Guest Star: Jeri Smith-Ready

My Guest Star author this week is Jeri Smith-Ready, author of the brand new novel, Shade

About SHADE:

Love ties them together.
Death can't tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding--and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

Order SHADE from Amazon now!


And here's my interview with Jeri Smith-Ready!


1) Your main character Aura has the power to talk to ghosts. If you could have any special power, what would it be and why?

I’d love to have some sort of physical enhancement, because I’m such a weakling. I’d like to be able to defend myself. So make me the female Incredible Hulk. It would fit, because I have quite the temper!

2) As writers, we all love to procrastinate. What’s your favorite procrastination activity?

One word: TWITTER. When I joined it back in November 2009, not very many people were on it, so there wasn’t much to see. It was a quick little break now and then. Now I follow more than 600 people (and have more than 2,000 followers who engage me in conversation), so I can literally spend an hour at a time on there if I’m not careful.
It’s become such a big part of my life and such my portal to the universe, I sometimes dream about it. Pathetic, huh?

But it satisfies my need to interact with people in more or less real time. I write full-time and don’t get out much (which I like, as I’m kind of a hermit who hates to get out of her pajamas), so it helps me feel less isolated.

3) Who’s your favorite character in the book and why? Who was the most fun to write?

I can’t really pick a favorite among the three main characters (Aura, her ghost boyfriend Logan, and the “Other Guy,” Zachary), but the most fun character to write was Logan’s geeky younger brother Dylan. For some reason, he was incredibly real to me right from the first scene, so writing his dialogue and mannerisms was a breeze. He has a bigger role in the sequel, SHIFT, some of which was rather unexpected.

4) Which came first, the title or the novel?

The novel came first, and the title actually helped me take the book to a whole new level. Believe it or not, I didn’t know there would be such a thing as a “shade”—the dark, malevolent spirit a ghost becomes when it goes bad and bitter—until after I’d written the first draft, which was around the time we picked a new title for the book (originally the series was called GENERATION GHOST). Between drafts I was thinking the ghosts were too harmless and not exciting enough.

Then I remembered that “shade” was a term used in Greek mythology to describe the restless, miserable spirits in the underworld.

So then over the course of three weeks before the book was due to my editor, I completely revised the novel to incorporate the threat of these scary shades, including the possibility that Aura’s beloved dead boyfriend, Logan, would become one.

5) I love the name Aura! How do you come up with your character names?

I'm sort of embarrassed to admit this, but I named Aura after the new Saturn sports sedan. Okay, I didn't really name her AFTER the car, but when I saw a commercial for it, I said, "That's my main character's name!" I'd been pondering the story idea in the back of my mind for a couples years but hadn't started writing it. Having the name really jump-started the brainstorming process.

I feel like I should buy an Aura in gratitude. ;-p

One way I pick names that fit a character’s age—especially for minor characters—is to use the Social Security Administration’s Baby Name database. You can plug in a year and find out the top 1,000 names in order of popularity. It helps in keeping a name “generationally correct.” For instance, there are a lot of thirty-something guys named Scott, but when was the last time you knew a teenager or child with that name?

Other names just come to me and feel right instantly, like Logan.

6) What are you working on next?

I’m writing the sequel to SHADE, called SHIFT, which will be out in May 2011. I also just finished page proofs on the third book in my adult vampire series, BRING ON THE NIGHT, which comes out in August.

I can’t wait to see what fans of the series think of this installment!
After I turn in SHIFT, I’ll get back to work on the fourth vampire book, which is still deciding what it wants to be named.

Thanks for interviewing me, Jessica!


About the Author
Award-winning author Jeri Smith-Ready lives in Maryland with her husband, two cats, and the world’s goofiest greyhound.

Jeri's plans to save the earth were ruined when she realized she was more of a “problem maker” than a problem solver. To stay out of trouble, she keeps her Drama Drive strictly fictional. Her friends and family appreciate that.

When not writing, Jeri she can usually be found—well, thinking about writing, or on Twitter. Like her characters, she loves music, movies, and staying up very, very late.

Guest Star: Kay Cassidy!

My Guest Star author this week is Kay Cassidy, author of the brand new novel, The Cinderella Society

About THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY:

What's a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn't want to wear it anymore?

Sixteen year old Jess Parker has always been an outsider. So when she receives an invitation to join The Cinderella Society, a secret society of the most popular girls in school, it's like something out of a fairy tale. Swept up by the Cindys' magical world of makeovers, and catching the eye of her Prince Charming, Jess feels like she's finally found her chance to fit in.

Then the Wickeds--led by Jess's arch-enemy--begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers there's more to being a Cindy than reinventing yourself on the outside. She has unknowingly become part of a centuries-old battle of good vs. evil, and now the Cindys in charge need Jess for a mission that could change everything.

Overwhelmed, Jess wonders if The Cinderella Society made a mistake in choosing her. Is it a coincidence her new boyfriend doesn't want to be seen with her in public? And is this glamorous, secret life even what she wants, or will she risk her own happy ending to live up to the expectations of her new sisters?

Order The Cinderella Society from Amazon now!

And here's my interview with Kay!


1. The Cinderella Society sounds like such a great concept. How did you come up with the idea?

The Cinderella Society actually came from a magazine article about high school sororities. I'd never heard of that before and, once I started thinking about the kind of society I would create if I could, I realized I would want it to be an organization devoted to fighting the everyday battle of good vs. evil. The idea snowballed from there and The Cinderella Society was born.


2. This series would make an awesome movie. Any interest from studios or producers?

The Cinderella Society is out on submission as a TV series right now. There were some early nibbles of interest, so we'll have to see how it shakes out in the end.

3. What’s the first thing you do when starting a new book? What’s the first thing you do when finishing a new book?

The first thing I do when starting a new book is fill out a couple of worksheets to lay the groundwork. I'm a big plotter (I usually use Hauge's method), so I use those worksheets to create a scene-by-scene outline of the entire book before I sit down to write the first draft. The plotting process can take several months, but once I'm done I can usually hammer out the first draft in less than a month because I know the story and characters so well.

The first thing I do when I finish a book is SLEEP. :-) And then celebrate by taking some time off to read with no nagging feelings of "If I have time to read, I have time to write."

4. As writers, we all love to procrastinate. What’s your favorite procrastination activity?

Ooo… that's a tough one. Probably a tie between Twitter and email. If I had no internet access, I would be a gazillion times more productive than I am. If I'm on deadline or if I have writer's block, I've been known to unplug the modem entirely just so I can focus with no tempting distractions.


5. What are you working on next?

Right now I'm working on the sequel to The Cinderella Society, titled Cindy on a Mission. It follows the further adventures of Jess and the Sisters as the Wickeds launch an offensive that threatens everything the Cindys hold dear. Cindy on a Mission will be on shelves in Spring 2011.


About the Author
Kay Cassidy is the author of teen fiction she wishes was based on her real life. She is the founder of the national Great Scavenger Hunt Contest reading program for kids and teens and the host of the inspirational Living Your Five web project. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, movies, music, and reading. Lots and lots of reading. She hopes her debut YA novel, THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY (April 13, 2010 - Egmont), will help girls embrace their inner Cindy.

Guest Star: Hank Phillippi Ryan

My Guest Star author this week is Hank Phillippi Ryan, author of the Charlotte McNally Mystery series, Prime Time, Air Time, and Face Time.

About AIR TIME, the latest in the series:

Star reporter Charlotte (Charlie) McNally enters the glamorous and high-stakes world of high fashion ...and soon discovers when the purses are fake, the danger is real.

To break her latest big-money blockbuster, Charlotte must go undercover--but what if the bad guys recognize her? This savvy TV journalist must face more than her fear of flying when her inside scoop on designer duplicates suddenly turns deadly.

Carrying a hidden camera and dressing to deceive, Charlie finds she's not the only one disguising her identity. Nothing--and no one--is what they seem. And that means nothing--and no one--can be trusted. In her high-risk job and in her suddenly steamy love life, how can she tell the real thing?

Charlie is forced to make some life-changing--and life and death--decisions. With only a split-second to act and with her own life in the balance, Charlie knows if she chooses wrong it will be the last decision she ever makes.

Real-life investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan devises a scheme so timely and innovative you'll wonder why someone hasn't tried it. AIR TIME takes you behind the scenes of TV news--and reveals what can happen when a savvy, sexy journalist turns from hard-working reporter into becoming a killer's target.

And here's an awesome interview with Hank!

1. Charlotte (Charlie) McNally is an investigative TV reporter, and so are you! What qualities do you share with Charlie, and how are you different?

When my husband talks about Charlie, he calls her "you." As in--when "you" are held at gunpoint, when you track down the bad guys, when you solve the mystery . . . and I have to remind him, "Sweetheart, it's fiction. It didn't really happen."

But a couple of things: I've been a TV reporter for more than 30 years. (Yes, really.) And so it would be silly, in writing a mystery about TV, not to use my own experiences. Think about it--as a TV reporter, you can never be wrong! Never be one minute late. Never choose the wrong word or miscalculate. You can never have a bad hair day, because it'll be seen by millions of people! It's high-stakes and high-stress--literally, people's lives at stake--and I really wanted to convey that in the books.

And everything that TV people do and say in the books is authentic and genuine. (Of course, Charlie can say things I can't say, and reveal things I can't reveal.) We're both devoted journalists, and over-focused on our jobs.

But Charlotte McNally is different, too. She's single--I'm happily married. She's ten years younger than I am, and so is facing different choices and dilemmas. She's braver than I am, certainly. Funnier. And a much better driver.

2. Charlie has some exciting adventures in your mystery series--going undercover, confronting some really bad guys. Tell us about some of your adventures as an investigative reporter.

There's a huge been-there-done-that element to the books--I've wired myself with hidden cameras, confronted corrupt politicians, chased down criminals . . . been in disguise, been stalked, and threatened and had many a door slammed in my face. I've had people confess to murder, and others, from prison, insist they were innocent. So when that happens to Charlie, it's fair to imagine me. Although the plots are completely from my imagination, those are real-life experiences.

3. Your job sounds very demanding. How (and when) do you find the time to write? Do you ever take a vacation, and, if so, what do you do with your time off?

Short answer--no. I don't take vacations anymore. We used to! We love Nevis, a tiny island n the Caribbean with empty white beaches and nothing to do. We love to go to western Massachusetts, to Tanglewood, to go to plays and the symphony and museums. We love to go to Cape Cod, to Truro, to sit on the beach with pals and read, then go out to wonderful dinners. All in the past. Now, I write. And Jonathan lounges in the back yard. Luckily, we have a lovely yard, with a pool and beautiful gardens.

4. Charlie is afraid of flying, and the airlines are constantly losing her luggage. When you write in Charlie's voice about these dilemmas, you sound like you're writing from experience. Is this true?

Sigh. Yes. I am a luggage-loss magnet. If they can lose my bags, they will. It's almost funny. Almost. As for fear of flying, yes, I am afraid. (Although not as much has I used to be. I've worked very hard and tried a lot of things to get over it.) I was once covering a very bad plane crash, in a major airport, and was in a room with a lot of the bleeding and upset survivors of the crash. I often wonder if that bad energy someone affected me.

5. Even though Charlie has a love interest, basically she's married to her job. You are married to a very successful criminal defense and civil rights attorney. Is it difficult to maintain a balance between the demands of your careers and your relationship, or do your exciting careers help "keep the fire going."

Fire? Well, hey. We both really respect each other, and we each think the other is really attractive and funny. We each understand when the other is immersed in work--in a story, or a writing a book, or handling a big case. We think each other's work is fascinating. Jonathan is incredibly patient. An endlessly interesting. It's wonderful for me to have in-house counsel to make sure my books are authentic when it comes to legal issues--and it's fun for him to have a writer-wife who had advised him on his dramatic closing arguments.


Click here to order Air Time on Amazon!

Visit Hank online at: www.HankPhillippiRyan.com

Guest Star: Sheila Curran

Welcome Sheila Curran, this week's guest star author! She's just released a brand new novel, EVERYONE SHE LOVED and she's taken the time to answer some of my questions about her work.

Here's an overview of the book:

A wise and triumphant novel about powerful bonds among four women who’ve come of age together only to discover that – when it comes to the essentials – life’s little instruction book will always need revising.

Penelope Cameron, loving mother, devoted wife and generous philanthropist, has convinced her husband and four closest friends to sign an outlandish pact. If Penelope should die before her two daughters are eighteen, her husband will not remarry without the permission of Penelope’s sister and three college roommates. For years, this contract gathers dust until the unthinkable happens. Suddenly, everyone she loved must find their way in a world without Penelope.

For Lucy Vargas, Penelope’s best friend, and a second mother to her daughters, nothing seems more natural than to welcome them into a home that had once belonged to their family, a lovely, sprawling, bed and breakfast on the beach. This bequest was only one of the many ways in which Penelope had supported Lucy’s career as a painter, declaring her talent too important to squander. But now, in the wake of a disaster that only lovable, worrisome Penelope could have predicted, Lucy has put her work on hold as she and Penelope’s husband, Joey, blindly grasp at anything that will keep the girls from sinking under the weight of their grief.

With the help of family and friends, the children slowly rebuild new lives. But just when things start to come together, the fragile serenity they have gained is suddenly threatened from within and the unbreakable bonds they share seem likely to dissolve after all.

In this moving and uplifting novel, Sheila Curran explores the faith one woman placed in her dearest friends, the care she took to protect her family, and the many ways in which romantic entanglements will confound and confuse even the most determined of planners. A story about growing up and moving on, about the sacrifices people make for one another, about the timeless legacy of love, Everyone She Loved is, above all, about the abiding strength of friendship.

Order it on Amazon now!

Check out my interview with Sheila Curran:

1. How do you come up with the names for your characters?

Often I have the name as soon as I think of the character. I’m not sure why.

2. What’s your favorite part about the publishing process?

Working with my agent and editor to get the book ready and in shape and hearing from readers that they loved it. Your least favorite part? Worrying my novel won’t catch the eyes of readers. I know they’d like it if they picked it up, but how do you stand out in the crowded marketplace? I know that when I go to a bookstore, I’m overwhelmed by the choices and so I know that my prospective readers face the same obstacle.

3. When you got that first phone call announcing your had sold a novel, how did you react?

I called my husband, then my parents. My mom had had knee surgery that day.

How did you celebrate?

Oh, I believe there were festive beverages involved.

4. If your book were to be made into a movie, who could you see playing the lead role? Patrick Dempsey (McDreamy on Grey’s Anatomy) or Liam Neeson could play Joey Adorno. Jessica Sarah Parker or Kyra Sedgewick could play the interloping nutritionist. Penelope Cruz or Holly Hunter would be great as Penelope. Lucy, Kate Winslet, Scarlett Johannsen, or Catherine Keener, who played Harper Lee in Capote and the love interest in 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN. Martha, Cameron Diaz or Ellen Barkin. Susannah, Sandra Bullock, Tea Leoni or Kate Hudson.

5. What was your inspiration behind the book?

For the full story, readers should go to my website and click on Backstory. But the short version is this: in some states, if a parent hasn’t named a guardian in an official will, their children can be taken into foster care if the parents die. I was talking to a friend about how difficult it is to make the choice of who, among my siblings and friends would be the best replacements for my husband and I. Suddenly, I said, “Oooh. You know what would be worse? What if I died and John fell in love with someone who was just awful?” I thought for a minute more and said, “I know. What if he couldn’t remarry unless my sisters and best friends approved?” I knew, deep down, that whatever happened, as long as my friends and family approved of the new wife, then she’d be good for my kids. So I began to imagine a character like me, except she’s really rich, has had even more reasons in her life to become a bit of a control freak than have I and she is so charming in her ridiculous catastrophizing that her husband and friends finally say, “Enough, already! You’re not going anywhere, but if it makes you feel better, we’ll sign the damn thing.” So begins the premise for my novel, the plot of which is set into action by my character’s codicil. It’s about motherhood, wifehood, childhood, and most of all, the sisterhood of great friends who’ve come of age together.

For more information, check out Sheila's website at: www.SheilaCurran.com

Guest Star: April Henry!

Time for another guest star! This week it's April Henry, co-author of the bestselling mystery novel, FACE OF BETRAYAL.

Face of Betrayal
Thomas Nelson Books
April 7, 2009
ISBN: 978-1595547057
Author's Website

"A sizzling political thriller… The seamless plot offers a plethora of twists and turns." - Publisher's Weekly

When 17-year-old Senate page Katie Converse goes missing on her Christmas break near her parents' white Victorian home in Portland, Ore., law enforcement and the media go into overdrive in a search for clues. Three friends at the pinnacle of their respective careers--Allison Pierce, a federal prosecutor; Cassidy Shaw, a crime reporter; and Nicole Hedges, an FBI special agent--soon discover that Katie wasn't the picture of innocence painted by her parents. Did Katie run away to escape their stifling demands? Was she having an affair with the senator who sponsored her as a page? Has she been kidnapped? Is she the victim of a serial killer?

And here's a special interview with me and the author:

1. How do you come up with the names for your characters?

For my teen books, I keep a list of kids at my daughter’s school, because kids these days are certainly not named Debbie, Nancy, or Lisa. I write down unusual names I hear and like. For this adult mystery series, it was hard to find good names for the three main characters. Originally, they were called Allison, Jacqueline, and Cassidy, but Allison and Jacqueline were too similar. We finally settled on Allison, Nicole, and Cassidy.

2. What's your favorite part about the publishing process? Your least favorite part?

I like thinking of new plot twists and turns. Beginnings are fun. There are so many possibilities. Really detailed editorial letters are hard. I have to psych myself up to act on them.

3. When you got that first phone call announcing your had sold a novel, how did you react? How did you celebrate? If you've sold more than one novel, do you have a celebration ritual for subsequent sales?

I’m not very good at celebrating or relaxing. When I got my first contract, a group of friends broke out a bottle of champagne, and that was wonderful. And quitting my day job a year ago was the best celebration ever. Sometimes I’ll let myself take a day or two to relax and read one of the hundreds of books I keep meaning to read “someday.” But I feel at loose ends if I’m not writing.

4. Desert Island time. You can bring one person and one "thing." What would you bring?

My husband and a satellite phone for when we need to be rescued.

5. Since becoming a writer, what's the most glamorous thing you've ever done?

I’ve had my face made up for a TV appearance. TV studios are dinky and drab. But on camera I looked great. It’s all about illusions, baby!

6. What line or section of your novel are you most proud of? Is there a story behind it? Or a reason why you like it so much?

There’s a section where a runner finds a body part. We had written that scene, but then I started thinking we needed a new scene with him, even though he is just a walk-on character. So we worked on another scene where he realizes that he needs to take the body part out of the woods with him (for reasons that might be spoilers). It was fun to write about his dawning horror.

Visit April Henry's website here! Or pick up a copy of Face of Betrayal here!

Guest Star: Brenda Janowitz

Happy New Year everyone! Well, I'm back from my blog-vacation. Or shall I say "blog-cation"...okay, sorry, I won't go there again. And what a treat to be back with a new guest star!

This week it's the incredibly talented Brend Janowitz, the author of a brand new novel called JACK WITH A TWIST, which is the sequel to her praised, SCOT ON THE ROCKS.

Here's a quick summary of the book and my interview with Brenda.

About the Book:

Planning a wedding can be a trying experience…

A little prewedding anxiety is normal for every bride, and Manhattan attorney Brooke Miller isn’t worried. She’s got the loving support of the world’s greatest guy, so planning her nuptials should be a piece of cake.

But that was yesterday.

Today, Brooke’s landed her first big case and has just discovered that the opposing attorney is none other than her fiancé, Jack. But that’s okay. These two professionals aren’t going to let a little courtroom sparring get their legal briefs in a bunch.… Right? Wrong! Now Jack’s pulling every dirty trick in the law books, and Brooke’s starting to suspect that maybe he isn’t the man she thought he was. Warring with her fiancé at work and at home, Brooke realizes that she’ll have to choose between the case of her life, or actually having a life.

Author Interview:

Q: How do you come up with the names for your characters?

A: Oh, I have lots of fun with this! In fact, I did a guest blog about this very topic over on Editor Unleashed! http://editorunleashed.com/2008/11/06/the-trouble-with-naming-your-characters/ I also spoke about this at Barnes and Noble, which you can see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywcLBh2RxNw

Q: What’s your favorite part about the publishing process? Your least favorite part?

Writing the book is the fun part for me. I had no idea, when I published my first novel, that once I finished writing my book, that the real work would then begin. As you’re writing your first novel, you tend to think that that’s the hard part—that once you finish, fame and riches await.

In reality, it’s a long road to getting your grand opus published, and there’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears involved with getting it onto book shelves and then marketing it.

Presumably, fame and riches will be there at some point, but it’s a hard long road to get there!


Q: When you got that first phone call announcing your had sold a novel, how did you react?

I was sitting in my office when my agent called me to tell me about it. The whole thing was incredibly surreal and exciting. You spend so much of your time writing and not knowing how the outside world will react to your work. When it finally happened for me, it was just this overwhelming feeling of elation and that Sally Field sentiment of: “They like it! They really like it!”

Q: If your book were to be made into a movie, who could you see playing the lead role?

What a fun question! I’d love Drew Barrymore for Brooke, and Fran Drescher as her mom. For Jack, I could see a lot of my Hollywood crushes playing the part: Adam Sandler, Jack Black, or Paul Rudd would be perfect. (Yes, I like me a funny guy.)

Q: What was your inspiration behind your latest novel?

When I finished SCOT ON THE ROCKS, I just knew that Brooke’s story had to continue! Since both she and Jack are lawyers, I thought it would be so much fun to pit them against each other in the courtroom… all while planning their fairy-tale wedding. Thus the idea for JACK WITH A TWIST was born!

If you'd like more information about Brenda and her novels, please visit her website at: www.BrendaJanowitz.com

Guest Star: Malena Lott

Today our special guest star is the fabulous Malena Lott, author of DATING DAVINCI, about finding love and la dolce vita in the last place you would expect.

A Quick Summary:

Ramona Elise is in a rut--a 36-year-old widowed mother of two, she can't seem to find what make her truly happy in life. Making sure her kids are happy isn't the hard part; Ramona's looking for the passion she lost two years ago when she lost her husband and her world turned upside down. When a handsome Italian immigrant walks into her English class, Ramona never expects to find--la dolce vita (the sweet life)--in a younger man...or in her self!

I was lucky enough to be able to ask Malena some questions about her latest release and her career as an author. Check out my Q&A below!

Q: I LOVE the title of this book. How did you come up with it?

A: The title came pretty quickly, early on. I love alliteration and really wanted to incorporate da Vinci since he’s the catalyst that starts Ramona’s renaissance. Since publishers have final say, I don’t get too attached to my working title, though. I do like getting credit for this one, though! Of course the book isn’t just about da Vinci and romance is only a part of the story, but I think it’s catchy and hopefully it will catch people's eye to learn more about the book.

Q: As an author, what's your biggest fantasy? (the clean kind...just thought I'd clarify)

A: Writers already have active imaginations, so this one is a no brainer. Vision board, here I come! Hit the top 10 of the New York Times bestseller list, have a long line waiting for me when I arrive for book signings, have my books optioned for films that actually get made and made well, and a few national TV appearances to boot. TODAY show, The View, Oprah, you know. Just the small stuff, you know? Not that I’ve given any of this much thought. Not a bit.

Q: Procrastination is a big obstacle for me as a writer. What about you? Do you have any tricks for beating it?

A: I have to say, I'm pretty lucky. Hugh (Jackman) typically promises a shirtless steak dinner (him, not me) if I meet my word count goal. If that's not enough motivation, Brad's aromatherapy massages usually get me in the mood, though sad to say, it's not for writing. Heck, usually my imagination can trick me into getting back on the laptop to write away into the sunrise. Like, "finish this and you'll be as famous as Sophie Kinsella and you'll never have to buy groceries again and you can spend all your time lounging on the beaches drinking frozen Flirtinis!" I'm so easy.

Q: I, too, dream of becoming the next Sophie Kinsella! What would you do if it really were to happen?

A: Well, after hiring the cook, the nanny and the housekeeper, I guess I'd start interviewing stylists and personal shoppers (loathe grocery shopping.) No, seriously, I don't think much about my life would change except that I wouldn't get "that look" from my darling husband when I've gone on a shopping spree and I'd get to vacation more and feel good that my kids can go to college easily and perhaps not have to work as much as I did. *Not* that I'm complaining. On second thought, maybe I would spring for the housekeeper. Loathe laundry nearly as much as grocery shopping. That reminds me, that load needs to be changed out. Be back in a sec.

Q: Thanks so much Malena, do you have a sample chapter that readers can take a peek at?

A: Thank you! And yes, you can read the first chapter at www.MalenaLott.com

Guest Star: Saralee Rosenberg

Today my guest is Saralee Rosenberg, the author of DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD, a comic novel about two warring neighbors who put the Desperate Housewives of Wysteria Lane to shame!

Here's a brief summary of the novel and my interview with Saralee!


Nora Ephron Hates Her Neck. Big Deal! Mindy Sherman hates her whole body.

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.

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.

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.

Interview with Saralee Rosenberg

Q. What comes first? The title or the idea?

A. For DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD, the title came to me only a few months before publication and trust me, by then I was in a total panic. The original title, based on the very earliest draft, was ALL IN THE CARDS, but everyone agreed that was kind of boring. Then I submitted a list of twenty titles, some interesting, some wacky, some that would never fly because they involved curse words. Here is a sampling: Hot, Hungry and Hormonal; Ask Your Doctor if Stress Is Right for You; Same SH-T, Different Zip; If Lucy Hated Ethel; and one of my personal favorites, The Bitch Next Door. No, no, no, my editor said to all of those. Then I came up with Dear Neighbor, Drop Dead and she smiled. We have a winner!!! And I must admit, it’s a beauty. Everyone gets it. No need for an explanation. As for my novel, CLAIRE VOYANT, that title came to me years ago and it took me a while to create an entire story based on the premise that a girl named Claire would have super natural abilities.

Q. Do you put friends in books? Have any of them recognized themselves?

A. I get asked all the time by family and friends to be in one of my novels, but I tend not to go there unless they’re willing to buy several dozen books in appreciation for being immortalized (if Girl Scout Moms can bribe, so can I). Once I did give in and named a character after a friend, only to describe the character as a philandering shoplifter. She was horrified and wanted to know how I knew? I didn’t know, I made it up, but boy did that make things interesting afterwards... Also, my husband’s business partner had been prodding me for years, to which I would say that a character who sold insurance, played golf and visited his grandkids in Florida would not exactly be memorable. But finally, in Dear Neighbor, to get him to stop bugging me, I did name a minor character Steven Hoffman. I made him a lawyer in Portland, and it really made Steve’s day... then he asked why he wasn’t a major character and could I feature him again in the next book? Men!!!!

Q. When deadlines hit, what happens in your house?

A. Let me put it this way. Please don’t ring my bell unless you’re bringing fresh baked cookies because I don’t want you to see that the dining room looks like a mini landfill. And that’s before you reach the piles on the stairs (I swear there is one that has been there since Clinton was President). The clothes in the dryer go round and round for days because I keep hitting wrinkle remove, we run out of milk, the shows saved on Tivo go unwatched, calls from my kids get answered with, “Make it quick and NO CRISIS’s today”. Also I look like hell and probably need of a touch up. As for dinner? The family is on their own... although they would tell you I say that every day. Basically it’s every man/child for himself and don’t give me a hard time about anything... This is why I write all the time, otherwise I’d lose my privileges, lol.

Q. Which scene or scenes in the book did you love writing?

A. I am crazy about writing dialogue and would spend days working on a scene between Mindy and Beth to make sure that I got the tone, the phrasing, the timing and the subtle nuances just right. There was so much that they wanted to say to each other after eight years of making each other crazy, I just had to let it out a little at a time, like air coming out of a balloon. But the scene I loved writing the most was the one where they are in a hotel room and Beth confronts the fact that she might be pregnant. It is a funny, poignant moment where both characters reveal their greatest joys and misgivings of motherhood and I remember when I sat at my computer, the words just poured out and I had to sit still to hear every last word coming through. I realized at the end that they had just broadcast my own conflicts and vulnerabilities about being a mom and it was whoa... where did that come from?

Q. What was the inspiration for Dear Neighbor, Drop Dead?

A. Of my four novels, DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD is the only one that was inspired by, well, me! This story is based on my first novel, ALL IN THE CARDS, which was never published, but did take a very exciting journey to Hollywood. Back in 1997, Bette Midler optioned it for a feature film (she was looking for a follow up comedy to “First Wives Club”). Exactly! Wow! First time out and it’s a homerun. Sadly, the reason you never heard of it is because ultimately, Bette and her partner couldn’t get financing or find the right screenwriter to adapt it. Bye bye Bette... Now fast forward to a few years ago. My novels, A LITTLE HELP FROM ABOVE, CLAIRE VOYANT and FATE & MS. FORTUNE had done very well but were about single women looking for love in all the wrong places. I wanted to write about my “peeps” in the suburbs and pitched my editor on letting me rewrite ALL IN THE CARDS. She was hesitant because she wasn’t sure Avon was the right publisher for a suburban/soccer mom story with bickering neighbors. Then came “Desperate Housewives” and suddenly it was, get me suburban/soccer mom stories with bickering neighbors. Timing is everything.... So although DEAR NEIGHBOR is an incarnation of my earliest novel, it is a much richer, deeper, funnier story and is resonating with readers of all ages.

For more information about Saralee and her novels, please visit her website: www.saraleerosenberg.com

Guest Star: Kelly Parra!

Hey everyone! I'm so excited to be part of a fantastic new community of authors called the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit where we host members on our blogs to help them promote their books!

So my very first hosted member is the fabulous, Ms. Kelly Parra who writes edgy YA novels. Her first book, Graffiti Girl has done extremely well and her latest release, Invisible Touch just hit bookstores this fall from MTV Books! I was fortunate enough to be able to ask Kelly some questions about herself and her writing process. And here they are!


1. How do you come up with the names for your characters?

Good question. I'm actually a pretty visual writer. I like to picture the characters in my mind, and then find the perfect fit with a name. Sometimes if I can't come up with something unique I'll scan the Internet or even the phone book to make the right match.

2. What's your favorite part about the publishing process? Your least favorite part?

Besides writing the book as my favorite part, I LOVE reading the galleys for the first time and seeing how the book's layout will potentially look in published form. My least favorite part is promotion, it takes a lot of hard work and lots of savvy to pull off good promo. :)

3. If your book were to be made into a movie, who could you see playing the lead role?

Kara would be possibly be Vanessa Hudgens.
Anthony would be a younger Milo Ventimiglia.

4. Since becoming a writer, what's the most glamorous thing you've ever done?

It might not seem very glamourous to some writers, but to a simple gal like me it was attending the Romance Writers of America RITA ceremony. The dresses were glam, the show fab. It was an experience to remember.

5. If you could be a superhero, what would you superpower be?

It would be transport anywhere by just a thought. That would be so cool. New York, no problem. Hawaii, just one second. :)

More information about Kelly Parra and her novels can be found on her website: www.KellyParra.com. Check it out!