tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47147578425333801972024-03-13T03:42:56.929-07:00Wendy TokunagaSan Francisco Bay Area novelist, editor and writing teacher Wendy Tokunaga's Official Blog. Mostly writing and editing tips and tricks, plus commentary on publishing, but also posts on Japan, music, TV, film, social media, cats, the writer's life and anything else I feel like talking about.Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-22875661999110441182016-07-19T07:28:00.001-07:002016-07-19T07:28:52.569-07:00Reading Like A Writer
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Whether you write novels,
memoir or short stories, one thing that can help you improve your writing is to
learn how to read like a writer. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f8goCMYlhdo/V444fTjHI7I/AAAAAAAAA2M/7e-jJNaiR1YtDnZGGAA-kiBdlT2FqPO4wCLcB/s1600/magglass.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f8goCMYlhdo/V444fTjHI7I/AAAAAAAAA2M/7e-jJNaiR1YtDnZGGAA-kiBdlT2FqPO4wCLcB/s320/magglass.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After many years of
writing, teaching and developmental editing, I no longer read for pleasure.
Instead I read like a writer, which I find more fun than the old way I used to
read.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So what does it mean to
read like a writer? This is when you read in order to critique. And when we say
critique, we aren’t talking about whether you’re liking something or not. It’s
all about analyzing and dissecting what’s on the page. The goal is to unlock
the secret of what the writer is doing successfully and turn the book you’re
reading into a sort of textbook of creative writing. Analyzing stories in this
way is a skill that you can develop if you’re motivated. And the next step
after recognizing these inner workings in the writing is to try and apply them
to your own work.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This isn’t stealing or
copying from a writer—this is learning. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Reading like a writer is
sometimes referred to as a close read. You’re mainly focusing on answering the
question, “What is the writer doing here?” You’re digging deep and noticing all
kinds of things, including:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ How much time the story
covers</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ How the timeline is
employed</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ How many chapters there
are</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ How chapters begin</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ How chapters end</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ Style</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ Diction</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ Where scenes are taking
place</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BgDxsxUL1hI/V444o3O8_sI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/n0RzTBKgKxwo5eeEe7I9uQxa8_abTK1jwCEw/s1600/writing.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BgDxsxUL1hI/V444o3O8_sI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/n0RzTBKgKxwo5eeEe7I9uQxa8_abTK1jwCEw/s320/writing.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ How the story begins</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ How the story ends</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ Paragraph breaks</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ Techniques used</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ How characters are
depicted </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ How exposition is
handled</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ How suspense is employed</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ Pacing</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ Point of View</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ Parallel stories and
subplots</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">and much more.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I also do this when I’m
watching a TV show or movie. If I’m losing interest, I try to figure out why.
Usually it means there’s some kind of inherent weakness in the story or in the
protagonist’s motivation, which causes a disconnect. It’s useful to try and
think of how you’d fix a film to make it better or perhaps marvel at how well
it’s working on all levels. This actually enhances the pleasure and
entertainment factor for me. And the fact that I’m usually learning something
new or getting validation about something I already know is a bonus. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So try it the next time
you read a book or watch a film. In future blogs posts I’ll give specific
examples of what to look for with passages from novels as examples. </span></div>
Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-75803086943265920372016-06-20T18:56:00.000-07:002016-06-20T18:56:26.701-07:00Giving Your Critique Group an Overhaul
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve been in a number of
writing workshops and critique groups (and have led some as well) and, in
general, I think they’re valuable for getting feedback on your writing. We all
need constructive comments and suggestions at some point as well as moral
support, and a good group can provide this. Sometimes you might outgrow your
critique group or find that the members become less and less objective about
your work the more they get to know you personally. And of course there can
always be growing pains where writing levels among members end up differing
dramatically. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uA4l6Uc13fI/V2ieQIxAwUI/AAAAAAAAA1g/EU7bnK85zDwslZA5bXMA2gcmw8XUC3evwCLcB/s1600/WomanWriting3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uA4l6Uc13fI/V2ieQIxAwUI/AAAAAAAAA1g/EU7bnK85zDwslZA5bXMA2gcmw8XUC3evwCLcB/s320/WomanWriting3.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If things aren’t going so well
in your writing workshop or critique group, or if it’s just at a standstill or
kind of stuck in the mud, here are some possible changes to consider that might
shake things up for the better.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ Regularly Scheduled
Meetings – Employing a definite schedule will go a long way in taking your
writing and all members’ writing seriously. It will also help with writing
discipline since members will commit to submitting their pages by a certain
date and use that as a deadline. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ Regular Attendance –
Members who often skip meetings or pull out from submitting their writing at
the last minute can put a damper on the group’s morale. Make sure all participants
are on the same wavelength and replace those who aren’t dedicated or share the
group’s vision.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ Arriving Early – Set the
time of the meeting and make sure that when it begins it will start with the
manuscript critiques. If people want to socialize first, have them come thirty
or so minutes earlier for chit-chat and catching up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 11.6pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ Read Manuscripts Ahead
of Time – I’ve heard of some groups where participants bring in 10 pages or so
and read them out loud and then get “instant feedback” from the group. In my last
blog post I celebrated the art of reading your work aloud, but that was in the
context of self-editing and revision. I don’t know about you, but I have a very
hard time articulating much useful feedback when I’ve only heard something for
the first time and haven’t read it on the page. Since most of us are looking to
have our work read on the page by agents, editors and general readers, I think
it makes sense to submit work ahead of time so members can read (and re-read)
and think hard about what they want to say, and then write comments on the hard
copy. Another good practice is to have everyone write a cover sheet attached to
the manuscript that offers a summary of general reactions to the piece.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ Select a Leader – This
can be a person who is the ongoing leader or someone who can be changed at each
meeting. Meetings will be more focused and will run smoothly if there’s a
person in charge who can pay attention to the time and cut off discussion if
need be in order to move things along. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-48qM1muAKjw/V2iecgF7SpI/AAAAAAAAA1o/6gpIPMFuMIEJrShCIL26WlnYe3eZFvF7gCLcB/s1600/Two_tax_collectors_%2528detail%2529_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-48qM1muAKjw/V2iecgF7SpI/AAAAAAAAA1o/6gpIPMFuMIEJrShCIL26WlnYe3eZFvF7gCLcB/s320/Two_tax_collectors_%2528detail%2529_03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ Organizing the Verbal
Feedback - Consider having the leader begin the group with each participant
giving their general reactions from what they’ve written on their cover sheet.
After that’s done, the leader can then lead the group in a page-by-page
analysis. An example could be:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Leader: Who wants to
comment on page one?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Greg: The opening
paragraph really hooked me with the protagonist’s strong voice and the issue
she was grappling with.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Melinda: I liked the
opening too, but I was confused as to who was talking when the dialog started
in the fourth paragraph.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Leader: Anyone else agree
or disagree with that?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Riley: Yes, I was confused
as well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Leader: Anyone else? Ok,
let’s move on to page two.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This type of approach is
more efficient than a freewheeling style. It’s also specific, which will
probably resonate more with the author and hopefully will avoid pointless
digressions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Author Silence – I think
it’s important to make sure that the author of the piece does not respond to
any of the feedback until after everyone has finished giving his or her
reactions. The writer can take notes while this is going on and then ask
questions afterwards or offer clarification of unclear areas. An author
“arguing” back or wanting to explain things or make a point in the moment will
only bog down a meeting. And sometimes things can go so downhill that they will
never recover.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When a critique group is
working well, the writers will be inspired to go home and write more and look
forward to the next meeting. In your critique groups and workshops strive to
create an atmosphere where everyone can take themselves seriously as writers,
enjoy the process and sincerely help each other.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-56972595114296118332016-06-07T07:25:00.000-07:002016-06-07T07:25:12.417-07:00Improve Your Writing By Reading Your Work Out Loud
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m always surprised at
how many writers, both novice and experienced, confess that they never read
their work out loud. They say it’s embarrassing or a waste of time or that they
don’t like the sound of their own voice. But whether you’re working on an
essay, a short story or book-length work, this can be one of the most helpful
methods of self-editing. It doesn’t cost a thing and is a highly instructive
exercise. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Reading your writing out
loud can uncover the smallest errors on up to major plot point issues. It can
also improve your rhythm and pacing and make you aware of wordiness and
over-writing. And if you stumble or skip over a passage while you’re reading,
chances are it needs rewriting or perhaps cutting out altogether. You may even
discover things about your characters that will help you flesh them out in
revision. Try using different voices for different characters. Imitate what
you’ve heard on a great audio book. Have fun with it!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-siDiAeB7Psw/V1bYukW-LII/AAAAAAAAA1I/SzXFEFoYRaMSFYl_47zpaUv5w55V1p0UQCLcB/s1600/editing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-siDiAeB7Psw/V1bYukW-LII/AAAAAAAAA1I/SzXFEFoYRaMSFYl_47zpaUv5w55V1p0UQCLcB/s320/editing.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You can also try recording
your voice and listening back or reading out loud to someone else. Or have
someone else read your work to you (but make sure they’re a decent reader!).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here’s a list of just some
of the things you’ll be attuned to when you read your work out loud:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ using the same word(s)
in close proximity</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ stilted or unnecessary
dialog</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ boring or dead
descriptions</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ incorrect use of words
(“illicit” when you meant “elicit,” or “inherit” when you meant “inherent”)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ awkward language</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ calling a character the
wrong name</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ plot holes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ dropped characters</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ places where you don’t
provide info</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ places where you provide
too much info</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ overuse of the same
style of sentence</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ discovery of your “pet”
words and phrases</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ inconsistent or
“head-hopping” points of view</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ scenes that tend to take
place in the same type of surroundings (e.g., restaurants, coffee houses, etc.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">~ characters talking in
similar styles</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">and more.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you find that you’re
making edits on your hard copy (or on the computer) while you’re reading out
loud, you’ll know that it’s working. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Give it a shot!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-3328609303878932692016-05-08T15:09:00.000-07:002016-05-08T15:09:11.169-07:00Being a Good Literary Citizen
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Readers as well as
aspiring and even experienced writers are often eager to be a part of the
literary world, but might not realize exactly how they can contribute and
support their favorite authors. Yet there are a number of ways to participate
in a literary community. Think there’s not much you can do or that you’re too
busy? Here are some practical ways to pay it forward and be a good literary
citizen. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ld1Xa91FXkQ/Vy-4NDk_LOI/AAAAAAAAA0w/QcZ5zVogLzsXs56M4eOZNQrSpFnQ_5TTwCLcB/s1600/Books-Change-Lives-Happy-World-Book-Day.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ld1Xa91FXkQ/Vy-4NDk_LOI/AAAAAAAAA0w/QcZ5zVogLzsXs56M4eOZNQrSpFnQ_5TTwCLcB/s1600/Books-Change-Lives-Happy-World-Book-Day.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">~ Use the “Like”
Button on Facebook – It’s so easy to click on “like” on a Facebook post and it takes
very little time out of your busy day. The more likes a post receives, the more
traction it gets, and the more people will see it. So if your favorite author
or a fellow writer has posted a blog post, some news about a new book or a
reading, just click “like.” And clicking like doesn’t necessarily have to mean
that you literally <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">like</i> something or
“endorse” it. It can also just mean: I’m here, supporting you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">~ Favoriting and
RT’ing on Twitter – In the same vein, you can easily select to make a post a
favorite on Twitter. It only takes a second. Retweeting an author’s tweet is
also an easy way to show your support without having to take the time to come
up with your own tweet. And you can even retweet a writer’s tweet about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">another </i>writer. The possibilities are
endless and the time it takes is minimal.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-htphnlLsOC0/Vy-4Xk9CmmI/AAAAAAAAA00/mlwFXm0GegosDN8nm0KmJ4kWqf3p8ApcACLcB/s1600/Anna_Kim_Wien2008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-htphnlLsOC0/Vy-4Xk9CmmI/AAAAAAAAA00/mlwFXm0GegosDN8nm0KmJ4kWqf3p8ApcACLcB/s320/Anna_Kim_Wien2008.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">~ Attend a Reading
(But It’s Ok To Not Attend <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Every</i>
Reading) – There’s a lot of pressure on writers to support fellow writers by
attending readings at bookstores, literary festivals, events, etc. And we
writers do appreciate anyone and everyone who shows up. But sometimes we’re
just overwhelmed with work and life or, frankly, just burnt out on literary
events and can’t make that one more trek to the big book launch party. But you
can still buy the author’s book. Or you can try making it to an event that’s
later on down the line after the book’s been out awhile; the one at the venue
that might not attract as many people, or at the odd time of day, the one on a
rainy night at Christmas time when everyone’s too busy. The writer will surely
appreciate this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">~ Take Photos – And
if you do attend a reading or event, take some photos of the writer in action and
post them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or your social media of choice. It’s
another easy thing to do. You might not have time to write a book review or
blog an interview, but this can give an author another valuable boost.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">~ Buy the Book –
Yes, buy the book if at all possible, but don’t buy it at a used bookstore—the
author will get nothing out of that. And avoid borrowing the book from a friend
or loaning your copy to your mom. Encourage people to buy their own copies to
support the writer. If you can’t buy the book, request your library to stock it
and check it out there. And if you can purchase the book, ask the writer what
type of purchase will most benefit her. Yes, we want to support independent
bookstores, but perhaps buying off the publisher’s online store (in the case of
small and independent publishers, for example) might be more helpful in certain
cases. Or if Amazon rankings are vitally important, it might be best to
purchase the book there. Or buy a copy at a book signing at Costco. You never
know. Ask the author what will help her the most. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">~ Don’t Feel Guilty
– We all get overwhelmed from time to time and have to take the time to care of
ourselves. Don’t feel guilty if you just don’t have the time, money, energy,
etc. If you can’t manage that blurb, tell the writer quickly so she won’t get
her hopes raised. Give her a nice shout-out on social media instead. Don’t feel
people are judging you or that you aren’t a good enough literary citizen. We’re
all doing the best that we can and that’s what counts.</span></div>
Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-81069973686428965182016-05-01T10:40:00.000-07:002016-05-02T17:38:23.508-07:005 Questions to Ask About Your Book’s Beginning<style>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So you’ve finished the
first draft of your novel or memoir—congratulations! Now you’re on the road to
revision and you need to ask yourself some hard and pointed questions. Of
course a good place to start the analysis of your manuscript is at the
beginning. Your book’s opening pages are the place where you make a contract
with your reader. You’ll want to draw her in and keep her reading. And if this
reader is also an agent, making the best impression you can is even more
important.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Ask yourself the following
questions and make some notes on your manuscript. It doesn’t matter if you’re
working with a hard copy or Scrivener or something in between—use what feels
the most comfortable. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">1 - Are you spending too much time warming up?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">A lot of newer writers
feel they must set the scene and prepare the reader for what’s to follow. Or they
think that they need to warm up with a long description of the trees dotting
the mountaintops and the clouds billowing in the sky before getting to the
action. Am I saying that you can’t have some description in your beginning?
Nope. But you need to get things moving—to not waste any time in getting to the
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">interesting</i> part of your story. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">You don’t want to put your reader to sleep. Now
there are some writers who are so skilled at their craft that they could make
the dullest environmental impact statement riveting. I am not one of them and
neither, probably, are you. So think about dispensing with the dull and
irrelevant bits and don’t hesitate to get to the point. You can always fill in
other details later if necessary. Show the action first and explain later.</span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">2 - Is There An Inciting Incident or Triggering Event?</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This is the interesting
part (see above). A lot of time this will have to do with something that
happens to your protagonist, not necessarily something he is actively pursuing.
It can be, for example, when the dead body is discovered or when the protagonist
receives an invitation to her college reunion or when a father receives a call
that his son has just been arrested. The inciting incident or triggering event
usually signals that the stability of the protagonist’s world is in jeopardy.
Remember the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Teletubbies?</i> When
something happened that wasn’t quite right, little Po was sure to say, “Uh-oh.”
Make sure your beginning has an “uh-oh” moment or two. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5zFqb5v4H8w/VyY_UM5E0mI/AAAAAAAAA0c/5Xb6fjHXZ3Q5km20Br0z1Hb_5NC7SApXgCLcB/s1600/Po.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5zFqb5v4H8w/VyY_UM5E0mI/AAAAAAAAA0c/5Xb6fjHXZ3Q5km20Br0z1Hb_5NC7SApXgCLcB/s320/Po.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">3 – Is There Too Much Backstory?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Sometimes critique group
members might complain that they want to know more about your protagonist. This
can be a legitimate concern, but the trick is to not be bogged down in the
beginning with lengthy explanations about the character’s background. If you can
pull off a riveting opening and show your character in action with a problem at
hand, you’ll find that readers will be patient enough to wait for more details
that will fill in the blanks. You should be evoking the feeling that they’re in
good hands with you as a writer, that you will be taking care of them in due
time. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">4 – Why Should the Reader Care?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">A reader wants to feel
that he is getting somewhere as he reads and not just experiencing a series of
random events without any cause and effect. You should be evoking a feeling of
forward momentum and emotional energy and urgency, and this is whether you’re
writing a coming of age journey, a tale of suspense, or a love story. Of course
not everything needs to be revealed immediately, but your reader needs to feel
rest assured that there is a point to all of this and that it’s worth his while
to keep going with your book. It’s a big question and it bears repeating: Why
should the reader care? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>5 – Is
That Prologue Really Necessary?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Yes, there are certain
genres where it seems to be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">de rigueur</i>
that you start with a prologue. But often prologues can be red flags to agents.
In the hands of a less skilled writer, they can simply be construed as a
filling in of a plot point that should be employed elsewhere or not at all—or trying
to fix a plot hole. Or giving a point of view of a mystery character who we
don’t end up hearing from until 200 pages later and by then he’s long
forgotten. And readers often skip prologues anyway. Think outside the box and
see if you can’t employ your prologue’s information in another way or dispense
with it altogether. Ask yourself objectively what it truly adds to your book.</span></div>
Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-78880628013888372182016-04-25T17:13:00.000-07:002016-04-25T17:13:09.469-07:0014 Books That Can Help You Become a Better Writer
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Back
in the day when I was a budding novelist dying to get an agent and get published,
I was always looking for the ANSWER. What did I need to do in order to write
the best novel I could, the one that would finally get me an offer from an
agent for representation and then get a book deal? What did I still have to
learn? There had to be some secret that everyone else who’d gotten published
(seemingly all my writer friends except me) seemed to know that I wasn’t privy
to. Because I sure as hell wasn’t getting anywhere.</span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So
I embarked on a journey of learning. Of critique groups, workshops,
developmental editors, writing teachers, writers conferences, online networking,
writing contests. And I read books on how to write fiction.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--4o_RUlXmYQ/Vx6wnmn-p7I/AAAAAAAAAzA/n-R36jZt9EU8AUDCYJrIlvibYQDwPmbyACLcB/s1600/CraftBooks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--4o_RUlXmYQ/Vx6wnmn-p7I/AAAAAAAAAzA/n-R36jZt9EU8AUDCYJrIlvibYQDwPmbyACLcB/s320/CraftBooks.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What
a journey it’s been. By now I’m a published novelist. I have an MFA in Creative
Writing and teach classes on how to write novels. I have my own manuscript
consultation practice where I help authors make their novels and memoirs become
the best they can be, and some clients have even seen their publishing dreams
come true. This past February I was at the San Francisco Writers Conference as
a panelist and moderator of several panels about writing and editing. I also
acted as a consultant, where attendees could make an 8-minute appointment with
me to pick my brain about their query letter, pitch, opening to their novel—whatever
they needed. Frankly, I’m thrilled to be at this stage of my wild and crazy
journey and being able to help writers.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">No,
there is no magic ANSWER and there’s no shortcut to writing a good novel. But
there is all kinds of help out there if you know where to look for it. And
while books on writing aren’t a panacea and there are no perfect ones, they can
really help and inspire you as well. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So
here’s a list that I share with my students. Some of these books have helped me
personally, and some I know have helped other writers. Some are strictly about
the craft of fiction, while others serve the purpose to inspire. Check them out
and see which might resonate with you. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>The
Making of A Story</i> – Alice LaPlante (highly recommended)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Beginnings,
Middles and Ends</i> – Nancy Kress</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Fiction
First Aid </i>– Raymond Obstfeld</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>The
Resilient Writer: Tales of Rejection and Triumph from 23 Top Authors</i> –
Catherine Wald</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Writing
the Breakout Novel </i>– Donald Maass</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Modern
Library Writer’s Workshop: A Guide to the Craft of Fictio</i>n – Stephen Koch
(highly recommended)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Conflict
and Suspense</i> – by James Scott Bell</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>The
Art of Fiction</i> – John Gardner</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>The
First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile</i> – Noah
Lukeman</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Hooked:
Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One and Never Lets Them Go </i>– Les
Edgerton</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Writers
Workshop in a Book: The Squaw Valley Community of Writers on the Art of Fiction</i>
– Edited by Alan Cheuse and Lisa Alvarez</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Still
Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life</i> – Dani Shapiro</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Bird
by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life</i> – Anne Lamott (highly
recommended)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Revising
and Self-Editing for Publication</i> – James Scott Bell</span></div>
Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-91650835004045013522012-10-07T14:05:00.004-07:002012-10-07T14:10:43.264-07:00Wendy's Best Writing-Related Tweets from the Week of October 1<style>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">* Fiction
Writers, Skip the Paris Cafes and Get a Good Pen - Word Craft - <a href="http://ow.ly/e6AuR">http://ow.ly/e6AuR</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not so sure I
want to give up Paris cafes and I hate writing my novels in longhand!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zc0U8uB8enY/UHHvfTN5meI/AAAAAAAAAh0/qX14KnYeElk/s1600/Death_found_an_author_writing_his_life.._(3517039221).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zc0U8uB8enY/UHHvfTN5meI/AAAAAAAAAh0/qX14KnYeElk/s320/Death_found_an_author_writing_his_life.._(3517039221).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">* Women, Men And
Fiction: Notes On How Not To Answer Hard Questions : NPR - <a href="http://ow.ly/e7Df9">http://ow.ly/e7Df9</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I love this: “Nothing
is more vexing than a question where 10 percent of the public discussion is
spent trying to answer it and 90 percent is spent arguing about whether it
matters. Such is the question of why, in many major publications, far more
books by men are reviewed than books by women.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">* Why the
Internet and Ebooks Are Changing Publishing and Writing for the Better:
<a href="http://ow.ly/e9RD7">http://ow.ly/e9RD7</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Vitriol, fear
and reactionary responses abound around the changes going on in publishing.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">* 90+ Published
Novels Began as NaNoWriMo Projects - GalleyCat <a href="http://ow.ly/ecYnn">http://ow.ly/ecYnn</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Every month is
NaNoWriMo for me but I’m all for people participating!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">* Being a
cartoonist is a bit like being a writer of very, very short stories: The New
Yorker <a href="http://ow.ly/edtmt">http://ow.ly/edtmt</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are some
funny New Yorker jokes about writing here.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">*In defense of
#chicklit: "I wrote a book about a woman, for women, and I’m proud."
- Slate Magazine <a href="http://ow.ly/ehzEW">http://ow.ly/ehzEW</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Still people are
forced to “defend” chicklit.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-36529372945849852232012-09-13T11:09:00.000-07:002012-09-13T11:09:04.356-07:00Expat Women in Asia Anthology: Call for Submissions
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ypUJO-gTKWQ/UFIg0eKXM9I/AAAAAAAAAf4/b_iMHgDDKwQ/s1600/Shrine_Shinagawa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ypUJO-gTKWQ/UFIg0eKXM9I/AAAAAAAAAf4/b_iMHgDDKwQ/s320/Shrine_Shinagawa.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Editor Shannon Young is
seeking contributions from expatriate women in East Asia for a new anthology
from <a href="http://signal8press.com/" target="_blank">Hong Kong’s Signal 8 Press.</a> The collection will feature the writing of
women who are currently expatriates or who have previously lived in an East
Asian country. For the purposes of this anthology, this includes Korea, China,
Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and the ASEAN countries. All submissions should
be creative non-fiction and/or travel memoir pieces that speak to the expat
experience in modern East Asia. Potential topics include travel, work,
relationships, gender roles, safety, family and repatriation. Stories should
have a strong and personal narrative arc, not just travel guides or descriptions
of the places where the writer has lived. The anthology strives to be as
inclusive as possible and welcomes submissions from women from different parts
of the world.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Submissions should be
between approximately 2000 and 5000 words in length. Each writer will receive
two copies of the completed anthology and a percentage of the royalties to be
determined by the final number of contributors. Please send all submissions,
with a brief paragraph about the author to Shannon [at] typhoon-media [dot]
com. Submissions should be in Microsoft Word, .doc or .docx format, and in a
standard font. The deadline for submissions is February 28, 2013. The anthology
will be released in paperback and e-book formats in the spring of 2014. </span></div>
Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-76600311931601867852012-08-07T08:14:00.000-07:002012-08-07T08:15:57.015-07:00TWANG BY JULIE L. CANNON<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Today we’re celebrating the release of
Julie L. Cannon’s novel <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%20%20http://www.amazon.com/Twang-Julie-L-Cannon/dp/142671470X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343923996&sr=1-2&keywords=julie+l.+cannon" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twang</i></a> from
Abingdon Press, about twenty-three-year old Jennifer Clodfelter’s journey from
rags to riches as she pursues her dream of becoming a country singer in
Nashville. Julie is the author of the award-winning <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Homegrown</i> series, published by Simon & Schuster, described as
“Southern-fried soul food.” Her novel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’ll
Be Home for Christmas</i> made the CBA Bestseller Lit as well as Nielsen’s Top
50 Inspirational Titles. Her next novel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Scarlett
Says,</i> will hit the shelves in October 2013. Prolific Julie lives in
Watkinsville, Georgia, and when she isn’t tending her tomato patch, she can be
found listening to some great country music or teaching memoir-writing
workshops. Recently she took some time out from her busy life to answer some
questions… </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DaMJfsJd8eg/UCEwXc_BnfI/AAAAAAAAAfc/BVz9FKpgaQQ/s1600/NewTwang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DaMJfsJd8eg/UCEwXc_BnfI/AAAAAAAAAfc/BVz9FKpgaQQ/s320/NewTwang.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tell
us about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twang</i> and the inspiration
behind it. </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Conway Twitty said, “A good country
song takes a page out of somebody’s life and puts it to music.” I’m a big
country music fan and it seems every article I read from a star’s perspective
has some bit about how their great songs spring from tortured times in their
past. There’s a saying that you can’t be happy and write good songs. Then, I
thought about how, for me, my writing is cathartic, and that is when I decided
to write about a wounded girl named Jennifer Clodfelter, with a childhood
straight from hell, who runs off to Nashville to sing and escape her past. But
her manager convinces her to dig up those old bones and write hit songs from
them. Ultimately, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twang</i> is about how
cathartic art is. My prayer is that this novel shows how the seemingly
unredeemable things in life can be used for good. Fellow author Walt Larimore (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hazel Creek</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sugar Fork</i>) says <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twang</i> is powerful and moving . . . with
profound insights into finding grace, even beauty in the ugliest memories and
events.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Who
are your current favorite country music artists? And is there anyone in
particular who Jennifer is based on? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">My current favorites are Alison Krauss and Josh
Turner. But I feel as guilty saying this as I would naming any of my three
children if someone were to ask: Which is your favorite child? I've got dozens
of country music stars who are my favorites at different times for different
reasons - from Glenn Campbell to Tanya Tucker. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">As for Jenny, she was inspired by Taylor Swift and Loretta
Lynn. I borrowed Taylor Swift's intensity and Loretta Lynn's rags-to-riches
story.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Which
book(s) on craft have inspired you most throughout your writing career? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
Weekend Novelist</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> by Robert J. Ray, which relies heavily on
dissecting one of my favorite novels, Anne Tyler’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Accidental Tourist</i> to guide a fledgling writer in sculpting a
story. Next, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Writer’s Digest Novel
Writing Workshop</i> (published 1996) which I poured over for years, and most recently,
Donald Maass’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Writing The Breakout Novel</i>.
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Writers
are usually big readers too. How do you make time for reading and what are you
reading at the moment? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I rarely watch TV, and I steal time away from
things like cleaning the house and cooking nutritional (time consuming) meals
for my family. Here’s my motto: ‘A Tidy House is the Sign of a Misspent Life.’ Right
now I’m reading Mia Farrow’s memoir, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What
Falls Away</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Save Me From Myself</i>
by Brian “Head” Welch, former lead guitarist of Korn, and I just finished <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Pilot’s Wife</i> by Anita Shreve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How
do you approach writing a novel? Do an outline of the plot, start with a
character or…? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m the belt-and-suspender type, and so I
outline extensively. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Weekend
Novelist</i> mentioned above, there’s an extensive examination of plotting
which includes Aristotle’s Incline; a diagram/arrangement of the parts of your
novel from the opening scene to the wrap up. I tape three pieces of blank paper
together to make one long strip and then I hand-draw this ascending plotline
and obsessively fill in each act and plot point and the catharsis, along with
symbols and lists of scenes. Then, I write a long and detailed synopsis in the
present tense. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Describe
your writing routine and schedule. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m a lark married to an owl, and so, like
today, I can hop out of bed while it’s still dark and get my 1,000-word minimum
for the day done before noon, sometimes before my beloved even awakes! Then I
try to handle stuff like marketing that uses another part of my brain. I’m not
much good for writing or hawking my wares after 8 PM. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What
do you like to do when you’re not writing? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I love, love, love reading, listening to music,
and hanging out with my family and friends. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eXKE9Yv9vNs/UCEwlDcGgMI/AAAAAAAAAfk/U8Vqs0jbDCI/s1600/Over+My+Shoulder+Color.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eXKE9Yv9vNs/UCEwlDcGgMI/AAAAAAAAAfk/U8Vqs0jbDCI/s320/Over+My+Shoulder+Color.JPG" width="284" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What
is your advice for those who are looking to get their novel published? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Don’t be afraid to murder your darlings. By
that, I mean to really LISTEN to criticisms from your writer’s group, from
editors/publishing houses or agents who have rejected your work. When you do
hear criticism, don’t get discouraged. Get right back up on that horse! Never
stop studying your craft, read constantly, and write unceasingly. </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What’s
next for you? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Scarlett
Says</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> is coming out in October of 2013. It’s about a
woman in her 30’s who suffers from extreme social anxiety. Here’s the elevator
pitch: “Lonely, yet nervous in social situations, Atlantan Joan Meeler is the
secret hostess of a wildly popular blog called Scarlett Says. She falls in virtual
love, gets married on-line and enjoys much conjugal bliss in the virtual
boudoir. When her husband decides to travel from Manhattan to Atlanta for the
75<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the film <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gone
With the Wind</i>, Joan prays she can channel enough of her heroine’s
feistiness to be able to come out from behind the keyboard.” It’s a story about
the transforming power of words, both good and bad, and those vulnerabilities
that hold us back from our potential. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 6.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You can visit Julie at her website
<a href="http://www.julielcannon.com/" target="_blank">HERE,</a> connect with her on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/julielcannon" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and follow her on Twitter at @JulieLCannon.
Here’s hoping you go triple platinum with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twang,</i>
Julie!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/julielcannon"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-56842178586016817082012-06-21T10:07:00.001-07:002012-06-21T10:07:34.565-07:00MY "STRONG BEGINNINGS" CLASS AT BOOK PASSAGE - 7/28<style>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b5mHleRT-FE/T-NUPdyMUcI/AAAAAAAAAfE/bZufRkuhXtE/s1600/BookPassageMarinStore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b5mHleRT-FE/T-NUPdyMUcI/AAAAAAAAAfE/bZufRkuhXtE/s1600/BookPassageMarinStore.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m teaching
another one of my “Strong Beginnings” classes on Saturday, July 28 from 10:00
am to 3:00 pm at Book Passage Corte Madera! This class is geared toward all
levels of writers who are working on novels. Memoir and creative non-fiction
writers will also find it helpful.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: BiauKai;">Making a good impression in the first five pages is crucial for the
success of your novel, whether you want to keep a reader reading or are hoping
to get an agent to offer representation. Common mistakes include starting the
story in the wrong place, giving too much backstory or using an action scene
that serves no purpose. In this class, we do what’s called a close reading of
first chapters of a variety of successful published books. We analyze all the
elements (pacing, characterization, style, tone, voice, structure, etc.) to
understand what grabs a reader. Then we take a look at the first five pages of
students' novels to see what works and what needs improvement.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Over the years,
students have responded quite positively to this class, citing its practicality
and usefulness as opposed to other creative writing classes that emphasize more
abstract concepts that can’t always be applied to a student’s specific work. And the things you learn in this class can also help you with revising your entire novel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Looking forward
to seeing you there! You can sign up here:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://bookpassage.com/event/class-wendy-tokunaga-strong-beginnings"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://bookpassage.com/event/class-wendy-tokunaga-strong-beginnings</span></a></div>Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-28374957204568039102012-06-13T18:26:00.002-07:002012-06-13T18:26:43.072-07:00His Wife and Daughters is FREE on Amazon!<style>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Kirkus Reviews says about my novel, <i>His Wife and Daughters: </i>“A refreshing narrative with a strong sense of place: political scandal with an
interesting twist that hits the mark.” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">And you can download it for free on Amazon as a Kindle ebook or read it on the free Kindle app on your iPad, iPhone, Mac, PC, etc. through Friday, June 15 by clicking <a href="http://www.amazon.com/His-Wife-and-Daughters-ebook/dp/B006O33VV2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1339637121&sr=1-1" target="_blank">HERE</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zeXUGiQmPbc/T9k9ryQxW7I/AAAAAAAAAec/Z2rTc3HCqO0/s1600/His-Wife-and-Daughters-2nd-Ed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zeXUGiQmPbc/T9k9ryQxW7I/AAAAAAAAAec/Z2rTc3HCqO0/s320/His-Wife-and-Daughters-2nd-Ed.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">More on <i>His Wife and Daughters:</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">It’s 1988 and Trina Brath and her teenage
daughters, Jill and Phoebe, lead happy and privileged lives as the wife and
daughters of successful California Congressman Dan Brath. But that all changes
when Dan, 52, is suspected of having an affair with Lesley Chisholm, a
19-year-old Washington DC intern who has gone missing. Soon Dan Brath is being
accused in the harsh media spotlight of not only sleeping with Lesley Chisholm,
but responsible for her disappearance. Despite Trina’s standing by her
husband—yet keeping the secret that he has cheated on her many times before—the
incessant media scrutiny puts a strain on the family, and their lives to go
into a tailspin. Eight months later, when Lesley mysteriously returns home safe
and sound, Dan Brath’s career is over, and his family is in tatters.<br />
<br />
Fast forward to today and the scandal that rocked the Brath family continues to
take its toll. Jill has food issues and can’t trust men, Phoebe leads a
self-destructive life and Trina continues to blame Lesley Chisholm for
everything. And now Lesley is breaking her silence with a tell-all memoir,
which is sure to make Dan Brath’s wife and daughters relive the trauma all over
again. Will Jill, Trina and Phoebe be able to cope, heal their wounds and move
on with their lives? Told from the viewpoints of the three women, His Wife and
Daughters is a moving story of how one family attempts to survive the ultimate
betrayal.<br />
<br />
</span>Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-63132482067591475402012-04-23T21:27:00.000-07:002012-04-23T21:28:23.826-07:00Falling Uphill is FREE on Amazon!<style>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-32OpdslO1_Q/T5YrbWIaX9I/AAAAAAAAAeM/Z83YHjoYrnQ/s1600/Falling-Uphill-Final-v2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-32OpdslO1_Q/T5YrbWIaX9I/AAAAAAAAAeM/Z83YHjoYrnQ/s320/Falling-Uphill-Final-v2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Just wanted to
let you know that my chick lit mystery e-book "Falling Uphill" is
free through Friday, April 27 on Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Uphill-ebook/dp/B006QMFDL2/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1335241339&sr=1-2" target="_blank">HERE! </a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">You can download it to your Kindle, or on the free Kindle app for your smart phone, iPad, PC or Mac.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Would appreciate it if you could please spread
the word! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">And here's the
blurb:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Falling Uphill”
by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Ruth Fenton is
dead, but what does that have to do with me?” That’s what Candace Grey, 29,
wants to know after receiving a puzzling phone message from San Francisco. A
bright, but slightly absent-minded anthropology teacher at a small Michigan
college, Candace is all set to leave for Los Angeles to conduct research on
1960s TV star Pamela Parrish—America’s Sitcom Sweetheart—for her Master’s
thesis on television and female gender roles. But after discovering that Ruth
Fenton is a long lost relative, she’s first off to San Francisco for her
memorial service where she meets a crazy(?) old lady who claims Pamela Parrish
didn’t commit suicide like everybody says—she was murdered. Now Candace has to
get to the bottom of it, all while fighting the nagging feeling that her
long-time professor boyfriend back home is getting a little too close to one of
his students, and at the same time wondering if new-found friend Brandon, a
newspaper reporter and budding painter who lives on a hidden stairway street in
the hills of San Francisco, is really the guy for her. It’s a funny, but
moving, uphill climb for Candace who finds that things are rarely what they
seem in the ups and downs of love or in discovering a surprising secret about
her not-so-perfect mother, or unearthing the truth behind the death of
America’s Sitcom Sweetheart.</span></div>Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-67795066011599227712012-03-13T07:33:00.000-07:002012-03-13T07:33:57.214-07:00Ghost on Black Mountain by Ann Hite<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Today my guest writer is Ann Hite, author of the debut novel <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Black-Mountain-Ann-Hite/dp/B0076TLO0I/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ghost on Black Mountain</i> </a>published by Gallery Books. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SHmkTZawAJQ/T19ajFDYWyI/AAAAAAAAAd8/g-Y85z1bQbo/s1600/GhostonBlackMountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SHmkTZawAJQ/T19ajFDYWyI/AAAAAAAAAd8/g-Y85z1bQbo/s320/GhostonBlackMountain.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Tell us about your debut and the inspiration behind it.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Ghost On Black Mountain,</span></i><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"> my first novel, is a story about choices and how the decisions we make can ripple through generations. The book begins in 1938 when Nellie Clay meets Hobbs Pritchard and marries him, ignoring her mama’s warnings. The book is narrated by five women, who in different ways are connected to Hobbs Pritchard. Is it a ghost story? Yes, there are ghosts, but there are many layers to the book. This makes it a little hard to label. The reader will find folk tales, superstitions, and a little hoodoo between the book cover.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">There are actually two answers to where found inspiration for the ghost story. The first: all the stories I heard my grandmother and great aunts tell settled in me and had to come out in some way. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ghost On Black Mountain</i> is only the first of several books intent on telling these stories. The second answer is Nellie Pritchard. She showed up in my head one day as I cooked dinner. Often my books grow from a character who comes to me while I’m mowing the grass, walking, etc. Nellie showed up with the first two lines of the book. “My mama warned me against marrying Hobbs Pritchard. She saw my future in her tea leaves: death.”</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">What’s one piece of writing advice you’ve found valuable on your road to publication?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Put your behind in the chair and write every day.</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1xL62tqYKPY/T19asURXV9I/AAAAAAAAAeE/ogTb2xZECrI/s1600/DSCN1241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1xL62tqYKPY/T19asURXV9I/AAAAAAAAAeE/ogTb2xZECrI/s320/DSCN1241.JPG" width="214" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Writers are usually big readers too. How do you make time for reading and what are you reading at the moment?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I am a confessed book junkie. I always find time to read. In my younger days, I was known to use food money for books. On most evenings, I read rather than watch TV. That’s one of the ways I make time to read. You can read anywhere. Now with e-readers, you can carry many selections with you. At this time I’m reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shirt of Flame</i> by Heather King.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">How do you approach writing a novel? Do an outline of the plot, start with a character or…?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">My characters start with me. I begin seeing or hearing snippets of what will become scenes. A strong character will wake me up in the night with dialogue or some key element to the story. I do not outline. Each day when I sit down to write, I experience the story much like my readers will. This keeps me coming back to the page.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Describe your writing routine and schedule.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">My writing routine varies from day to day because I have a rather large family. But I try to write first thing in the morning after the house is quiet. I turn off the Internet and hide my cell phone. I don’t stop writing until I produce at least 2,500 words. On most days I write more. I always read aloud what I wrote the day before. There’s something about hearing the sentences that helps me find the flow. I also use music when writing a first and second draft. This helps me with the emotions in the book.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">What’s next for you?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">My second novel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Barren Soul</i>, will be released by Gallery Books in the summer of 2013. I’m now at work on the third novel in the Black Mountain series.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Thanks, Ann! We’re looking forward to the subsequent books in your Black Mountain series.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div>Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-79999352008695412392012-02-27T17:05:00.001-08:002012-02-28T13:41:32.181-08:00Online Course: So Not Chick Lit: Writing Novels About Women's Lives<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7PTvmkTFBsQ/T0wnyMY7gVI/AAAAAAAAAd0/upk_iKxAjj0/s1600/Typerwriter132.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7PTvmkTFBsQ/T0wnyMY7gVI/AAAAAAAAAd0/upk_iKxAjj0/s320/Typerwriter132.svg.png" width="307" /></a></div>Want to let you know that registration for my online class, <a href="https://continuingstudies.stanford.edu/courses/course.php?cid=20113_NVL+120+W" target="_blank"><i>So Not Chick Lit: Writing Novels About Women's Lives</i></a>, for Stanford Continuing Studies Online Writer's Studio is open now! This is a fun and informative class for all levels of writers and, since it's online, you can take it from anywhere in the world!<br />
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Here's some info from the description:<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Since women buy the most books and make up the majority of book groups, it’s no wonder that publishers are always looking for well-written “women’s fiction.” But what exactly is women’s fiction? In this course, we define it as novels by and for women that explore women’s lives and issues, often focusing on, but not limited to relationships between mothers and daughters, siblings, friends, spouses, and so on, and those that showcase female protagonists. Through lectures, specific examples from current novels, and extensive feedback on your own work, you’ll learn techniques that will enable you to write successful women’s fiction in fresh, un<span class="st">clichéd</span> ways, while still maintaining accessibility and appeal. We will especially look at developing a strong voice, how to use humor effectively (when appropriate), and ways to avoid preachiness and pretension. </span></div><div class="Body" style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In this course we’ll be doing close readings of three terrific books about women’s lives, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Year of Fog</i> by Michelle Richmond, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Weird Sisters</i> by Eleanor Brown, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Good Grief</i> by Lolly Winston, as well as looking at excerpts from some other fine novels. We’ll analyze the author’s voice, which includes attributes such as diction (the words the writer chooses), syntax (how she arranges and groups the words), structure<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>(the order of how she presents events), and tone (the attitude toward the characters, subject and events of the novel). You’ll also discover choices you can make about point of view and past or present tense. </span></div><div class="Body"><br />
</div><div class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">We’ll also be reading and discussing topics from an excellent book on craft, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop: A Guide to the Craft of Fiction</i>, a book I think you’ll find to be a handy reference and inspiration not only now, but long after this course is over.</span></div><div class="Body"><br />
</div><div class="Body"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you're interested, please check it out <a href="https://continuingstudies.stanford.edu/courses/course.php?cid=20113_NVL+120+W" target="_blank">here.</a> Class starts April 9! </span></div>Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-13739005863058116642012-02-21T22:28:00.000-08:002012-02-21T22:28:17.207-08:00Favorite Books on Crafting Fiction<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Dusting off the cobwebs of this blog and hoping to keep it more active!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Over the years, I’ve found a number of books on the craft of fiction writing to be most helpful when I crave a creative boost or when I need a few reminders. Of course there’s the old standby, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bird by Bird</i> by Anne Lamott, which I think everyone knows and is popular because it’s so good, especially if you feel like receiving a supportive and funny pep talk. And I know a lot of people like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">On Writing</i> by Stephen King, and while I wasn’t particularly sold, it has many fans. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">On this post I’m going to list a few books that may not be as well known, but are certainly worth looking at no matter what type of fiction you’re working on.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop: A Guide to the Craft of Fiction</span></i><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> by Stephen Koch – I use this book in my Writing Novels About Women’s Lives class for Stanford’s Online Writer’s Studio. It’s good for both beginning fiction writers and those who are more advanced. It takes you through finding your story, shaping it, and revision as well as really nice advice on finding and inventing your own style. And I especially like it because the author comes off as both knowledgeable and supportive.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Hooked</span></i><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Writing Fiction that Grabs Readers at Page One and never Lets Them Go</i> by Les Edgerton – The title says it all. Many writers have problems with where to start their novel and this book covers everything about avoiding weak openings. It’s practical and informative. You might want to skip some of the examples, but there’s a lot in here that is quite helpful.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yBQB5XNrLoQ/T0SKwLJCybI/AAAAAAAAAdU/K2PGsOzjEw4/s1600/MakingStory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yBQB5XNrLoQ/T0SKwLJCybI/AAAAAAAAAdU/K2PGsOzjEw4/s320/MakingStory.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">The Making of a Story: A Norton Guide to Creative Writing</span></i><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> – by Alice LaPlante – This is an ambitious and thorough book written by a well known writer and writing teacher. It takes on both fiction and creative non-fiction and important issues such as reading as a writer, why “show don’t tell” is such common advice (and why it’s not quite accurate), point of view, crafting effective dialogue, etc., etc. And it covers both short and long forms of fiction and non-fiction. There are many great exercises and excellent writing samples from esteemed writers that really prove their points. Well worth the high price tag.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Writers Workshop in a Book: The Squaw Valley Community of Writers on the Art of Fiction</span></i><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> – Edited by Alan Cheuse and Lisa Alvarez – The Squaw Valley Writers Conference is well known and one well worth applying to (I attended twice!). This book has essays by writers such as Michael Chabon, Janet Fitch, Amy Tan, Anne Lamott and Diane Johnson, and covers a wide variety of topics from sense of place, historical fiction and how to make critique workshops work for you.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Lastly, I always recommend this book: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Resilient Writer: Tales of Rejection and Triumph from 23 Top Authors</i> by Catherine Wald – These road-to-publication interviews with authors including M.J. Rose, Arthur Golden, Bret Easton Ellis, Amy Tan and Elinor Lipman, are inspirational and illuminating.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">What books have helped you with your writing? Leave a comment and let us know!</span></div>Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-74247520410440502162011-12-15T20:39:00.000-08:002012-02-11T13:49:02.812-08:00Holiday Book Buying Guide!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YmLyr9356_c/TulJqlV_1xI/AAAAAAAACM0/uTzehUlU-aw/s1600/love+finds+you.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YmLyr9356_c/TulJqlV_1xI/AAAAAAAACM0/uTzehUlU-aw/s200/love+finds+you.png" width="126" /></a><br />
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LOVE FINDS YOU IN NEW ORLEANS by Christa Allan<br />
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Set to release in February of 2012 and available now for pre-order, this 1840s historical relates the story of a woman whose grandparents must consider whether to stop keeping secrets and reveal the truth they’ve known—a truth that will make the difference between a life of obligation and a life of choice.Unlocking the past could open the door to a new future, but is the present worth the cost? Introduced in the novel is the custom of plaçage, known as "left-handed marriages" among those forbidden legally to be together.<br />
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<b>Who would like this book? </b>Readers of historical fiction and Southern fiction.<br />
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For more information visit <a href="http://christaallan.com/">http://christaallan.com/</a><br />
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</div><a href="http://juditharnold.com/BK%20SAFE%20HARBOR%20Rev.%20L-R.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://juditharnold.com/BK%20SAFE%20HARBOR%20Rev.%20L-R.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
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SAFE HARBOR by Judith Arnold<br />
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Childhood pals Kip and Shelley spent their summers on Block Island, swimming, biking, discovering the world together. Then real life intruded, bringing tragedy and heartache. Years later, they both wind up back on Block Island. Can the island's rugged beauty and their loving friendship heal their wounds? An award-winning novel when it was first released, SAFE HARBOR is available to as a reissued e-book to a new generation of readers.<br />
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<b>Who would like this book? </b>SAFE HARBOR is the perfect book for lovers of romance fiction.<br />
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For more information visit <a href="http://www.juditharnold.com/">www.juditharnold.com</a><br />
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</div><a href="http://www.bloomsburykids.com/bloomsbury/covers/9781599905143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.bloomsburykids.com/bloomsbury/covers/9781599905143.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
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LITTLE WOMEN AND ME by Lauren Baratz-Logsted<br />
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A contemporary teen finds herself literally sucked into the Louisa May Alcott novel Little Women and discovers she must change a major plot point in order to get back out again. "...a consistently entertaining read that delivers a genuinely original heroine and frequently hilarious satire." ~ Kirkus Reviews<br />
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<b>Who would like this book?</b> LITTLE WOMEN AND ME will appeal to adult fans of Little Women and girls ages 12 and up. <br />
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For more information visit <a href="http://laurenbaratzlogsted.com/">http://laurenbaratzlogsted.com/</a><br />
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THE BLUE HOUSE DOG by Deborah Blumenthal<br />
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Love heals the heart is the message of this heartwarming picture book about a boy who saves a homeless dog and vice versa. Cody had his own dog once, but his painful loss is buried deeper than the feeding dish he hides away in his closet. All that changes when he comes upon a four-footed friend needier than he is -- a sad, lost dog from a mysterious blue house and both learn to trust and love again.<br />
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Based on a true story.<br />
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<b>Who would like this book?</b> Dog lovers of all ages.<br />
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For more information visit <a href="http://deborahblumenthal.com/">http://deborahblumenthal.com</a><br />
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MOTHERS AND OTHER LIARS by Amy Bourret<br />
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How far will a mother go to save her child? Ten years ago, Ruby Leander was a drifting nineteen-year-old who made a split-second decision at an Oklahoma rest stop. Fast forward nine years: Ruby and her daughter Lark live in New Mexico. Lark is a precocious, animal loving imp, and Ruby has built a family for them with a wonderful community of friends and her boyfriend of three years. Life is good. Until the day Ruby reads a magazine article about parents searching for an infant kidnapped by car-jackers. Then Ruby faces a choice no mother should have to make. A choice that will change both her and Lark's lives forever.<br />
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<b>Who would like this book?</b> Anyone, especially book clubs who like a good moral debate, will like this smart, haunting, and gorgeously written debut novel that propels a whip-smart plot that will keep you thinking.<br />
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For more information visit <a href="http://www.amybourret.com/">www.amybourret.com</a><br />
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A SUMMER IN EUROPE by Marilyn Brant<br />
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It’s not where you go, it’s what you take back with you… On her 30th birthday, Gwendolyn Reese receives an unexpected present from her widowed Aunt Bea: a grand European tour in the company of Bea's Sudoku-and-Mahjongg Club. Gwen initially approaches her first trip abroad as if it's the homework she assigns her students, diligently checking monuments off her must-see list. But amid the gorgeous bougainvillea of southern Italy, something changes. She begins to live in the moment—skipping down stone staircases in Capri, racing through the Louvre and taste-testing pastries, wine and gelato. Reveling in every new experience—especially her attraction to a charismatic British physics professor—Gwen discovers the ancient wonders around her are nothing compared to the renaissance unfolding within...<br />
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Who would like this book? Romantics and lovers of travel fiction who might enjoy a grand journey of self awakening amidst the classic architecture and stunning vistas of Europe.<br />
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For more information visit <a href="http://www.marilynbrant.com/">http://www.marilynbrant.com</a><br />
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CHILDREN OF THE WATERS by Carleen Brice<br />
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Still reeling from divorce, Trish Taylor is in the midst of salvaging the remnants of her life when she uncovers a shocking secret: her sister is alive. After years of drawing on the strength of her ancestors, Billie Cousins is shocked to discover that she was adopted. Though Trish longs to connect with her long-lost sister, Billie's feelings of betrayal are waters too deep to cross. But when both women are forced to confront their demons, they begin to realize that each may have what the other needs. <br />
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<b>Who would like this book?</b> This is a contemporary story between two women who discover they are sisters. Great for fans of smart, moving women's fiction. Women in interracial relationships or with mixed-race children will especially like it.<br />
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For more information visit <a href="http://www.carleenbrice.com/">www.carleenbrice.com</a><br />
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AN APPETITE FOR MURDER by Lucy Burdette<br />
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Aspiring food critic Hayley Snow follows the man of her dreams to Key<br />
West, FL. Instead of landing the job of her dreams as a food critic,<br />
she lands in the police blotter, the main suspect in her now-ex's new<br />
girlfriend's murder.<br />
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<b>Who would like this book?</b> Fans of Diane Mott Davidson's cozy culinary<br />
mysteries will enjoy this book.<br />
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For more information visit <a href="http://lucyburdette.com/buy-the-books/">http://lucyburdette.com/buy-the-books/</a><br />
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SLIM TO NONE by Jenny Gardiner<br />
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Abbie Jennings is Manhattan's top food critic until her expanding waistline makes staying incognito at restaurants impossible. Her cover blown on Page Six of the New York Post, her editor has no choice but to bench her—and suggest she use the time off to bench-press her way back to anonymity. Abbie’s life has been built around her career, and therefore around celebrating food. Forced to drop the pounds if she wants her primo gig back, Abbie must peel back the layers of her past and confront the fears that have led to her current life.<br />
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<b>Who would like this book?</b> SLIM TO NONE is the perfect book for anyone who's ever gone on a diet (or believes they should). <br />
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For more information visit <a href="http://www.jennygardiner.net/">www.jennygardiner.net</a><br />
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MY JANE AUSTEN SUMMER by Cindy Jones<br />
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A young woman who has squeezed herself into undersized relationships all her life hopes to realize her dream of living in a novel when she is invited to participate in a Jane Austen literary festival in England. She jumps at the chance to reinvent herself, imagining escape into Austen’s fictional world where bookish women are heroines. There, in the rich, promising world of Mansfield Park, Lily finds people whose longing to live in a novel equals her own. But real-life problems have a way of following you wherever you go and unless Lily can change her ways, she will share the fate of so many of Jane Austen’s characters who repeat the same mistakes over and over again.<br />
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<b>Who would like this book?</b> MY JANE AUSTEN SUMMER is a fast-paced, romantic, and humorous book that will appeal to book lovers, especially those who can't get enough Jane Austen.<br />
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For more information visit <a href="http://www.cindysjones.com/">www.cindysjones.com</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.rusoffagency.com/covers/fiction/AllTheNumbers_300_450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.rusoffagency.com/covers/fiction/AllTheNumbers_300_450.jpg" width="133" /></a>ALL THE NUMBERS by Judy Merrill Larsen<br />
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An arresting, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful first novel. A recently divorced mother of two boys, Ellen Banks is just learning to make her way through the uncharted territory of single parenthood when the unthinkable happens. Determined to seek justice, and to mend the deep wounds in her family, Ellen must first heal herself, finding a way out of a grief that soon turns to defiance. This is an unforgettable journey of power and emotion, poignantly depicting a woman as she reckons with her own vulnerability and finds in the wisdom of motherhood, the redemptive grace to begin again.<br />
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<b>Who would like this book? </b>ALL THE NUMBERS is great for discussion so it's perfect for anyone in a book club or who just wants characters you'll argue with, worry about, and hope they make the right choices (and yes, I love connecting with book clubs!).<br />
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For more information visit <a href="http://www.judymerrilllarsen.com/">http://www.judymerrilllarsen.com/</a><br />
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LITTLE BLACK DRESS by Susan McBride<br />
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Two sisters whose lives seemed forever intertwined are torn apart when a magical little black dress gives each one a glimpse of an unavoidable future.<br />
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Antonia Ashton has worked hard to build a thriving career and a committed relationship, but she realizes her life has gone off track. Forced to return home to Blue Hills when her mother, Evie, suffers a massive stroke, Toni finds the old Victorian where she grew up as crammed full of secrets as it is with clutter. Now she must put her mother’s house in order—and uncover long-buried truths about Evie and her aunt, Anna, who vanished fifty years earlier on the eve of her wedding. By shedding light on the past, Toni illuminates her own mistakes and learns the most unexpected things about love, magic, and a little black dress with the power to break hearts . . . and mend them.<br />
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<b>Who would like this book?</b> The story of the Little Black Dress weaves together bits of history, mystery, magic, and family, so I hope it appeals to readers who love women's fiction in the vein of Kate Morton and Sarah Addison Allen.<br />
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For more information visit <a href="http://susanmcbride.com/">http://SusanMcBride.com</a><br />
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THE OTHER LIFE by Ellen Meister<br />
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"<i>A resonant story about the importance of mothers, both having one and being one ... making for a riveting tale of love and choices.</i>" - BookPage<br />
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Quinn Braverman has a perfect life, with a loving husband, an adorable son, and another baby on the way.<br />
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Quinn also has an ominous secret: she knows there's a portal to another life, one in which she made totally different life choices. But she's never been tempted to switch lives ... until a shocking turn of events pushes her to cross over, and she discovers the one person she thought she'd lost forever. Her mother.<br />
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But Quinn can't have both lives. Soon, she must decide which she really wants—the one she has ... or the other life.<br />
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<b>Who would like this book?</b> Anyone interested in the beautiful, heartbreaking and complicated relationships between mothers and daughters.<br />
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For more information visit <a href="http://ellenmeister.com/">ellenmeister.com</a><br />
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MOMFRIENDS by Ariella Papa<br />
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Momfriends is a story of three vastly different people who meet through motherhood and become friends through womanhood.<br />
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Ruth is almost at the end of her rope with her new baby when a knock on her door changes everything. Claudia's life is all about rules. Everything is going perfectly until a flirtation with colleague makes her throw out her rule book.<br />
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And Kirsten is an artist and a dreamer. What she discovers late one night confirms that her life is not everything she dreamed. Momfriends is about how people roll with lives they can’t control. And whether they choose to swim with the current or against it, it’s about the realization that everyone needs someone to throw out a life preserver once in a while.<br />
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<b>Who would like this book? </b>Momfriends makes the perfect gift for your best friend, the new mom in the neighborhood or the mom you'd like to invite over. It's an ebook so it's even easier to read and multi-task. <br />
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For more information visit <a href="http://ariellapapa.com/">ariellapapa.com</a><br />
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DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD by Saralee Rosenberg<br />
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In Mindy's yoga-obsessed, thirty-is-the-new-wife neighborhood, every day is a battle between Dunkin' Donuts, her jaws-of-life jeans, and Beth Diamond, the self-absorbed sancti-mommy next door who looks sixteen from the back. So much for sharing the chores, the stores, and the occasional mischief to rival Wisteria Lane.<br />
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It's another day, another dilemma until Beth's marriage becomes fodder on Facebook. Suddenly the Ivy League blonde needs to be “friended,” and Mindy is the last mom standing. Together they take on hormones and hunger, family feuds and fidelity, and a harrowing journey that spills the truth about an unplanned pregnancy and a seventy-year-old miracle that altered their fates forever.<br />
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Dear Neighbor, Drop Dead is a hilarious, stirring romp over fences and defenses that begs the question, what did you do to deserve living next door to a crazy woman? Sometimes it's worth finding out.<br />
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<b>Who would like this book? </b>DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD is perfect for anyone who loves to discover friendship in surprising places ... while laughing out loud on every page.<br />
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For more information visit <a href="http://saraleerosenberg.com/">saraleerosenberg.com</a><br />
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MIMOSAS, MISCHIEF, AND MURDER by Sara Rosett<br />
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“<i>Charm, Southern sass, and suspense abound in the sixth delightful cozy mystery</i>.” –FreshFiction.com<br />
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Super-organized Ellie thinks she’s prepared for everything when she and her family set off for an extended visit with her southern in- laws in Alabama, but the one thing she hasn’t planned for is cold-blooded murder. When the patriarch of the family passes away under suspicious circumstances, the quirky Avery family closes ranks and Ellie can't help looking for motives among the mourners.<br />
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Publisher’s Weekly called it “winning” and described it this way: “A rumor of hidden money, secret letters from a famous recluse, a fire, a threatening message, and a crazed gunman add to the cozy mischief.”<br />
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<b>Who would like this book?</b> Fans of mysteries and southern fiction will enjoy Mimosas, Mischief, and Murder.<br />
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For more information visit <a href="http://sararosett.com/">http://sararosett.com</a><br />
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BEAUTIFUL DISASTER by Laura Spinella<br />
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As a college student in Athens, Georgia, Mia Wells meets Flynn, an enigmatic stranger who pushes every boundary she knows. Their relationship is intense, passionate and, for Mia, life-changing, making it all the more painful when he vanishes. After finding the wherewithal to move on with her life and pursue her goals, Mia eventually marries. Twelve years later, Flynn mysteriously resurfaces, gravely injured. Mia is terrified that he will die, awestruck at the prospect of his survival. Flynn’s return ignites a powerful tale, a story that is greater than honor or friendship or the passing of time. More than a romance, this 2011 Penguin release was recently named Best First Book in the NJRWA Golden Leaf contest.<br />
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<b>Who would like this book? </b>BEAUTIFUL DISASTER is women’s fiction with a heavy thread of romance, making it the perfect book for readers who like relationship fiction that includes a thought provoking love story. <br />
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For more information visit <a href="http://lauraspinella.net/">lauraspinella.net </a><br />
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LOVE IN TRANSLATION by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga<br />
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After receiving a puzzling phone call and a box full of mysteries, Celeste Duncan, 33, is off to Japan to search for a long, lost relative who could hold the key to the identity of the father she never knew. There she stumbles head first down the rabbit hole into a weird, wonderful world where nothing is quite as it seems.<br />
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Not knowing Japanese, Celeste finds a friend in her English-speaking homestay brother, Takuya, and comes to depend on him for help. As they cross the country following a trail after Celeste's family, she discovers she's developing "more-than-sisterly" feelings for him. But with a nosy homestay mother scheming to reunite Takuya with his old girlfriend, and her search growing dimmer, will Celeste find what she’s looking for in Japan?<br />
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<b>Who would like this book? </b>Love in Translation will appeal to armchair travelers who love a good love story!<br />
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For more information visit: <a href="http://www.wendytokunaga.com/">http://www.WendyTokunaga.com</a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">Most of the these books are available at your favorite bookstore. To buy online, visit the author's page for ordering links</span>.</b></span>Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-42758327661582603602011-09-27T15:47:00.000-07:002011-10-09T09:54:39.895-07:00Grab a Reader (or an Agent!) With Your First Five Pages<style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cABvaxuC2zw/ToJSaoELp9I/AAAAAAAAAdA/XB4cxsmMWuY/s1600/booksgraphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cABvaxuC2zw/ToJSaoELp9I/AAAAAAAAAdA/XB4cxsmMWuY/s1600/booksgraphic.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">I'm excited to again be giving a writer’s workshop at the wonderful independent bookstore, Harbor Books & Gallery, located in the Shops at Harbor Village in the charming hamlet of Princeton by the Sea, which is just north of Half Moon Bay in the San Francisco Bay Area. <br />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Grab A Reader (Or an Agent!) With Your First Five Pages</b> will be held on Saturday, October 22 from 1pm- 3pm. We’ll do close readings of beginnings of successful published novels and then workshop students’ first five pages of their novels or memoirs.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
To sign up or to get more information write to: harborbooksgallery@yahoo.com or call 650-726-4241<br />
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Hope to see you there!</div>Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-44137355835759641892011-06-28T14:16:00.000-07:002011-06-28T14:16:13.932-07:00Five Tips for Gaining Confidence in Your Writing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KG1ijxEJb_8/TgpEDt9SooI/AAAAAAAAAc4/aOlMdPlBZLc/s1600/finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KG1ijxEJb_8/TgpEDt9SooI/AAAAAAAAAc4/aOlMdPlBZLc/s320/finished.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Erin Reel at The Lit Coach graciously asked me to write up a guest blog for her site. Check out my advice for becoming more confident with your writing <a href="http://thelitcoach.blogspot.com/2011/06/five-tips-for-gaining-confidence-in.html">HERE!</a>Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-87544189767127824142011-05-08T17:19:00.000-07:002011-05-08T17:19:33.644-07:00Writers Workshops at Harbor Books & Gallery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-322jWqJlk6I/TccwZVFV85I/AAAAAAAAAc0/QMTJTRLtlTU/s1600/HarborBooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-322jWqJlk6I/TccwZVFV85I/AAAAAAAAAc0/QMTJTRLtlTU/s200/HarborBooks.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
I'm excited to be a part of a great series of Writers Workshops at a wonderful independent bookstore, Harbor Books & Gallery, located in the Shops at Harbor Village in the charming hamlet of Princeton by the Sea, which is just north of Half Moon Bay in the San Francisco Bay Area. <br />
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Saturday, May 21 - 1pm - 3pm: <b>The Fundamentals of Storytelling</b> with novelist Vanitha Sankaran, author of <i>Watermark: A Novel of the Middle Ages</i><br />
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Saturday, June 11 - 1pm- 3pm: <b>Grab A Reader (Or an Agent!) With Your First Five Pages</b> with novelist Wendy Nelson Tokunaga, author of the novels <i>Midori by Moonlight </i>and <i>Love in Translation</i><br />
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Saturday, June 18 - 1pm - 3pm <b>Travel Writing—Not Just Sipping Cocktails on the Beach!</b> with freelance travel and adventure sports writer Jill K. Robinson whose articles have been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, AOL Travel and more.<br />
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To sign up or to get more information about any of these classes, write to: harborbooksgallery@yahoo.com or call 650-726-4241<br />
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Hope to see you there!Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-89048436788384427712011-04-11T11:13:00.001-07:002011-04-11T11:15:45.547-07:00Marriage in Translation: Foreign Wife, Japanese Husband<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YjaqnW7jfoM/TaNCojgm91I/AAAAAAAAAcw/cK1ByYs-UF4/s320/Marriage_in_Translation.jpg" width="320" /></div><br />
It took a while, but it's finally here -- yay! My e-book, <a href="http://ow.ly/4xgCY"><b><i>Marriage in Translation: Foreign Wife, Japanese Husband</i></b></a> is now available on <a href="http://ow.ly/4xgCY">Kindle!</a> This book showcases interviews with 14 Western women who speak candidly about the challenges in making cross-cultural marriages work, both inside and outside Japan, and the joys and frustrations of adapting to a different culture. For the month of April, 50 percent of the proceeds will go to Japan Relief.<br />
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I want to give a special shoutout to my Japanese husband, <a href="http://surf.stokemaster.com/">Manabu Tokunaga</a>, for all his technical help with this book (and the cover design!) as well as the great job he does of being my muse. :-) <i>Arigato-sama!</i>Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-72707506997550539592011-03-29T21:59:00.000-07:002011-03-29T21:59:28.847-07:00THE PROVENCE CURE FOR THE BROKENHEARTED by Bridget Asher<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"> <style>
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</style> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Provence-Cure-Brokenhearted-Novel/dp/0385343914/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300679443&sr=8-1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HToPffvgfNg/TZK3zDDBLxI/AAAAAAAAAco/7DG6ehPA310/s320/Provence+Cover-thumb.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Julianna Baggott is the author of seventeen books, most recently <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted</i> under her pen name Bridget Asher, as well as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Pretend Wife </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My Husband’s Sweethearts. </i>She’s the bestselling author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Girl Talk</i> and, as N.E. Bode, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Anybodies Triology </i>for younger readers. Her essays have appeared widely in such publications as <i>The New York Times</i> Modern Love column, <i>Washington Post, <a href="http://npr.org/"><span style="color: #003f9f;">NPR.org</span></a>,</i> and <i>Real Simple</i>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">What the critics have said about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted:</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">“Fans of <i>Under the Tuscan Sun</i> will adore this impossibly romantic read.” -- <i>People</i> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">“Readers who enjoy ... Lolly Winston's <i>Good Grief</i> and Jane Green's <i>The Beach House</i> or travel-induced transformation books like Frances Mayes's <i>Under the Tuscan Sun</i> and Elizabeth Gilbert's <i>Eat, Pray, Love</i> will find common themes ... and become quickly invested in the lives of the deftly drawn characters.” -- <i>Library Journal</i> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">“Unabashedly romantic ... a real charmer about a Provencal house that casts spells over the lovelorn.” -- <i>Kirkus Reviews</i></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Brokenhearted and still mourning the loss of her husband, Heidi travels with Abbott, her obsessive-compulsive seven-year-old son, and Charlotte, her jaded sixteen-year-old niece, to the small village of Puyloubier in the south of France, where a crumbling stone house may be responsible for mending hearts since before World War II. There, Charlotte confesses a shocking secret, and Heidi learns the truth about her mother’s “lost summer” when Heidi was a child. As three generations collide with one another, with the neighbor who seems to know all of their family skeletons, and with an enigmatic Frenchman, Heidi, Charlotte, and Abbot journey through love, loss, and healing amid the vineyards, warm winds and delicious food of Provence. Can the magic of the house heal Heidi’s heart, too? </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">I enjoyed reading this book, which unfolds like a long and lovely, delicious, French meal and is just as satisfying! And I was so interested to find out more about Julianna, who wears so many writers’ hats. She is an inspiration to us all!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> is one of your novels written under the pen name Bridget Asher. You also write YA books under another pseudonym (N.E. Bode) as well as poetry and other writing under Julianna Baggott. How did you come to take on these "multiple personalities" and how do you keep them separate and manageable?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's a little personality-disorder, isn't it? Bode came about as a way to keep being prolific. (I love N.E. Bode, dimpled with innocence, being hunted down by his insanely jealous creative writing professor. He's a peach.) Bridget Asher was an attempt to build an audience. My writing is such buckshot that I wanted readers to be able to find at least one name they could rely on. I hope Bridget delivers that. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-37JhVD3faPc/TZK4ImBKbEI/AAAAAAAAAcs/YUE_gZ5KxYg/s1600/Julianna-53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-37JhVD3faPc/TZK4ImBKbEI/AAAAAAAAAcs/YUE_gZ5KxYg/s320/Julianna-53.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">You also are an associate professor for Florida State University's Creative Writing Program and received your MFA in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. What are your thoughts on the proliferation of MFA programs in the United States? Do you think MFA programs are preparing their students well for the tough world of publishing?</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's my job, primarily, to teach people how to write stronger in their own unique ways -- to develop empathy, voice, imagination, strategic thought, basically a number of transferable skills, things they'll need whether they become novelists, artists, or go into the art of politics, medicine, law. And so the market and the industry don't come up in workshop, proper. I do give lectures on the nuts and bolts of publishing. I bring in articles on the industry. We haul in agents and editors. We have a literary magazine where students get a feel for the editorial end. So, in the end, it's a mix. But at the fore, it's about craft, not career. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">What was the inspiration for writing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted?</i> What do you want readers to take away from this book?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I wanted to write something multi-generational—ambitious in that way. I wanted to write about sorrow. The opening line is, “Grief is a love story told backwards.” I wanted to write about Provence. I wanted research I could eat. As for readers, I'm completely greedy. I want to work my way into their souls and I want to stay lodged there. (A little too much to ask for?)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Walk us through the development of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted.</i> Did you end up changing anything in the structure during revision? Add or delete characters? Rework the backstory?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I knew the first half of the novel and I knew events in the second half—because we'd lived in this little village for a month and I'd stockpiled real life stuff. But I didn't know how these things would play out. And one of the characters had a huge secret that she didn't even let me in on—until someone else spilled it. I love it when my characters have lives of their own. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Who are among your favorites of current female novelists?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you want funny, Rainbow Rowell's debut novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Attachments </i>is uproarious. Marisa del los Santos just handed her latest into her editor, and I want to read over the editor's shoulder. I just blurbed a brilliant novel by Quinn Dalton, which is on the editor hunt right now. May I mention a poet or two? I will: Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Rachel Zucker. Chantel Acevedo's debut, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Love and Ghost Stories? </i>Check it out. And on and on....</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">What projects are you working on now?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">A dystopic post-apocalyptic trilogy called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pure</i>, which will be published in February. Film rights were bought by Fox2000. It's a massive thriller-esque world-building trilogy. A huge undertaking. Wild fun. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">I'm also sketching the next Bridget Asher novel—the starry-eyed falling in love early days. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">What was your road to publication like? What advice would you give aspiring writers in achieving success in publishing?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's great if you have some bounce. Expect to fail. Be surprised by successes. It's hard. Be tough. Create a bond with rejection. Get chummy with criticism. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">As a professor, novelist, poet, YA writer, mother wife, literacy activist, blogger, etc., etc. (!) can you enlighten us on how you manage your time?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">My husband is a stay-at-home dad. Otherwise, there's no way it could work. I use my freshest brain cells on my own creative work. I sometimes stay up late, playing catch up. My creative process has morphed to rely on near-constant interruption.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Do you work on books simultaneously? If so, what are the challenges of doing this?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I do. I call it cross-training. When one project fights me, I let it sit, but stay busy at work on another. It's a habit that leads to more overall pages. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The publishing and book industry has been undergoing much change. How has this affected you as a writer?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">For one thing, being here (on a blog) is part of the new world. I prefer this (VERY MUCH) to touring. I love being at home and turning to blogs as a way of travel without planes. Things are changing very quickly. I'm fascinated. I think that there might be a growing power shift toward writers themselves. I don't understand it or how it will play out, but I'm optimistic about one thing: the endurance of story. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">What and where is your favorite restaurant and what do you like about it?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Les Sarments. It's a tiny exquisite restaurant in the tiny village of Puyloubier, where <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted</i> is set. It's tucked away up a tiny narrow set of stone steps. Amazing. Get the cheese -- some of it is downright illegal. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Visit Julianna at her blog at <a href="http://bridgetasher.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #003f9f;">http://bridgetasher.blogspot.com/</span></a> and at her website at <a href="http://www.juliannabaggott.com/"><span style="color: #003f9f;">www.juliannabaggott.com</span></a>.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> <i>Bon chance, </i>Julianna, with <i>The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted!</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Provence-Cure-Brokenhearted-Novel/dp/0385343914/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300679443&sr=8-1"><span style="color: #003f9f;"><br />
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</div>Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-31928126174699214642011-02-16T10:49:00.000-08:002011-02-16T10:49:16.358-08:00Book Signings: An Endangered Species<style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XQt2w3ptEfM/TVwb1IhhRrI/AAAAAAAAAcg/Jy7aI5R6jVM/s1600/Wendy_BooksInc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XQt2w3ptEfM/TVwb1IhhRrI/AAAAAAAAAcg/Jy7aI5R6jVM/s1600/Wendy_BooksInc.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are different kinds of book signings. There are the ones where you go into the bookstore and sign copies of your books that they have in stock. Then there is the author event where you sign books at a table and sometimes give a reading beforehand. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">My very first stock signing was in the fall of 2007 at Stacey’s Books, a major independent store in downtown San Francisco where they featured my debut novel, <i>Midori by Moonlight,</i> in a lovely display. I was thrilled and signed each book with the Cross pen my husband had given me to celebrate my first published novel. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">A couple of hours later I was at my first author event at the huge Borders store in Union Square where I read from my novel, answered questions and signed copies—another major thrill I’ll never forget. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stacey’s closed a few years ago, a victim of Amazon and the big box stores. Borders has just filed for bankruptcy and the Union Square store (one of the largest in California) is on the closure list. Things are changing in the publishing world and more and more people are purchasing their books through Kindles and iPads. Book signings are an endangered species and are set to become extinct—a quaint memory from the past, much like the album signings by your favorite rock star at Tower Records.</span></div>Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-78485258814243671332010-12-16T09:36:00.000-08:002010-12-16T09:46:39.474-08:00Japan, Funny Side Up by Amy Chavez<style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aeeG0up9DI0/TQpNn6B3vFI/AAAAAAAAAbw/OQz3krlSuDg/s1600/FunySideUp--BookCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aeeG0up9DI0/TQpNn6B3vFI/AAAAAAAAAbw/OQz3krlSuDg/s200/FunySideUp--BookCover.jpg" width="110" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ve read a lot of guidebooks about Japan, but I’ve never encountered one like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Japan-Funny-Side-Up-ebook/dp/B004GEAPQ0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&m=A31ABJMJKU9YNZ&s=digital-text&qid=1292468607&sr=8-3-catcorr"><i>Japan, Funny Side Up</i></a> by Amy Chavez. Chavez, the long-time “Japan Lite” columnist for <i>The Japan Times</i> (the country’s premiere English-language daily newspaper) has written a funny and insightful guide that not only gives readers excellent travel advice, but also offers valuable insights into Japanese culture and society. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Chavez keeps us laughing with essays like <i>Etiquette Tips for Santa Claus and other Foreigners</i> (“When you come inside the house—through the window, please—take off your boots and use the XXL slippers we’ve put out for your big gaijin feet.”) and <i>Japan: A Nation Ruled by Cartoon Characters, </i>which introduces such <i>kawaii</i> mascots perhaps not as well known to Westerners as Hello Kitty, such as Miffy, Afro Ken and Koge Pan, the animated burned bread roll. She also gives practical advice on traveling in Japan, including free off-beat places to explore, as well as tips on living in Japan and teaching English there.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Whether you’re planning a trip to Japan, thinking of relocating there or are just curious about this fascinating country, you’ll find <i>Japan, Funny Side Up</i> a highly entertaining read.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aeeG0up9DI0/TQpN0P7zUFI/AAAAAAAAAb0/BuZdgpFOb34/s1600/AmyChavezc5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aeeG0up9DI0/TQpN0P7zUFI/AAAAAAAAAb0/BuZdgpFOb34/s200/AmyChavezc5.JPG" width="129" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Chavez, who was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, has been living in Japan for 17 years. I recently had the chance to ask her some questions about <i>Japan, Funny Side Up</i> and her life in Japan, her passion for all things Japanese and how she has come to write for a living.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">How did you end up living in Japan? </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I've been in Japan since 1993 (gasp!) and came over after getting my MA in Teaching English as a Second Language. I came to teach English at college. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">How did you come to write for <i>The Japan Times?</i></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have a BA in Creative Writing and another MA in Technical Writing. I knew I wanted to write for a living, but didn't think I could make enough money at it. I also loved to travel, so I figured a degree in ESL would allow me to live almost anywhere and teach, and then I could pursue my dream of writing. I landed the job as a columnist for the <i>The Japan Times</i> in 1997, after four years in Japan. I had done a lot of writing before that, mind you, but I really found my niche with the newspaper. It has been good to me and I now write for a living. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">What made you decide to write a guidebook on Japan?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I had already turned down book offers by two major publishers, mainly because I didn't care for their contracts. Book contracts aren't that hard to get, but good book contracts are. So I took the book and made it into what I felt was needed, according to what was already out there in the market, what wasn't, and what I thought should be. I didn't want to write just another book about Japan. I wanted to write something provocative, something useful and something that offered a closer, more personal look at the country. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">What differentiates <i>Japan, Funny Side Up</i> from all the others out there?</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">My aim with the book is to present Japan in the most honest but entertaining way possible based on my 17 years of living here. Japan is an endlessly fascinating country. Even after all these years, I still find out something new every day! This is what I want to share with others—an absolute passion for things Japanese. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In addition, I hope to pique peoples’ interest in Japan and get them thinking outside the box. So rather than just presenting some strange Japanese custom, I want readers to think how that custom came about and what makes it Japanese. This is the only way we can truly understand and respect another culture. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">With the current popularity of blogs, videos, podcasts, Facebook, Twitter, etc, another aim of the book is to recommend places people can go to find more information on various subjects. There are so many good J-bloggers out there who work really hard, usually with no compensation for their work. So I want to highlight the people who are doing an outstanding job of presenting up-to-date information about what's happening here in Japan. That's something a regular book just cannot do. And while there are a lot of average sites on Japan out there, the really good ones deserve a mention. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Did you have any interest in Japan before moving there?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I had done quite a bit of traveling in third world countries so I thought that if I were going to settle down somewhere, I’d choose a developed country where I could make a good salary, enjoy a decent standard of living and save some money. Japan was still hot at the time, and the opportunity to teach came via my university. Teaching at university in Japan was my first real job. I had planned on staying for five years.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Have you formally studied the Japanese language? Can you read and write Japanese? Are you fluent?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I studied Japanese formally at a language school the first year I was here. All the other students at the school were Chinese studying to pass the Japanese university entrance exams, so I had to study very hard to keep up (they already knew the kanji). I was also working full time at the university then, so I didn’t have time to do homework. I would go to language school for four hours in the morning, go teach university in the afternoon, then go home and grade papers. Nonetheless, I still managed to learn to read and write Japanese.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">You live on a remote island in Japan. Tell us how you ended up there and a little bit about what it's like to live there.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I had lived in Okayama city, for almost five years when I moved to the island. I was looking for traditional Japan in its raw, unadulterated form. I found it, in a big way, on this little island. The people welcomed me into their community and that’s when I found out how much I really didn’t know about Japan. I wouldn’t trade this little island for anything! The people are awesome—all 650 of them! Life on the island is a sub-theme in my next book, about running the 900-mile Shikoku 88-Temple Buddhist Pilgrimage, which I currently have an agent interested in.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thanks, Amy!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">You can get <i>Japan, Funny Side Up</i> as a Kindle e-book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Japan-Funny-Side-Up-ebook/dp/B004GEAPQ0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&m=A31ABJMJKU9YNZ&s=digital-text&qid=1292468607&sr=8-3-catcorr">HERE.</a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-47987965375027115292010-10-03T23:01:00.000-07:002010-10-03T23:01:42.634-07:00Girlfriends Book Club<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aeeG0up9DI0/TKltZFKoC7I/AAAAAAAAAbk/NsgYfUPqxHc/s1600/MadMen_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aeeG0up9DI0/TKltZFKoC7I/AAAAAAAAAbk/NsgYfUPqxHc/s1600/MadMen_.jpg" width="136" /></a></div>I'm part of an exciting new writers blog called the Girlfriends Book Club. You can check out my post on the inspiration I find as a writer from <i>Mad Men</i> <a href="http://girlfriendbooks.blogspot.com/2010/10/mad-men-inspiration-for-writer.html">HERE.</a> Thanks!Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714757842533380197.post-39253136158136046602010-09-23T10:21:00.000-07:002010-09-23T10:50:01.545-07:00Friday Mornings at Nine by Marilyn Brant<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/Marilyn-Brant/e/B003B2BGBG/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0/185-6500825-1366340"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aeeG0up9DI0/TJuNk7XoIpI/AAAAAAAAAbU/FeMjMgLqorM/s320/Friday+Mornings+at+Nine+%5B1%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520161433824273042" border="0" /></a><br /> <style>@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }em { }p { margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> <style>@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }</style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" >My guest today is Marilyn Brant, a girlfriend from the <a href="http://girlfriendbooks.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:blue;">Girlfriends Book Club Blog</span></a>. Her second novel, <i>Friday Mornings at Nine,</i> comes out on October 1 from Kensington Books. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style=";font-family:";" >Every woman remembers her firsts: Her first kiss. Her first lover. And her first time contemplating an affair…</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><i><span style=";font-family:";" ></span></i><span style=";font-family:";" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:";" >Each Friday morning at the Indigo Moon Café, Jennifer, Bridget and Tamara meet to swap stories about marriage, kids and work. But one day, spurred by recent e-mails from her college ex, Jennifer poses some questions they've never faced before. What if they all married the wrong man? What if they're living the wrong life? And what would happen if, just once, they gave in to temptation?<br /><br />Soon each woman is second-guessing the choices she's made -- and the ones she can unmake -- as she becomes aware of new opportunities around every corner, from attentive colleagues and sexy neighbors to flirtatious past lovers. And as fantasies blur with real life, Jennifer, Bridget and Tamara begin to realize how little they know about each other, their marriages and themselves, and how much there is to gain -- and lose -- when you step outside the rules.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" >Marilyn has been a classroom teacher, a library staff member, a freelance writer and a national book reviewer. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and son, surrounded by towers of books that often threaten to topple over and crush her. A proud member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, Marilyn's debut novel featuring "Jane," <i>According to Jane,</i> won the Romance Writers of America's prestigious Golden Heart Award. When not working on her next book, she enjoys traveling, listening to music and finding new desserts to taste test. You can visit her website <a href="http://www.marilynbrant.com/"><span style="color:blue;">HERE.</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" ><a href="http://www.marilynbrant.com/"><span style="color:blue;"><br /></span></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" >Marilyn was kind enough to answer some questions below:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >What was most important to you in the writing of this story?</span></b><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" > </span><span style=";font-family:";" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >I’m always trying to be honest about the complexities of human emotion, particularly in regards to relationships. I would say with <i style="">Friday Mornings at Nine</i>, the biggest issue I wanted to explore was not so much the concept of “cheating” as a theme but, rather, the far less titillating subject of “choosing.” The idea that a woman can really only be in a relationship fully -- marital or otherwise -- once she understands how and why she’s <i style="">chosen</i> to be there, and that she has to look closely enough and listen deeply enough to know who she is and what she wants. And, also, that in every romantic relationship or good friendship, she chooses over and ov</span><span style=";font-family:";color:black;" >er again (either consciously or unconsciously) whether she wants to stay. I believe that’s true of all of us, and I wanted my characters in this story to move from unconsciously living very unexamined lives to consciously, actively making a choice about where they were headed.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style=";font-family:";" >Is your relationship with your friends similar to or different from the relationship between the women in the novel?</span></b><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span><span style=";font-family:";" >For the most part, it’s different...and thank goodness! While my friends and I often get together for coffee to talk about our lives, just like the women in the book, the friends in <i style="">Friday Mornings at Nine</i> have a few things to learn, not only about each other but about themselves. (Big time!) I think they make a fair bit of progress during the course of the novel, but I also think it’s pretty clear that it’s difficult to be a good friend -- or a good spouse, for that matter -- if you’re not examining your needs and your motivations with a clear eye. I've certainly been in group situations with other women where there were secrets and hidden agendas, where the people involved still had so much personal stuff to work out that they couldn’t be honest -- even with themselves -- about who they were and what they wanted out of their lives. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" >By contrast, my friends and I, while we’re hardly Zen-like creatures of calm and poise (although I can hear one friend saying, “What?! I am <i>too</i> Zen-like!”), we tend to be pretty straightforward with each other. We have varying levels of comfort when it comes to revealing deeply personal information, and our personalities are different, but we also know each other well enough by now to trust that we have each others’ best interests at heart. None of us would do anything intentional that might hurt another. That sort of trust allows for a great deal of candidness in our conversations. And while we spend <i>far</i> more time talking about baked goods than about any subject someone might consider racy (it’s the truth -- talk of hot, muscular guys sadly takes a backseat to discussions about caramel brownies), I’m so grateful to them for being people who know the over-analytical geeky girl that I am and still want to spend so much time with me.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style=";font-family:";" >What is the inspiration behind this novel?</span></b><span style=";font-family:";" ><br />I’ve talked with a lot of women about their marriages -- and, in some cases, about their affairs. Sometimes these revelations came in the form of random comments thrown out unexpectedly. Other times they were part of well thought-out discussions about whether the women in question should or shouldn’t stay married. I met my husband 20 years ago and we’ve been married for almost 18 of those years. I consider us to be happy, but I don’t know anyone who’s been married that long who hasn’t experienced some ups and downs. I think the fortunate couples are the ones who keep choosing to be together and work on their relationships despite all of those years and the inevitable changes. Of course, it takes both people to do that, and it also takes a lot of time and effort. The individuals involved have to want to get to know these people they married and who they are now as opposed to the different creatures they may have been when they met a decade or more before, and they need to really pay attention to their own needs and desires, too. Sometimes, in the process of that kind of deep analysis, it turns out there was a profound disconnect somewhere along the line. In some cases, it’s possible to reconnect -- in others, not so much.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" >So, essentially, I wanted to write a story about three women who have marital disconnects to some degree that make them wonder what would have happened if they’d chosen differently. Then I wanted them to finally take the time to examine their lives so they could choose mindfully where to head next.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style=";font-family:";" >Did you run into any challenges or roadblocks while writing this book? If so, how did you overcome them?</span></b><span style=";font-family:";" ><br />There were the usual writing challenges -- especially that pervasive author fear that I’d never finish it or it wouldn't make sense to anyone but me [Ed.: I’ve been there!], etc. -- but the only really big hurdle was in trying to tell this story the way I wanted it to be told. I’ve read and enjoyed novels where thoughts of infidelity were contained in one woman’s perspective and were these really intimate, deeply personal portrayals. With <i>Friday Mornings at Nine,</i> I wanted to feature three individual women, but also show the group of friends as almost a fourth character. In fact, in my earliest draft, I even wrote the first chapter as “we” and “our” instead of “they” and “them” (i.e., “We met on Friday mornings at nine because that was when...” etc.). In the end, I decided to write those group chapters with more of a traveling third person/omniscient point of view, but I hope it still gets across that, in a way, the group of friends is an entity unto itself.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" >Thanks, Marilyn!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style=";font-family:";" ><br /></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style=";font-family:";" >Friday Mornings at Nine</span></i><span style=";font-family:";" > is a Doubleday Book Club & Book-of-the-Month Club<b style=""> </b>Featured Alternate Selection for October 2010. Congratulations!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";" > </span></p>Wendy Tokunagahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03529294803049232598noreply@blogger.com4