Is Fictional Fulfillment More Enticing the Real Thing?

“Writing can be hot without being explicit.” C. Margery Kempe

The article, “Daisy Goodwin: This is better than real sex” from the TimesOnLine was just too good to pass up, especially after Monday’s post by guest blogger C. Margery Kempe on writing sex scenes.

Here are some excerpts from the article, but if you have time, I recommend reading it for a few more good laughs.

"A survey confirms my belief that most women of a certain age are better off turning to their library card for erotic fulfilment.

According to a survey of women between the ages of 45 and 60 by the maker of Astral moisturiser, a good two-thirds of us like books “with plenty of sex scenes” because we find them “titillating”. And a raunchy 10% actively seek out books with sexual content.

There is only one explanation for this and I am afraid it has something to do with middle-aged men. Given the choice between a real encounter with a mate with significant nostril hair and a fictional romp with a man with all his own teeth who never gets a twinge down his left leg, is it really any wonder that ladies of a certain age would rather get to the end of the chapter than burrow under the duvet?

I would much rather read about a threesome in a museum courtesy of The Sexual Life of Catherine M, the bestselling erotic memoir of a French intellectual, than actually have a threesome in a museum (suppose the sprinkler system went off?).

We are talking about a generation of women whose sexual fantasies almost certainly include Colin Firth emerging damply from the lake at Pemberley — with nothing more explicit than a brooding stare. Suggestion is definitely all.

In the interests of full disclosure I have to admit that when I gave the first draft of the novel I am writing to my editor, she said she was worried that some of the sex scenes were perhaps “a bit too graphic”. As I am a woman who can’t type “throbbing member” or “glistening manhood” without blushing crimson, I can assure you that my purple passages were the palest mauve.

There were many headlines last week suggesting that since scientists are close to being able to manufacture sperm, men are no longer necessary; I would suggest that for novel-reading women of a certain age this has long been the case."

The Independent, ie also ran a similar article, “Middle-aged women want to read about sex,” listing the top 10 books women would take to a desert island. Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding was number 1 and Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, was number 10. The one that really surprised me though was, The Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. Though I enjoyed the book, it’s not one I’d think falls into the “better than real sex” category. I haven’t read Harry Potter, but since they are written for kids, I wouldn’t think they fall into this category either. I guess this proves middle aged women do think about topics other than sex.

What book would you take to a desert island? Readers, do you actively seek out books with plenty of sex scenes? Writers, after reading these articles, are you thinking about adding more spice to your writing?

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: C. Margery Kempe, Daisy Goodwin, Bridget Jones’s Diary , Memoirs of a Geisha, Life of Pi, Fielding, Golden, Martel,

Writing a Sex Scene

“If the sex scene doesn't make you want to do it - whatever it is they're doing - it hasn't been written right.” - Sloan Wilson

I decided, after posting the “Bad Sex in Fiction Awards,” I wasn’t the only one who found writing sex scenes difficult. C. Margery Kempe is quite accomplished in this area, so I asked if she’d consider doing a guest blog to give us all some pointers. I’m excited to say she agreed. Even if you are not a writer, I think you’ll find the information interesting.

C. Margery Kempe is the author of the erotic thriller Chastity Flame and a bunch of short stories. Coffee Time Romance has called her novel “…one thrill ride after another” and Wetwork author Philip Nutman says, " I wish I'd created this character… Erotic and witty, this is a page-turner."

I’ll turn the blog over to Ms. Kempe without further ado.

Thanks, Jane, for inviting me along to your blog! I offered to share my experience for writing a sex scene that won't make your readers cringe. It is a difficult thing to do, as the very existence of the Bad Sex Awards demonstrate. I think in large part this comes from the very writerly habit of going to metaphor when covering sensitive subjects. For a good sex scene, that often invites hyperbole if not outright guffaws. I'm going to show this while keeping everything PG-13, too, as Jane requested. Writing can be hot without being explicit.

The real key to a good sex scene is sensuality. This might seem obvious, but it's also something that our rather Puritanical society shies away from. Yes, I know we're bombarded with sexualized images constantly in the media, but they're teasing and usually rather sterile ones, too. Airbrushed and posed perfections stimulate without satisfaction.

When you start thinking about a sex scene, think about the set up. With characters who engage us, we're already interested in who they are, so we want to feel the attraction that draws them together. A sex scene isn't just a physical encounter: it's part of your character building. Don't concentrate simply on the mechanics or you'll have an awkward "tab A in slot B" scene that will make readers collapse with laughter. Consider how your characters would act at a moment like this. How do they make their first moves and what does it reveal? Does she go for an immediate, deep and lingering kiss? Or does he want to bury his hands in her hair first and nuzzle her cheek. Every move should add to the picture we've been building all along.

In chapter 3 of Chastity Flame, our heroine has an encounter on a train which tells us a lot about her life, her job and her attitudes toward sexual opportunities. When an older man offers to buy her a coffee on the Eurostar, it immediately turns into an opportunity for flirting:

Her gallant returned with coffee and all the accoutrements and she gratefully added a helping of cream to the rich black brew.

"Simon Chalk," he said by way of introduction, offering her a smartly manicured and surprisingly large hand to shake.

"Masie Diamond," Chastity offered, picking one of her stock names at random and reminding herself to keep to it. It was not, however, the name on her passport.

"Do you make this trip often? Or is that far too dull of a question?"

"How about 'what did you want to be when you grew up?'" Chastity asked with a smile. It was always one of her favourites.

As expected, he laughed and blinked a little at her. "I wanted to be a milkman," he said, his grin betraying a good bit of embarrassment at his sudden revelation. Chastity was sure he had expected to be the one leading the conversation.

From this exchange we find out that Chastity has done this many times, uses many aliases, and that she reads people quickly. As the conversation continues, they each reveal personal information that allows for the introduction of more overtly sexual innuendo:

"I wanted to be a circus performer," Chastity said, no longer sure if it was a lie or the truth. "I wanted to ride bareback on a horse and do pirouettes and stand on one leg."

Simon smiled at her. Unlike his initial predatory grin, there was a genuine warmth to it. "I can see you doing that. On a white horse with bells and shiny silver buckles on its bridle."

Chastity sipped her coffee and regarded him closely. "Maybe that's why I like leather… and straps and buckles."

His intake of breath was audible.

She's thrown out a nakedly sexual remark in order to gauge his interest and it has surprised him. Will he be intimidated by this or intrigued? Chastity watches him closely to see. Of course, he can't resist, but they’re on a train with other people, so at this point they can only talk about what they might do together. Simon knows that he has to prove himself to her and labours to do so, trying to prove what kind of lover he would be:

"I would start with the toes, yes, I'm sure of that," he said, his eyes caressing what his hands were denied. His voice lowered in both tone and register. "I would start with your toes in my mouth, happy to suck each one and enjoy the salty savour of them. And then I would run each fingertip along the muscles of your calf, needing to feel the interplay of the flexing tendons. I would caress your knees until I was sure I had memorized their shape. Only then would I consider your thighs. All right so far?"

Not surprisingly, Chastity is impressed. Why? Attention to detail, the kind of thing that makes a sex scene work, too. Simon concentrates on the sensations -- his and hers -- as he envisions the scene. He creates both a sense of urgency and a leisurely appreciation of their encounter. Arousal makes his voice change. We see what he's concentrating on, too. As the scene goes along, we see, hear, and feel Chastity's warm response to him.

Too often people pull back from a sex scene and then it feels impersonal. Picture every step, imagine every sensation: what does a kiss really feel like? Don't think of the ways you've read it described. Close your eyes and remember a really good one. Write it exactly as it was. Consider the rest of your body: What are the sensitive parts of your skin? What gets you going? If you feel embarrassed because writing a sex scene turns you on, DON'T. It probably means it's going well, because I can assure you, if you're not excited by your description, no one else will be either. That's the real secret!

Thank you C. Margery Kempe. I not only learned from this post, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. You make writing these scenes seem so easy with the wonderful examples from Chastity Flame. I have a feeling it may take some practice on my part to progress from “an awkward "tab A in slot B" scene” to “embarrassed because writing a sex scene turns you on,” but I’m looking forward to trying.

Please feel free to leave questions and/or comments for Ms. Kempe. Also be sure to visit her website.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: Sloan Wilson, Bad Sex in Fiction Awards, C. Margery Kempe,how to write a sex scene

Stunts or Research?

"Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose." – Zora Neale Hurston

Authors who write non-fiction generally love the research involved. The writers who made the "10 Top Literary Stunts" list in Time.com, however, may have gone above and beyond the call of duty in their efforts to be published. Still, I’m not sure if all ten are examples of stunts or legitimate research.

I think Douglas Brown may have had the most fun doing research for his book Just Do It How One Couple Turned Off the TV and Turned On Their Sex Lives for 101 Days (No Excuses!) Mr. Brown “…talked his wife into having intimate relations for 101 consecutive days in a quest to find out if such an endeavor is possible even with the pressures of parenthood and work looming over them daily…”

Research for The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs struck me as the funniest. “For one year, Jacobs lived according to each and every rule in the Old Testament. Everything upon which [a woman] lies during her impurity (meaning, menstruation) shall be unclean; everything also upon which she sits shall be unclean. During a certain time of the month, Jacobs can't touch or sit on anything his wife has occupied, not even in their own apartment. His wife finds this so irritating (apparently women don't like to be called unclean) that she makes a point to sit on every conceivable surface in their home, and Jacobs is forced to purchase a portable stool.”

I think, the greatest sacrifice in the name of research was done by Barbara Ehrenreich, in her book Nickel and Dimed, where she gave up her successful writer’s life to experience the struggle of working-class life in jobs where she earned around $6 per hour. “Although constantly exhausted and abused, Ehrenreich manages to support herself — thanks for the advice for her co-workers (waitresses, house cleaners, nurses' assistants) — but it's not easy. She nearly becomes homeless, even though she starts her project with $1,000 in seed money.”

Other books on the list included, Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle; Word Freak Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble by Stefan Fatsis; Newjack, Guarding Sing Sing by Ted Conover; Paper Lion by George Plimpton; Hell’s Angels by Hunter S. Thompson;Ten Days in a Mad House by Nellie Bly; and, The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose. More details about these ‘stunts’ are listed in the article.

What do you think—stunts or research? What lengths will you go to for publication?

Coming Attraction: Some of you may remember the blog I wrote about the Bad Sex in Fiction Awards. I admitted I had a difficult time writing sex scenes and according the comments on that post, I’m not alone. Fortunately, C. Margery Kempe, author of the sexy thriller CHASTITY FLAME! Has agreed to do a guest post on Monday, with helpful hints on how to write a sex scene. Don’t miss it!

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: Zora Neale Hurston, 10 Top Literary Stunts, Just Do It , The Year of Living Biblically , Kingsolver, Ehrenreich, C. Margery Kempe,

Publishers Are Only Human

"Good things come to those who wait. " - Proverb

If rejection letters have made you feel a bit blue lately, you may want to take a few minutes to read "14 Best-Selling Books Repeatedly Rejected by Publishers" on HowStuffWorks. It’s bound to cheer you up with such tidbits as:

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Persig was turned down 121 times. According to Wikipedia, the book sold over 4 million copies in twenty-seven languages and was described by the press as "the most widely read philosophy book, ever."[

Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen was turned down for a total of 140 times and has now sold more than 80 million copies. It seems the publishers thought the book was “too positive.” I bet all 140 rejecting publishers went into a soundproof room to vent some very unpleasant thoughts when they learned that “too positive” was a very good thing.

Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis was rejected by 15 publishers before Vanguard Press picked it up. It was turned into a Broadway hit and a popular film. Dennis became a millionaire. He was also the first author to have 3 books listed at one time on the New York Times best-seller list. Is there a writer who hasn’t dreamed of this scenario happening to them? Be honest authors!

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach received 18 rejections. When it was published, it sold more than a million copies and became a movie with a soundtrack by Neil Diamond. I certainly wouldn’t mind Neil doing a soundtrack for The Ride. Sigh.

When I was much younger, one of my favorite books was Kon Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl. This book received 20 rejections. One publisher told him the story wouldn’t be very interesting because nobody drowns. Oops.

The rest of the list plus information about each book can be found here.

To me, this proves that publishers are only human and do not always make the right decisions about what sells and what doesn’t. So next time you become discouraged, think positive because your book may show up on a "Best-Selling Books Repeatedly Rejected by Publishers" list someday.

I feel fortunate that The Ride found a publisher. Now I’m waiting for Hollywood to discover the little gem. If you’re listening Hollywood, my sister has the cast figured out –all you need to do is turn it into a blockbuster movie!

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: The Ride, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Chicken Soup for the Soul , Auntie Mame, Jonathn Livingston Seagull, Kon Tiki, Hollywood, rejection letters,

Dreams of Inspiration

“Dreaming is an act of pure imagination, attesting in all men a creative power, which if it were available in waking, would make every man a Dante or Shakespeare.” -H.F. Hedge

A dream was the inspiration for The Ride. However, when I began writing the story, it took a very different direction from my nighttime vision. About the only thing my dream and the finished book had in common was a backyard rollercoaster. (I know, an amusement park ride in the backyard sounds strange but it isn’t. Google backyard roller coasters if you don’t believe me!)

Anyway, back to the topic—dreams. Evidently dreaming and writing goes hand in hand as I discovered in a couple of posts by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen, How Dreaming at Night Inspires Famous Writers and Published Authors on the Dreaming and Writing Process.
The information for the blogs came from the book called Writers Dreaming: William Styron, Anne Rice, Stephen King, and 23 Other Writers Talk About Their Dreams and the Creative Process by Naomi Epel. I haven’t read this book, but I plan to look for it next time I visit the library.

According the posts, Stephen King added one of his own dreams to his book It, without changing anything about the dream.

Sue Grafton and Maurice Sendak say that dreams only affect their work in the emotional sense.

Several writers including Stephen King, Anne Rice and Amy Tan mention a dream-like state while writing.

Be sure to visit both posts if you’d like to read the direct quotes from these authors and others. I found them quite interesting.

From Twelve Famous Dreams, I learned that Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, and Misery by Stephen King were all inspired by dreams.

I really recommend the article for details about the dreams mentioned above as well as for other interesting information, such as a dream that led to a Nobel Prize in medicine; how Paul McCartney dreamed the tune to Yesterday; and, how Lincoln dreamed of his assassination.

Do you remember your dreams? Do dreams ever inspire your writing? If you’re not a writer, do dreams affect your actions in any way?

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: H.F. Hedge, dreams, The Ride, Shakespeare, Dante, Stephen King, Amy Tan, Anne Rice, Shelley,R.L. Stevenson,

Another Dying Art Form

“A man’s penmanship is an unfailing index of his character, moral and mental, and a criterion by which to judge his peculiarities of taste and sentiments.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope

Last week I wrote a post expressing my regret that future generations would no longer have the joy of finding yellowing letters hidden in a dusty attic or forgotten in the back of a drawer. Letters that expressed love and revealed the dreams and thoughts of a past generation. At the time I wrote the blog, I believed hand written letters and notes faced extinction due to email and texting. Now I am shocked to discover there is another reason for their demise.

I read that some schools are no longer teaching cursive at all. Those schools that still teach it, dedicate 10 minutes a day or less compared to two or more hours a week in the 1940s and 50s. There are kids that cannot write their own name in cursive, much less read anything written in letters that flow. To me this is a form of illiteracy and I didn’t want to believe it.

I asked my son-in-law, a ninth grade counselor, about this and he said it’s true. He sees kids panic all the time when faced with having to write out anything in longhand, including their name.

Evidently this is not new. I ran across articles dating back to 2003 discussing whether or not cursive was an important skill to learn in this age of technology. I guess my head has been buried in the sand on this subject.

The following is from an article in Idahostatesman.com: According to the College Board, when the SAT added a handwritten essay to its 2006 exam, just 15 percent of the almost 1.5 million students wrote their answers in cursive. But those who did earned slightly higher scores.

And, according to the LongIslandPress: The demise of handwriting is also a cognitive loss. The enhancement of neurological processes involved in the skill of writing is wide-ranging.

If our kids can no longer sign their names, how will they make credit card purchases? Oh, right…online. Well, how about signing checks, oh yeah…online banking. Okay, but at least consider those poor souls whose job is to analyze handwriting—what will they do now?

I’ll admit I don’t know if the ability to read and write in cursive is necessary for success in the future, I only know it makes me sad to see it disappearing. After all, if spending hours a day making endless circles and loops and curlicues was good enough for my generation…

Should all schools require a proficiency in handwriting in order to graduate? Or, should cursive be allowed to go the way of the dinosaurs?

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: Philip Stanhope, cursive, SAT,

The Lost Art of Love Letters

“What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters. You can’t reread a phone call.” – Liz Carpenter

My parents met when my mother was 14 and my father 16. They married about ten years later. Last July my parents passed away within two weeks of each other. My mother was frail and we knew her end was near. It didn’t make it any easier, but it didn’t catch us by surprise. My hale and hearty father, however, was a different story. He was buried exactly two weeks after my mother, proving that it is possible to die of a broken heart.

Along with my memories, they left behind a stack of letters they’d written to each other after my father enlisted in the Navy. Thought I haven’t put them in chronological order yet, they seem to be written between June 1944 and February 1946.

I’ve only just begun to read the letters. I feel like an eavesdropper listening in on a private conversation because I can so clearly hear their voices saying the words as I read the pages. However, I think they kept the letters all these years not only for their sentimental meaning but also because they wanted their kids, grandkids and so on to learn more about of their personal history together and “the good old days.”

The letters are censored by the Navy so there is very little war talk. In fact, in a few of the earlier letters you wouldn’t know a war was raging at all. Their world, at that time, consisted of each other.

Still there is much to be learned from them. For instance air-mail postage was six cents in 1944 but went up to eight cents in 1945. My mother’s sense of humor never changed – when talking about things they’d need after their wedding my mother wrote, “I bought an iron today. I hope you know how to use it.” I also discovered they planned on having two boys and one girl (they ended up with two girls only). My father never wrote professionally, though he should have. He had a marvelous way with words and his letters were beautifully written.

I still miss them both so much, but I am so appreciative that my mother, Coleta Weiss Kennedy, (March 29, 1921 - July 9, 2008), and my father, James Francis Kennedy, (October 14, 1918 to July 22, 2008) had the foresight to leave this wonderful treasure behind.

It makes me sad to think that the writing of a love letter may be a lost art. With the advent of technology – email, texting and so on, will future generations ever again find a bundle of yellowed letters tied lovingly together with ribbon?

Thank you for stopping by,

Tags: Liz Carpenter, Love Letters, WWII,

Bad Sex in Fiction Awards

“I sometimes think novelists write about sex in order to avoid boring themselves to death.” – Walker Percy

While writing The Ride, I came to a place in the story where the next logical step between two of the characters was a steamy sex scene. This is going to be fun, I thought. With my hands poised above the keys, I froze.

“You don’t have a clue what to do here, do you?” I heard my Muse mutter.

She was right, I didn’t. Each word sounded forced or hokey. I deleted a few of the words immediately. “Your mother is going to read this," I reminded myself. Though no easy task, I finally worked my way through it and was pleased with the outcome.

After running across information about Britain’s Bad Sex in Fiction Award, I feel even better about the scene. I didn’t make this award up. According to LibraryThing Beta,

“The Literary Review Bad Sex in Fiction Award is an award given annually to the author who produces the worst description of a sex scene in a novel. The award is in the form of a "semi-abstract trophy representing sex in the 1950s", which depicts a naked woman draped over an open book. It has been presented each year since 1993 by the Literary Review, a London literary journal. The award was originally established by Rhoda Koenig, a literary critic, and Auberon Waugh, then editor of the Literary Review.The given rationale is "to draw attention to the crude, tasteless, often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel, and to discourage it".”

The 2008 award went to Rachel Johnson for Shire Hell. From guardian.co.uk,

“Johnson was singled out for her novel's slew of animal metaphors, including comparing her male protagonist's "light fingers" to "a moth caught inside a lampshade", and his tongue to "a cat lapping up a dish of cream so as not to miss a single drop".”

Also according to the article, her prize was a plaster foot and not the trophy of a woman draped over a book. I’m trying to keep this a PG so you’ll have to read the article in the guardian.co.uk for more details. You can also read about the other nominees and Updike’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Entire “nominated” passages for previous years can be found at Literary Review. But, here are excerpts of a few of my favorites (that I could print without blushing too much).

From I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe winner in 2004: “Hoyt began moving his lips as if he were trying to suck the ice cream off the top of a cone without using his teeth.”

From Bunker 13 by Aniruddha Bahal, winner in 2003: "She's taking off her blouse. It's on the floor. Her breasts are placards for the endomorphically endowed.”

And from Kissing England by Sean Thomas, winner in 2000: "She is his own Toshiba, his dinky little JVC, his sweet Aiwa. Aiwa - She says, as he enters her slimy red-peppers-in-olive-oil ****(word censored by the author of this blog) - Aiwa, aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh"

Have you read any scenes that should be nominated for this award? Do you have any advice for writing sex scenes?

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: The Ride, writing sex scenes, Bad Sex in Fiction Award, Literary Review, Rachel Johnson, Updike, Tom Wolfe, Bahal, Sean Thomas, Walker Percy,

Why Do We Write?

“Find something you love to do and you’ll never work a day in your life.” – Harvey MacKay

I am reading a captivating, well-written novel, the girls, by Lori Lansens. I haven’t finished it, but I ran across a passage that rang so true for me as I writer, I wanted to share it.

“…I’m filled with confidence when I begin, but by the end of a writing night I’m left to wonder if other writers feel the way I do—that with each letter, word, phrase, sentence, paragraph, I’m digging a toehold, gripping a rock, a fool on a mountainside, alone and ill-equipped, a disastrous fall more likely than a gloried ascent. Why did I start climbing? Where am I now? Who gives a shit if I reach the summit?”

Though I could never have worded it as eloquently as Lansens did, I do have those “why” and “who cares” moments. My answer is always the same – I’m doing it for me, I care. The joy I get out of writing is enough to keep me going.

I don’t support myself by writing (though I’d like to), so I’m certainly not in the same league as the writers interviewed in the guardian.co.uk for the article, "Writing for a Living: a joy or a chore?" I found the replies to this question very interesting.

I liked Al Kennedy’s (no relation, as far as I know) comparison—“To use a not ridiculous analogy: Sex = nice thing. Sex For Cash = probably less fun, perhaps morally uncomfy and psychologically unwise.”

Carol Joyce Oates said, “…most literary writers obviously don't write for money – a prose fiction writer's hourly wage, broken down into units, would be in the modest range of the US minimum wage of the 1950s – approximately $1 per hour.”

She goes on to say, “To me, who has written for most of her adult life, in a number of genres and with wildly varying degrees of "enjoyment" and/or "misery", it's likely that writing is a conscious variant of a deep-motivated unconscious activity, like dreaming. Why do we dream? No one seems to really know, just as no one seems to really know why we crave stories, even or especially stories we know to be fiction. My experience of writing – of writing these very sentences, for instance – is invariably a blend of the initially "inspired" and the more exacting, or plodding, execution of inspiration.”

John Banville said, “The novelist daily at his desk eats ashes, and if occasionally he encounters a diamond he is likely to break a tooth on it. Money is necessary to pay the dentist's bills.”

Julie Meyerson sums it up, “I feel very lucky to be paid to do it, but even if I'd never been published, I think I'd still be writing. I love being read, but the person I'm really always writing for is me.”

So you tell me, is writing a joy or a chore?

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: Harvey Mackay, Lori Larsens, the girls, Al Kennedy, Joyce Carol Oates, John Banville, Julie Meyerson,

Lucky Winner of Fried Green Zombies

"A good book on your shelf is a friend that turns its back on you and remains a friend." - Author Unknown

Some lucky soul is winning a friend today. I know this isn’t my ‘usual’ posting day but it is July 1, and time to announce the winner of a signed copy of Fried Green Zombies, by John Allen. I didn’t want to keep you in suspense a moment longer.

I’d show actual pictures of the drawing but it is early in the morning and, well…I look like I just rolled out of bed. It’s not a pretty sight! So I’ll take you through it step by step.

All entries from June 1 to midnight June 30 are in the basket. I have my hand in the basket making sure they are thoroughly stirred. Hey, this is fun. I give them another toss or two.

Now, my husband, an impartial drawee, has reached into the basket and his hand is scurrying around selecting a random entry.

And, the winner is…a drum roll please…

Congratulations Galen Kindley! The chosen entry is from a comment you left on June 10. If you e-mail me (jane@janesutton.com) your mailing address, I will drop your signed copy in the mail.

For those who didn’t win, you can still purchase a copy of Fried Green Zombies on Amazon.com or on John’s website. And in case you missed John Allen’s interviews you can find them here, here and here.

I want to thank all of you who left comments and became followers in June. I really enjoyed hearing from you all and appreciate your support. Because, I had so much fun doing this, I am going to do it again.

For the month of July, when you leave a comment and/or become a follower you’ll be entered for a chance to win a signed copy of Tina Murray’s, A Chance to Say Yes. This is another book, I thoroughly enjoyed. In fact, my blurb made the jacket cover. I interviewed Tina in June of 2008. You can find out more about Tina, A Chance to Say Yes, and the sequel by visiting her lovely new website.

And on a different subject, I’d like to announce that The Ride was reviewed by Linda Fasulo on WGCU Public Media radio. If you’re interested, you can listen to it by going to WGCU. Click on the "Arts" link and then "FL Book Pages."

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: John Allen, Fried Green Zombies, Tina Murray, A Chance to Say Yes, Linda Fasulo, WGCU, The Ride,