Signed copy of THE ONE THAT I WANT by Allison Winn Scotch!

RE: BOOK GIVEAWAY WINNER I will post the random winner on my Monday post. ;-)))

Remember how I told you how awesome Allison Winn Scotch is? Well, she just got even more awesome. She has offered to give one, signed copy of her new book THE ONE THAT I WANT to one lucky commenter on my blog!

Here's the deal. Tell me at least one thing you love about me and/or Allison in the comment section before midnight on Saturday, and I'll randomly pick a winner on Sunday. Feel free to either tell the truth, enhance (i.e., lie), or tell a funny story about something you think Allison or I might do. (And, keep it clean, people!)

Also, if you link to your blog or retweet on Twitter and let me know, you'll get an extra chance at winning the book.

Have fun and good luck!

Allison Winn Scotch - The One That I Want

UPDATE: I just received THE ONE THAT I WANT in the mail (from Amazon via the amazing and generous Daisy Whitney) and read Chapter One. I am totally hooked. You must go out, post haste, and buy it NOW!!!

Today, my blog is once again graced with the lovely and talented Allison Winn Scotch. Her latest book, THE ONE THAT I WANT has recently hit bookstores, and she was kind enough to drop by and share a bit about it. Hope you enjoy!

DLS: So, Allison, for the readers who may not have had the pleasure of being introduced to you in their bookstores or on Twitter yet, tell us a little about yourself.

AWS: I’m a freelance magazine writer turned novelist. THE ONE THAT I WANT is my third book after TIME OF MY LIFE and THE DEPARTMENT OF LOST AND FOUND. I live in New York City with my husband, our son, daughter and dog.

DLS: I read Time Of My Life last summer on the beach and loved it (the beach and the book.) I'm really excited about The One That I Want! Can you tell us a little about it?

AWS: Thank you! The One That I Want is sort of the bookend to TOML: it takes a woman who is perfectly content with her existence and shatters her world completely. Tilly Farmer is a guidance counselor at her old high school in her small town, married to her high school sweetheart. She’s given the unwelcome ability to see into the future and discovers that the perfect life she thinks she’s carved out for herself is anything but. Taking the whole “seeing into the future” thing out of the equation, it’s really a story about how we find happiness and how we sometimes have to take the blinders off to really see what’s meant to be seen.

DLS: OMG, I can SO relate to the whole "perfect life is anything but" scenario right now. Before I start crying on my laptop, let's change gears. What do you love most about your mc's?

AWS: Well, I’ll be honest, I found Tilly hard to relate to in the beginning, but by the end, I was and am absolutely smitten with her. She is a woman who hasn’t been dealt the best hand in life but who has made the best of what’s she’s gotten...and yet, whether or not she realizes it, this actually isn’t the BEST that she can do. I loved watching her eyes open to this idea and especially love the ownership she takes of her life by the end. It’s triumphant, and I really rooted for her. I also really enjoyed the character of Eli – I liked him personally and I liked writing him. He comes in from out of town and infuses a new energy into the town, and, to be honest, into the book. He’s a bit of a wanderer, and I could relate to that.

DLS: I'm sold, as I am with everything you write. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

AWS: I know that a lot of aspiring writers read your blog, so I only wanted to add that this book was a real labor of love for me – it went through about seven drafts, and at no point was it an easy road. I think writers out there should know that sometimes, it just comes down to rolling up your sleeves and diving in. That’s the only way to get it done. Writing can be and often is very hard work, and while it would be wonderful if every day were a creative joyride, the truth is that every day is not. :) So roll up your sleeves and get ‘er done!

DLS: Don't I know it (she said, diving back into Draft #5...!)

So, there you have it, my friends. Allison's books are fabulous and, in my opinion, seriously great summer reads. Make sure you pick up all of her books the first chance you get.

Happy new week to all!

Gratitude: The New Black or Have I Told You Lately That I Thank You?

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and read the interview with Allison Winn Scotch and to those of you who commented. It's so important that we writers support each other to the best of our abilities and share our experiences to help others along the path. I admire Allison for her talent, generosity, and ability to inspire, and thank her for sharing her story with us here on my humble blog.

I also want to thank the writing community on Twitter. The support of fellow writers, both published and unpublished, along with many supportive agents, blows my mind on a daily basis.

In addition, a big thank you for the enthusiastic support I've received regarding my announcement about writing my first YA novel. This last week has been so exciting! I'm in awe of the muse. Simply in awe. I've written 13k words in five days, and they've been the easiest, most naturally-flowing words in my life. I still have that fear when I first sit down to write that nothing will come, but it's mixed with excitement - I can't wait to see what happens next! When I'm a bit further along, I promise to share more about the title and what the story's about. My deep thanks go to the writing gods. I bow to thee. (FYI: Go to atom.smash.org to create these AMAZING signs! Special thanks to my particularly cool blogging buddy Beth for the link.)

I'm sure most of you have seen this, but the magic of writing has been so in my face this week that I thought I'd share it again. Even if you've seen it, take the time to watch through it once more. If you're a writer or an artist, you'll get it. If you're not, but have a close friend or relative that has an artistic bent, this may help you understand them better.

And, of course, the biggest thanks go out to my family and friends who bring me more joy than I could have ever wished for, and certainly far more than I deserve. The fact that I get to share my life with them is, as Sarah Silverman would say, beyond.

Have a wonderful weekend y'all, and make sure you say a special prayer of thanks to the people who've helped you along your path and who continue to be your love and support. Tell them what they mean to you every chance you get. Sharing your life with them is nothing short of miraculous, and for miracles, we must always be grateful.

The Lovely & Talented Author Allison Winn Scotch

I have the distinct pleasure of introducing you to another wonderful author, Allison Winn Scotch. She has written two best-selling novels and the third is on its way. She has been a mentor to me and has helped me greatly along my path. In other words, along with being beautiful and talented, she is also extremely generous.

Her first novel is called THE DEPARTMENT OF LOST AND FOUND and her second, which I am currently reading and thoroughly enjoying is called TIME OF MY LIFE. Her third, THE ONE THAT I WANT is scheduled for release in June 2010.

Dear sweet, well-groomed readers, after you finish reading this post and have left a long-winded and highly complimentary comment on the magnificence of both Allison and this blog, run out to the bookstore or click on Amazon and buy both of her books. Seriously. Do it. I know who you are, where you live, and what books you buy. Okay, I don't. I was just trying to scare you.

Now, on with the interview!

You write for a lot of magazines. How did you break into that business?

It’s a VERY long story involving my mid-20s something-self trying to figure out what the heck I was going to do with my life, but the short story is that I was doing freelance PR work (after co-launching a website and doing all of the copy writing/PR writing for said site), when I got hired to ghostwrite The Knot Book of Wedding Flowers, for TheKnot.com. I was planning my wedding at the time, so I tossed off a pitch to Bride’s based on my experience writing the book on flowers, and voila, I landed a feature. I was SHOCKED. But from there, I had to claw for other assignments for a good long time…working my way up from front-of-books (FOBs) to features to eventually having editors seek me out for assignments. But it’s a long process and it took me many years of hard work and proving myself over and over again.

Do you think your success at writing magazine articles helped you find an agent for your novels?

Yes, but only as much as I still had to have a book that someone wanted to represent and thought she could sell. Do I think it got my query a second look? No doubt – agents love an author with a built-in platform and someone who has proven that she can write. But do I think the book would have sold if it had been crappy? No way.

What is your process for writing novels? Do you use outlines?

I don’t outline, though my last book was so agonizing that there were many times I thought I should. But I don’t, primarily because – as “writerly” and ridiculous as this sounds – I have no idea what’s going to happen from page one to page 300, and I always worry that if I were to outline, the action wouldn’t be as organic as I require it to be. What I mean by that (and again, I apologize that this sounds so incredibly lame and pretentious), is that my characters make their decisions as they grow from chapter to chapter, and often times, I’m surprised at where they go and lead me. If I decided on an ending before I knew who these people were going to evolve into, it would be like cramming them into a predetermined destiny without taking the journey into account. So…I just write and write and hopefully end up in the right place.

How long does it take you to complete a first draft?

It all depends – prior to writing THE ONE THAT I WANT. which is my third novel coming out June 2010, I’d have said two to three months. My debut took me three, TIME OF MY LIFE took me two. But THE ONE THAT I WANT was a beast…it was a very difficult book for me to write, because much of the plotline unfolds like a mystery, and since I didn’t know how all of the pieces of that mystery were going to fall into place (per the above), I really struggled with it. It was only until I was about 2/3 of the way done that I saw how all the puzzle pieces fit, and from there, I think I wrote the last 1/3 in about two weeks. But the first 2/3 took me about seven months.

How long for revisions?

Again, it depends on the book. I actually work pretty quickly through revisions ,because the hardest thing for me is putting down my first draft. Revisions for TIME OF MY LIFE probably took a month or so, and I had two big rounds of revisions for THE ONE THAT I WANT. All in all, that probably took about two months. But again, I enjoy that part – I’ve found that for me, I can sort of write as well as I can up to a certain point and then I need someone else to come in and show me where I can get better, where I’m going wrong. So I’m fortunate to have an editor and an agent who are both really talented at doing this.

When did you know you were ready to query?

Wow, that’s a good question. A tricky one actually, because I can say, with hindsight, that a lot of aspiring writers – myself included – think they’re ready to query when they’re actually not. I wrote a manuscript that got me representation but ultimately didn’t sell. I don’t regret it for one second because that unsold ms (which, btw, was HORRIBLE) was a learning lesson in how to write a good one, but I don’t know that I could have known and/or seen that at the time. I don’t really know how to explain it except to say that having written much better books, well, you come to recognize when it’s go-time. If you think you’re ready, have an honest critique partner take a look. I think it is nearly impossible for a first-time writer to be objective about his or her work – you just don’t have a basis for comparison. Now, having written several other books, I can tell where something in my book isn’t working. But before, I don’t think I could.

How long was it from the time you considered yourself a “serious” writer until the time you had a novel published?

Oh gosh, I don’t know! I don’t know that I even consider myself a “serious” writer now! But…I guess a few years. I was earning a good living as a freelancer, had editors coming to me instead of vice versa, and felt pretty comfortable in where I was. I started that unsold book about four years before I was actually a published fiction author, so I guess around then – when I wanted to try to flex different writing muscles and felt comfortable taking that leap.

You changed agents before your first novel THE DEPARTMENT OF LOST AND FOUND was published. Can you tell us a little about the agent search process?

It probably was just like a lot of other aspiring writers…I did a lot of research on Publishers Marketplace, AgentQuery.com and just plain old google to find agents whom I thought would be a good fit for the book AND for my personality. For me, it wasn’t just an issue of someone who enjoyed my writing; I wanted someone with whom I’d click so we could be in this for the long haul together. I sent out queries in batches of ten or so, and every time I got a ding, I sent out another one, so I always had a rotation of irons in the fire and never even thought twice about a rejection. Because I had a pretty polished manuscript (my former agent and I had already revised what went on to be THE DEPARTMENT OF LOST AND FOUND), I got a few offers pretty quickly – within a few weeks, if I recall. But it definitely shows that you can get an agent from a blind query – all of those interested parties and the offers were from agents whom I blind queried.

Has your experience been different between your first novel and your second novel?

Nope, not at all! Actually, that’s not totally true. For one, I’ve slowed down my freelancing to where I mostly just do celebrity interviews and profiles, and the occasional essay or feature when an editor asks. I have two young kids and the grind of the constant daily deadlines was pretty tiresome…so I’m truly fortunate to have transitioned to a writing lifestyle in which I have longer targets. For two, some people seem to think I should be a fancy-pants now that I’m a novelist! LOL. But I’m not. That’s just perception. Life is exactly the same, more or less, complete with my sweatpants, broken-in converse, and kids who won’t cut me a break!

What would you advise to writers searching for an agent?

As I said above, be 300% sure that you’re ready to query. It’s such a hard thing to know, but I really think that one of the biggest mistakes aspiring writers make is thinking they’re better than they are. This isn’t a smug put-down. In fact, again, I speak from experience. The amazing thing about being a novelist is that there is no ceiling for the learning curve…I am STILL improving as I go, and so, too, should everyone else. You often only get one shot to submit a manuscript to these agents, so be sure that you’re putting your best work forward.

What about writers who aren’t quite to the query stage yet?

Just keep writing! Again, I truly believe that every time you step up to the plate, you give yourself a chance to improve, so keep swinging.

What’s your take on modern networking technologies like Facebook, Twitter, blogging, etc?

My take is that they’re amazing. They’re incredible promotional tools, but also, they’re incredible ways to connect with your readers – to hear their feedback, to see what they’re interested in, and to make them more interested in you. I love all of them, and I’m grateful to everyone who takes some time to banter with me throughout the day.

Would you advise writers attend writer’s conferences?

You know, I never did, but I’m sure that they’re useful. So I really can’t comment on them too much. I know that my agent goes and speaks on panels, and I’m sure they’re a good way to learn more about the business, and that can never really be a bad thing.

Have you ever had a bad review? If so, how did you deal with it?

Ha ha! Is the world round? Is the Pope Catholic? Does the sun set in the west? YES, I have. More than one – plenty. People seem to love to take out their inner-snark on online review sites, and well, there’s not too much that an author can do about it. So how do I deal? Well, I often read them and then try to forget about them entirely. I was once eviscerated in the Washington Post, and after a few days of shock, I just totally blocked it out. I mean – what was my option? Stew, cry, go down to Washington and try to buy every last copy? Nope, all you can do is accept that this is part of the deal and move on. (I will say, however, that if there are collective threads of criticism, I do ruminate on them for a bit to see if there’s some truth behind them, and if so, I’ll keep it in mind when writing my next book.)

What are you currently working on and do you have a tentative release date?

Right now, at this exact moment, I am working on nothing!! Hallelujah! Actually, that’s not true – I’m working on some celeb profiles, but no fiction. I literally filed my final draft of THE ONE THAT I WANT last week, and now I’m just taking a breather. I need to fully purge these characters from my mental landscape, and once I do, I’ll start up on another book. Probably in a few months, but I need to be 100% sure they’re out of my system. I started THE ONE THAT I WANT too soon after TIME OF MY LIFE, and the voices kept competing with each other for attention.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with us in regards to your writing journey?

Just a thank you for having me! And for tweeting with me and following me on my blog, if you do! I really appreciate everyone who interacts with me – so thanks!

Again, thank you, Allison, for your time and willingness to share your journey with us. I want to be just like you when, I mean if, I grow up.

And readers, if you have questions for Allison, feel free to post them in the comment section. I'll bribe her with some chocolate to stop back by and answer.

Home Sweet Home! Or Chelsea Handler Girl Crush, Buddha Revisions, & Baby Watch

The bad news and the good news is we're back from the beach. It's bad because I love the beach. I love everything about it. The glistening ocean, the waves crashing on the shore, the seagulls, the sand, the shells, the hot guys on surfboards, and especially the beach chair equipped with cup holder.

The good news is, I love being home. Home Sweet Home. In fact, I recently won a contest where you had to describe "home" in five words. My winning entry was: Home is where I'm complete. I know, sappy, but true. But, hey, I won a copy of, "After You," by Julie Buxbaum, so it was well worth straining my brain cells for!

Back to my weekend. Here I am with the lovely Allison Winn Scotch's amazing book "Time of My Life." Don't we look happy together? Yes, we were. In fact, we still are, since I'm not done reading it yet. But, I am loving it. If you haven't picked yourself up a copy, what are you waiting for? Hurry, run! Before they're all gone! I also managed to get a good amount of writing done on the beach. This was an unexpected bonus, since I gave myself a writing break over the weekend.

On Saturday night, we took a leisurely (NOT!) hour and a half drive down to Atlantic City to see one of my all-time heroes - the beautiful and hilarious Chelsea Handler. Man, do I have a girl crush! Here are a few pics. Note the shoes. They were like butta. I wanted to jump on stage, kiss her cute face, and rip those shoes right off her feet. Can you blame me? Do you see those shoes? (You're welcome for the close-up.) Thankfully, self-control got the better of me, but, trust me, it wasn't easy.

How's my writing going, you ask? Totally freaking awesome, that's how it's going. Of course, that may be a total lie. I'm about halfway through my first draft, so at this point, I have no clear idea if the story makes any sense at all. That's okay, though. I'm having fun. I love the characters and the dialogue, and I'm fairly sure there's a cohesive story there somewhere. We'll see what happens after the first draft is done. That's when Buddha steps in. He's the guy who invented revisions and editing. Yeah, that's right. Revisions and editing were Buddha's ideas. He wasn't just fat, he was smart as well. And, that, my friends, explains why writing is such a spiritual experience.

IN OTHER NEWS...
My family and I are on 'baby watch' for my youngest sister. I try not to call her my "little" sister or "baby" sister anymore - she doesn't like those endearing terms. She's 9 months pregnant, so I suppose little or baby are wildly inappropriate. She's due any minute. Literally. Any. Minute. Her due date is... TODAY! We're holding our collective breath and anxiously waiting itty-bitty-baby-Bischoff. Come out, little baby (words used appropriately here). Come out and play with Aunt Debbie! Uh, oh. I hope that's not why the baby hasn't come out yet...

The 4 R's: Reading, Riting, Relaxing and... Romance?

What do you do for relaxation? Do you ever stop writing? I don't. I said to my husband last night that we should go on a cruise. That way I'd have limited internet access. "Yes, honey," he said. "But you could still write." Damn it! I hate when he's right.

Part of me thinks I should take writing breaks every now and then, and part of me thinks that's the dumbest idea I ever had. Why would I? What would I do? I know, I could read! In fact, that is one of the things I'm planning on doing over the next four glorious days.

"There is nothing more blissful my eyes can see, than me and thee by the beautiful sea."

And Allison Winn Scotch's TIME OF MY LIFE, which I've started reading and can't put down.

So, I'll dig my toes into the sand, take walks along the beach, jump a few waves, and read! That sounds good. That's not writing. Then we'll have nice dinners and walk along the boardwalk. That's not writing, either. Then I'll go back to our lovely room at the quaint B&B in Avon by the Sea and I'll..... WRITE! Yes, that's what I'll do, I'll write! After all, I still need to meet my 1,000 word/day mark, don't I? Of course, I do, silly!

So, that's the plan. Relaxing, reading, toe-digging, beach-walking, wave-jumping, and writing. And who knows - maybe even a little romance...

Now, that's what I call a vacation!

I'm Blown Away...

Allison Winn Scotch, the author or NY Times Bestseller "Time of My Life" has been posting about what works and what doesn't in queries on her blog this week. Today's post was "what works." Here's the crazy part: she chose my query! Please hop on over to her place, read the queries, and tell her I sent you. I am humbled and honored that a writer like Allison finds my query so wonderful....

Kicking and Screaming Into Heaven

Now that you've helped me get past my insecurities, I'm back on track. Thanks for all the great advice, and for putting up with my glaringly obnoxious bout of self-pity. As Chelsea Handler would say, "WHAT... a jack-ass!"

I'm now less than 250 words away from my first big mile marker on MURDER ON SONGBIRD LANE (MSL). I'm nearing 10,000 words, which means I'm about 1/8 of the way done with the new book. And, if I do say so myself, it's getting exciting! Well, as long as your not the doctor's wife who doesn't make it past Chapter Three...

The first in the series, MURDER ON TWILIGHT CIRCLE (MTC), was set in an upscale suburb of Philly. MSL is set in a beach town in southeastern Connecticut. Each place lends itself to a different kind of story. It's fascinating to see how a place becomes another character.

I love the smart-ass back-and-forth dialogue between the two main characters, Jenny Sampson, the lay person who ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time when her doctor's wife friends bite the big one (she happens to be a doctor's wife too, so she'd better beware!), and Bree Lang, the stunning, red-headed, bisexual, beauty-pageant winning Assistant District Attorney who insists on dragging Jenny in on the investigations.

Jenny and Bree come from strikingly different backgrounds, which probably explains why they get along. Like they say, 'opposites attract.' Jenny grew up in a lower middle class, Jewish, Long Island family and is a married mom of two teenage boys. Bree was raised in a wealthy WASP Main Line Philadelphia clan and lives with her girlfriend, art gallery owner Lisa Ling. "Ling and Lang," Jenny says. "No wonder you two get along so well!"

When Jenny was young, her parents took her to public beaches like Point Lookout and Jones Beach. Bree's family, on the other more well-manicured hand, summered in the Hamptons. Jenny makes sure to point out that, although Bree comes from money, Jenny is royalty. She's a Jewish American Princess.

I'll keep you posted on my progress on MURDER ON SONGBIRD LANE. Thanks again, for your help in getting me out of my funk.

IN OTHER (RELATED) NEWS:
I've finally embraced Twitter! Once again, like the groom in the picture above, I found myself kicking and screaming my way into heaven. This has happened several times in my life, namely when I did The Landmark Forum - a transformational weekend I experienced back in 1992. (Maybe I'll do a post on it sometime...)

I'm finding Twitter to be fun, interesting, and informative. I'm following and am being followed by brilliant writers like Kristina Riggle (real life & liars), Allison Wynn Scotch (time of my life), and Barbara Delinsky (where do I begin to list the bestsellers???). How amazing is that? It's kind of like I imagine chatting with Stevie Nicks would be - totally freaking awesome.

It's interesting to see how some agents, I won't name names, think they're "above" speaking to unpublished writers. Then again, there are the super awesome ones like rock star, Janet Reid, who treat people with respect and answer your messages directly. (I've got two rock stars in this post, Stevie and Janet!)

If you haven't joined Twitter, give it a try. You just might find yourself kicking and screaming into heaven...