two crazy kids in love begin to revile each other? What could have gone so terribly wrong to turn them both into such black-hearted and bitter people?

And–thanks to this book recommendation–my self-pity party bit the dust.

This morning, I got up, went for a walk to have a light lunch by the river, jotted down some notes about what I liked about this book (goals for my own writing, of course), then-buoyed up by this very smart, fascinating, and super sexy book-got to my own writing (which, once the pity party had ebbed, moved along extremely well [I've got some mysteries of my own planned for my next book!]) 

Thanks so much to EVERYONE who recommended a book to me! I’ve ordered some that you recommended via interlibrary loan (it may take a little while, but I am absolutely going to read some of the other books that you so generously recommended).

I also got on the waiting list for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (did I get that right?) AND I picked up a Georgette Heyer novel (never read her before!), and Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca.

You guys have really kick-started my reading again, and I can’t think you enough. As always, stay in touch and let me know what you’re reading. If you read Private Arrangements, let me know! I’d love to hear your thoughts.

LOVE TO READERS: What do you do to cure a black mood? (I’m taking notes to stave off future attacks). Are you a candy-eater? A reader? A get-in-the-PJs-and-watch-a-movie-er? Let me know!

Win Jill Dearman’s book BANG the Keys

Hi all! A quick intro before we get down to business. You gave me such wonderful book recommendations to consider that I haven’t been able to make up my mind what to read yet! I’ll be sure to make a decision for my next post. In the meantime, I’ve got a really fantastic treat. Jill Dearman–whose amazing book BANG THE KEYS has just come out, has agreed to do an interview with me. Jill’s book teaches writers how they can nurture the creative habit (and the necessary focus to feed that habit) in a world full of increasing distractions (can you say, Twitter?). Have a look at her interview, and leave a comment to win a copy of her book!

LD: Welcome, Jill. It’s so great to have you here today.  Congrats on the publication of Bang the Keys! I really enjoyed reading your book and found it to be really helpful to writers who are trying to stay focused and motivated in a very distracting world. Can you tell us a little bit about where the book came from? What you hope it will do? 

JD: Thanks so much for having me, Lisa. I started teaching Bang the Keys workshops in 2003 and immediately found that they struck a chord in writers. I wanted to create a book that would reflect the erudite and soulful yet often hilarious feel of the workshops. A lot of the techniques in the book are also ones I use with coaching clients. We’re all writers and we all face the same anxieties and struggles and I’m hoping the book will assuage some paranoia and offer up some helpful tools and insights.

 LD: The BANG in BANG the Keys is actually an acronym–a four-step method to help writers stay motivated, focused, and positive. Can you tell us a little bit about your technique?

JD: Sure. The “B” stands for “BEGIN with your strongest idea.” Many writers have a million books or essays in their heads, but ultimately without beginning one on the page, nothing happens. And without figuring out which idea you can commit to, you are unlikely to reach completion. “A” is for “ARRANGE your material into a concrete form.” Here’s where decisions must be made. Is it a screenplay or a novel? Does it need a classic suspense structure or would it work best as a travel/road narrative? “N” stands for “NURTURE your project with love so that others may love it too.” At some point writers start to treat their projects like old shoes (or old spouses!) If a writer doesn’t keep building her emotional connection to the work, how can a reader or view truly connect? Finally, the “G” is for “Let it GO out into the world to live independently.” Some writers never can end their work. They always need to tweak more. We are alive now, and at some point must take the risk of finishing, while we are still drawing breath! 

LD: Can you tell us what you as a writer do to avoid distraction? And how do we know a distraction when we see one (as opposed to a legit place to focus our attention)?

 JD: Writers need to unplug during their writing hours, and not “research” on Google during that time, but write. That time must be as protected. Personally, I try and escape to the country when I can, or when in the city use “MacFreedom” a software devices that unplugs me from the Internet. I highly recommend it. Our families and bosses and friends may distract us, so it’s up to us to decide which requests for our time merit immediate responses. A 10 year old child can understand “Daddy is doing his writing and will be done in half an hour.” Obviously if the kid is bleeding and in crisis, Daddy will drop his work! But for an “I’m bored”, Daddy should not listen to the whine. Adults can be harder. Real friends understand “I’m writing,” and won’t impose on your time; less sensitive ones will always put their needs first. Each writer needs to develop his own screening/boundary-building method. The book explores this issue in depth.

LD: You write a lot about meditation and how it pertains to creativity. Can you talk a little bit about that?

JD: Writing is about tuning in. Now, in these over-connected times, we are all particularly plagued by white noise in our heads and the feel of vibrating phones in our pockets. Meditation helps a writer to focus on his internal self, rather than the demands of the outside world, or the “monkey mind” in her own head that jumps from random thought to random thought. Meditation is about going deep; so is writing. And during these tough economic times, both are free!

LD: We recently had a conversation on this blog about whether or not creative writing can be taught. What do you think? Where does BANG fit in?

JD: Absolutely. A writer who is closed to the idea that he can learn more about the craft from a class now and then, or a book on the craft, seems like a rigid, boring writer to me. At the same time, many classes and teachers  and books are full of generic lessons, and sometimes annoying students who hijack the class. BANG THE KEYS is full of life force, and can certainly be used in classes to help bust people out of their same old/same old groove. Writing pals can also use it as a workshop they do together. And individuals can use it at their own pace as they see fit, for every writing project.

LD: Anything else you want to tell us about? What are you working on now?

JD: I’ve been blogging about writing (and interviewing and shining the spotlight on you writers out there) on Barnes and Noble’s Website: http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Unabashedly-Bookish/bg-p/UnabashedlyBookish/label-name/writer%20to%20writer. I also work as a writing coach and editor, so I’m always in tune with my clients. Helping them helps me too. I’m working on another book (fiction), and am going to sign off to get back to it now! Thanks again, Lisa, and please direct folks to my website which has some tips for writers as well as all things Bang the Keys! www.bangthekeys.com.

LD: Thanks so much for being here, Jill!  Jill will be giving away a copy of her book to one commenter! So be sure to share your thoughts!