Posted by jbeymer on Sep 13, 2010 in Uncategorized
My pet clovort’s name is Squirreljaw. I call him that because he can fit twenty squirrels in his— Um, I mean because he’s cute.
When the “Name Your Pet Clovort” contest ended last night, Squirreljaw was hungry. He’s always hungry. He laughed at all eight entries: Minnie, Kitty, Tinnell, Wilbur, Sylvester, George, Beklin, and Dimeadip.
I let Squirreljaw pick the winner.
I collected eight squirrels from the traps in my backyard, one for each entry. There were actually fifteen (to cover any late entries), but we only needed eight. I wrote one clovort name on the back of each squirrel with a Sharpie, then brought them to Squirreljaw’s shed and let them loose.
Squirreljaw can be a picky eater. He giggled at Dimeadip for a long time and played Animal Autopsy with Sylvester, but he didn’t eat them. I yelled at Squirreljaw to stop playing with his food. Squirreljaw sighed, picked up Beklin by the tail and gulped down a winner.
And that means Janelle gets the prize! To claim it, tell me where to mail the squirrel’s remains and I’ll send them via UPS Overnight.
Thanks all for playing! I’ll have a new contest coming up soon.
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Posted by jbeymer on Sep 9, 2010 in Uncategorized
I interviewed Liz Borino for a variety of reasons:
a) Her blog is unique. She posts each entry from the POV of a fictional character. I like that.
b) She’s a talented writer.
c) She actually bought (and read) my novel, Rogue’s Curse. And I always take care of my readers.
So here is Liz Borino…
You have a unique and fun approach to blogging. You let your characters post. What’s that about?
When I completed my manuscript, I began researching online about the importance of platforms to selling work and most authors have a blog and that was something I was interested in. So, I started brainstorming ways to stand out. There’re very few blogs like mine. Also, the way the blog is set up allows for minor characters to be more fleshed out, as well as getting back story I couldn’t include in the book.
How is your blog related to your novel?
My blog is written by my characters. It allows for everyone to have a voice. One of my favorite things to do with the blog is to give two perspectives to the same scene. For example, how does Chris view his brother’s alcoholism versus how Matt views it? These things weigh heavily on how the audience understands the characters.
The other good thing about this blog is it gives a forum for other authors and later books to follow the same format.
What is your novel about? Tell us about it.
Expectations is about the struggle to live our own lives in spite of family expectations. All three main characters deal with overbearing fathers. Twins, Matt and Chris, are constantly seeking their wealthy father’s approval and get their trust funds. Matt is required to work at an East Coast marketing company and merge with his father’s West Coast company. Chris must marry and have a son. Matt hates his job and turns to alcohol, while Chris’s love for Aiden prevents him from easily fulfilling his father’s wishes. Aiden was disowned at 17 when he chose a life of dance over taking over the family farm in Ireland. The novel follows the young men through their trials and self-discovery.
Any funny stories about Expectations?
Yes, originally, Aiden’s name was Shane, the same as my cousin. As I was writing the love scene between him and Chris I realized Shane’s Catholic parents might not be too happy about that. So when the novel was finished, I went back and changed his name to Aiden.
Talk about your favorite character in your blog postings or your novel.
This is the toughest question for me. It’s like picking your favorite child. I guess I would have to say Chris because he gives himself so fully to Aiden when they get together and that strength helps Aiden to open up as well.
What are some of your favorite works of fiction?
A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham is my all time favorite book. Actually Aiden was based on Bobby from that book.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is up there as well. It’s a beautiful book about childhood choices and how they affect us later in life.
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo is also amazing, though long. I’ve loved that story since I was nine years old.
Boxers or briefs?
Oh God, boxers every time. If a guy is wearing briefs I can only assume he’s too uptight to deal with my writer quirkiness.
What are your long term writing goals?
To inspire change in people’s life. I know that each person affected has the power to change the world at large. More specifically, I suppose making a living on my writing, the bulk of which comes from novel sales.
What is your favorite line from Shakespeare?
“To thy own self be true.”
Finish this: “Liz Borino is in my favorite Cops episode. No, she’s not one of the police. Liz is that girl who ____.”
First of all, I’d never be one of the police. I’d be girl who forgot to file her tax returns-three years in a row. No…IRS…I swear I’ve been doing it…*runs to confirm*
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