Do you remember the very last road trip you took with your sister?  It’s been many many years ago for me but boy you sure do get to know that person more even though she was a kid still in diapers.

Jennifer Allee is here today to talk about her new book, The Mother Road, and give us an inside glimpse of the author behind the book (have you ever lived above a mortuary?  Jennifer did!).

As a child, Jennifer Allee lived above a mortuary in the heart of Hollywood, California, which may explain her unique outlook on life. She has written skits, activity pages, and over one hundred contributions to Concordia Publishing House’s popular My Devotions series. Her novels include The Love of His Brother (Five Star, November 2007), The Pastor’s Wife, (Abingdon Press, February 2010), The Mother Road (Abingdon Press, April 2012), and the upcoming A Wild Goose Chase Christmas, book two in the Quilts of Love series (Abingdon Press, November 2012). She’s an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. Jennifer resides in the grace-filled city of Las Vegas with her husband and teenage son.

You can find out more about Jennifer’s writing and speaking at www.jenniferallee.com.

Before we get to her interview, let’s find out more about The Mother Road:

Within the course of a week, marriage expert Natalie Marino is dumped by her husband, receives an urgent call home from her father, and discovers her estranged sister, Lindsay, is pregnant.

A road trip on Route 66 may not help, but it sure couldn’t hurt. Or so Natalie thinks, until Lindsay’s boyfriend starts stalking them. Will their trip down the Mother Road bring the two sisters closer, or turn out to be the biggest wrong turn of their lives?

See what I mean?  Wow, what a book.  If you’d like to win a copy for your very own, fill out the Rafflecopter form below the interview and good luck!  This contest is only open to U.S. and Canadian citizens (sorry!) and ends on midnight May 25 so hurry!

Thank you for this interview, Jennifer. Okay first of all, I have to know what all this is about living over a mortuary as a child?

Jennifer: Thank you for hosting me :+) Yes… the mortuary thing is weird, isn’t it? At the time I was born, my grandmother was married to the man who managed the Utter McKinley mortuary on the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Argyle, which is one block east of Hollywood and Vine. There were four or five apartments on the second floor. My parents lived in one, my grandparents lived in another, and my great grandmother lived in another. So really, a big chunk of my family lived up there.

Did you see any ghosts?

Jennifer: Not that I could prove, no. LOL But my childhood has given me a unique perspective on the paranormal. My grandfather (grandma’s first husband) was from Hungary and was good friends with Bela Lugosi, the actor who played Dracula. He died before I was born, but I heard stories about him and saw his movies. And my mom and I always watched Dark Shadows together (yes, the original gothic soap opera). So ghosts and vampires never scared me. In fact, my mom tells a story of taking me to a park and I was sticking popsicle sticks into a sandbox. One of the other moms asked me what I was making and I said to her, “A graveyard.” Freaked her out just a bit.

Okay I’ll be serious. I absolutely love your book cover! Whose idea was it and did you have any input on the design?

Jennifer: Thank you! The Abingdon team always does a tremendous job on cover art. I filled out an information sheet, sharing key points of the story, descriptions of the characters, and ideas I had for the cover. Then the art department ran with it. I’m very happy with the result.

I love road trip stories! Are you a traveler?

Jennifer: I do enjoy traveling, but I don’t get to do it nearly as much as I’d like. When I’m on a road trip, I absolutely must have a good collection of CDs in the car, especially musical soundtracks that I can belt along with. My favorites are Moulin Rougue, Spamalot, Chicago, Godspell, Les Miserables, and The Phantom of the Opera. And I must stop along the way for snacks, usually a diet Cherry Pepsi and a bag of Cheddar Sour Cream Ruffles. Mmm..

How did you come up with the idea to write The Mother Road?

Jennifer: The opening line of chapter one came to me first: “I cannot get a divorce.” Next, I asked the question, what would a marriage expert do if her own marriage fell apart? What would have led to the demise of the relationship? Then I made things as bad as I could for poor Natalie… gave her a mother with Alzheimer’s and an estranged sister. And, just to make things really sticky, I decided to stick Natalie and Lindsay in the car together for days on end. Let the road trip commence!

Who was your favorite character in the book?

Jennifer: I love Natalie. She’s got issues and she knows she’s made mistakes, but she truly loves her family and wants to do the right thing. And she’s a stress eater, which is something I can relate to.

Who is the character most people would love to hate?

Jennifer: Without a doubt, Tony, the cheating husband. It’s easy to look at Tony as find all the wormy, slimy things about him. But I hope I’ve given the reader a glimpse into his other side, the flawed human that he is. By the end of the book, you may not hate him quite so much.

What’s your next book about, Jennifer?

Jennifer: My next novel is a contemporary romance titled A Wild Goose Chase Christmas, releasing November 2012. I’m particularly excited about this one because it’s the second release in Abingdon’s new Quilts of Love line. It’s the story of Izzy Fontaine, a professional-dancer-turned-art-teacher who inherits an old Wild Goose Chase quilt from her grandmother. The problem is, Gran also promised the quilt to museum director Max Logan. Max is handsome, charming, and determined to get his hands on the quilt. When Izzy’s mother and brother start thinking there may be monetary value attached to the family heirloom, it adds to the chaos. It’s a fun story about letting go of what you thought would make you happy, and embracing what really, truly matters in life.

Thank you again for this wonderful interview! Do you have anything else you’d like to tell my readers?

Jennifer: I honestly believe the most important thing a person can do is discover his or her identity in God. By that I mean, you can’t look to other people to define you. You are the only person you have control over. So I challenge everyone to examine themselves. What about you is unique? What are your gifts, the things you do like no one else can? Discover who you really are, embrace your strengths, and work on your weaknesses. It’s a lifelong process.

Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to hang out with your readers. I’ve had a lot of fun. Blessings to all, and happy reading!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck everyone!!!!

ABOUT KELLY McCLYMER

Kelly McClymer started her writing career in short science fiction, moved to novel length historical romance and then shifted over to fantasy YA. Who knows what she’ll write next.

You can visit Kelly at her website,http://kellymcclymer.com.

5 Things You Should Know About How To Tell a Great Story

As a reader and writer for most of my life, and a writing instructor for over a decade, I’ve learned a lot about what makes a great story. There are other writers who have written entire books about the subject, providing lots of discussion about point-of-view, story arcs, writing tightly, morning pages, character archetypes, etc. These are all good guides. But one thing I’ve learned from reading other writers’ works-in-progress is that a great story can break a lot of writing “rules” without losing a reader.

So if you get bogged down in show-vs-tell, or deciding between first person, third person and omniscient point of view? Stop. Focus. Obey these five simple rules, and you’ll be a great storyteller. Disclaimer: Nothing in life is easy, especially not the truly simple stuff. Just like some other elemental rules (please-and-thank-you, the 15 mph school zone speed limit, calories-in-calories-out), consistently following these requires a lot of focus and hard work.

1. Get Your Reader’s Attention.

Seems obvious, right? Then why do so many new writers start off with a lot of uninteresting back story? Because they don’t trust their ability to grab the reader without explaining the journey will be worthwhile before they get started.

Think about it this way: if you meet someone date-worthy and want the person to like you, do you hand out a history of your past relationships? Or do you flirt? Maybe unbutton a top button, let down your hair, or smile a sexy smile? Or, for a different kind of meeting: if you’re the ax murderer in your local Halloween haunted house, do you yawn? Or turn slowly, give an evil grin, and sharpen your axe as people draw near?

2. Make Your Reader Laugh. Or Cry. Or Shiver.

If you’re writing a humorous novel, there should be something to make your reader smile, laugh, or snort soda through his nose on every page (more smiles, fewer laughs, and one or two well planned snorts per chapter). Not your characters, mind you — your readers. If you have a character laugh every time you want your reader to laugh, that’s like canned laughter on a sitcom. Same with a poignant novel, or a horror novel — it is so much worse for the reader to scream at the clueless character not to open the door/enter the haunted house/rub the ancient lamp. That’s why there are so many clueless characters in horror novels.

3. Tell the Truth, However It Needs to Be Told.

Readers have an instinct for when the author intrudes and uses the characters like puppets to do things the characters, as written, would not. Yes, your always perfectly proper character could appear disheveled in the midst of a formal party — but there will be consequences (personal ones like embarrassment, and public ones like losing the respect of someone important). When real people take action, they have a reason for it that seems valid (to them, at the time). Fictional characters, even minor ones, need the same motivation.

4. Keep Your Reader Guessing.

You’ll find this in the writing books under Pacing. Mystery and thriller writers keep readers guessing by planting red herrings and taking characters (and readers) up blind alleys. It is hard work to plant a red herring and making sure the red isn’t exposed until later in the novel (usually in a way that surprises the reader). Blind alleys offer a nice surprise for a reader — as long as it seems like an alley that goes somewhere important when you introduce it.

The opposite of guessing is knowing for sure. If a reader knows what is going to happen next every time she turns the page, why keep reading? So, let readers (and characters) be sure of what’s going to happen, and then…surprise them.

5. Leave Your Reader Satisfied.

When I was in high school, we had to read “The Lady or the Tiger” by Frank Stockton. If you’ve never read it, you can find it here http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/LadyTige.shtml. It is singularly the most satisfyingly unsatisfying ending in the world — the surprise is that you will be left guessing…forever. The story ending works because the question at the heart of the story is one can never know the human heart until it is utterly revealed by irreversible action. We must decide to trust, and leave our fate — and life — vulnerable to that absolute trust. Readers (including my high school classmates) don’t like this ending, even when it is fitting. Most stories begin with the promise of an answer at the end. Maybe not a happy answer (as long as it rings true), but an answer nonetheless. Think of it as a door that is opened at the beginning of the story and closed at the end. If you don’t close the door properly, you will get questions.

That’s it. Five simple rules that will guarantee you a great book. The bad news: How you accomplish this feat will be by creating a path only you can forge. The good news: You’ll know when you get there — your readers will tell you, not with words, but with an avid need to turn every page until the final, satisyfing, page.

Oh. And fair warning: the path you forge may be different for every story you tell (has been for me).

ABOUT THE FAIRY TALE BRIDE

Miranda Fenster gave up on a happily-ever-after following a disastrous London season, but she is determined to help her brother regain his star-crossed love by convincing the impeccably proper Duke of Kerstone he was wrong to thwart their love match. Instead, she finds herself compromised, married, and with a second chance for a fairy tale ending — if only she can show the duke fairy tales do come true.

Title: I Want to Help: My Story About Cancer, Depression, and God
Author: Tom Laresca
Genre: Inspirational
Paperback: 32
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-1434901279

BOOK SUMMARY:

Tom Laresca lived an average life in a quiet American town: a good job as a stock trader, a wife, a family, a beautiful home. Then in 2001, his life changed.

While living in Boca Raton, Florida, Laresca explains, “I was wrongly arrested and abused by the police. I had been an athlete in high school and college, and had never been in trouble with the law before or since in my professional career as a stock trader. I was put into intensive care, due mainly to being maced for thirty minutes while being pinned down, handcuffed and hogtied. These events all happened in front of my own home in an exclusive gated community.”

Following the assault, Laresca says his main focus was to get the charges against him dropped. “For years, I spent time and money on lawyers to make this happen. The police wanted me to sign a pre-trial intervention (PTI) document, which would make the charges go away but with me assuming part of the guilt. But I didn’t want to do that; I wanted them to admit what they did. I spent years fighting the PTI.  Even though the charges finally went away, I never found out what happened, and the police were never questioned or investigated. This all took lots of time and money, and I had to miss work.”

During this period, Laresca was diagnosed with cancer in three parts of his body and faced the grim possibility that he might only have three months to live. After his treatment and recovery, he then fought a battle with depression.

“Something told me to write about it.” he says. “I wrote the book in one night, sent it out to publishers, and went with the first publisher who answered.”

The book, I WANT TO HELP: MY STORY ABOUT CANCER, DEPRESSION, AND GOD, is a tiny book which, as Laresca says, “is written with the sole purpose of helping others overcome any struggles they may be going through. Not that everyone will go through something as severe as I did, but I believe that most people at some time are struggling with something.”

“The book begins with me learning I had been diagnosed with cancer in three parts of my body. I recount what it felt like to receive the news from my doctor, coupled with the grim possibility that I may have three months to live. I talk about my hospital stay, my fight to stay healthy, both physically and mentally, but most of all spiritually.

“Next, I tell of going through chemotherapy treatments and on to recovery, only to be brought down by what I can only say was crippling depression. I go on to thank God for getting me through all this. Because the truth is that God brought me through it all, and He is waiting to help you with anything you are going through.”

Laresca remembers that as a child, he read Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking. “There were two things that stuck with me: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,’ and ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’ Those helped me through everything, and I use this [philosophy] every day.”

At twenty pages, I WANT TO HELP: MY STORY ABOUT CANCER, DEPRESSION, AND GOD is so short, Laresca says, because he worked long hours, had three kids, and not a lot of time. Still, he adds, people who have read it tell him that it’s helped them in some way, and that he’s heard that grownups have given the book to their children.

These days, Tom Laresca is much more relaxed, especially now that he’s written the book. “If reading it can help just one person,” he says, “I’ll be happy.”

MY THOUGHTS:

Tom Laresca got the news everyone dreads: you have cancer.  After chemo, he remained cancer-free but what he didn’t expect was the depression that set in afterwards.  I only had one person in my whole family get cancer – breast cancer.  She, unfortunately, didn’t survive and it’s funny when you’re a kid and you learn that someone one in your family has cancer, it makes you wonder if you’re going to be next.  But what if you’re next?  Who knows where cancer will strike next?  Even if you beat it, are there other things that beat you up (as if the chemo treatments aren’t enough) like depression?  You don’t know because you’ve never been there, but Tom Laresca was there and ended up writing a book about it called I Want to Help: My Story About Cancer, Depression, and God.

It’s a very tiny book but the message is loud and clear.  Laresca takes us on this painful journey during depression following chemo and helps us to understand there is a way out – God.  If you’re not overly religious, here me out.  The very ending of the book will have such an emotional POW on you that once you put it down, you’ll say wow (which I did).  Not giving anything away, if you’re into out of body experiences, this would be right up your alley for it’s the ending of the book that pulls everything together.

It’s something to be said though – big things come in little packages.  I’ll guarantee you won’t forget his story.

]]> http://literarilyspeaking.net/2012/05/16/book-review-i-want-to-help-my-story-about-cancer-depression-and-god/feed/ 0 http://literarilyspeaking.net/2012/05/16/literarily-speaking-chats-with-cynthia-haggard-author-of-thwarted-queen/ http://literarilyspeaking.net/2012/05/16/literarily-speaking-chats-with-cynthia-haggard-author-of-thwarted-queen/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 03:00:02 +0000 admin http://literarilyspeaking.net/?p=3443

Thwarted Queen Book Tour

About Thwarted Queen

Cecylee is the apple of her mother’s eye. The seventh daughter, she is the only one left unmarried by 1424, the year she turns nine. In her father’s eyes, however, she is merely a valuable pawn in the game of marriage. The Earl of Westmorland plans to marry his youngest daughter to 13-year-old Richard, Duke of York, who is close to the throne. He wants this splendid match to take place so badly, he locks his daughter up.

The event that fuels the narrative is Cecylee’s encounter with Blaybourne, a handsome archer, when she is twenty-six years old. This love affair produces a child (the “One Seed” of Book II), who becomes King Edward IV. But how does a public figure like Cecylee, whose position depends upon the goodwill of her husband, carry off such an affair? The duke could have locked her up, or disposed of this illegitimate son.

But Richard does neither, keeping her firmly by his side as he tries to make his voice heard in the tumultuous years that encompass the end of the Hundred Years War – during which England loses all of her possessions in France – and the opening phase of the Wars of the Roses. He inherits the political mantle of his mentor Duke Humphrey of Gloucester, and become’s the people’s champion. The rambunctious Londoners are unhappy that their country has become mired in misrule due to the ineptitude of a King prone to fits of madness. Nor are they better pleased by the attempts of the King’s French wife to maneuver herself into power, especially as she was responsible for England’s losses in France. But can Richard and Cecylee prevail? Everywhere, their enemies lurk in the shadows.

This book is filled with many voices, not least those of the Londoners, who forged their political destiny by engaging in public debate with the powerful aristocrats of the time. By their courageous acts, these fifteenth-century Londoners set the stage for American Democracy.

Q: Thank you so much for this interview, Cynthia!  Can you tell us where you are from?

I grew up in Surrey England, but have lived in the US for the past 30 years.

Q: How did you come up with the title?

It was a struggle. The original title of the novel was ONE SEED SOWN, TWO MURDERS REAPED. Then a dear friend told me that I had to change that title as it sounded too much like a murder mystery. She advised me to go to the Book of Job. So after a lot of thought, I came up with THWARTED QUEEN.

Q: They say you can judge a book by its cover.  Can you tell us a little about your cover and who designed it?

I designed the cover. It shows a photo of a beautiful young woman who looks rather angry. I was very lucky in being able to secure the talented model Heather Hayes to pose for Cecylee. I chose Heather, because she can hold interesting expressions. I decided to keep the design very simple, just a head-shot of Heather with the title in Garamond, which is my favorite font. I think that in this case, less is more. A cover that is too cluttered lacks power, in my opinion.

Q: Can you tell us something about your book that would make me run out and buy it?

Yes. It has enormous emotional range, from comedy to tragedy and all the parts in between. And it is not just about aristocrats, but about the ordinary Londoners who struggled to make their voices heard during the Wars of the Roses.

Q: Are there any messages in this book that you want the reader to know about?

The book shows what the world looks like when women have no power. It is not a pretty picture. The people who suffer the most are the female children, who are used as pawns in dynastic struggles.

Q: What was your most favorite chapter to write and why?

I loved the chapter where Richard of York finds out that his lady wife, Cecylee Neville, has had an affair. He is absolutely devastated. Although it was painful to write, it was a great experience for me as the author because Richard’s voice came through so loud and clear.

Q: Why did you feel you had to write this book?

Because I was dying to know what Cecylee said to her husband when he came back from his summer campaign, only to find out that she was expecting another’s child. How did Cecylee manage to persuade her husband to keep the child? And not only that, to make that child his heir? Especially in an age when women had no real power. I was immediately intrigued by Cecylee.

Q:  Now, some fun questions – What deep dark secret would you like to share with us?

When I was a tiny child, I walked off with one red shoe. We had nearly reached home (up a steep hill) before my mother discovered that I had purloined it. We had to walk all the way down that hill to return it. I have always liked red shoes ever since.

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I would love to go to Northern India, where some of my ancestors lived.

Q: Are you a morning person or a night person?

I’m a morning person. I like to be up and about bright and early.

Q: Are there any members in your family who also like to write?

As a child, my sister used to love to write stories. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have time to write now.

Q: As a child, were you a dreamer?

Oh yes. I was usually in the past, imagining something.

Q: Last but not least, the magic genie has granted you one wish.  What would that be?

That everyone would read and discover my books!

Q: Thank you so much for this interview! Do you have any final words?

Thank you for interviewing me., it was a pleasure to meet you.

About Cynthia Haggard

Born and raised in Surrey, England, CYNTHIA SALLY HAGGARD has lived in the United States for twenty-nine years. She has had four careers: violinist, cognitive scientist, medical writer and novelist. Yes, she is related to H. Rider Haggard, the author of SHE and KING SOLOMONS’S MINES. (H. Rider Haggard was a younger brother of the author’s great-grandfather.) Cynthia Sally Haggard is a member of the Historical Novel Society. You can visit her website at: http://spunstories.com/

5 Things You Should Know About Writing Children’s Books by Carolyn Wolfe

1. It takes a bit of discipline, lots of patience with yourself and let your imagination play.
2. Don’t be afraid to succeed, but don’t let it all be about success.
3. Get a good team to help you, illustrators and publishers can be your very best friends.
4. Savor your drafts, they are the beginning of a wonderful adventure- then be critical of them. Do not be afraid to make the changes needed to present a clearer picture of what you want your characters to say.
5. Get involved, become the main character and let them lead you into the story, wonder what’s next, enter into the spirit of the book and you will never get tired of writing it!

Carolyn Wolfe’s Bio:

Carolyn Wolfe is a freelance writer, poet, and author of six books including her collections of poetry, short stories and bedtime stories for children. In this, her sixth book, “The Unhappy Little Dragon, Lessons Learned” she reveals the journey of Happy, The Unhappy Little Dragon, who, while trying to understand how to master his uncontrollable gift of fire, has an exciting adventure in the woods. His forest friends help him understand his gift and that he really is a very special dragon indeed! Ms. Wolfe lives in the Shenandoah Valley with her Photographer, husband Scott, and her houseful of animal companions. For more information, please visit her website at: www.whenthemoonspeaks.com.

Purchase The Unhappy Little Dragon at Amazon

About The Unhappy Little Dragon Lessons Learned

This is the tale of a little dragon who has a big problem, he cannot control his fire!

After a major mishap, he runs away into the forest and has a wonderful adventure where he meets new friends, learns that every creature has a unique gift, and also finds out the special way in which he can use his own remarkable gift of fire.