BIO: Malena Lott s the author of three novels, two novellas, several short stories and also writes young adult under the pen name Lena brown. Readers can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram under malenalott and she blogs about mojo and zen at malenalott.com.
Guest post:
What happens when you reach the “last resort?”
I’m fascinated by women’s journeys. Sure, I love men, but it’s the women’s point-of-view that I’m drawn to, and in the case of my current release, The Last Resort, a novella, next month’s short story, “The Pool Boy,” and my next full-length novel, Something New, coming out this fall, lots of women are speaking to me. By using switch POV, I’m able to tell multiple stories, all connected by a common theme.
In The Last Resort, three hundred women converge in Maui for a mojo conference for women and I tell five of their stories. The women will be familiar to readers who have read my previous novels, Dating da Vinci, The Stork Reality, Fixer Upper, and last year’s summer novella, Life’s a Beach. I’m also introducing Kelly, who takes the lead POV in Something New, where four generations of women live together in a loft in downtown OKC searching for what’s next after their lives take drastic turns.
“Falling together” and “lifting each other up” are two common themes in my stories, enabling me to delve into the rites and rituals of sisterhood and personal perseverance. Letting go, moving on and starting over can be extremely difficult due to the demands of our personal and professional lives and the roadblocks (physical and psychological) that litter our path.
In the Last Resort, mojo and fitness guru, Rachel Woods takes her attendees through adventures to unleash their deepest desires and fears, from tasting her “mojo chocolate” that seems to give the women an almost LCD-like vision, to swimming with sharks and an unexpected beachside massage by the Kealoha brothers renowned for their “magic hands.”
In my own journey (wife of 18 years, mom of 3, business owner, author, executive editor, eldest sister, and so on), I’ve found when I’ve reached “the last resort,” I rely on my sisters and friends to pull me through. I also go to my happy place, nature, which is right outside my back door thanks to moving to a creek lot last year. I’ve slowly learned how to “just be,” something that’s been ever more important as life’s little “lessons” come my way. Some of them have been big traumas, losing loved ones to slow death, sudden death, and even murder, but lots of lesser stressors can darken our doors.
Whether it’s something that could seem trivial, like my neighbor putting up a hideous 8-foot fence blocking my gorgeous park-like view out my picture window, to my daughter being diagnosed with scoliosis and having to wear a night brace, I know I can clear the clutter in my mind with a few minutes of “zen on deck.” In LR, Rachel takes the women through the “ring of fire” ceremony, introducing them to meditation and surprising images arise in the fire for each of the characters. I do believe when you clear your mind, important things can surface.
I’d love to know what readers do when they’ve reached “The Last Resort.” Do they literally take a trip to paradise? Or is it something much simpler?
**Read my review of “The Last Resort” HERE!
