Archive for April, 2010
It’s Harper Lee’s FFF Birthday Celebration!
Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is a masterpiece worthy of its Pulitzer-prize winning acclaim. It’s been called “one of the best-loved stories of all time.” I’m right there with all of the other lovers of this novel. I first read it when I was in seventh grade, and have picked it up so many times since, I can’t count. Thank you Harper Lee for writing such a beautiful story.
This week’s Fodder for Fiction Author Birthday Bash celebration is for – you guessed it – Harper Lee!
In honor of her special day, I’m sharing a where-babies-come-from excerpt from To Kill a Mockingbird.
Enjoy!
“Dill’s voice was his own again: “Oh, they ain’t mean. They kiss you and hug you god night and good mornin’ and goodbye and tell you they love you—Scout, let’s get us a baby.”
“Where?”
There was a man Dill had heard of who had a boat that he rowed across to a foggy island where all theses babies were; you could order one—
“That’s a lie. Aunty said God drops ‘em down the chimney. At least that’s what I think she said.” For once, Aunty’s diction had not been too clear.
“Well that ain’t so. You get babies from each other. But there’s this man, too—he has all these babies just waitin’ to wake up, he breathes life into ‘em. …”
Dill was off again. Beautiful things floated around in his dreamy head. He could read two books to my one, but he preferred the magic of his own inventions. He could add and subtract faster than lightning, but he preferred his own twilight world, a world where babies slept, waiting to be gathered like morning lilies. He was slowly talking himself to sleep and taking me with him, but in the quietness of his foggy island there rose the faded image of a gray house with sad brown doors.
“Dill?”
“Mm?”
“Why do you recon Boo Radley’s never run off?”
Dill sighed a long sigh and turned away from me.
“Maybe he doesn’t have anywhere to run off to. . . .”
Excerpt, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Share what you love about Harper Lee. I’d love to hear it. Come back again next Wednesday for another Fodder for Fiction Author Birthday Bash!
Best to you,
Lisa Lipkind Leibow
Author of Smart Women’s Fiction
www.LLLeibow.com
Culling Ideas from Life
By
David Pereda
Most of the ideas for my stories grow out of specific incidents, places, activities or people I meet in life. A case in point is my Havana Series of thrillers.
The idea for the series popped into my mind while watching my ex-wife, a successful and highly skilled plastic surgeon, perform a complex surgery. As I observed her nimble hands undermine aging skin and chisel a bulbous appendage into a perfect nose, I said to myself, “Why don’t you write a thriller based on a face-disguising plastic surgery to Fidel Castro?”
I picked Castro instead of Hugo Chavez because I was born in Cuba, so I knew something about the topic. I chose to write a thriller instead of a mainstream novel because the subject matter lent itself to the thriller genre. Besides, I love to write thrillers.
Another interesting anecdote about the Havana Series of books is how I came up with the idea for the beautiful but ruthless female assassin, Marcela.
I wasn’t happy with my first draft of the manuscript. The basic story of a widowed doctor lured to Cuba after thirty years to perform plastic surgery on Fidel Castro, in the process rekindling his love affair with the childhood sweetheart he left behind and meeting the son he never knew, was interesting but plain vanilla. I felt that it lacked punch and needed a counter-point subplot. So I came up with another idea, “What if Raul Castro sent an assassin after the doctor?”
So I developed a male assassin named Marcial and stuffed him in the book. My problem was that I felt no empathy for Marcial. He was simply a muscular and mean lump, lacking energy and excitement. Marcial gave me writer’s block. One day, commiserating with my wife during dinner about my problems with Marcial, she gave me a great suggestion. “What if you made the assassin a woman and called her Marcela?”
And, suddenly, I had an epiphany. The character of Marcela exploded in my imagination. I could see the entire storyline, in vivid detail, in front of my eyes. It was an incredible moment of illumination. Hollywood couldn’t have done it better. Marcela would be Halle Berry on steroids but with yellow eyes, a lethal professional killer with a strict religious and moral code. I wrote the rest of the first book of the series in three months of furious writing.
Most of the ideas for my stories come to me like that, from unexpected sources. That’s why I try to be always alert and observant to the world around me. I don’t want to miss anything. Culling ideas from life is hard work.
________________
When an old fisherman is gunned down on a Mexican beach, prominent Miami surgeon Raymond Peters becomes the prime suspect. The dead fisherman is believed to be Fidel Castro whom Dr. Peters had helped disguise through clandestine plastic surgery on a trip to Cuba two years earlier. But is the body really that of the Cuban leader? In order to save his own life, the beleaguered physician must solve the murder, find the killers and retrieve a mysterious journal. And this has to be done while outwitting a sensual but ruthless assassin named Marcela, sent by Castro’s brother Raul.
EXCERPT
To Marcela’s delight, Tula arrived promptly at eight. She paused at the
door, scanning the crowded bar. Her red halter dress and black spike
heels with ankle straps did the job she’d obviously intended them to do.
Marcela waved from her small table in the back of the room, her heart
quickening. Tula waved back and started skirting the tables. Men and
women stared at her as she passed by, triggering in Marcela a strange
jealousy.
She rose when Tula reached her table, and both women greeted each
other with the customary exchange of kisses on the cheek. Tula’s eyes
were somber.
“Something wrong?” Marcela asked, sitting down again. “You look—”
“Sad?” Tula said, sitting down next to Marcela.
Marcela nodded.
“A friend of mine died recently,” Tula said. “A very good friend. We
used to come here sometimes. It made me sad when I walked in.”
“Sorry,” Marcela said. “You want to go some other place?”
“No. This is fine. I need to get over it.”
“What did your friend die of?”
“He was murdered.”
Marcela raised an eyebrow. “Miami is a violent city.”
“You can say that again.”
“How did it happen?”
“He was shot in his apartment.”
“My God!” Marcela said. “A thief?”
Tears came to Tula’s eyes. “Who knows? He was such a good person.
I can’t imagine anyone wanting to kill him.”
“Poor thing. Did they catch who did it?”
“Not yet.”
“Do the police have any leads?”
Tula shook her head and suddenly started sobbing.
“Now, now,” Marcela said, leaning forward and patting her hand.
“You need a drink.” She waved to the waiter. “What would you like?”
“A mojito.”
“Just what I was going to order myself,” Marcela said as the waiter
arrived. “Two mojitos. And when you see these glasses empty again, you
bring some more.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the waiter said.
An hour and four mojitos later, Tula had to go to the bathroom.
Marcela got up to go with her. When Tula’s head was turned, Marcela
slipped two roofies into her drink.
Oops! I Did It Again
The other day, I forgot to pull in my side view mirror before backing out of my garage. The edge of the mirror caught just so it popped out of the housing. Why is that door so narrow? Alright, I admit it. This is the third time I have made this same mistake. After the first time it happened, I made it a habit of folding in the mirrors when pulling in and out. I don’t know why I forget every once in a while. The annoying thing is, you can’t just replace the little mirror. Then entire housing needs to be replaced, too. $300 later, it’s as good as new. Ugh!
Okay, maybe I’m a space cadet, or as one dear friend once lovingly called me, “a brilliant air-head.” Maybe I’m careless. Maybe I’m so distracted by my happy chaos that I forget this one minor detail at the tune of three-hundred bucks a pop! Double-Ugh! (…or should that be Triple-Ugh!)
Okay, here’s the part where I can turn it all around and laugh at my stupid mistakes. Character’s telling details come in all shapes and sizes. Why not a character who repeatedly makes the same silly mistakes, is clumsy, always loses her keys – or breaks her side view mirror by hitting it on her way out of the garage – three or more times in the course of a story. This little foible could serve to identify a supporting character, could establish a pattern of obstacles for a protagonist, and could most definitely provide some comic relief.
Here’s my challenge. I dare you to share some of your most annoying hassles, mishaps, and blunders. Provide some fodder for fiction. Lay it on me!
Gallery Reading in the Press and Don’t Miss Lisa At Reading Day
I made the papers! My recent emotional experience, reading from my short story Forbidden Passion, at the Target Gallery is featured in two newspapers!
The Alexandria Gazette: http://files.connectionnewspapers.com/PDF/current/Vienna.pdft
The Vienna Connection: http://files.connectionnewspapers.com/PDF/current/Alexandria.pdf
You can read more about it the event http://llleibow.com/blog/2010/04/08/im-reading-for-sara-tonight/.
Also, I’ll be a special guest author at Washington County, Maryland’s Reading Day at the Valley Mall in Hagerstown, Maryland on Saturday, May 1st. If you’re in the area, stop by to see me. It should be a great event!
Fear Can Be So Inspiring!
by Cynthia Eden
Hi, everyone! (And a big thanks to Lisa for inviting me over to her place!) Today, I want to talk about fear. Or rather, the way fear has inspired my writing.
When I was younger, I became addicted to horror movies. I loved the thrill that came for the spike of adrenaline that filled me. I loved watching the characters and their emotions. I loved figuring out the puzzle and discovering just who (and sometimes what) the bad guy (or beastie) was.
As the years passed, I kept my love of horror, but that love slowly transformed into something new. I developed a fascination for vampires and demons, and I decided that they didn’t always have to be bad—sometimes, they could become the good guys. So I started writing paranormal romances for Kensington Brava, and those stories featured my monster heroes and heroines.
But, my love of fear kept nagging at me, and I realized that it was time for me to face my fears. Or rather…to let those fears out. So I put my monsters on hold, and I directed my attention to serial killers. For me, I’m often more afraid of the “real-life” killers (the ones who could live right next door), than I am of the zombies who may rise from their graves.
I turned my fear into a book, DEADLY FEAR. DEADLY FEAR is the first book in my new romantic suspense series from Grand Central Publishing. In this book, I let my fears go. Everything that has ever frightened me (being buried alive, snakes, psycho killers who wield knives)…well, all those things found their way into my book. And you know what? After I wrote my tale, I wasn’t as afraid anymore.
Well, I wasn’t afraid…until I saw the next horror film on my list.
Now tell me, have you ever faced a big fear that you have? And what happened when you did?
Thanks for checking out my post!
Cynthia Eden
www.cynthiaeden.com
I’LL BE SLAYING YOU–Available 06/29/10 from Kensington Brava
DEADLY FEAR–Available 08/1/10 from Grand Central Publishing (Forever)
**One commenter to Cynthia’s post will randomly selected to receive an autographed book from her backlist.
________________
Cynthia Eden writes sexy tales of paranormal romance for Kensington Brava, and she pens dark romantic suspense novels for Grand Central Publishing. She lives in the Deep South, loves scary movies, and is addicted to happy endings. More information about Cynthia may be found at:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLOTTE BRONTE!
Fodder for Fiction Author Birthday Bash
This week’s Fodder for Fiction Birthday Bash is for Charlotte Bronte. Poor Jane Eyre was excluded from the celebrations at Gateshead. But that doesn’t mean she didn’t appreciate the festivities. This passage makes me feel like I’m spying on the party, right along with Jane! I thought it was the perfect excerpt to share in honor of Charlotte Bronte’s Birthday. Enjoy!
November, December, and half of January passed away. Christmas and the New Year had been celebrated at Gateshead with the usual festive cheer; presents had been interchanged, dinners and evening parties given. From every enjoyment I was, of course, excluded: my share of the gaiety consisted in witnessing the daily appareling of Eliza and Georgiana, and seeing them descend to the drawing-room, dressed out in thin muslin frocks and scarlet sashes, with hair elaborately ringletted; and afterwards, in listening to the sound of the piano or the harp played below, to the passing to and fro of the butler and footman, to the jingling of glass and china as refreshments were handed, to the broken hum of conversation as the drawing-room door opened and closed. When tired of this occupation, I would retire from the stairhead to the solitary and silent nursery there, though somewhat sad, I was not miserable.” Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
(Second Jane Eyre): “There are Mrs. Eshton and her three daughters—very elegant young ladies indeed; and there are the Honourable Blanch and Mary Ingram, most beautiful women, I suppose: indeed I have seen Blanch, six or seven years since, when she was a girl of eighteen. She came here to a Christmas ball and party Mr. Rochester gave. You should have seen the dining-room that day—how richly it was decorated, how brilliantly lit up! I should think there were fifty ladies and gentlemen present—all of the first county families; and Miss Ingram was considered the bell of the evening.” Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Share what you love about Charlotte Bronte. I’d love to hear it.
Come back again next Wednesday for another Fodder for Fiction Author Birthday Bash!
Best to you,
Lisa Lipkind Leibow
Author of Smart Women’s
What Serves As My Inspiration
by Allison Knight
When I first starting writing romance, I taught high school in a small rural community, also a bedroom community for a big city. The whole area was very conservative and here I was the ‘Family Living’ teacher, the name given to the Home Economics teachers of the time and writing steamy romances.
We taught classes like consumer economics, parenting, family living. So, in part because of the type of community and also because of the subject matter, I didn’t want my classes to know about my writing endeavors. I mean, how would it look if a student went home and told his/her parents, “My family living teacher is writing sexually explicit romances.”
I liked my job and my students and I didn’t want to get fired.
However, much to my chagrin, my principle thought it was great. (In fact, he wanted me to write him into one of my books – maybe as the hero. Never going to happen, but I wasn’t about to tell him he’d make a better villain.) However, he let it be known to the other teachers and consequently to the students just what I was doing.
So, I wasn’t really shocked when one of my junior boys asked if he could talk to me – privately. I just knew he was going to berate my book, or demand I meet with his furious parents. Nor was I surprised when he made certain no one close to the library office could hear our conversation.
He gave me a critical look and announced, “I read your book.”
I thought, ‘Oh boy, here it comes.’ However what followed nearly blew me away.
He looked as his feet as he said, “This is the first book I ever read.”
After I closed my mouth, I thought to ask if he enjoyed the story. He told me he especially like the battle scene. (Not surprising when you realize, he was a guy.)
I ran into that student several years later in a local bookstore. His arms were full of books, bestselling hardbacks. He grinned at me and said, “See what you’ve done to me. Now a lot of my paycheck goes for books. I love to read.”
If nothing else, my book was responsible for one young man discovering the thrill of reading a good story. The thought that I might be developing other readers is enough incentive to keep me trying to write the best story I can write. Someday I hope to learn
My books have inspired other new readers. It’s part of what makes my work worthwhile.
___________________
Award winning author, Allison Knight began her writing career like many other authors. She read a book she didn’t like and knew she could do a better job. She grabbed paper and typewriter (computers were available back then) and announced she was going to write a book. Her children hooted with laughter.
“Yeh, Mom, when cows fly,” her daughter declared.
She took classes, joined a critique group and RWA, and wrote, rewrote and wrote some more.
When her first book sold, she came home from her teaching job to find a stuffed toy cow rotating from the ceiling fan in the family room. It seemed – “Cows did fly!”
Since that time, Allison has written and published seventeen books with a gothic anthology and another medieval romance to be release in 2010. Allison often speaks at writers conferences and has taught writing classes eager to share her knowledge and her love of romance novels.
LISA’S MONTHLY RANT: Happy Chaos Can Make Me Crazy!
I only have myself to blame… After all, I’m the parent, right. I should be the one who’s in control of the family schedule. And I hope you won’t think I’m shallow that I’m ranting about what I normally call the “happy chaos” that fills my life. However, sometimes the frenetic pace of making sure everyone is where they are supposed to be exhausts me. (Not to mention that I carry anxiety over missing an event, practice, or bringing the wrong boy to the right field at the wrong time – or other such mix-up).
If the kids’ team coaches and managers could give me schedule at the beginning of each season for practices and games, life would be easy. I could set up car pools with ease, schedule other family time and events around those activities.
But, for some reason, many of the extracurricular activities my children chose are managed by the scattershot approach. Little League baseball, Rec-league lacrosse, and even High School Baseball coaches seem to schedule practices on an ad hoc basis, making it next to impossible to arrange carpools, plan a week’s activities in advance, or know whether my child is available to attend a birthday party two weeks away.
The notion that the life of the “soccer Mom” (translated to include Dad’s, grandparents, or anyone who carts kids around to activities including but not limited to soccer) is a breeze is pure and utter crap. Any adult who acts as activities director for a child or children is likely to come away from the experience with skills to rival any Five Star General in charge of military logistics.
I understand that fields and practice space are at a premium, and sometimes weather gets in the way. However, for the life of me, I cannot figure out why these sports leagues cannot set a schedule in advance. Why must the coaches text or email the time and place of the next practice on a weekly or even daily basis. For goodness sake! Even if they just looked at last year’s schedule and modeled a new one after it. This would make the activities so much more family-friendly. (I’m begging my readers not to volunteer me for the job of making said-schedule. I do appreciate the volunteers who take on this task, I just wish they did it differently).
My kids love these activities and love to stay busy. Every time I mention how we are over-scheduled, the reaction from my boys is, “No, Mom! We like it!” They don’t seem to mind that they run from All County Chorus to a baseball practice, or from band or play practice to Lacrosse, from Religious school directly to a tennis lesson.
They have come to understand that if three boys with two parents wish to participate in all of these different activities, that sometimes a Mom or Dad will not be in the stands cheering them on – because instead, we’ll be with the other brothers.
I’m ranting, I know. But that’s all part of this monthly feature. Chime in! Fellow time-strapped parents unite!
Remind me that in the not-too-distant future, when my kids are in college, I won’t know what to do when I’m managing only my own activities and they’re in charge of their own. In the meantime, I’d love some tips for managing and improving my attitude over happy chaos.
Best to you,
Lisa Lipkind Leibow
Author of Smart Women’s Fiction
www.LLLeibow.com
Happy Birthday Eudora Welty!
FODDER FOR FICTION WEEKLY AUTHOR BIRTHDAY BASH
If you’re a regular visitor here at Fodder for Fiction, or if you’ve read any of my fiction, you probably realize that I love food – and I love what a given character notices about the smells, tastes, and presentations of food tells you about that character’s personality. In line with that, in honor of the birthday of Eudora Welty, who is one of my favorite prose-portrait artists, I thought I’d share a bit of dialogue from her work revealing the kind of lovely feast worthy of her special day. I only hope she researched these beautiful and delicious treats first hand in order to write this!
“Listen and I’ll tell you what Miss Nell served at the party,” Loch’s mother said softly, with little waits in her voice. She was just a glimmer at the foot of his bed.
“Ma’am.”
“An orange scooped out and filled with orange juice, with the top put back on and decorated with icing leaves, a straw stuck in. A slice of pineapple with a heap of candied sweet potatoes on it, and a little handle of pastry. A cup made out of toast, filed with creamed chicken, fairly warm. A sweet peach pickle with flower petals around it of different-colored cream cheese. A swan made of a cream puff. He had whipped cream feathers, a pastry neck, green icing eyes, A pastry biscuit the size of a marble with a little date filling.” She sighed abruptly.
Excerpt, The Golden Apples by Eudora Welty
Are you hungry?… me too. Before you leave to grab a snack or watch the food network, tell me some of your favorite Eudora Welty stories. What better way to honor what would be her 101st birthday!
Best to you,
Lisa Lipkind Leibow
Author of Smart Women’s Fiction
http://www.LLLeibow.com