Our guest today: Alison Atlee
Why she rocks: A true talent, Atlee's writing captivated us!
Her debut: The Typewriter Girl (Out tomorrow--January 29th)
The scoop on it: When Betsey disembarks from the London train in the seaside resort of Idensea, all she owns is a small valise and a canary in a cage. After attempting to forge a letter of reference she knew would be denied her, Betsey has been fired from the typing pool of her previous employer. Her vigorous protest left one man wounded, another jilted, and her character permanently besmirched. Now, without money or a reference for her promised job, the future looks even bleaker than the debacle behind her. But her life is about to change . . . because a young Welshman on the railroad quay, waiting for another woman, is the one man willing to believe in her.
Mr. Jones is inept in matters of love, but a genius at things mechanical. In Idensea, he has constructed a glittering pier that astounds the wealthy tourists. And in Betsey, he recognizes the ideal tour manager for the Idensea Pier & Pleasure Building Company. After a lifetime of guarding her secrets and breaking the rules, Betsey becomes a force to be reckoned with. Now she faces a challenge of another sort: not only to outrun her sins, but also to surrender to the reckless tides of love...
Our thoughts: A refreshing debut, we were completely in love with Betsey!
Giveaway: FIVE copies. Just leave a comment to be entered to win. We'll select the winners after 3pm PST on Monday, February 3rd.
Fun fact: Alison has fun ways to involve her in your book club.
Where you can read more about Alison: Her website, Twitter, Pinterest & Facebook.
CHICK LIT IS NOT DEAD PRESENTS...2013 CLUB: ALISON ATLEE
DO'S: 3 things every aspiring novelist should do...Find a schedule you can live with, not just aspire to. Find ways to mark and celebrate your progress. Find friends who also write.
DON'TS: 3 things every aspiring novelist shouldn't do...Wait for the perfect time. Wait until everyone in your life approves. Wait while you learn everything about your story/genre/querying/the publishing business.
MUST HAVES: On your desk? Nothing in particular. Just not nothing.
On your Facebook feed? I’m too much of a newbie there. Recommendations, please!
App on your phone? Audible audiobooks.
LASTS: Song you listened to on repeat? The soundtrack for Pan’s Labyrinth.
Book you read? If we can count audiobooks, I just finished Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett. It’s 26th in the series, but my first Discworld novel, and boy, was I confused for the first hundred “pages”! Ended up loving it, though, and Stephen Briggs’ narration is stunning. I’m practicing his stilted interpretation of The Auditors for my own amusement.
Time you laughed? During a meeting. Someone made a Freudian slip that really wasn’t all that hilarious, but it turned into a Pez-dispenser-on-the-knee moment for my friend and me.
HOW MANY: Agents did you query before you found "the one?" About seven for The Typewriter Girl.
Hours do you write per day? Two weekdays, six weekends.
Hours do you waste online when you should be writing? No idea. I don’t have broadband, so even legitimate reasons to be online feel like a waste of time...
BESTS: Way to celebrate a book deal? Road trip! A dear friend and I went to see Oprah at an O magazine event.
Trick to overcome writer's block? I change physical positions to jog an idea—stand if I’m sitting, move to a new spot, make false eyelashes out of Post-it notes. Whatever. As for serious writer’s block, I’m not sure there’s a trick as much as a journey that’s going to be different for everyone.
Way to think of a book idea? Do housework with public radio playing in the background.
NEXTS: Show you'll DVR? Downton Abbey
Book you'll read? Hallucinations, by Oliver Sacks
Book you'll write? “The Oliver Sacks book is research,” she replied coyly.
Thanks, Alison! xoxo, Liz & Lisa