SFINE & #WIN All American Girl!

Happy Monday, reader- and writer-friends! Can you believe it's March 4 already? shew!

Quick The Truth About Letting Go (link) Update:

A HUGE Thank You! to everyone who's bought, read, reviewed, and helped spread the word about my new book! ((HUGS))

Print copies are now available on Createspace (link) & Amazon (link)!

Get me!

And remember, even a short, sweet review on Amazon and Goodreads helps your favorite authors! Here are the links if you'd like to leave one:

Amazon | Goodreads

I've got a HUGE promotional blitz starting Friday. This is "outside the pond" marketing, so it's mostly book bloggers.

But! I'll be giving away ebook copies of The Truth About Letting Go, and a GRAND PRIZE signed, print set of Letting Go + The Truth About Faking (US only). I'll post a link to the giveaway once it's live if you're interested.

So what's SFINE, you ask?

Check it out!

Well, it's a BIG, FREE independent authors event happening in San Francisco June 15! Basically, you come out, meet your favorite authors, and get them to sign your books...

Who's going to be there? Coleen Hoover, Nyrae Dawn, Jolene Perry, Steph Campbell, Bethany Lopez, Jillian Dodd, moi...

And a bunch more really popular independent authors.

Click here to go to the official website that lists everybody!

Also! They have an online store for the event. So if you're planning to go, pre-order your books and have them waiting for you when you arrive! (This is really super convenient for us authors, so definitely use it if you're going.)

Now to #WIN All American Girl!

Great writer-friend Justine Dell has just released All American Girl (link)! I read her first book, Recaptured Dreams (link), and it was great! I'm sure this one is, too!

Today Justine's here with her casting couch AND a chance for one lucky commenter to #WIN All American Girl! Take it away, Justine~

Greetings! Thank you all for stopping by today. *grins like a maniac* I’ve got the wonderful of honor of doing my very own Casting Couch for All-American Girl. *squee*

I swear, I think this is one of the most fun things about writing a book—deciding who would play the characters!

Here’s my A-list movie production cast members:

Jenny

First up, Jenny, Samantha’s dear friend from New York. She’s quirky, fun, yet she can be serious (to keep Samantha grounded. Played by Katie Cassidy.

Next we have Candice, Samantha’s dear friend from years past. Candice is also the sister of Samantha’s love interest, Lance. Her personality is caring; she seems to always being moving quickly, but calmly. She’s got big plans but doesn’t quite know how to put everything together. I think Anne Hathaway is perfect for her!

Candice

Dorothy

Next up is Samantha’s Grandmother, Dorothy. Dorothy played a huge role in Samantha’s past and she’s one of the reasons Samantha must put her life back on track. Dorothy is wise, thoughtful, and she still has a nice touch of humor and sarcasm. Perfect for Fionnula Flanagan.

Ava

Samantha has as stepdaughter, Ava, from a previous marriage, who she thinks about often during her growth through the story. Ava is only 5, full of heart and fun-loving. Baliee Madison would play her perfectly. (Bailee is 13 now, so we would have to rewind her years a little…lol)

Jax

Lance, the hero of the story, has his own son, Jax. This little guy is 5, full of energy, loves to talk about dinosaurs! He’s also got some nice manners, thanks to his dad. *wink* Davis Cleveland would be perfect! (Again, though, we’d have to rewind his years a bit).

Finally, we come around to Samantha. She’s a heroine with a long history of life problems. She struggles with her emotions and strives to be the strong and beautiful woman everyone wants her to be.

Samantha

There are times she’s hateful and mean, but you can see the glimmer of love and hope beneath her eyes. For that reason, I think Amy Adams would play her perfectly. She could be the cold Samantha, and still make you love her. It helps that she already has that beautiful auburn hair and green eyes. And she could be the thoughtful Samantha, making you love her even more.

And LASTLY…we come to the hero, Lance. *swoon* Ahem, sorry. I love him.

Lance

Lance is stubborn, but smart.  Strong, but wonderfully soft. A dedicated father who’s had his own life battles. Never one to turn away from a challenge…oh, and he’s loved Sam since high school. He owns a construction company, so he’s big, with that sexy rough-and-tumble type look. *drools*

Uh…where was I? Oh, yes…Lance. Let me get to the picture before I lose all train of thought.

The PERFECT man for this part is Chris Hemsworth. Period.  

And there we are! The cast that makes up All-American Girl. Simply perfect. ;-) I do hope you’ll check it out to match these wonderful people with their wonderful characters!

All American Girl

by Justine Dell

At the age of thirty, with two failed marriages and a tanking writing career, Samantha Moore deals with the world with the only tool she had left: anger. And she’s tired of it. When her grandmother's near-death sends her rushing back home to Vermont, she hopes for the chance to overcome the rage ruling her life.

Once she’s home, Lance Cummings becomes a constant source of indigestion. Lance is a single father who learned first-hand the devastating effects of a damaging relationship. He sees through Samantha’s nasty temper—straight to her cry for help. He wants to help her, but he also wants to know why Samantha ran from him—and their future—twelve years before.

Taking care of her Grams, dealing with an alcoholic brother, and getting Lance to remove his annoyingly attractive nose from her business is draining on Samantha. And she’s only got three weeks to finish her stagnated novel or her publisher will drop her. No pressure. To top it off, pretending to hate the man she actually loves makes each day in Vermont harder than the last. Especially when Lance turns up the heat.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Omnific

Justine Dell  lives in the Midwest, happily catering to her family, which consists of a horse-obsessed teenage daughter, four dogs, and a husband who is too good to be true. She's never moved from her hometown, but hopes to grow old in a much warmer climate.

During the day she works a normal job with college students who try their best to keep her young. They've done a good job thus far. At night, said teenage daughter and her horse require mounds of love and attention. The weekends belong solely to her and her writing. That's when she morphs into a sticky bug, unable to leave the confines of her computer chair.

She started writing four years ago after seeing a movie that set off a chain reaction she couldn't have stopped if she'd wanted. It's not a hobby for her; it's an obsession. One she loves and one she loves to share. Her debut book, Recaptured Dreams and her newest release, All-American Girl, are available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and wherever book are sold.

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Book Trailer

Random Number Generator will choose one lucky commenter to #WIN a copy of All American Girl. Winner will be announced here on Friday.

And hop over to Justine's Blog (link), where you can enter to #WIN a copy of The Truth About Letting Go and several other great prizes!

Have a super week, reader- and writer-friends! <3

What's The Truth About Letting Go?

Well let me tell ya! 

First, reader-friends, I could not be more excited to share my newest book with you. Here's what happened...

Get me!

So I started this one back in 2010 right after I finished The Truth About Faking (link).

It was back when Patrick Swayze got cancer and died so fast. Remember that? Well, for whatever reason, it started my writerly wheels turning...

I started thinking about major shocks like losing a spouse or a parent and how different people deal with trauma differently.

Some people withdraw, some people soldier on like nothing happened, and then some people get really mad and start acting out.

That's where the story starts.

Ashley's the daughter left behind, and in her case, her dad was a writer for a national health magazine--a modified stay-at-home dad. So they were extra-close.

Her mom withdraws into her own world of grief, her brother goes back to college, and Ashley's left all alone, hurting and angry. And since her dad was a local celebrity, she gets to deal with her grief in front of a large audience.

She doesn't deal very well.

She's edgy, and she keeps having urges to break things. One reader-reviewer said she was like the female version of the bad-boy. I guess that's a good description.

Anyway, so The Truth About Letting Go (link) is a companion to Faking, but it's not a sequel. The books can be read out of order. It just takes place in the same location and has some of the same characters.

It is a kissing book--in case you didn't guess by the cover (LOL!). Remember that steamy Valentine's Day kiss? That teaser-excerpt is her first kiss with Jordan.

Here's the link if you missed it (link).

I'll put the excerpt of her first kiss with Colt below.

The different paths Ashley's struggling with taking are sort of embodied in her relationships with these two characters.

So here are the links to where you can get it:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * iTunes * Kobo

Add it on Goodreads.

And here's that excerpt:

I feel Colt laugh, and he looks down into my face. That’s when he seems to realize what I’ve been acutely aware of for the last several minutes—our bodies are pressed together.

“It’s awesome, yeah?” he says. “Adrenaline rush.”

“Yeah,” I breathe. “I guess.”

I’m not sure if he’s going to kiss me until he does. His mouth covers mine, and energy mixes with the alcohol flooding my body. Our tongues slide together, and I grip his shirt so I don’t collapse. 

Every single bit of this is wrong, and there’s no way I’m stopping it. It’s back, that good feeling. The sadness has been pushed out again, and in its place is this rush, this rush of adrenaline like Colt said. 

He pulls back and smiles at me. “We’re going to start dating. Now. You’re my partner in crime.”

~~~

Finally, THANK YOU! So much for reading and encouraging me along the way all these years. I wouldn't be here without you, friends! Have a super weekend~ <3

Technology, Kissing, & The Book

Stop the Presses! Leigh's using technology!

Yes, I love technology...

I mean, other than my word-processing software, of course. Or my Internet browser.

Okay, or my smartphone...

The point is, my resident-genius writer-friend Susan Quinn (link) told me how to use Google Drive to create a spreadsheet for you lovelies who'd like to help with the launch of The Truth About Letting Go (link) on Feb. 21!

It is coming, and I am so excited, and I can't wait to share it with all of you, and *squee*!

Anyway, so here's the deal, if you already said yes on this blog or my Facebook page (*hugs*), or if you'd like to say yes now (*bats eyes*) please enter your email address in the blank below!



This will create a nifty spreadsheet for me to email all of you the cover, description, links, etc., in one fell swoop. Is that cool or what?

It also means you'll automatically be added to my "best buddy" list. And I promise I will not sell your information. Unless I really, RILLY need some chocolate.

Next is a quickie plug for a super-fun Valentine's event! It's called IndieKissing, and it's hosted by the writers' group Indelibles (link). 

Sign up to join in!

Anyone can join! Just post a kissing scene from your current WIP or any of your books, and link back to the Indelibles (link) site. You can also do any kind of promotion or giveaway you'd like, so have fun with it!

I'll be posting the first kissing scene from The Truth About Letting Go, and it is H-O-T! I'll also be giving away a free copy of the book--squee!

Can't wait to see what you guys post!  Click here to sign up!

Now for THE BOOK!

Great writer-friend Jessica Bell (link) has a new novella out, and it is awesome!

I got to beta read this back in December, and I was completely absorbed. The details are all below, so I'll just say it's written journal-style, which I love, and Jessica's writing is so evocative and gorgeous. The story is totally unexpected. In a GREAT way!

Get me!

THE BOOK, a novella by Jessica Bell

"Jessica Bell’s surprising risks with language capture a child’s clear vision in a world of adult heartbreak. Indelible. Courageous." ~Thaisa Frank, author of Heidegger's Glasses and Enchantment

"THE BOOK is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. It's going to rip your blood pump out of your chest, kick it around like a football, and then shove it back inside you, leaving you with a potently reinvigorated faith in humanity. A curiously captivating read that somehow manages to encapsulate the length and breadth of love and family in one slim volume." ~Josh Donellan, author of Zeb and the Great Ruckus

Description:

This book is not The Book. The Book is in this book. And The Book in this book is both the goodie and the baddie.

Bonnie is five. She wants to bury The Book because it is a demon that should go to hell. Penny, Bonnie’s mother, does bury The Book, but every day she digs it up and writes in it. John, Bonnie’s father, doesn’t live with them anymore. But he still likes to write in it from time to time. Ted, Bonnie’s stepfather, would like to write in The Book, but Penny won’t allow it.

To Bonnie, The Book is sadness.

To Penny, The Book is liberation.

To John, The Book is forgiveness.

To Ted, The Book is envy.

But The Book in this book isn’t what it seems at all.

If there was one thing in this world you wished you could hold in your hand, what would it be? The world bets it would be The Book.

Intrigued?

Available at all major retailers in e-book and paperback, including Amazon US and Amazon UK.

Have a great week, reader- and writer-friends! <3

Housekeeping & TOE cover

First, the housekeeping matters, because I hate housekeeping. So let's get them out of the way first...

#1-One last newsletter signup plug! (I know, all you lovelies who've already signed up are going, "UH-gain?")

But if you're just seeing this for the first time, it's only for new release announcements. And for things like when I change the Rouge cover (see over there  --->)

Leigh's Reader News

#2-The Truth About Letting Go is on Goodreads (link)! If you would, please add it to your "TBR" pile! Click here.

AND if you sign up for my newsletter, you'll get to see the gorgeous cover designed by my great writer-friend Allie Brennan (link) of B Design (link) before everyone else.

So there's that.

Now for TOE cover! (I know, what???)

Magan

Acronyms for book titles can be so hilarious. My great writer-friend Jessica Bell (link) has a wonderful book called Bitter Like Orange Peel.

I absolutely love that title. But that's a lot of letters to type, so when we email about it, it becomes BLOP. (LOL!)

Same with my great writer-friend Magan Vernon (link), who has a hot, fun contemporary romance coming out called The Only Exception. Or TOE.

Here's the description...

Fiercely liberal Monica Remy prefers to blend in. Despite her tattoos, piercings, and outspoken personality, she transferred to Central to escape—before she finds out that her next door neighbor is the uber-conservative governor son, Trey Chapman.

No matter how hard she tries to avoid Trey, he still finds a way to get under her skin. Monica can’t stand his crisp white shirts or his staunch views on women. But she can’t help counting every freckle on his face and wondering what it would feel like to have him stop talking politics and kiss her.

A class debate project forces the unlikely pair to work together, and the political lines are blurred in late-night make out sessions. But despite their fiery chemistry, Trey’s politics threatens to smother their relationship for good.

And here's the gorgeous cover...

Add me on Goodreads!

I know! Wha-Whaaat?! Isn't that nice? I love it!

The Only Exception will be out April 9, but you can add it to your Goodreads TBR by clicking here (link).

And catch up with Magan on Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads.

That's it! Have a great weekend, reader- and writer-friends~ <3

Updates & The Forgotten Ones

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr., day, friends!

[NOTE: Please check out my interview and giveaway on Literary Rambles (link)! I forgot to post the link before I left... #d'oh!]

I'm in Chicago today (freezing my buns off) meeting with my great writer friend Jolene Perry (link). Jolene writes the best contemporary romances--check out her website for a great read (link)!

Very exciting.

I'm also hitting the revision cave hard for the next two weeks finishing up final edits on The Truth About Letting Go, the companion to The Truth About Faking (link). It's due out mid-February, so I might be a bit absentee until then.

In the meantime, remember to sign up for my newsletter below to get new release announcements when they happen! (I promise no spam.)

Leigh's Reader News

~~~

New bloggy friend Laura Howard (link) is spreading the word about her new book. See at the bottom how you can win a $50 Amazon gift card!

Title: The Forgotten Ones
Author: Laura Howard
Genre: NA Paranormal Fantasy Romance
Expected release date: May 15, 2013
Age Group: New Adult
Cover Designer: Stephanie Mooney 

Book Description:

Allison O'Malley just graduated from college. Her life's plan is to get a job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She doesn't have room for friends or even Ethan, who clearly wants more.

When Allison's long-lost father shows up, he claims he can bring her mother back from the dark place her mind has sent her. He reveals legends of a race of people long forgotten, the Tuatha de Danaan, along with the truth about why he abandoned her mother.

Laura Howard | Facebook | Twitter

Share on Facebook and/or Twitter and you could win a $50 Amazon (or B&N) Gift card!

Click here to enter the giveaway!

Hooray for Laura! And have a great week, reader- and writer-friends~ <3

Updates and Epicness

Before we get to the EPIC awesomeness, three quick updates!

1-For a limited time, Rouge is only $1.99 (link)!

If you still haven't gotten it, wait no more! If you liked or loved it, please spread the word and consider posting a short review on Amazon (link) and/or Goodreads (link). Those help us so much. Thanks!

2-The Truth About Letting Go is coming in February!

It's in final revisions, and I am so excited to share this one with you, reader-friends! If you'd like to help me with the pistol-shot cover reveal/it's LIVE release announcement, please email me (link) or leave a comment below with your email address!

3-Finally, sign up for my newsletter in the blank below. It's just for new release announcements or special sales. (No spam, I promise!)

Leigh's Reader News

Easy peasy!

Now for the EPIC...

Good bloggy friend Heather McCorkle (link) writes the most amazing fantasy books. I'm not a fantasy reader and I read her book To Ride a Puca (link) and I seriously enjoyed it!

She has a new book coming out next month, and I am thrilled to be a part of her cover reveal. If you like knights and ladies fair, dragons, and epic fantasy ... even if you don't (is that possible?), you should give her books a try.

So without further ado...

Add on Goodreads

The Dragon Empire by Heather McCorkle (Feb. 2013, Compass Press)

On Yacrana, dragons stand at the top of the evolutionary ladder instead of humans. Such an advanced species is not without its issues though. 

There's trouble in the Dragon Empire, the kind that could start a war between dragons and the races of people. Hidden factions of dragons believe they should rule the lesser races, not simply stand aside and allow them to develop as they will. Having lived so long in peace, the Emperors turn a blind eye, many oblivious that such attitudes even exist. 

Despite being only an architect class, emerald dragon, Grendar is willing to risk banishment and death to stop that which his rulers refuse to see. The hope of peace lies not within the scaled breast of a dragon however, but within the hands of a group of people. But if the hidden factions have their way, these people won’t live to fulfill such a destiny. With a reluctant seer at his side, Grendar must leave his precious Empire for the outside world to save those that will one day save his kind. 

It's coming next month, so add it to your Goodreads list (link)!

And here's a little more about Heather and where you can find her:

I am an author of fantasy, in all its many sub-genres. Living green, saving endangered species, helping other writers, and supporting fabulous authors are a few of my passions. I am also a volunteer for the IS Foundation which works to make the world a greener place. 

Heather McCorkle

When I'm not volunteering, writing, or surfing my social networking sites, I can be found on the slopes, the hiking trails, or on horseback. As a native Oregonian, I enjoy the outdoors almost as much as the worlds I create on the pages. 

No need to travel to the Great Northwest though, you can find me on my blog (link), and Monday nights on Twitter where I co-moderate the #WritersRoad chat. Links to Heather:

Website * Goodreads * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon Author Page

Have a super week, reader- and writer-friends! I'm heading back into the revisions cave for a bit~ <3

Newsletters, Chaste & The Haunting Season

Digging out from being away for the holidays--I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, reader- and writer-friends... And I don't think it's a train! (Haha!)

Today, I hope to make it around to see what you guys have been doing. I miss you all very much! And in an effort to streamline some of my announcements, I've decided to do a newsletter.

In that little blank below, you can sign up. I'll send you a brief email if I'm doing a sale or releasing a new book... and trussst me, I don't plan to do it more than once a month, so no worries about tons of ME in your inbox!

Leigh's Reader News

Easy peasy, yes?

In other news, I've had TWO great writer friends release books in the last month, and I'm helping them spread the word.

The first is Angela Felstead (link), who many of you know already! Her new young adult romance Chaste (link) is a great story about... well, here's the blurb:

Get me!

When he steps into his physics class on the first day of senior year, Quinn Walker is too exhausted from staying up all night with his three-month-old nephew to deal with moral dilemmas. 

As a devout Mormon who has vowed to wait until marriage for sex, the last thing he needs is a very hot and very sexy Katarina Jackson as his physics partner. Regrettably, he has no choice.

Kat feels invisible in her mansion of a home six months after losing her older brother in a fatal car crash and will do anything to get her parents’ attention. 

Since her pastor father has no love for Quinn’s “fake” religion and her ex-boyfriend refuses to leave her alone, she makes an impulsive bet with her friends to seduce her holier-than-thou lab partner by Christmas.

Yeowza, yes? I've read it, and Chaste (link) is really great. Highly recommend!

Second is The Haunting Season (link) by a new bloggy friend Michelle Muto (link). It's a New Adult/Horror book that's recommended for readers 17+ ... and it looks FAB! Here's the blurb for it:

Get me!

Be careful what you let in…

Siler House has stood silent beneath Savannah’s moss-draped oaks for decades. Notoriously haunted, it has remained empty until college-bound Jess Perry and three of her peers gather to take part in a month-long study on the paranormal. 

Jess, who talks to ghosts, quickly bonds with her fellow test subjects. One is a girl possessed. Another just wants to forget. The third is a guy who really knows how to turn up the August heat, not to mention Jess’s heart rate…when he’s not resurrecting the dead. 

The study soon turns into something far more sinister when they discover that Siler House and the dark forces within are determined to keep them forever. In order to escape, Jess and the others will have to open themselves up to the true horror of Siler House and channel the very evil that has welcomed them all.

Wow... I get chills just reading the blurb! In a great way!

Get it Amazon * B&N

And visit Michelle’s Amazon page to read about her other books!

That's it for me, reader- and writer-friends! Have a super weekend, and on Monday, I'll be "interviewing" the amazing Susan Kaye Quinn (link), so be sure and stop by for that!

Til next time~ <3

Can I just Stay in my Cave?

Well, reader- and writer-friends, I found out late that what was supposed to be here today wasn't ready to be here, so I was kind of left scrambling. Which is FINE. No worries!

I've been in sort of a whirlwind of getting books out and promoting books, and it's made me realize one important thing: Marketing eats up a lot of time.

I'm not sorry for my decisions, but I do miss the days when we used to be here blogging, kickin it. Discussing writerly events or world events. I value you, the friends I've made through blogging, so much.

Friday was a bad day.

Most of you know I've been in the writer's cave pushing hard to finish my new book The Truth About Letting Go before Christmas break. (It's a TTAF companion novel.)

So I've been all out of touch, and man, I've missed you guys!

Good news: I finished the first draft of TTALG, put on my running shoes and hit the trail at about 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Got home, stretched, showered and jumped in the car to get the kiddos from school.

Flipped on the NPR at about 3:15... just in time for the president's speech.

Yep, I was crying and processing and trying to get myself together by the time I had four elementary school kids--one of whom's in first grade--piling into my car.

Naturally, my oldest daughter is the duck on a june bug demanding to know What's Wrong!?!

I made up something that satisfied her.

What's the point? What's ever the point of something like this? I was raised in a house, in a family of hunters, gun owners, NRA members. I earned my Marksman First Class badge at summer camp when I was nine...

And I don't own a gun. Don't want one. Especially not while I've got children in the house.

Tru dat.

But I hear all sides. And this is not a political blog. I have no desire to wade into those waters.

I guess my point is... sometimes the writer's cave is a nice place to be. And mental illness is a terrible thing. And I hate so much what happened on Friday.

At the same time, I believe in the good in people, in the love of small communities, and in our ability to rise above this.

It's Christmas. I feel like a John Lennon song might be appropriate right now. I miss our innocence, whether or not it ever existed. It's a beautiful dream.

Have a great week, reader- and writer-friends ((hugs))~ <3

New Schedule and a BIG Congratulations!

First, a big, huge congratulations to my awesome bleep, critter, birthday twin, and fab writer-friend Tami Hart Johnson, who is officially a national bestselling author!!!

Bestselling author

I'm just bursting over here, so you can imagine how she feels. Here, go check her out (link).

And grab your copy of her debut cozy mystery The Azalea Assault (link)! (The cover and link are also in my sidebar -->)

As for my New Schedule, starting Wed., June 20, I'm moving my weekly post mid-week to take part in a very awesome blogging event called The Kindness Project.

I'll do my first post next week. (I'm late, I know, but I just found out last night, and I need to see how it's done!)

For now, here's what it is, and feel free to join me now or in July:

Too often kindness is relegated to a random act performed only when we’re feeling good. But an even greater kindness (to ourselves and others) occurs when we reach out even when we aren't feeling entirely whole. 

It’s not easy, and no one is perfect. But we’ve decided it’s not impossible to brighten the world one smile, one kind word, one blog post at a time. To that end, a few of us writers have established The Kindness Project, starting with a series of inspirational posts. We post the second Wednesday of every month.

Want to join us? Grab our button and spread a little kindness.

In the meantime, check out our other cool participants listed below, and I'll see you back here Wednesday! Have a great week, reader- and writer-friends~ <3

The Kindness Project

Sophia Chang                         Sara Larson

Erica Chapman                      Matthew MacNish

Jessica Corra                         Sara McClung

Elizabeth Davis                      Leigh Moore

Christa Desir                          Tracey Neithercott

Sarah Fine                              Katharine Owen

Claire Hennessy                     Elizabeth Poole

Elana Johnson                        Lola Sharp

Amie Kaufman                        Michele Shaw

Liza Kane                                Meagan Spooner                     

Alina Klein                               Carolina Valdez Miller

When the Revolution Starts

Over the weekend, I chatted with a friend about the "Occupy Wall Street" protests, and we both agreed it reminded us of the French Revolution.

I proposed the question: Who do you think will say, "Let them eat cake"? (You know, Marie Antoinette's infamous response when she was told, "The people have no bread"?)

Source

Supposedly that's a journalistic cliche, and the beheaded French queen never actually said those words. 

As for who'll demonstrate his/her cluelessness today, I like to think it'll be one of those Kardashians. 

But perhaps that's the writer in me.

My guy friends have always played the "when The Revolution starts" game whenever another of our friends does anything militia-ish (like purchases a big truck or moves to a remote location or mentions owning a gun).

Example: "We'll all be in so-in-so's barn with the gun collection when The Revolution starts." (laughs)

I don't actually know anyone with a gun collection, but I have been pondering my lack of fire-starting skills. The last time I thought of it when I watched that Tom Hanks movie where he was trapped on that island. 

You know, in Castaway. I'dve never got that fire going.

To bring all this nervous laughter around to writing, I was also thinking this weekend about how popular dystopain fiction has become.

How did everyone know to start writing about the end of the world as we know it about two years ago?

I've never been one of those writers who tries to capture "Our Times," but here's my question: Is it possible our writing is always marked by what's going on around us? 

Like, even if we're spinning tales of romantic comedy, are they still laced with the meltdown of the global economy? Or something else?

I do know when the Revolution starts I'll be headed South. Those country boys can survive, and they all seem to know how to get a good fire going.

Have a great week, reader- and writer-friends. Stay safe. Til Thursday~ <3

Not a Night at the Improv

I've been thinking about many things...

• Bill Murray's "800" number (you leave a message and if he's interested in working with you, he calls you back),
• Lady Gaga = couture Madonna. (Yes?),
• How boring I found Eclipse the movie (not the book), yet so many people are "going to see it again"...  (!) (really?)

Some fellow bloggers recently posted about using music to get into the spirit of their WiPs (Works in Progress). A few even gave their playlists for those WiPs--good stuff!

You all know I love music lyrics and the emotion of instrumentation. But for some reason, I haven't used the music technique since Book 3. No clue why.

Two posts I did find very helpful recently were about using the five senses to develop 1-Setting (Wordplay) and 2-Makeout scenes (Oasis for YA). I'll be paying more attention to that going forward.

LTM: Use more than one sense...

Then I read a post over on the Burrow about how you have to be good at Improv to be a good writer.

Pause.

Sorry, Jason. I'm going to have to disagree with you there. Not to be *itchy, but because I just have to if I'm going to keep writing.

You see, I took an improv class in HS, and I was a Freak of Nature in it: I simultaneously sucked AND blew...

Then I worked at the television station (WAFB-9, CBS affiliate) in Baton Rouge, and you know those little tag parts where the reporter will give his or her comment on the story right there on the spot? Well, they film those right there--improvisationally.

When I went with the reporters to tape those, the camera guys would usually be super sweet and film a few shots of me doing a tag to use in my video resume for when I interviewed to be a reporter...

I'll just say it: I was AWFUL at them.

If any of you watch 30 Rock, the scene where Liz Lemon is filming the promo for her book? That was me. Take 589...

I remember this one camera guy was so patient. I can't remember his name (of course), but he was skinny and wore glasses and reminded me of another friend of mine Chad... Anyway, notChad was my hero.

I don't know why, but the minute he'd say "Go," I would forget how to smile like a human, wave like a human, talk like a human... I was seriously retarded, and I apologize for my use of the R-word. It's simply the truth...

But I could write the heck out of a news story. I could also read the heck out of a teleprompter. The one-story anchor spot we filmed of me looked like something off the evening news--it was freaky.

So I'm not going with the whole "you have to be great at improv to be a great writer" argument. I'm sorry, I just cannot allow that to be true. My apologies to the Burrow. You know I love you guys.

Actually, I've found that lately, since school's been out and I've only been getting snippets of time to write, I've become a very Method writer. I mean, if we're sticking with the acting analogies and all.

This post is getting long, so I'll make this the Intro. Part 1, if you will. Come back Thursday, and I'll elaborate on how this little writer uses The Method to get into the mood of a scene or the spirit of a book.

Look out K.M.! I might do a v-log next~

P.S.
If any of you writers out there don't follow K.M. Weiland's amazingly helpful blog "Wordplay," you should. I swear she catches me every time I'm needing a light bulb.

I'll be over here stumped, thinking "how do I do this" or "why does that matter," and her little acoustic guitar will start playing... in walks K.M.: "When I'm stuck there or wondering why that matters, here's what I do..." 

Check her out. (That's a link to her blog, kids.)

Oh Black Water

My sister-in-law and I were talking about 24-hour news channels. Specifically how they just make people feel Bad.

All that nonstop hearing about problems or situations you can't control... it makes viewers feel helpless and ultimately depressed, we agreed.

Later, I was thinking how after a while it also makes people (like me) stop watching altogether, and serious situations go ignored.

With that in mind... I got a call from my brother in Key West Saturday. The tar balls from the (still going) oil spill had arrived, and he was distraught.

TGT: The coral reef! The mangroves! The whales--they're filter-feeders... 200,000 gallons of oil a day! For five weeks! Do you realize what this means? Do you realize the level of destruction?
LTM: (quietly) I realize. (internally) Welcome to the party.

I took the girls to Pensacola Beach that first Saturday after the explosion. We hopped over the state line and in 30 minutes were passing the big neon fish welcoming us to the "world's whitest beaches." I got a little misty wondering how much longer that'd be true.

It wasn't the best day for playing in the Gulf. The winds were high and the double red flags were out. Still the girls ran in and out of the surf for a good hour or so before a lifeguard came over and squatted beside me.

He'd been watching us all morning, and he was very apologetic for being about to kick them out of the water. He explained that they'd already had two rescues that day and his boss had just called and said to get everybody out.

I smiled and said I understood. The breakers really were too rough for them to be playing in, and it looked like it might start raining any second. Then for a moment we watched my little ladies laughing and squealing and riding their tubes on the surfable waves.

I think we were both thinking the same thing. The clock is ticking. And if what the experts are saying actually happens, they could be tweens before the water's safe enough for them to do it again. If ever.

Richard and I drove to P'cola a few times the summer after Hurricane Ivan hit. It was scary to see the miles of open white sands where once stood massive condos or little villages of rental houses.

But even after that disaster, you could still park the car and get out and those glimmering white sands and turquoise waters told you it was going to be OK. Nobody could stay away from this for too long.

Those blue waters gave us hope. They were a beautiful gift we all shared.

Now it's in jeopardy. And we all feel so helpless.

Bottlenose dolphins are another happy fixture along our coast. They can be seen playing a few yards from the shoreline on any given day.

One June I was holding six month-old Laura in the Gulf off Pensacola Beach. The water was a glassy pool, and as we bobbed along, a spout surfaced less than five yards from us.

LTM: I know dolphins are the "dogs of the sea," but I'll just be getting out now...

The paper last week showed an aerial shot of the waters near Destin. In them you could see a flock of rays and you could even count seven manatees all swimming west on their usual migratory route. The cutline read, "Swimming into danger." My heart broke.

The Gulf might be our gift, but it's their home.

There's a Facebook page listing ways you can help with the Oil Spill. Here's the link.  There's also a local blog for kids and teachers here. (It was created by a teacher at the Fairhope K-1 center.)

Since the disaster, locals have been stepping up (like they always do) ready to fight this thing and save our gift and the animals that live there. They make me so proud.

I hope viewers don't tune out. I hope if anything they'll think about what's happened and what it means going forward. The next time they hear someone carelessly chant, "Drill, baby, drill."