Tag Archives: book recommendation

Look for Stacey Gustafson's Book this Fall: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

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I’ve known Stacey Gustafson for a few years and whenever we are in a group together, she always says something funny to make us laugh. I’ve read most of the stories in her book, Are You Kidding Me? My Life with an Extremely Loud Family, Bathroom Calamities, and Crazy Relatives. I highly recommend it.

Here is part of an interview she shared with me.

Where did you grow up?

I’m proud to be a city slicker from St. Louis; you know that place with the Arch. It’s home to a bunch of really delicious bad-for-you food like toasted ravioli, gooey butter cake, and Provel cheese.

Who are some of your favorite writers?

I love Lisa Scottoline and Janet Evanovich, tough, sassy, funny women.

What inspired the cover of Are You Kidding Me?

I want my book cover to portray the way I feel every day, not mad or sad but frustrated. I’m frustrated with the laundry, waking up before 9 A.M., self-checkout lanes, public restrooms, Brussels Sprouts, roundabouts, and the carpool.

If you had to sum up your book in three words, what would they be?

Funny, relatable, and honest.

What is your favorite TV show?

I watch so many comedy sitcoms, I can recite the lines. I study the delivery of jokes from my favorites like “Seinfeld”, “Everybody loves Raymond”, “King of Queens”, “Everybody Hates Chris”, “Modern Family”, and “The Middle”.

Do you think Big Foot exists?

If he’s out there, the poor guy must be walking with a cane, more like Grandpa Big Foot. Since Big Foot is described as a big hairy creature, maybe I’m married to him.

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Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life by Dani Shapiro

Wednesday night at Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore, Dani Shapiro had a reading from her book: Still Writing: the Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life during which she conversed with Oscar Villalon, Zyzzyva editor.  Dalloway’s  described the book, “Through a blend of deeply personal stories about what formed her as a writer, tales from other authors, and a searching look at her own creative process, Shapiro offers her gift to writers everywhere: an elegant guide of hard-won wisdom and encouragement for staying the course.”

I wondered why Villalon appeared with her and I found out that her short story was accepted in an issue of Zyzzyva which was for sale at the bookstore. The magazine advertises acceptance of stories only from California writers, yet Shapiro lives in Connecticut. He admitted they extended their requirements to include her story.

I plan to buy that issue of Zyzzyva and Shapiro’s book as well. More about it in future posts.

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Crime Thriller Free on Kindle Labor Day weekend

J.K. Royce recently published PILZ, a sizzling crime thriller that will be FREE on the Kindle version of Amazondotcom this Labor Day Weekend, August 31-September 2.

Royce is a former Michigan Assistant Attorney General whose legal career exposed her to the dark side of the medical profession. PILZ is the name given by drug abusers to prescription drugs used for recreational purposes. Murder and betrayal in PILZ will leave you wondering how far to trust your family doctor.

Saturday, Sunday, and Monday it’s FREE on Kindle.

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Blog About Bullies

Russell Rowland has a new blog and another new book, HIGH AND INSIDE, that will be published next month. His blog covers a topic we discussed in our writing class.  http:russellrowland.com.

I took a class with him several years ago through Gotham.

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May 6, 2013 · 5:24 pm

Elizabeth Strout Interview

The YouTube video is an interview with Elizabeth Strout about truthfulness and her Pulitzer Prize winning novel, OLIVE KITTERIDGE. I met her at a lunch/reading at Town Center Book Store in Pleasanton, California when OLIVE KITTERIDGE was first published in 2008. I told her that my novel, EVA, was almost complete, but I didn’t know who would read it. She said to keep writing and not to worry about who will read the story. It’s more important to write what you want to write. I remember her advice whenever I start a writing project.

Today, I heard a thirty-minute interview on KPFA radio where she discussed her new novel, THE BURGESS BOYS. She said the inspiration for the story came when she cleaned out files from her novel, ABIDE WITH ME. The Burgess boys were minor characters at the end. She had scenes with them as children , which she didn’t use in that story. She thought about what they would be like when they grew up and realized as adults they could be the main characters of a new novel.

She wrote sketches and more sketches about them, then cut, revised, and developed the plot for this new published novel.

Since Elizabeth Strout is one of my favorite authors, I’m looking forward to reading THE BURGESS BOYS.

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April 25, 2013 · 8:15 pm