All posts tagged: fiction writing

Nicole Bokat talks about her gorgeously written THE HAPPINESS THIEF, motherhood & careers, the happiness movement, thriving vs surviving, grief, being an empty-nester, how writing fiction is a privilege, more

By Leslie Lindsay Edgy, smart, and propulsive blend of literary thriller meets family dysfunction. ~WRITERS INTERVIEWING WRITERS|ALWAYS WITH A BOOK~ Spotlight: Motherhood & Mental Illness A masterful tale of family dysfunction, enmeshment, interconnected twists, the infallible effect of memory and emotion, lies, and so much more in Nicole Bokat’s THE HAPPINESS THIEF (SWP, May 18 2021). Natalie Greene is a 41-year old recently divorced woman raising a 15-year old daughter. Even now, she still believes she caused the car crash that led to her mother’s death when she was thirteen. But did she? Haunted by this, her dissolving marriage (and the fact that her ex has so easily moved on), Natalie is trying to make ends meet while being a freelance food photographer when strange emails, the death of her stepfather, and a large FedEx package appears and then disappears, catapulting her back to those earlier days. But there’s more: a recent trip to the Cayman Islands where her stepsister, happiness guru, Isabel’s, conference was held, an eerie similarity to the car crash that happened to Natalie’s mother nearly 30 years prior. Could the two …

Write On, Wednesday: Tour of Non-Sites

Published by Always with a Book

By Leslie Lindsay I was driving around my neck of the woods here in southwestern Chicagoland the other day when it dawned on me how much of my novel-in-progress really could be set here. Okay, full-disclosure: it is set in this area–at least parts of it are–but the names have been changed. I can’t give everything away, lest there won’t be any point in using faux names for these suburbs I have created, the street names, the style of housing. As my car wound around the US highways, the suburban landscape having morphed into housing developments seemingly overnight from corn fields, I see a strong resembelence to the world I created for my characters–Annie, Steve, Joe, Beth and their counterparts. We could go south a ways and I could show you the real Cherrydale, inspiration for Steve’s stomping grounds. If I shot over west, I’d point out the McMansions that made an appearance in Annie’s chapter on the secret shopping adventure for a real estate developer. If we go back to the US highway I mentioned, …

Write on Wednesday: An Interview with New York Times Bestselling Author Caroline Leavitt

Published by Always with a Book

By Leslie Lindsay One of my favorite all-time authors is Caroline Leavitt. She writes with such grit and honesty that it is completely refreshing. Her latest book, IS THIS TOMORROW (May, 2013) is set under the backdrop of 1950’s suburbia. Ava is a single, Jewish mother raising her thirteen year old son in an all-Christian neighborhood when one of the son’s buddies goes missing. Part suspense, part literary fiction, this book will resonate with those who enjoy a good, multi-layered read. Leslie Lindsay: Many of your stories have an underlying theme of unconventional families. In PICTURES OF YOU, the young father is recently widowed and raising a son. GIRLS IN TROUBLE features a young woman who gives her baby up through open adoption and then weaves herself into that new family. Ava portrays a single Jewish mother in the 1950s. Traditional? Not in the least. Can you share how you are inspired to write about families that are less than typical? Caroline Leavitt: “Probably because my own family had its issues. My parents had a terrible marriage. …

Write On Wedneday: Do you have what it takes?!

Published by Always with a Book

By Leslie Lindsay Aside from the fact that I just unpacked my bags and have a completed a revised draft of my manuscript, I am still under the (perhaps false) impression I can pull this off. My agent pitch session is scheduled for Saturday mid-morning. It’s my best time, personally. Here’s how I figure: I’ll have all day Friday to connect with conference fiolks and fill my head with lots of really great writing tips and tricks. By the time Saturday mid-morning rolls around, I’ll be set. (art work courtesy of my 8year old daughter) I think. If you are like most writers, you are probably scratching your head and wondering, “Can I do this?” According to The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, there are a good number of skills, criteria, personality that goes into making an author. Do you have what it takes? Can you spend many, many hours working on something that may never see the light of day? Are kids, partners, job, and recreation going to be …

Fiction Friday: Progress Makes You Insane

Published by Always with a Book

By Leslie Lindsay I am feeling a bit nutty these days as my novel is nearing a turning point: the end. My female protagonist may be losing a little bit as well. Remember, this is original work from a novel-in-progress…please do not take as your own. And here we go… some old stuff I dusted off for Slippery Slope: “I breathed in the crisp fall air. The leaves falling gently in golden hues as the sun sparkled in dainty brightness. I parked the van, got out, and slammed the door with a thump. Stupid minivan. When could I get a real car again? I walked into the waiting room. The space smelled like paper and vanilla, the Muzak pumped out classical tunes from the sound system. A white noise machine sat tucked in the corner, camouflaged by a plant. I slid the glass divider window, revealing a pinched-faced receptionist. “Insurance card.” It’s not a question, but a demand. Her bony hand reaches forward and snaps the card from my grip. She turns to make a copy …

Write on, Wednesday! To Plot, or Not to Plot…that is the Question

Published by Always with a Book

By Leslie Lindsay As most of you know, I am feverishly working on a novel. Second draft revisions…rewrites, or whatever you want to call ’em are tough. The first draft was all composed on the fly. That is, I am a pantser (as in seat-of-my-pants). I first heard that term when I attended the Write-by-the-Lake retreat this past June. I heard it again when I was reading the latest issue of Writer’s Digest (March/April 2013). So, let’s back up to that statement at the top: Second-draft revisions are tough. As I’ve been working through this draft with my wonderful writing partner (who reads, critiques, gives, suggestions, and kicks my butt), I’ve been seriously considering starting the next book with a good old-fashioned outline, thinking it would make those 2nd draft revisions much easier. After reading this article in WD, I am wrong, wrong, wrong! Take what you want–work how you want–but for me, the outline may not be my bestfriend. It’s too limiting. It’s too old-school, it’s too predictable…and it sort of takes the fun …

Fiction Friday: (On Sunday at 10pm). Heat Wave

Published by Always with a Book

By Leslie Lindsay What a week! I don’t know where my brain has been , but it sure hasn’t been on my blog. Thanks for being patient with me. Here’s an excerpt from my novel-in-progress. So, it’s not Friday anymore and in about 12 hours, I will be updating this again…but well, I tried. [Remember, this is orginal work] Chicagoland was in the midst of a dry spell. Hot, oppressive heat clung to the horizon. Sweat dripped, pooling in the small of my back. I needed a shower. I undressed and stood beneath the cool spray in the shower, tipped my head back and closed my eyes. Even with the air conditioning on, I couldn’t get comfortable. I traced my finger on the glass doors of the shower stall. Joseph Douglas Munroe. McKenna Clare. Madison Grace. When you doodle someone else’s name, it means you want to get to know them more. Dr. Joseph Douglas Munroe. Dr. and Mrs. Munroe. Steven Lawrence Kesselhoff. I quickly wiped his name away with a …

Write on, Wednesday: Naming Your Characters

Published by Always with a Book

By Leslie Lindsay A topic we love to discuss around my house is that of names. It started even before we had children. What names mean, what their connotations are, family names, you (ha) name it–we talked about it. So, one would think that when it came time for me to write novels, the names would just pour out of me as if I were a walking-talking Beyond Jennifer and Jason. Alas, it does not. (image source, Amazon.com 9.19.12) How difficult can it be to name your character? Pick a name you like of the right gender and move on, right? Not so fast. When selecting the name of a charcter you have spent time, effort, and and hours crafting one must really be diligent on how they come about the name of a much-loved (or hated) character. I have a character I working with right now. I call him Steve. Where did this name come from? Have I ever known any real-life Steves? Well, kind of. There was a boy who lived in my …

Write on, Wednesday: The Art of War for Writers

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By Leslie Lindsay The Art of War for Writers: Fiction Writing Strategies, Tactics, and Exercises by James Scott Bell (Dec 9, 2009) (retrieved from Amazon.com on 8.8.12) We writers are an odd group. I don’t mean that in a bad way. I know because we work really hard at nothing all day. No, no…that came out wrong, too. It seems so easy to be a writer, but alas it is not. You see, to be a good writer, one must really have the drive. One must really have patience, creativity, observation skills out the waazoo…and have thick skin. Really thick rhino skin. About 10 days ago, I was really struggling with my writing. I was cruising through my manuscript on my laptop nodding here and there and thinking, “Hummm…not bad.” And then I got to a place where I thought the whole darn thing just sucked. I wanted to stuff it all and move on with my life. After all, I was packing on pounds from writing at my favorite coffee shop (I swear just smelling coffee and carbs …

Fiction Friday: Blast from the Past

Published by Always with a Book

By Leslie Lindsay Welcome back for another “Fiction Friday!” Here is an “out-take” from my novel-in-progress. It just doesn’t add to the story, so I chose to remove it. But I still kind of liked it. Perhaps it will make it’s way into something else in the future? I find that I often go off on tangents like this to develop my characters, their backstory, and motivation. It’s a way for me to “pre-write,” if you will, you know–get the juices flowing before I can tackle my real characters and their real problems. For now, I am saving all of my out-takes in a document on my computer. Perhaps they will become inspiration for another project. What do you do with the snippets that no longer work? Okay, here goes: “There was Ellen, and Conor. They were separated at college. She was from a working-class Irish-American family who couldn’t afford to send her away to a nice college. Instead, she went to a small in-state institution not really well-respected, but it was better than nothing. Conor …