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Guest Author Feature

Author & Book Feature of “A Comfortable Madness” by Francine LaSala

May 30, 2017 1 Comment

“A Comfortable Madness” by Francine LaSala

Blurb: No love, no risk; no risk, no hurt.

When Annie and Hugh first meet in a Long Island cemetery, they’re each dwelling in their own darkness. Hugh is a “serial monogamist” whose romantic fervor ruins every relationship he gets into, and Annie is still reeling from a dark secret from her past involving her dead ex-husband–one she’s been drowning in alcohol and quick, failed relationships for years. That, and the terror that love may push her over the edge… Again…

When they run into each other at a party in Manhattan later that night, they are surprised at how easily they connect. Despite their insistence to remain “just friends” to protect each other – and themselves – their chemistry is intense and their attraction soon becomes impossible to deny. Can they see beyond the damage they’re convinced they’ll do to each other and finally give in to the love they so desperately crave?

**Get your copy of “A Comfortable Madness” now!: Amazon

*****

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

In three words, describe your writing style: Comedic. Cinematic. QUICK!

Tell us about your writing/editing/publishing process: Most writing projects for me start in one of two ways: 1) as some emotional life situation I need to work through, using characters and the trials they face as a way to understand and come to terms with my own; or 2) as voices in my head chatting back and forth, which I stop ignoring when I realize they are indeed only characters trying to speak dialog and try to get me to help them tell their stories…and not possible mental illness. 😊

What inspired you to write “A Comfortable Madness?”: I started writing this book more than 15 years ago as a way to cope with two consecutive broken hearts. Over the years it veered far away from that, and also forced me to explore other areas like growing up Catholic – and the help or harm that may have done to me.

Hard/paperbacks or eBooks? For reading, I like paperbacks best. But because I tend to do most of my reading in the middle of the night, it’s mostly ebooks for me.

At what time of day do you tend to be most productive? From about 3am to 7am. (Please see above, “possible mental illness.”)

Do you have any writing rituals? When I was younger and had no kids and the only “chaos” and “crazy” I had in my life was the self-afflicted party-mayhem type, I had DOZENS of rituals. Fully quiet space. Cigarettes and junk food at the ready. Etc. The list is too long and boring. That all changed when the babies came… My kids are older now and more independent, but I did write at least two of my novels (Rita Hayworth’s Shoes and The Girl, the Gold Tooth & Everything) in a veritable tsunami of domestic madness, against a soundtrack of unimaginable horrors, including Bubble Guppies and Yo Gabba Gabba and this show called Lazytown, which frightens me to this day. The only way for me to write in that environment was with music – earbuds and loud music – and that become the lone ritual for me. My playlist is the stuff of nightmares. It’s always random. In minutes, it will flip from Enya to a Cole Porter showtune to that one Metallica song I have on there. But it helps. The music doesn’t need to have anything to do with the scene (for example, I wrote the love scene in Rita Hayworth’s Shoes with “One Night in Bangkok” on continual repeat) but it does have a way of drawing the story out of me.

Aside from being an author, you’re also an editor; what do you like most about editing other people’s work? I’m so, so glad you asked me this! The type of editing I mainly do is developmental editing. What I like best about it is that it helps me help other authors grow in storytelling. I love watching story arcs shape, characters learn and flourish. I love challenging authors to push beyond what they originally imagined possible in their writing, and I love watching their work improve and really blossom with every pass. I’ll fix grammatical errors all the time when I see them, but helping to bring out the most powerful story is the most rewarding part of what I do.

Do you have any writing/author goals? I have written four feature-length screenplays – one of which is the screenplay for A Comfortable Madness. I would give anything to be able to sell a script to Hollywood, have one of my movies made, and get an Oscar nomination for either best original or best adapted screenplay. I already know what my Oscar gown looks like – it’s from a birthday card I once received:

Where do you see yourself in five years? Aside from being 50… OY! I say, please see above. I see myself in that Oscar gown, claiming my statue. 😊

Salty or sweet? Depends on the day.

What do you want your readers to take away from “A Comfortable Madness?”: Mainly I want them to take away the sense that they’ve read a good story. That they were entertained and that maybe my story had something fresh and original for them to enjoy, and that my characters gave them something to think about they may never have considered before. Not really a tall order, right? LOL!

What are you working on right now? I have about three projects I’m developing right now. One is a centuries-old love story involving maenads from antiquity finding themselves in modern times, with Orpheus as the romantic male lead. (If you know anything about maenads and Orpheus from your Greek mythology, you may already know something dark about this story.) One is a YA story inspired by my older daughter who in the summer after my mother passed away somehow kept finding keys everywhere. The last is about a woman’s midlife crisis, loosely structured around Dante’s Inferno. (If you think my playlist is scary, you should see my brain…)

**About Francine LaSala: Francine has written nonfiction on every topic imaginable, from circus freaks to sex, and edited bestselling authors of all genres. The author of novels “Rita Hayworth’s Shoes” and “The Girl, The Gold Tooth & Everything,” lives in New York.

**Contact Francine: Email   Facebook   Twitter   Editorial / Creative Services

Filed Under: A COMFORTABLE MADNESS Tagged With: A COMFORTABLE MADNESS, Author Interview, Books, Francine LaSala, Guest Author Feature, New Release

Heather Thurmeier

July 5, 2013 3 Comments

HeatherThurmeier

About author, Heather Thurmeier:  Heather Thurmeier is a lover of strawberry margaritas, a hater of spiders and a reality TV junkie. She was born and raised in the Canadian prairies, but now lives in New York with her husband and kids where she’s become some kind of odd Canuck-Yankee hybrid. When she’s not busy taking care of the kids and pets, Heather’s writing her next romance, which will probably be filled with sassy heroines, sexy heroes that make your heart pound, laugh out loud moments and always a happily ever after. You can find out more about Heather and her books by checking out her website at: http://heatherthurmeier.com.

INTERVIEW

Describe your writing style in five words:  Light-hearted, humorous, romantic, fast-paced, steamy…

People would be surprised to know that you…:  Think Hobbit feet are disgusting… No really, I do. And most people are surprised to find out that I have such an adverse reaction to them. But seriously, they’re huge, hairy and dirty. Ick. LOL. I have no idea how else to answer this question. I’m curious to know how other authors have answered this!

You knew you were a writer when…:  I first tried to write a novel. It didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped it would, but as soon as I started writing the first chapter, I knew I was hooked and there was nothing else I would rather do. If I didn’t write, I think I’d go crazy with all the characters and stories running wild in my mind.

What do you have with you at all times?  My phone. I can check my email for submission news, cover art, interviews. And if I think of something I for one of my books, then I can make a note of it, write out a scene or brainstorm. I never go anywhere without my phone!

How long does it take you write a complete MS?  The longest it’s ever taken was 10 months and that was for the very first book I ever wrote. Now if I’m motivated and have the time, I can write a full first draft of a book in 6-8 weeks. But I think I prefer to take a 3-4 months.

What do you want readers to take away from your books?  I just want readers to feel they got a satisfying happily ever after. I don’t expect readers to like every detail of the book or the characters because that be impossible. But I hope that they always walk away feeling satisfied that reading my books was time well spent.

Every good writer must have a…:  A great critique partner. I don’t know a single writer who doesn’t have someone read their work before they send it out to publishers or agents. I think you have to have a great person who you can trust to tell you the good and the bad about your book.

Who is/are your favorite author(s)?  I think I have too many to remember. I’ll share my favorite genres instead: romance (contemporary, paranormal), dystopian, post-apocalyptic, YA, and adventure.

What is the writing/editing/publishing process like for you?  I outline, write, set aside, edit, set aside again, reread, edit, beta/critique partner, edit, submit. Then I do whatever edits the publisher requests. I do a lot of editing. 🙂

Where do you see your writing career in five years?  I see myself doing more of the same: trying to write the best books I can and producing a few of them a year. Hopefully I’ll have made the NY Times best seller list by then, but if not, I’ll still be trying!

What do you do to celebrate after having a MS published?  After I finish a MS, I usually give myself permission to read all day while I should be writing. It’s a great break to read the words that someone else has painstakingly chosen.

Can you tell us about any upcoming projects?  I have a new book coming out with Entangled Publishing in 2014. I am also hoping to get working on the next books in the Falling Stars series. Maybe I’ll have a few of those done in not too long. After that, I’ll have to see what pops up in my mind!

Chapter One tease of “Lost Without You”

“Your first task is to find your site, set up camp with the gear provided, and survive your first night out in the wild. Tonight I’ll check in with each team to see how you’re doing. Teams, it’s time to get wild! The game officially begins now.”

Zoe watched quietly as the teams scrounged in their bags to find the maps that would lead them to their camps. A wave of relief came over her that this time she didn’t have to worry about strategy or getting along with the other contestants or any of the other things she’d had to worry about on the previous shows. This time, finally, she wouldn’t have to fear water challenges that threatened to remove her makeup in one splash. Sure, she’d always worn waterproof, but there was only so much it could withstand. She might have come across as calm and uncaring at the thought of going out on a canoe to grab a cache with Paige, Miles, and Ben, but on the inside, she’d been a quivering mess. At least this time all she had to do was show up, look pretty, smile, and read a few cue cards. No big deal.

“Ready to go?” Chip asked, motioning toward the trail all of the teams had now started down.

“Go where?”

“To the production camp.”

Zoe glanced around at the production trailers that looked pretty permanent by the park office. “Are the trailers going to meet us at the camp or are there some already waiting there?”

Just then a production person handed her a large backpack. The one she’d been told to pack. The one she thought she’d be unpacking soon into a nice chest of drawers in a cozy room somewhere.

Chip shook his head and looked worried for the first time ever in her memory. “Zoe, your job is to be near the contestants to host the show. The show takes place in the wilderness. The trees are too dense for the trailers and there are no nearby roads. I’m afraid the best you’re going to get for the next few weeks is a porta-potty and a private tent.”

Fear gripped Zoe. This couldn’t possibly be any worse. No bathroom with running water. No electricity. No cozy bed to curl up in each night.

“Let me guess,” she said through clenched teeth. It didn’t matter how cute Chip was, he could really be an annoying little shit when he wanted to be. “You’re staying here, right?” No way was Mr. Hot Shot Producer roughing it like she was being forced to.

“No, myself and a handful of other production people will be staying with you in a production base camp. We have tents and a little kitchen and even a couple of camping showers. Don’t worry, Zoe, you won’t be alone.”

“Oh, good, so there will be someone to hear me scream when I get eaten by a bear.” He laughed.

She didn’t.

LostWithoutYouCoverPic**Contact Heather:

Email:  heatherthurmeier@gmail.com

Website   Facebook   Twitter

Filed Under: Heather Thurmeier Tagged With: Books, Guest Author Feature, Heather Thurmeier, Lost Without You, Romance Books

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