Everyone Else’s Girl

Published on February 26, 2010 in Uncategorized and psychology. 0 Comments

Today I’m delighted to introduce my cybergirlfriend Megan Crane with her new book, Everyone Else’s Girl.

everyone-elses-girl-uk-coverAbout the book:

Meredith does things for other people. She irons clothes for her boyfriend, she attends her ex-best friend’s horrendous hen party for her brother (who’s about to marry the girl) and she moves back to her parents’ house to look after her dad when his leg is broken. She’s a good girl and that matters. But when she gets back home, all is not as Meredith remembered. Especially Scott, that geeky teenager from her old class at school. He’s definitely different now. And so, it seems, is she. One by one, her family and old friends start to tell her some home truths and Meredith begins to realise she’s not so perfect after all. Maybe it is time she stopped being everyone else’s girl and started living for herself…

Praise for Everyone Else’s Girl:

“Megan Crane rules! Cancel your evening plans: You won’t want to stop reading until you’ve devoured every delicious word.”
—Meg Cabot

“Amusing, heartfelt and emotionally sophisticated chick-lit.” —Kirkus

AND NOW SOME FASCINATING ANSWERS FROM MEGAN:

What got you writing in the genre in which you write?

I started writing chick lit/women’s fiction because I was living in England at the time and had discovered Anna Maxted and Marian Keyes, and I thought: yes.  And then: I wonder if I could do something like that?  I’d grown up on romance novels and the first person, confessional tone was like a light being switched on for me.  I had to try.

Favorite thing about being a writer?
I get to make up stories in my head, and then tell them, and make my living that way.  It’s more than a dream come true.  And I don’t, in fact, need algebra, as I told my math teacher in high school long ago!

Least favorite thing about being a writer?
The blank page is usually filled with all my doubts and fears, and that’s not a whole lot of fun to sift through to get to the words I need to write.  And you can never really take a vacation, because the work is always in your head.  And I become a little bit of a crazy person as a deadline approaches.  But I wouldn’t give any of it up.
Which comes easier for you - beginnings or endings?
Definitely beginnings.  I like to launch myself into the beginning and write until I hit a wall, then go back and figure out what I’m doing.

How many drafts until the final draft?
I am one of those desperately linear writers, who can’t go forward if I know what’s behind me is a big mess.  So I usually write the day’s words, then set it aside to pick up and read the next morning.  I revise it before starting the next day’s writing.  So when I have a full draft, it’s usually pretty tight, and then I go over that at least once or twice.  So…  three?
What is one thing you’ve learned about the publishing industry since getting your first book deal?
There is writing, and then there is publishing, and there is only one part of that I can control: the writing.
What is your advice for those who looking to get their novel  published?
Just write.  No one can tell your story the way you can, and no one will get to read it until you write it.
What’s your favorite food?
Chocolate.  Seriously.  I’m a complete addict.  I like it dark, rich, and life-altering.
Do you have a muse, good luck charm, writing vice?
I am pretty sure my extremely fat and ill-behaved cats feel that they are both muses and charms; they are not.  I don’t really have either, I don’t think.  Though I have written every single one of my books on this very same desk, and I’m kind of attached to it, if that counts.
What’s your writing process/writing environment like?
I’m pretty fierce about my daily word quotas, which are really the only way I can write as much as I do.  (I wrote five books last year and will write at least four this year.) I usually write 2,000 words a day–although at a certain point last fall I had to write 3000 a day to hit a particular deadline, and I found that dizzyingly difficult.  The internet is my greatest time-waster.  I’m starting to use Mac Freedom to turn it off for stretches here and there, because I can’t be trusted–and I will often look up to see that hours have passed and there I am reading Jezebel and hitting refresh on Twitter…  Not good.
I have written all my books (I’m on number 15!) on the same desk, which I’m a little superstitious about these days.  It’s currently located in the office I share with my husband, overlooking a pretty sweep of trees and mountains and the Hollywood sign here in Los Angeles.  It’s filled with books and pictures, and somehow, helps the words come.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten about writing?
Just do it.  Just write.  Everything else is smoke and mirrors.
Thanks Megan for taking the time out of your 2000 words a day (!!) quota. Read more about Everyone Else’s Girl at her website.

Drive Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Published on February 15, 2010 in Girlfriends Cybercircuit and books. 3 Comments

hprdrivetime-final-300med-2Today we’re celebrating DRIVE TIME, the new release from my cybergirlfriend and multi-talented blog sister, Hank Ryan. Hank not only writes mysteries, she’s an investigative reporter for the Boston NBC affiliate. She’s won 26 Emmies to go with her Agatha award for best first mystery for Prime Time. (How does she fit all that on the mantle?) Welcome Hank and congratulations!

Tell us about Drive Time.


HANK:  DRIVE TIME is about secrets. TV reporter Charlie McNally’s working on a story about a dangerous scheme that could absolutely happen…and let me just say, if you own a car, or rent a car, you’ll never look at your vehicle the same way after reading DRIVE TIME. In fact, after writing the book, I now get a bit creeped out when I go into a parking garage. That’s all I‘ll say.

Charlie’s also drawn into another frightening situation—this one at the prep school where her fiancé is an English professor. When Charlie learns a secret that might put her step-daughter-to-be in danger, and might also be an blockbuster investigative story—how does she balance her loyalty to her husband-to-be—with her need to protect the public?

So this is a tough one for Charlie. And she must make many life-changing decisions. Just when she begins to think she might be able to have it all—a terrific career and a new husband and a new life–revenge, extortion and murder may bring it all to a crashing halt.

How did the character of Charlotte ‘Charlie’ McNally come about?


HANK:  I have NO idea. She was born when I got a weird spam in my email. It was what looked like lines from a play by Shakespeare.  I thought–why would someone send a spam like that?  And it crossed my mind–maybe it’s a secret message.

I still get goose bumps telling you about it. And I knew, after all those years of wanting to write a mystery, that was my plot. And that turned out to be the Agatha-winning PRIME TIME. But Charlie? Well, I knew I had a good story, but who would tell it? A television reporter, of course. And she just instantly popped into my head. Named, fully formed. I knew her perfectly.

The other characters were more difficult to get to know. But now, Charlie surprises me a lot! And I love when that happens.

hpr-stoolvertcropped2mug-300lgAny mistakes you’ve made along the way, have you learned anything from them?


HANK:  Hah. That’s another long blog for another day. Mistakes? Ah, on a huge level, people always yell at me for working all the time. ALL the time. Is that a mistake? None of this would have happened without that. Would I change it? I have to say no. So is that a mistake? I’m not sure.  On a tiny level, I should have put together a mailing list of bookstores. Still haven’t done that. Wish I had.

Advice to fledgling writers and journalists?

HANK:  For journalists: Don’t be afraid. Be very afraid. Be scrupulously careful. Think. And think again. Never give up.

For writers? On my bulletin board there are two quotes. One is a Zen saying: “Leap and the net will appear.” To me, that means: Just do it. The other says “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” And I think that’s so wonderful—just have the confidence to carry on. Writing is tough, arduous, not always rewarding in the moment—but no successful author has ever had an easy path. When you hit an obstacle, pat yourself on the back. You’re a writer!

Congratulations on the new book Hank! You can read more about Hank and her book at her website. You can also visit her every week at Jungle Red Writers.

A new “girlfriend”

Published on February 4, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

51agtfj4ngl_sl160_aa115_I got such a kick out of a message from fellow author Chris Knopf, wondering if he could become one of my cybergirlfriends. How could I resist? I asked him to send me a short blurb about his brand new series debut, so I could pass it on to you!

“So, Roberta, my new book is called SHORT SQUEEZE, and it’s told from the 1st person point of view of Jackie Swaitkowski, lady lawyer/sidekick of Sam Acquillo, the hero of my original series.  So it’s a spin-off.   As I told one interviewer, “I’m not a woman myself, but I’ve known a few.”   In fact, I dedicated the book thus:
“To all my favorite female friends.  None of whom were spared in the making of this book.  You know who you are.”

Good luck with the new book Chris!

Catch of a Lifetime by Judi Fennell

Published on January 31, 2010 in Girlfriends Cybercircuit and books. 1 Comment

coal_-judi-fennellThree of my cybergirlfriends have books coming out this month and I’ll be telling you about all of them. First, are you in the mood for something romantic and mythological? Try Judi Fennell’s CATCH OF A LIFETIME.

She’s on a mission to save the planet… Mermaid Angel Tritone has been researching humans from afar, hoping to find a way to convince them to stop polluting. When she jumps into a boat to escape a shark attack, it’s her chance to pursue her mission, but she has to keep her identity a total secret… When he finds out what she really is, they’re both in mortal danger… For Logan Hardington, finding a beautiful woman on his boat is surely not a problem—until he discovers she’s a mermaid, and suddenly his life is on the line…

And here’s a note from Judi:  It was funny, but when I wrote Angel’s character (Mer princess who loves all things Human) in her brother’s story, In Over Her Head, Angel was a one-minded scientist. All about finding out anything she could about Humans. Kept asking Erica, Reel’s girlfriend (for lack of a better term without going into the whole story), about Human-isms, that’s all she was to me. So, when I had to develop her into a three dimensional being, I had to see what made her tick.  It surprised me as much as anyone when she thinks to herself that she wants to be more than “Just Angel.” I had no idea that’s how she saw herself, or that that was the reason behind her unflagging desire to head the Mer-Human Coalition her brother Rod, the High Councilman, was in the process of setting up. Rod wouldn’t let Angel interview for the position because he didn’t want to risk losing any more of his siblings to falling in love with a Human, so Angel definitely wasn’t getting the job of interacting with them on a daily basis.  But Angel wants to. She needs to. Otherwise, she’s “Just Angel.” “Just Angel” who always did well in school. “Just Angel” who had any info you needed on Humans. “Just Angel” who always did what she was told.  Angel is the fourth of the five Tritone siblings and the second girl - quintessential “Middle Child.” She needed to break out and make her mark.  But even she couldn’t have imagined that she’d end up living with a Human, falling in love with him and his six year old son, nor setting a contingent of hammerhead sharks on a kidnapping swim, and have to sacrifice herself to the Denizen of the Deep, the greatest sea monstress of them all, Ceto. Nor did she foresee that the gods themselves would get involved.  For all Angel wanted to earn some recognition for her work, even she hadn’t foreseen what her one little reconnaissance mission would come up with.

headshot_judi-fennellJudy’s got a great contest running at her website to celebrate the launch of her book. Check out her website for excerpts, reviews and fun pictures from reader and writer conferences, and the chance to “dive in” to her stories. Contest!! To celebrate the release of each of her books, Judi Fennell and the Atlantis Inn and the Hibiscus House bed and breakfasts are raffling off three romantic beach getaway weekends. All information is on Judi’s website.

What I’m Reading

Published on January 22, 2010 in books. 0 Comments

Now that the nominees for the 2010 Mystery Writers of America Edgar awards have been announced, I can stop worrying about whether I’m going to blurt out the names before I’m supposed to. (I served as the chair of the best novel committee this year.) We spent the last year sorting through almost 500 books to come up with this list, which I happen to think is wonderfully interesting and diverse:

THE MISSING Tim Gautreaux

THE ODDS Kathleen George

THE LAST CHILD John Hart

THE MYSTIC ARTS OF ERASING ALL SIGNS OF DEATH Charlie Huston

NEMESIS Jo Nesbo

A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO DIE Malla Nunn

However, I could not wait to move on to reading something other than mysteries! This week I finished Mary Karr’s memoir, LIT, and also Kathryn Stockett’s THE HELP. Karr is a poet–an incredible writer–and the story she tells about her family, her drinking, and her recovery is devastating. I absolutely tore through The Help and can definitely see why this book is a huge hit: great characters, a fascinating story set in 1960’s Mississippi, and tons of tension.

Please stop over to Jungle Red Writers today to find out what my wonderful blogmates been reading and give us your recommendations! And if you missed Mary Buckham’s post on boosting creativity yesterday, check that one out too.

A Gift from Mary Karr

Published on December 2, 2009 in books and life. 0 Comments

I’ve just come back from a reading at our local independent bookseller by Mary Karr, talking about her new memoir, Lit. I had heard her interviewed by Terry Gross on Fresh Air last week and knew I didn’t want to miss this chance. She talks so openly about the difficulties of her childhood, her struggle with alcohol, and her grasping for ways out of her pain (therapy, AA, prayer, meditation)–besides that, she’s very, very funny. I can’t wait to read the book. If you need a gift for a reader, why not an autographed copy of Lit from RJ Julia? If you’d like to get a flavor of Mary Karr’s poetry, here’s a link to one of her readings.

And one more suggestion–if you have game lovers on your list, look no further than the word game BANANAGRAM. I received it as a gift last year and never opened it until the family was desperate for entertainment on Thanksgiving. Hooked! Every one of us.

Love in Translation

Published on November 29, 2009 in Girlfriends Cybercircuit and books. 3 Comments

love-in-translation-coverfin1

The San Francisco Chronicle called Wendy Nelson Tokunaga’s debut novel, Midori by Moonlight, a “terrific first novel.” Now she’s back with her second book, Love in Translation, which again explores the themes of Japan and Japanese culture and being a stranger in a strange land, which have played a major role in her life and writing.


Welcome Wendy! What inspired Love in Translation?


Many things. LOVE IN TRANSLATION is my cockeyed valentine to Japan, which is a place I’ve both loved and loathed, a place that has fueled both fascination and frustration. And it is also a place that has had a huge impact on my life and writing. I also wanted to explore what it means to be a gaijin (foreigner) in Japan and the benefits and downsides of that status and what happens when a gaijin sings in Japanese. I also am fascinated by the concept of the homestay, (something I never experienced), and how that would impact someone as an adult who grew up in foster homes and who never experienced a real family.


If you weren’t writing, what would you be doing instead?


I’d be singing. Before I started writing fiction I wrote songs, sang lead and played bass guitar in my own bands. Later on I got into singing Japanese karaoke. And further down the road I took voice lessons from a great Japanese jazz singer. I learned so much from her and was able to take my singing to a whole new level. I began to sing jazz standards with my husband accompanying me on keyboards. We play low-key venues once in a while but usually we just practice for fun at home.

A woman of many talents! Last, but not least…Dr. Rebecca Butterman, the protagonist in my advice column mysteries, is a clinical psychologist (like me.) If your protagonist made an appointment to talk to Dr. Butterman, what would that first session be like? What deep dark secret or problem would she be there to discuss and how much of it would she tell?


I think Celeste Duncan would visit Dr. Butterman and ask for advice on whether she should drop everything and go off to Japan. Out of the blue she has received a puzzling phone call and then a box full of mysterious family heirlooms, that upon further research point to a long lost relative who might very well be in Japan and who could hold the key to her father’s identity, the father she never knew. Not only does she want to solve this family mystery, she also realizes that it would be a good excuse to get away from the rut that has developed in her life. But Celeste is the type of person who has never been a risk taker—the opposite of her long- deceased rock singer mother. She also dreads telling her much-too-practical boyfriend Dirk of her possible plan because she knows he is likely to shoot it down and probably talk her out of it. Dr. Butterman would be of tremendous help to Celeste and most likely would convince her that she needs to make her own decisions and doesn’t need to have the approval of her boyfriend. And I think once Celeste got used to the fact that she actually made an appointment with a psychologist, she would open up and sign up for more sessions!

Thanks for dropping by Wendy, and good luck with the new book! You can read more about Wendy’s books at her website or watch the book trailer here.

Meeting Melissa Senate

Published on November 19, 2009 in Girlfriends Cybercircuit and books. 0 Comments

ROBERTA:  Today Melissa Senate stops by to talk about her new release, THE SECRET OF JOY, published this week by  Simon and Schuster/Pocket. Welcome Melissa! Tell us about your latest release and the inspiration behind it.

coversecretofjoyMELISSA: 28-year-old New Yorker Rebecca Strand is shocked when her dying father confesses a devastating secret: he had affair when Rebecca was a toddler—and a baby he turned his back on at birth. Now, his wish is that the daughter he abandoned, Joy Joyhawk, read the unsent letters he wrote to her every year on her birthday. Determined to fulfill her father’s wish, Rebecca drives to a small town in Maine—against the advice of her lawyer boyfriend who’s sure Joy will be a “disappointing, trashy opportunist” and demand half her father’s fortune. But when hopeful Rebecca knocks on her half-sister’s door, Joy—a separated mother who conducts weekend singles tours out of her orange mini-bus—wants nothing to do with Rebecca or the letters her father wrote to her. Determined to forge some kind of relationship with Joy, Rebecca sticks around, finding unexpected support from Joy’s best clients—the Divorced Ladies Club of Wiscasset—and a sexy carpenter named Theo . . . .

The inspiration: Several years ago, I received an email out of the blue that said: I think you might be my half-sister. I was. Am. It took me a long time to decide to take that little (huge) nugget and write a novel to help me figure out the answer to some burning questions, such as: if you haven’t seen or heard from your biological father, or any member of his family, since you were little (or, in Joy’s case, never at all), is his child from another relationship really your sibling? Or just a stranger? Does the word father or sister or brother mean anything without back up? I had a ton of questions and set out to uncover how I felt through a fictional character, but it’s interesting to me that I flipped everything on its head in the writing of the story. Nothing but the basic questions that are proposed in the novel are autobiographical. Just the questions! And I surprised myself quite a few times during the writing of this story with how I felt about certain things. Amazing how writing fiction can teach you so much about yourself.

ROBERTA:  Wow, that’s quite a story! How do you begin the process of writing a novel? Does it start with a title? A character? A plot? All or none of the above?

newphotomelissasenateMELISSA:  An idea flits into my heart, mind and soul (if I may be so dramatic!) and I just know. The idea, just a wispy thing, grips me and I think about it until the two major characters—my protagonist and the person or thing who “forces” her change—become clear. Then I write out a one page treatment, a bare bones synopsis, then think about that, then revise the storyline into a “pitch” I can share with my agent. If she green-lights it, I’ll then let myself dream it into a full blown synopsis, which is what I usually sell a novel on. The synopsis, in its major plot points, rarely changes, but how the characters get from page one to page 325 is another story.

ROBERTA: What’s one piece of writing advice you’ve found valuable on your journey to publication?

MELISSA: Trust yourself. Your gut knows. You know.


ROBERTA:  Tell us why your editor is the best editor ever in the universe.

MELISSA: I’m crazy about my editor, Jennifer Heddle at Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books. I love working with her. She’s just so razor-sharp smart and aware and interested in the world and pop culture (which I’ve learned via being her friend on Facebook!). Her suggestions, starting with our first conversation before she even bought my book, were so intelligent and thoughtful. And she’s New York honest in a very kind way with her editorial letters and edits. I absolutely trust what she says. As I’ve gotten to know her, I’m even more touched that she bought my book. She’s a tough customer, I think. And that’s a good thing.

ROBERTA:  Dr. Rebecca Butterman, the protagonist in my advice column mysteries, is a clinical psychologist (like me.) If your protagonist made an appointment to talk to Dr. Butterman, what would that first session be like? What deep dark secret or problem would she be there to discuss and how much of it would she tell?

MELISSA: 28-year-old New Yorker Rebecca Strand has a lot to say to Dr. Butterman. She is shocked when her dying father confesses a devastating secret: he had affair when Rebecca was a toddler—and a baby he turned his back on at birth. Now, his wish is that the daughter he abandoned, Joy Joyhawk, read the unsent letters he wrote to her every year on her birthday. Determined to fulfill her father’s wish, Rebecca drives to a small town in Maine—against the advice of her lawyer boyfriend who’s sure Joy will be a “disappointing, trashy opportunist” and demand half her father’s fortune. But when hopeful Rebecca knocks on her half-sister’s door, Joy—a separated mother who conducts weekend singles tours out of her orange mini-bus—wants nothing to do with Rebecca or the letters her father wrote to her. Determined to forge some kind of relationship with Joy, Rebecca sticks around, finding unexpected support from Joy’s best clients—the Divorced Ladies Club of Wiscasset—and a sexy carpenter named Theo. I think Dr. Butterman would haul all the characters in for a session.

Both Rebecca and her half-sister do some serious soul searching about what family means, if the word sister in and of itself means something. Rebecca would open up right away to Dr. Butterman, but Joy, dealing with some serious abandonment issues, takes a loooong time to open up. Dr. Butterman would have her work cut out for her.

Melissa, good luck with the book and thanks for stopping by!

Melissa Senate lives on the coast of Maine with her son and their menagerie of pets. She’s the author of eight novels (seven women’s fiction and one young adult) with two on the way. Visit her website for more information and she’d love if you became her friend on Facebook and followed her on Twitter.

Heard at the Crime Bake

Published on November 15, 2009 in book tour, books and sisters in crime. 0 Comments

New England chapters of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America did a fantastic job with this year’s conference featuring the lovely and prolific Sue Grafton. I always like listening in on what the guest agents have to say–all of them state that after a slow six months starting October 2008, the business of publishers buying books is picking up again. We might face smaller advances than in the past, but as newcomer Josh Getzler puts it, all the easier to sell through that advance.  Is it true that nothing ever comes of cold queries? Absolutely not, said agent Barbara Poelle. But the query should contain (in one page) the hook, the book, and the cook. (See her website for more details.)img_0078

Sue Grafton, pictured here with Hank Ryan and conference co-organizer Rosemary Harris, participated on a morning panel moderated by Hallie Ephron on the subject of bestsellers. Michael Palmer, Lisa Gardner, and Joseph Finder rounded out the star-studded line-up. The inside scoop on creating a bestseller? Persist, keep improving your writing, let everyone know you WANT to hit that list, and get lucky.

Next year the conference will be headlined by NYTimes bestselling sensation Charlaine Harris. Not to be missed!

Love Under Cover by Jessica Brody

Published on November 10, 2009 in Girlfriends Cybercircuit and books. 0 Comments

love-under-cover-final1In her job, she’s an expert on men…

In her own relationship, she doesn’t have a clue.

Boyfriend behaving badly? Suspect your husband of straying? Jennifer Hunter can supply the ultimate test. She runs a company which specializes in conducting fidelity inspections for those who suspect their loved ones are capable of infidelity.

An expert on men, Jennifer can usually tell if they’re single, married or lying… Unfortunately, her new boyfriend, Jamie, is one of the few men that she’s never been able to ‘read.’ Has she finally found the perfect man or is he too good to be true?

LOVE UNDER COVER is the captivating new novel from the bestselling author of The Fidelity Files.

Currently in development as a TV series by the executive producer of Crash!

“With a complicated, sympathetic protagonist, worthy stakes and a clever twist on the standard chick lit narrative, Brody will pull readers in from the first page.”
– Publisher’s Weekly

“Those who enjoyed Brody’s debut will be eager to catch up with Jennifer, but newcomers will be intrigued, too…an honest, witty portrayal of modern love.”
- Booklist

Trailer:  Love Under Cover


jessica-brody-author-photo1Jessica Brody graduated from Smith College in Massachusetts with degrees in economics and French. In 2005, she left her job at MGM Studios in Los Angeles to become a full-time freelance writer and producer. Jessica currently lives in Los Angeles, where she is working on her next novel.

ROBERTA:  Welcome Jessica and thanks for dropping by! Dr. Rebecca Butterman, the protagonist in my advice column mysteries, is a clinical psychologist (like me.) If your protagonist made an appointment to talk to Dr. Butterman, what would that first session be like? What deep dark secret or problem would she be there to discuss and how much of it would she tell?

JESSICA:  Jennifer Hunter has serious commitment issues. For the past three years she’s been working as an undercover “fidelity inspector,” hired by suspicious spouses to test the faithfulness of their loved ones. So you can imagine, when it comes time for her to tie the knot, she’s just a little bit reluctant. Jennifer definitely needs to be in therapy. But you’d probably have to drag her there. And once she’s there, you probably wouldn’t get much out of her.

ROBERTA:  Hmmm. You don’t know how persistent Dr. Butterman can be! Congratulations on the new book! Read more about LOVE UNDER COVER (St. Martin’s) at Jessica’s website.