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.

Behind the Scenes at a Museum

I had the opportunity to go behind the scenes at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, thanks to my membership in Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. From dung beetles to crazy spiders, oily polar bear remains to advances in preservation and flesh eating beetles, the time we spent was amazing, and only a fraction of what there was to see. Our tour guide was very gracious, gave us some extra time, and barely flinched when we questioned him about how he would dispose of human remains.

Did you know that only .2 percent of what the museum has catalogued is on public display? POINT 2. Sheeshkabobalino.

What struck me even more was the passion and energy and pure academia these guys employ. Excitement over a trip to the Congo (and I'm sort of making this part up, but only a little) was equal to the excitement over the research being done regarding two types of insects on chipmunks. The enormous level of character and dedication made me want to begin writing another story using these wonderful academicians and researchers as models. Totally not boring.

Here's a lesson for writers: When you have the opportunity to get out from behind your desk and actually stretch into another world, do it.

My husband is a lifelong learner. There is little more intriguing to him than exposure to something that creates depth to our humanity. A new factoid. A new realm. A new layer reflecting the amazing endeavors of mankind. As writers, we should always be ready to seek out these elements. They will only add depth to our stories.

Have you ventured out in the name of research or writing?



CR: House Rules by Jodi Picoult.

It's all better with friends.

Dogs and Those Who Love Them

Man, I fit that title. My heart has already fallen in love with a puppy who is yet to come into our home. Who may not even have yet been born. I could tell you all about him, but since he's only in my heart, and not in the plans, it would be cheating both of us.

Dogs are half love for humans and half exuberance for life. That doesn't leave much room for grace. Or ego. Or subterfuge. If they have a moment of grace, trust me, it's almost certanly accidental, and quickly replaced by reality.

I admit to some ego. I confess to subterfuge from time to time (in my past, of course). But that lack of grace thing? That is so me. Probably why I love every clumsy attempt they make at being graceful. Dignified. Pulled together. I can so identify.

My WIP (Work In Progress) has some secondary characters who happen to be dogs. They are a trio. McKenzie (named after my white shadow who we lost almost eight years ago) is a therapy dog. Small and loving, he's never a threat to anyone, but a hope to everyone. Socrates (Socks, for short) is a Search and Rescue dog. He lives for finding survivors. Then, there's the star of this story, Gretchen. Gretchen helps her handler find bodies so there can be closure. Her forte is death. Her purpose is to help those that death leaves behind.

I hope you find a smile somewhere in this:





CR: House Rules by Jodi Picoult.

It's all better with friends.

Bruises

As a writer, I like things to be tense. I appreciate conflict and go out of my way to inflict damage. Interior and exterior bruises are the sweetness of fiction.

As a person, I like smooth sailing. No sharp corners. I don't run with scissors and I put plastic bags in places where they're hard to get to. Boring routine is something to be treasured.

A good friend of mine lost her father yesterday morning. He'd fallen the other day and fractured a hip. According to the doctors, he made it through surgery with flying colors. My friend was flying to San Francisco early yesterday to spend some time with him and spell her sister.

I don't know yet whether she got there in time to speak to him, or if he died while she was on her way. I would write it one way as a writer, and hope for it another way as someone who's trying to keep emotional bruises to a minimum.

Since this isn't part of a story, but real life, I pray for an ease for my friend. For comfort. For minimal bruising that can heal quickly. For solace.



CR: House Rules by Jodi Picoult. (And Shirley, I'm really liking it!)

It's all better with friends.

So You Want to Write a Novel

Did you have a vague idea of what this process was like when you first began writing seriously? My closest mental picture was from the opening of Murder She Wrote where Jessica Fletcher is typing away at her kitchen table, pulls out the last piece of paper and places it in an impossibly thin leather binder—manuscript perfect, complete and ready to go off to her publisher. All before breakfast.

Did you think you were going to be discovered? I know I did. For about a week. Then I began to learn a few things.

If you had known then what you know now, would you have ever sat yourself down to write a book? Me? Probably yes. Because knowing something and living it are two different things. And because it's just what I do. Who I am.







CR: House Rules by Jodi Picoult.

It's all better with friends.

Perfection? Yeah, right.

I have to learn to relax at this time of year. I want everything to be perfect. Well, guess what? It never is. My house will never be perfectly clean, perfectly decorated or perfectly laid out. Things will be old, worn, or mismatched. My food will never be perfect. I will never be perfect.

The thing I have to remember is that the people who are coming to our home aren't coming for the cleanliness, the decorations or even the food. They're coming to spend some time with the people who live here. To share some conversation and maybe make a little memory.

It's easy to get bent out of shape over things that won't matter in two days. Or two months at the most.

I learned about allowing myself to be less than perfect through writing. I don't know of any writer—famous, infamous or unknown—who comes out with the perfect manuscript the first time around. Anne Lamott blessed me with this knowledge.

So, I gave myself permission to be imperfect this year. It won't be easy, but I'll try.


CR: House Rules by Jodi Picoult.

It's all better with friends.

The Future Belongs to Those Who Read

This is a picture of my oldest granddaughter. Who, I'm proud to tell you, graduated from law school this spring, took and passed the bar this summer, and is now living in London working for an international law firm.




She reads.



I volunteered yesterday for the Scholastic Book Fair at a local elementary school. Aside from the fact I am now convinced kindergarten teachers have the patience of angels, the charisma of rock stars and the insight of Freud, what impressed me the most was the excitement and delight all of those young eager faces projected toward books. BOOKS.

I have always firmly believed that reading is the gateway to accomplishment. When there's a seed in your heart to do something, reading is the water, encouragement by loved ones is the sunshine, and well . . . the hard things we have to overcome to make it worthwhile? The fertilizer.




My friend and fellow writer, Jenny Milchman has hit on something tremendous and inspiring and simple. It's something we can all do.

In Jenny's words:


A new holiday this holiday season--Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day.

When I was a child, there were no fewer than three bookstores in my hometown. I once came across a copy of Stephen King's CUJO, and walked all the way back home to beg my father for an advance on my allowance--only to return so I could buy it.

OK, my tastes may have been a bit weird for a ten year old.

But that's the point of Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day. A child can always find something on the shelves that will fit his or her unique taste--fit the person she or he is becoming.

In books, children will find themselves. And bookstores can lead them there, with guidance and interest from a bookseller, as no website or digital device does.

In order for bookstores to thrive and flourish in the future, children have to experience the unique pleasures they offer today.

Just as I did, walking through the streets of my hometown.

This December 4th, 2010...take the child in your life to a bookstore.

Visit Take Your Child to a Bookstore to learn more about supporting Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day in your area.


If you don't have a child, borrow one. They'll remember the experience, and so will you.

The future belongs to those who read.



CR: Live to Tell by LIsa Gardner.

It's all better with friends.