Author interview: Lauren Baratz-Logsted

We've got a real treat here today because the fabulous Lauren Baratz-Logsted has come to visit!  She's here to celebrate the paperback release of her young adult novel, The Education of Bet.

We're going to find out all about the novel, all about Lauren, and all about where she gets her fabulous story ideas!  So, what are we waiting for?  Here we go:

Tell us about your most recent novel in 30 words or less.
In Victorian England, a teenage girl decides to impersonate a boy in order to get a proper education.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?
The Idea Fairy visits me a few times a year. In between visitations, I keep my eyes and ears open but never my mouth - flies might fly in.

What is the inspiration behind this novel?
The classic novel of British boarding-school life, Tom Brown's Schooldays. I wanted to write a - hopefully! - entertaining novel that would also show that the things we take for granted, like a decent education for girls, has by no means always been a given.

When did you first begin writing?
I first got excited about writing when I was 12 but I didn't do anything about it until 20 years later when, at age 32, I walked out on my day job to take a chance on myself as a writer.

What do you think readers might be surprised to know about you?
That I really am as short as I say I am.

What is your advice for those who looking to get their novel published?
Read, read, read everything you can get your hands on, and always remember: the only person who can ever really take you out of the game is you.

Congrats on the latest release!!
Thank you!!!


Thank you so much for stopping by, Lauren!  I love the advice about reading a lot if you want to write-- so often I meet people who want to write books, but they don't actually read books!  It's so important to know what's out there.

If you haven't already checked out Lauren's latest release, what are you waiting for?  You can order it now!

Hooray for Hollywood!!

I absolutely love movies. But the thing I love more than movies? When they make my favorite books into movies!

And it's been happening a lot lately.

I'm waiting with bated breath for the movie version of Emily Giffin's Something Borrowed, the adaptation of Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants is already getting great buzz, and just today they released a trailer for the movie adapation of Kathryn Stockett's The Help, which combines a few of my favorite things-- literary scandals and Emma Stone!  Check them all out below.

The thing making me laugh today

Dunno why, but I cannot stop laughing at this video.  I literally have tears streaming down my face because I was laughing so hard.  I really loved The Fighter, and I thought the cast was amazing.  This video has very little to do with the movie...

Guest what?

I'm over on my group blog, Girlfriends Book Club, today talking about beginnings.  Go over and check it out!

FREE BOOKS!!!

Win this book!!

So, did that subject line get your attention?!  I'm giving away a free signed copy of JACK WITH A TWIST over on my group blog, Girlfriends Book Club.  Check out my blog post and enter to win!

Already have a copy of JACK?  That's okay!  Enter to win a copy and you can give it to a friend for the holidays.  See you over there!

Awesomely awesome

This is just too hilarious.  This is how I feel every time someone approaches me at a cocktail party and asks me to ghost-write their novel.  Thanks to Laura Zigman and Allison Winn Scotch for sharing!

I'm not a celebrity, but I play one in this cookbook

I was so, so honored when I was asked to contribute to the Snap4Kids Celebrity Cookbook.  The first thing was, well, I'm not really a celebrity.  And the second thing is, well, I don't really cook from recipes.  I generally just cook from feel (which explains why every time I cook, things taste slightly different.  It also explains why I once made a dish my husband dubbed "foot chicken" since he claimed it smelled like feet.  It didn't.  It didn't smell good by any means, but I'm not going to go so far as to say it smelled like feet....)

But, I digress.  Snap4Kids is a fabulous charity whose mission is to help the families of children with special needs.  Which is why they got some real life literary celebrities to help contribute recipes, alongside little old me:  Barbara Delinsky, Wendy Corsi Staub, JT Ellison-- aren't you dying to know what they cook at home?!

So, please check out the cookbook and support this wonderful charity.  And then let me know if any of the recipes turn out smelling like feet.

Come visit me!

I'm over at my new group blog today talking about book covers and opening lines.  Come visit me over there!

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Big congrats go out to Michele Cozzens!  You're the winner of an ARC of Friday Mornings at Nine!  Michele, just shoot me an email at brenda[at]brendajanowitz[dot]com to claim your prize!

Didn't win?  That's okay!  There's lots more book giveaways coming up in the next few months.  Check back here for deets!

Any Keanu is fine with me....

So, have you seen this whole "Sad Keanu" thing exploding everywhere?!  There was this shot taken of Keanu having lunch on a park bench, and lots of peeps out there have been photoshopping it like crazy.  He's next to a bunch of bunnies, running with the bulls, you get the picture.

NYMag actually interviewed Keanu and told him about it.  He thought it sounded really funny.  All the more reason to like Keanu.

My favorite is this meme which even has a song attached to it.  Enjoy!

GCC Author Interview and Book Giveaway: Marilyn Brant

Just because the GCC has a fancy new blog, that doesn't mean that we still won't be touring our fabulous authors!  Today I've got the fabulous Marilyn Brant here to chat about her latest.  (How great is this cover?!)

But wait!  There's more!  Marilyn will be giving away a signed copy of an ARC of Friday Mornings at Nine!  Just leave a comment below to enter to win!!  Don't forget to leave me your info so that I can contact you if you win.  Winners will be announced on October 7th.

So, let's all hear from Marilyn!

Q: Tell us about your most recent novel in 30 words or less.
A: Friday Mornings at Nine is a modern fairy tale about three suburban moms who each begin to question whether they’d married the right man or were living the right lives.

Q: Where do you find inspiration for your work?
A: From conversations I overhear, things my friends tell me, funny stuff that happened in my family, incidents I’ve observed out in public, stories I’ve read in books or seen on TV and those endless “what if?” questions writers always ask themselves.

Q: What is the inspiration behind this novel?
A: I’ve talked with a lot of women about their marriages -- and, in some cases, about their affairs. Sometimes these revelations came in the form of random comments thrown out unexpectedly. Other times they were part of well thought out discussions about whether the women in question should or shouldn’t stay married. I met my husband 20 years ago and we’ve been married for almost 18 of those years. I consider us to be happy, but I don’t know anyone who’s been married that long who hasn’t experienced some ups and downs. I think the fortunate couples are the ones who keep choosing to be together and work on their relationships despite all of those years and the inevitable changes. Of course, it takes both people to do that, and it also takes a lot of time and effort. The individuals involved have to want to get to know now these people they married (who may be different creatures than the ones they met a decade or more before), and they need to really pay attention to their own needs and desires, too. Sometimes, in the process of that kind of deep analysis, it turns out there was a profound disconnect somewhere along the line. In some cases, it’s possible to reconnect. In others, not so much. So, essentially, I wanted to write a story about three women who have marital disconnects to some degree that makes them wonder what would have happened if they’d chosen differently. Then I wanted them to finally take the time to examine their lives so they could choose mindfully where to head next.

Q: If they made a movie of this book, who would you cast to portray the characters?
A: I'd love to see this onscreen! (And I’d try to find a way to get Johnny Depp in there somewhere…LOL.) For the main characters, though, I imagine someone like Kate Winslet for Bridget, Calista Flockhart for Jennifer and Kim Cattrall for Tamara. Definitely a cast I'd enjoy seeing together!

Q: When did you first begin writing?
A: I wrote songs and poems and little stories in elementary school, but sixth grade was when the notion of writing professionally first occurred to me. Aside from being on the newspaper and yearbook staff in high school, though, I didn’t take writing seriously until I was about 30. Then, I spent the next several years writing completed manuscripts and submitting them to agents and editors before my fifth one, which was According to Jane, finally sold.

Q: What do you think readers might be surprised to know about you?
A: This has absolutely nothing to do with writing (which is, perhaps, why it’ll be surprising), but I was a member of a touring dance group in college and spent six weeks dancing through Europe the summer I was 19. We performed at festivals in France, Spain, Switzerland and Italy, and I met some absolutely fascinating people. That experience solidified my love of travel, my chocolate addiction and my lifelong adoration of the jitterbug. It also greatly aided in my appreciation of European men...


Q: What is your advice for those who looking to get their novel published?
A: Don’t follow trends just because you think it’ll be an easier sell. And write the books that fit your voice. If what you love writing happens to be a hot-selling genre, great. If your writing voice happens to be perfect for the genre you want to write in and love to read, that’s awesome, too. But -- if not -- write long and hard enough to find what DOES fit you and your style best. Because then, even if it takes longer to make that first sale than you expect, you’re writing the kinds of stories you most enjoy, and that passion has a way of working itself into the projects you’re creating.

Marilyn Brant has been a classroom teacher, a library staff member, a freelance writer and a national book reviewer. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and son, surrounded by towers of books that often threaten to topple over and crush her. A proud member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, Marilyn's debut novel featuring "Jane" won the Romance Writers of America's prestigious Golden Heart® Award. When not working on her next book, she enjoys traveling, listening to music and finding new desserts to taste test. Readers can visit her website at www.marilynbrant.com.

Is this even possible?!

I didn't think it was possible, but this video made me love Joseph Gordon-Levitt even more.  After seeing him in (500) Days of Summer, I was pretty much smitten, but now after seeing him play guitar and sing (yes, he plays guitar! and sings!!!), I'm pretty much completely in love.

Where have I seen you before?

As I'm sure you can tell by now, I'm super excited about my new group blog, Girlfriends Book Club.


Last week, Roberta Isleib did a post about what she's been reading and I really enjoyed it, but something really bugged me.  I could have sworn that I'd seen the cover art for Maddie Dawson's The Stuff That Never Happened.  Gorgeous cover, right?!

It was seriously driving me crazy.  So, instead of writing, I googled my morning away, trying to remember which book had the same cover art.  Luckily, the smarties over at She reads and reads figured it out for me!  Drum roll, please:


It was Jill A. Davis's second novel, Ask Again Later.

What threw me off is was a visit to my bookshelf.  When I bought the book, the cover looked like this:

And I do think that the back-of-the-head cover is much, much better.  Very evocative and really draws a reader in.

But it brings up an interesting question.  Most book covers use stock photos-- to do a whole photo shoot for a book would simply be way too expensive (although in an interview about Girls in Trucks, Katie Crouch said that for her book, they did just that), so it would stand to reason that some books have the same covers.  Okay, a lot of books have similar covers.

As a former trademark attorney, I just have to ask:  does this create consumer confusion?  Am I drawn to The Stuff that Never Happened simply because it reminds me of Ask Again Later, a book I really enjoyed?  Probably not, because I think that The Stuff that Never Happened has got a pretty great premise, and that's what's drawing me in, but if you were the authors of the books, how would you feel about this?  As an author, I think it would bother me a lot.

And as Karin Gillespie pointed out to me, The Stuff that Never Happened was written by Maddie Dawson, who is really Sandi Kahn Shelton and the copycat cover thing has happened to her before!

Scandal!!

What say you??

Be my guest!!!

I'm guest blogging today over at my new blog-home-away-from-home, Girlfriends Book Club. I hope you'll check it out-- and tell me all about what you're reading this summer.

Could I be any more excited for this movie?!

So, I just saw this movie preview and I am completely obsessed. This movie looks funny and clever, and stars Emma Stone from Superbad! Still not convinced this movie will rock? Well, it's also got Dan from Gossip Girl, Courtney Cox's son from Cougartown and one of the vampires from Twilight. As the resident villain: Amanda Bynes. And as parents: Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci. We've even got good usage of Lady Gaga's Pokerface in this preview. Can we really go wrong here?!

If you're still not convinced, check out the trailer.



Still not convinced that this movie will rock?! Then I cannot help you. Clearly your heart is made of stone.

Girlfriends do it together

So, first there was the amazing GCC: Girlfriends Cyber Circuit. And that pretty much rocked. Author interviews, book giveaways, you name it.

Well, now we've all banded together and created a new blog: Girlfriends Book Club. It's a space where former and new members of the GCC can come together and talk about writing, books, and publishing. So, this will pretty much rock EVEN MORE than the original GCC. (I know, how is that even possible?!)

Needless to say, I'm super excited about this new venture of ours and I hope that you will be, too! I will still be blogging here (I mean, where else can we discuss LOST and the Real Housewives on Bravo?!), but I hope you'll check out my new blog home as well!

I think this just shows my amazing powers of forgiveness

Okay, so I'm still totally pissed off about the Lost finale, but this is just so, so cool.

I know that my husband will totally want Faraday's journal, and I totally want one of those Driveshaft CDs. I still remember when they had a party scene on Alias and Sydney Bristow opened the door and "You All Everybody" was playing in the background. So awesome.

One question-- where's Charlie's Driveshaft ring? I kind of want that, too.

My new obsession

Well, you all know that I'm completely obsessed with NYMag.com. But, now I have a new obsession! FunnyorDie.com. Yes, it's been around for a while, but this week, these two videos really cracked me up.

Enjoy!

White Women's Workout - watch more funny videos

Eva Mendes Sex Tape from Eva Mendes

Everyone, check your Bar Mitzvah videos!!

So, Gawker's got this AMAZING post about Paul Rudd-- seems before he was a big star, he was (wait for it....) a Bar Mitzvah DJ! One of those guys you hire to amp up the party, arrange the games and just generally keep the party moving. In the video clips, he's just as adorable as he is now, and is it just me, or does this look like one rocking Bat Mitzvah he's working?

I think that everyone should go home and check their Bar and Bat Mitzvah videos-- who knows who your entertainment could have been?

Is it weird that this only makes me love Paul Rudd even more?!

Awesomely awesome

You all know that I love me some Real Housewives on Bravo. Well, if you've been following the Housewives of New Jersey, you know that one of them is in some big financial trouble. I'm assuming that's why she's done this commercial, but really, who cares why she did it? Just watch and enjoy....

Come see me tonight!

I'll be reading at 7pm at the Summer Gazebo Reading Series. Hope to see you there!

Hanging out on the Village Green

Hey Long Islanders! If you're out on Long Island, well, first of all, you probably get that song reference I made in the title line. But more importantly, I'll be reading at the Gazebo again this summer! (Yes, on the Village Green in Oceanside!)

I'll be reading as part of the Summer Gazebo Reading Series again this Monday, July 26th at 7pm. Joining me will be the always fabulous Ellen Meister and Saralee Rosenberg, so it should be a great night. I hope to see you there!

Summer beach reads

I was asked by Long Island Woman magazine to write a review of the summer beach read I'm reading right now. Since I read about a book a week, I picked the book that has been my favorite of the summer so far.

Click here to see which book I picked!

Things I'm obsessed with this week

So, there are a bunch of things I'm totally obsessed with this week. Instead of just sending email upon email to my husband with the subject heading "How cool is this?!" I figured I'd share with all of you. Because you can only send so many emails to your husband. (And Shawn told me that she's reading my blog again.) So, here goes:

The Old Spice dude
This guy is so hilarious. And totally charismatic. I hope he becomes a huge star. I love his ads. And this viral campaign is just so, so clever.

Ferris Club
Love Ferris Bueller, love Fight Club, so this clip pretty much has it all.

Hawaii 5-0
Could I be any more excited about this?! Jin speaks perfect English!!

NY Mag
Obviously I waste waaaay too much time on this website, but I can't help it! It's awesome!! Damn you, NYMag.com! Stop being so awesome and entertaining!!!

Get patched in!

So, if you missed me over at the Syosset Library, don't fret! The wonderful Mary Ellen Walsh wrote a fabulous piece about my visit for the Syosset Patch. Check it out here.

And then I hope you'll join me in July, when I'll be reading as part of the Summer Gazebo Reading Series again. I'll be out on the Green on Monday, July 26th, and I hope to be having a better hair day than I was at the Syosset Library (though it's doubtful).