Blog Tour: Next Year I'll Be Perfect by Laura Kilmartin

Sarah always thought her life was on track, that is until her 29th birthday party. The discovery of a list her younger self put together outlining what she wanted to achieve by the age of 30 turns Sarah’s world upside down. Suddenly her seemingly happy life and career look lackluster and Sarah sets off on a journey to transform her life. On her quest to achieve perfection one month at a time – a happy marriage, partnership in a law firm and being able to fit in a size six purple suede miniskirt – Sarah learns to challenge society’s ideals of achievement. Filled with harsh reality, humor, and romance, Next Year I’ll Be Perfect explores what true happiness and success is all about.

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Author Bio:

Next Year I’ll be Perfect is Laura Kilmartin’s first novel.  She previously published four essays in Write for the Fight:  A Collection of Seasonal Essays.  All author royalties from that collection have been donated to breast cancer charities.  

Laura is an attorney who lives and works in her native Southern Maine.  A pop culture savant, she loves to read, write, travel and collect DVDs of cancelled TV shows in her spare time.  Please visit Laura’s blog at http://laurakilmartin.com or follow her @LauraCKilmartin on Twitter.

Barnes and Noble

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Q.  What inspires your writing?

A.   I find inspiration all around me, and just try to keep my eyes open so I don't miss it.   Like most writers, I love to read and nothing inspires me to create like being entertained by someone else's words.  I also love to travel and experience new places, but am content just sitting in my local coffee shop where I make up back stories for the people sitting around me.  Being a native Mainer, I find a great deal of inspiration at the ocean, sitting on the beach and letting the sights, sound, smell and even taste of the salt air wash over me.

Q.  What is your favorite thing about being an author?

A.  I have been amazed and humbled by the outpouring of support from my family and friends since my book was published. Friends I haven't heard from in years have rushed forward to congratulate me and people I once thought of as acquaintances have contacted me to tell me they read my book, liked it, and even bought a copy for a friend.  It is a little bit thrilling.

Q.  What is the toughest part of being an author?

A. Marketing.  Writing a book is fun and creative with just enough frustration and hard work thrown in that you really feel like you've accomplished something at the end of the day.  Promoting the book, though, and trying to get it into the hands of readers is a business.  While I've been very lucky to have wonderful partners in the folks at Booktrope Publishing, there is still a lot of marketing that falls to the author.  Self-promotion is something I'm still not entirely comfortable with, but I understand its necessity, especially as a reader when I'm on the other side.  People have limited time to read, and loads of wonderful stories to choose from.  Authors need to make readers understand why their book is worth someone's time.

Q.  If you could not be author, what would you do/be?

A.  I am also a lawyer and try to juggle both professions.  Luckily, both involve writing - just one is fiction while the other is non-fiction.

Q.  What would the story of your life be entitled?

A.  That's a great question!  "Imperfect Harmony" was the original working title for my novel, and I think it also fits my life beautifully.  Nothing and no one is perfect (despite the title of my novel), but in general things seem to work.

Q.  What is your favorite book of all time?

A.   To Kill a Mockingbird is right up there, but the book I've re-read the most often is a children's book, Heaven to Betsy by Maud Hart Lovelace.  The author wrote an entire series, but this one is my favorite.  It is about a girl just entering high school in the early 1900s who deals with issues and emotions remarkably similar to her more modern counterparts.

Q.  Which character from ANY book are you most like?

A. I think I'm the most like Betsy Ray from the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace- which may explain why I like the books so much!  Betsy is a writer who craves new experiences and travel to The Great World, but most important to her are her family and friends and having a house filled with love, food, laughter and joy.  Betsy also has a great number of flaws which makes her real and to which I relate.  

Q.  What character from all of your book are you most like?

A.  Without a doubt I am very much Like Sarah Bennett, the main character in my novel Next Year I'll be Perfect.  We're not identical, but I didn't have to reach down very far to find inspiration for a woman who struggles with finding professional and personal success as well as self-image issues, but can still find happiness and humor in ordinary daily life.

Q.  What is your favorite season?

A. Summer.  Summers in Maine (when they aren't called on account of rain...) are glorious.  It isn't too hot, and there are lakes, mountains and the ocean all waiting for you.  I spend every possible moment of the summer outside.

Q.  What inspired your book cover?  

A.  I love my book cover!  It was designed by Greg Simanson.  My book manager Kara Mann and I gave him a few ideas about the story and suggested the cake element, but he really developed the design.  We worked through a few different versions, but I love where we landed because I think the cover conveys  the tone and a general sense of the story, which is what every good book cover should strive to do.

Q.  Tell me something funny that happened while on a book tour or while promoting your book.

A.  I hosted a book party for my family and friends to thank them for their support shortly after my book was published.  My friend Ken gave me a gift that night of a laminated print of my book cover with my face photoshopped over the drawing of the main character.  It was ridiculous and hilarious and I loved it.

Q.  Are you working on something new?

A. I am.  I have a few story ideas that I'm working on.  One is a sequel to Next Year I'll be Perfect.  I think it will be interesting to find out what happens to Sarah when she faces down the big 3-5.  I'm also working on a new book with new characters also set in Maine.  It will be in the same genre, and explore similar themes - a woman who isn't quite as pulled together as she thought she would be by this stage in her life.

Q.  Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?

A.  The first thing I want to say is thank you very much for the opportunity to talk to you little bit about myself and my book.  Publishing Next Year I'll be Perfect has been a dream come true for me, and I'm very proud to say that it has been getting great reviews on Amazon.  I hope people are interested in checking out the book and I would certainly love for any of your readers to stop by my blog at laurakilmartin.com.  I spend a lot of time there talking about books, movies, and TV shows and love to have people share their thoughts with me about the same.

Showcase: Puppy Love By Sylvie Fox

PUPPY LOVE

By Sylvie Fox

 

Sylvie Fox’s new contemporary romance, Puppy Love, (Crimson Romance; December 17, 2012), has everything you could ever want in contemporary romantic fiction – quirky relatable characters, sunny California sun, and a rescue dog.

-From the back cover:

There are only two things Sophie Reid doesn’t do: lawyers and sex.  When sexy, lawyer Ryan Becker stumbles into her life, her first two thoughts are ‘no,’ and ‘definitely no.’  After Sophie and Ryan rescue a dog from certain death on the Hollywood Freeway, they share one smoldering kiss.  Sophie knows a potential train wreck when she sees it and leaves the dog and Ryan at the pound knowing she’ll never see either of them again.

Sophie is everything Ryan shouldn’t want in a woman: a pierced, tattooed, yellow-haired artist.  They have nothing in common, but he can’t shake her from his mind.  She had no problem putting the man out of her head, it’s the dog she can’t forget.  At the animal shelter she runs into Ryan, again, a man she’d vowed to forget.

A master of persuasion by profession, Ryan convinces Sophie to pursue their undeniable mutual attraction.  But Ryan’s quest to be a success at the very occupation she reviles, rankles her.  When a Hollywood union strikes, Ryan and Sophie find themselves on opposite sides of the bargaining table.  Can their sparks in the bedroom overcome their standoff in the boardroom?

 

About the Author:

Sylvie Fox a native New Yorker, lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband, son, two dogs, and one magical cat.  In spite of her decade in Hollywood, she’s never been on television or in a movie, but avoids the paparazzi.  When she’s not in LA, she’s eating her way through Budapest.  Sylvie loves to hear from readers.  Find her procrastinating on Twitter, Facebook, and at www.SylvieFox.com.

Q.  What inspires your writing?

A.   I'm inspired by odd situations in life (Puppy Love came about when I saw Angelenos trying to save a dog on the 101 freeway), and watching the personal relationships of those around me develop, grow, and mature.

Q.  What is your favorite thing about being an author?

A.   My favorite thing about being an author is staying in my pajamas most of the day and night.  When I'm so moved, I upgrade to  yoga pants.

Q.  What is the toughest part of being an author?

A.   Writing.  I don't plot out books.  This means I sit at the computer every day hoping something happens.  About half the days are productive.

Q.  If you could not be author, what would you do/be?

A.  I think I'd be a journalist or a photographer.

Q.  What would the story of your life be entitled?

A.  A Brooklynite in Los Angeles

Q.  What is your favorite book of all time?

A.  A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Q.  Which character from ANY book are you most like?

A. April Epner from Elinor Lipman's Then She Found Me.  I was profoundly moved by this book when I read it back in college.  It's about a relationship between a mother/daughter who couldn't be more different.  My mother could be Bernice Graverman.

Q.  What character from all of your books are you most like?

A.  I have a character from a legal thriller I wrote named Casey Cort.  She makes a lot of questionable life choices.  I had a phase of my life like that.  I think I'll call it my twenties.

Q.  What is your favorite season?

A.  I love autumn.  Crisp air, crispier leaves.  Fall comes late to Los Angeles, though.

Q.  What inspired your book cover(s)?  Or what is your favorite book cover and why?

A.  I'm happy to say that my current book cover is exactly what I asked for - guy on freeway with a Finnish Spitz in his arms.  I was more loosey goosey with the cover art worksheet for my next book, so I'm hopeful.  I'll find out in a couple of weeks.

Q.  Tell me something funny that happened while on a book tour or while promoting your book.

A. Sending out press releases before the holidays.  I've never seen so many out of office replies in my life.

Q.  Are you working on something new?

A.  I'm currently working on a book about a woman who finds her soul mate, when she's already married.

Q.  Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?

A.  Thanks for the opportunity to *meet* you and discuss my passion.

Showcase: Peeled and Quartered by Jessica Rowe

Book Summary (no spoilers): Melvin wakes up on an alien planet modeled after an orange (the fruit). He escapes but is still haunted by his alien captor. The end will leave you reeling!

Available at: Jay And Silent Bob’s Secret Stash (Redbank, NJ),www.auspiciousconey.bigcartel.com (Web Orders), Paras News Stand (San Diego, CA), Taang Records (San Diego, CA).

Twitter: @JessicaNapkin
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuspiciousConeyProductions?ref=hl
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peeled-And-Quartered/484130621609637?ref=hl

Q.  What inspires your writing? 

A.  I am greatly influenced by the people in my life.  My family and friends encourage my endeavors and give me constructive criticisms which keep me from becoming stagnate.  My friend Sarah and I share the same sense of humor, and I find a lot of inspiration in that.  It is really beneficial to have friends and family that I can be my weird self with.  In turn, it fosters a great atmosphere for my active imagination.  I've also received a lot of support from one of my professors, Dr. Emily Hicks.  She has been very influential, and has pointed me in the direction of some great literature that I've been inspired to footnote in my next book, 'The Cult of The Rooster.'  She also introduced me to the idea of a chronotopic narrative which is at the heart of my writing.  She's responsible for my first finished product.  My parents are also a source of inspiration for me.  They give me a lot of feedback, both positive and negative.  I have two people in my corner that want to see me succeed in my endeavors, and in life in general. 

Q.  What is your favorite thing about being an author? 

A.  I'm not sure there is just one thing, but I really enjoy the 'idea marination process.'  By the time I'm putting words on paper I've got a solid idea that's been formed over a period of time.  It gives me confidence that what I'm working on has a solid foundation, however obscure it may be.

Q.  What is the toughest part of being an author? 

A.  The most difficult part for me is realizing when I need to break from writing.  I try to spread my writing out over a long period of time so that I'm not rushing anything.  The process of getting a paragraph just right, and making sure the content is not too disturbing is a challenge that frustrated me while working on my second book, 'The Cult of The Rooster.'  While writing 'Peeled And Quartered' I struggled with the ending, only because I intentionally wrote it to be abrupt and worried it wouldn't translate that way.

Q.  If you could not be an author, what would you do/be?

A. I plan on doing freelance research in the future as well as creating disturbanization and science-fiction paperbacks.  Part of me would like to keep my writing sacred, but I do my own marketing so the business aspect has already sullied me.  If I had no inclination to write, I might want to pursue music as a hobby as opposed to writing.  Actually, I think I would focus my spare time into perfecting my chess game and catching up on unread books and comics.I imagine I will always have a nine-to-five of some sort, but I'm okay with that. 

Q.  What would the story of your life be entitled? 

A.  'No Time Wasted'

Q.  What is your favorite book of all time? 

A.  That's a tough question, because I have so many favorite books!  I'm really enjoying reading Deleuze's 'A Thousand Plateaus.'  It will remain on my list of favorites.  I also loved reading Hunter S. Thompson's 'The Great Shark Hunt.'  However, my favorite book on so many different levels is Spinoza's 'Ethics.'  I am still studying it, and I get a lot of use out of that book.  I almost didn't return my library copy, but now I've got a copy of my own.  Camus' book 'The Plague' is also up there with 'Ethics.'

 Q.  Which character from ANY book are you most like? 

A.  I'm a lot like Badger and Mole in 'The Wind In The Willows.'  I have a tendency to be a little shy, and sometimes I don't like company when I have a lot going on.  Even when I don't have much going on, I enjoy my own company.  I'm sensitive like Mole, as far as my interests and whatnot.  But I also have a thick skin when it comes to every day interactions, much like Badger.  That's probably why I prefer no company to bad company.  I'm fortunate to have a few great friends as well as some local family to share good times with.

Q.  What character from all of your books are you most like?

A.  I'm a little bit of every character, I suppose.  I sometimes feel inadequate in life, much like Melvin of 'Peeled And Quartered.'  I like to think I have the ability to organize myself like Eduardo of 'Peeled And Quartered.'  He's somewhat obsessed with the process of a project (but I don't take it as far as he does).  I see myself in Margaret Marblay of 'The Cult of The Rooster' as being somewhat of a rebel, although the dark subjects adressed in the book are entirely fictional and have no connection to my personal life.  

Q.  What is your favorite season? 

A.  My favorite season is Fall, although I'm a local San Diegan so I don't believe I've ever really experienced a true season.

Q.  What inspired your book cover(s)?  Or what is your favorite book cover and why?
 

A.  My book covers are part of my philosophical take on art.  I used the concepts of 'the signified' (a list of what I want on a cover) and 'the signifier' (what the artists come up with using their own creativity) to create different covers for each printing (an idea introduced to me by Dr. Emily Hicks.  I like having a hands-off approach to the creation of a cover, because I cannot draw well. The only thing I can draw decently is a poodle in a sitting position on a sticky note.  Also, I don't want to taint their interpretation of what I've asked them to draw.  I want to keep my nose out of their creative processes.  As far as preferring one over the other, I have no favorite cover.  I love all of them equally, because in my opinion they aren't to be compared.  There's a lot more in a cover for me than just 'art.'  In one instance, I was in a serious pinch and my friend (who goes by the name of Esparanza De Shongo when creative projects are involved) pulled through for me with some lovely drawings.  Shongo put a lot of work into it, and helped me through the formatting process.  The second printing of 'Peeled And Quartered' was done by Davit Buck, who also really pulled through for me.  It's a show of good faith when someone hands me a finished product and I love that.  I'm also a fan of Davit Buck's art in general, and I have five of his original pieces.  He is a great local San Diego artist, and deserves more recognition in my opinion.

Q.  Tell me something funny that happened while on a book tour or while promoting your book. 

A. Well, I sent a book out for a review and ended up with a freelance writing gig.  I thought that was funny because while promoting I usually don't expect to get any response back in return.  Instead of just a response, I got a gig!  I've been pleasantly surprised at all of the opportunities that are presenting themselves to me.  I'm presenting my second paperback, 'The Cult of The Rooster' in March at SDSU's Student Research Symposium as experimental theory-fiction.  I have a feeling that I might spontaneously combust while presenting my powerpoint, which will be the last and funniest thing that will ever happen to me.

Q.  Are you working on something new? 

A.  I am indeed working on a new project.  I am also always working on something in relation to each project as finished products require marketing.  As far as the creative process, I'm in the marination process for 'Candy Cane Cellar.'  It will be another science-fiction, disturbanization paperback.  The name was actually coined via Twitter by my favorite radio personality, Phil Hendrie.  I'm also planning on writing a book about the band Tiltwheel over the summer in relation to Deleuze and Melanie Mitchell's complexity theory.

Q.  Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?

Thank you for reading this.  Do what you love to do, and pursue friendships with people that encourage your loves and interests.  Don't waste any time!

Showcase: Flashback to the Dragon by Terri L. Powers

 

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2012

A serial killer is loose in the city of Seattle stalking women in the downtown area near Elliott Bay. Detective Nate Cliff ton is assigned to the Monroe case, tagged with that name by the newspapers because the victims all look like 1950's pin-up models. Nate is relentless in his hunt for this smart killer who keeps eluding police to fulfill his bloodlust. Meanwhile, John Carpenter's peaceful life is changed forever following a terrible car accident. Awakening from a coma, John now has an ability to see events from the past - to flashback. During one such flashback into the past, John sees a distinctive tattoo when he witnesses a murder in an alleyway near Pike Place Market. Who can he trust? He certainly doesn't want to involve his family, so he turns to Nate. Nate is skeptical of John's newly acquired ability at first. Will the detective believe him, or will John become the number one suspect in the investigation into the brutal crime? When John sees the tattoo for a second time in another flashback, Nate must learn to use the past to alter the future. Another woman will die if the killer is not stopped. The clock is ticking. John must learn to accept his gift, and then learn to use it as he becomes mixed up in the hunt for a serial killer. Will John Carpenter end up a hero, or will he end up dead?

TERRI L. POWERS:  In her words...I’ve always had an active imagination, dreaming up entire scenarios before I even opened my mouth to make a statement, dreaming up imaginative people and events just for the fun of it, living out the life of a superhero in my head.  I do it because it’s fun, and it’s how my brain works.  There is no controlling it so I go along for the ride.  Wheeee.

It was a natural transition to putting words on paper.  First in diaries after I got tired of recording the real stuff that was going on, then I had a little fun with journals.  The breakthrough came when I wrote a four-part, short story based on the BBC Network series, Torchwood, a world created by Russell T. Davies as a spin-off from the Doctor Who franchise that he was piloting at the time.  Like many Torchwood fans, I was upset with losing a dear character, Ianto Jones, so I rewrote the ending of the third series of the show to bring the character back (hey, lots of people did the very same thing).  That developed into the short story, Past, Present, and Future, which I self-published, or submitted if you will, on a site that houses fanfiction of this nature, A Teaspoon And An Open Mind: A Doctor Who Fan Fiction Archive.  This brings me to where I am today.

I live in a small village near a larger city (so it’s not like we have to grow our own food or sew our clothing) in Michigan with my wonderful husband (who hopes I’m the next J.K. Rowling – he’s just so cute), a beautiful daughter (who is tons more mature than I’ll ever be), and a cat named Clockwise (she got her name when my daughter was in Kindergarten learning how to tell time).  I’ve recently taken advantage of an early retirement and can now turn to writing as my creative outlet and secret passion. 

Favorite Authors:
Dan Brown, Daniel Silva, Dean Koontz, Edgar Allen Poe, Iris Johansen, J.A. Konrath, J.D. Robb, James Patterson, Janet Evanovich, Jefferey Deaver, John Sanford, Lee Child, Patricia Cornwell, Stephen King, the team of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, the team of Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

And Some New Authors I’ve Recently Discovered and Enjoy:
Kirkus MacGowan, Michael R. Hicks, Robert Cornell, Tim Greaton, William R. Potter

Q.  What inspires your writing?

A.  My imagination. By that I mean that when I'm not writing, I'm visualizing stories in my head - when I see a stranger with an odd expression on their face, or when I glimpse an awkward moment, or when I see an old, run down house and begin to wonder how it came to be in it's current state.

Q.  What is your favorite thing about being an author?

A.  The satisfaction that comes from crafting the perfect sentence or paragraph; when the writing becomes everything I had hoped or dreamed it would become.

Q.  What is the toughest part of being an author?

A.  Marketing my work. Taking a 50,000 word story and crunching it down into a 25 word description. Moving outside of my comfort zone and finding readers.

Q.  If you could not be author, what would you do/be?

A. I would work in a bookstore. When I retired this was what I wanted to do, but then I started writing and put working in a bookstore on hold.

Q.  What would the story of your life be entitled?

A.  There's a Silver Lining Around Every Dark Cloud

Q.  What is your favorite book of all time?

A.  I left this blank until I finished the entire questionnaire because it is the hardest question to answer. But the book that immediately came to mind was one I read when I was a teen, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit

Q.  Which character from ANY book are you most like?

A.  I don't see myself as obsessive as some of my favorite characters. I see some of me in Stephanie Plum, Kay Scarpetta, and Eve Dallas, but not to the extremes that some of these women push themselves. But I admire Plum's humor, Scarpetta's culinary skills, and Dallas' no-nonsense pursuit of the truth.

Q.  What character from all of your book are you most like?

A. John Carpenter

Q.  What is your favorite season?

A. Spring

Q.  What inspired your book cover(s)?  Or what is your favorite book cover and why?

A. John's flashback. My favorite book cover is 'Lena Rivers by Mrs. Mary J. Holmes, published by the W.B. Conkey Company. I do not know the exact year of this version of the book, but I have loved the cover for over forty years because the oval picture in the center looks like a daguerreotype depicting a woman's profile. I still have the book and have collected many others with the same type of cover style.

Q.  Tell me something funny that happened while on a book tour or while promoting your book.

A. I've never been on a book tour, and I'm a little green as far as promoting at this time. I did, however, stop at a garage sale during my usual walk to the cemetary and got to talking to the homeowner about the reason for my walk, to find names for my book, and I sold one to her.

Q.  Are you working on something new?

A.  I'm editing book two of the Flashback series starring John Carpenter and Detective Nate Cliffton.

Q.  Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?

A.  Read anything you can get your hands on whether fiction, non-fiction, magazine, or hardback, softcover or ebook - never stop reading.