Tuesday, December 7, 2010

From Agatha Christie to Johnny Mathis to WIDOW'S ROW




Please join me in an enthusiastic welcome to my sister, Lala Corriere, whose debut novel, Widow's Row is currently available through Amazon. You can order it by clicking here.





It's a terrific read, with wonderful characters and a spitfire of a story. For $4.99 you will get huge entertainment value.





Now, here's Lala.

Peg writes suspense. I write suspense. Perhaps this is a learned behavior. Our mother always enjoyed afternoon time curled up with an Agatha Christie or, later, a Mary Higgins Clark.

Nancy Drew was every little girl’s favorite read, me included, but I admit I’d often venture over to see what the Hardy Boys were doing.

Then came Dark Shadows. OMG. I couldn’t get enough of Barnabas Collins. I devoured every word of every book.

I’ve been writing full-time since 2001. What a journey! My first manuscript largely reflected my life, or what I dreamed of for my life. It is widely known that budding novelists’ first works are all about ‘me’. I tried to deny that little annoying fact.

Contemplating my first finished manuscript * I soon realized that my favorite scenes to both read and write delved into the dark and the nefarious.

Shrink Analysis I:
I don’t know why I like to be scared. It’s my mommy’s fault.

I prefer writing suspense over the mystery. Maybe I’m bad with clues. I like to have a pretty good idea who the bad guy is and I want to scream, “Breecie. It’s him! Watch out!”

Vampires and wizards are big money. So says the market. I’m more afraid of the dark side of man. The neighbor next door or the man sleeping next to me. Sorry, Barnabus Collins, but I’ve moved on.

Shrink Analysis II:
There’s probably something else you should know, since you’re charging me by the minute. My father’s influence is inescapable. He is a deeply spiritual man who finds the true meaning of life with every breath he takes. As a suspense writer, that makes me a walking and writing dichotomy. It’s my daddy’s fault.

So yes, my first novel was about me. With Widow’s Row, you’ll get the dueling sum of me. You’ll say, “Breecie Lemay, look out for him!”, but you’ll never know for sure until the end. As one reader wrote, ‘There’s more twist and turns than Space Mountain’.

You’ll finish Widow’s Row and walk away with something good. It will be a lesson of acceptance for some. A reminder, for others. My readers can expect a ride on the dark side of humanity while absorbing the light of goodness. Kindness. And all without pontification. Sorry, Mr. Grisham, but your latest release, whether we agree with you or not, was delivered from a disappointing pulpit.

Shrink Analysis III:
I was all of fifteen years old when one line from one song from one artist, Johnny Mathis, captured my heart. While I never forgot the lyrics, I also never dreamed what those words would mean to me.
‘What a writer has to feel like, when suddenly, he discovers he’s been read’. Arianne/ Johnny Mathis.

So yes. I’m nervous. I’m exposed. I’m feeling vulnerable. What are we going to do about it? Okay. It’s Lala’s fault.


* Did you know that only less than one percent of all persons sitting down to write their first manuscript actually FINISH it?
If you’re in this elite group, I applaud you! Happy reading and writing!

Lala
LalaCorriere
http://www.lalacorriere.com
A writer's life @ http://www.lalacorriere.blogspot.com
See the trailer!
Widow's Row Available NOW!




Thanks, Lala. Below is a photograph of Lala's writing space. Doesn't that desk look like it was made for a writer?

















CR: I'm about finished with House Rules by Jodi Picoult. Looking at a Hallinan next—on my Kindle.

It's all better with friends.

4 comments:

  1. Hi, Peg's sister. Congratulations on your first published novel! And what a fun post. Oh, yes, I so well remember the "exposed" feeling of having my first novel published. I had done a non-fiction first--a family cookbook which told stories and named names. My mother felt exposed, but I didn't--nothing bad in the stories, I figured we're a pretty normal family--whatever that means. But when my first NOVEL was published I wanted to hide under the bed because that was what I was like inside my head. That's exposed.

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  2. Thanks, Donna. I know Lala is a little busy tonight, so I'm not sure if she'll be able to check in for comments. My bad for the timing.

    That inside of the head thing . . . yeah. That can be a conversation stopper. Depending, of course, on what's inside your head to begin with.

    Congratulations on your Sam's Club placement, by the way.

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  3. Oh, how I want to read your book, Lala! Please put it on paper somehow! (Peg knows of my love affair with paper). The quote hit home with me, too. Yes, I can imagine your feeling of exposure and vulnerability now. But soon you will find out you've been read--have touched and entertained and changed people. What a gift--for you and your readers-to-be. Congrats.

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  4. Oopa. My comment didn't come through. Must not have passed security!
    Thanks, Donna and Jenny. I appreciate your thoughts. I'm having fun getting comments from people I don't know or barely know, but family is another story! I have grown sons reading what Mommy wrote. Sigh. My mom was able to read three of my mss, a draft of Widow's Row included, and she didn't like that all my protagonists' mothers were either dead or dying.

    Again, thanks for posting! Lala

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