Dr Laina Turner-Molaski, author of Chiczofrenia

I'm delighted to be part of Dr. Laina Turner-Molaski's book tour for the release of Chiczofrenia--Crazy is an Art Form. 

Forget the conventional wisdom: Women can have it all -- we just have to celebrate, embrace, our craziness.

As part of her tour, Laina is giving away three $40 Visa gift cards, one to a randomly drawn commenter in each of the following periods: January 31-February 25; February 28-March 25; March 28-April 22. So don't forget to leave a comment -- even if it's just how much you wish there was a Barbie doll with sagging breasts (read on! the comment will make sense). To follow the book tour, click here.

And because I'm ever-curious, I had questions. Laina was kind enough to answer them.

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Who are your heroes, strong women comfortable with their own brand of craziness? 

Oprah, Katherine Graham, Madonna, Joan of Arc

Can you share a goal and how you achieved it?

Writing this book was one, completing my PhD was another big goal achieved. I was raised with the attitude that I could do anything if I tried hard enough. It’s not always easy to have confidence in yourself but I work hard at remembering that I am an amazing women, we all are, and I can do just about anything.

We absolutely have to take time to celebrate our achievements. How do you celebrate?

With family and friends. I have a great support system and people who are proud of me.

When you're creating a special place (whether a place to be creative, reflective or simply to unwind), what do you include? [I'm thinking scents, music, colours, furniture, whatever.]

Paper and colored pens. I love to write nonsense, doodle, draw (going back and forth between the two things I can draw), bubble bath, Yankee Candle Sugar Cookie candles, and a glass of cheap wine.

How do you steal time? [I'm looking for tips on anything from managing email to co-ordinating clothes to training cats (yeah, real impossibilities).]

I stop myself from feeling guilty if I don’t get it all done and I take time to keep myself charged. I try and stay organized by scheduling everything out and if it doesn’t work according to plan I embrace what I can do. Negativity about things you can’t control doesn’t help (I have learned that the hard way).

Finally, if you could pass on any gift whatsoever, what would you give your readers of Chiczofrenia-Crazy Is an Art Form

That we are all fabulous people and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

*I just had to highlight Lana's answer to the last question, because it's so true.

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Chiczofrenic

Chiczofrenia – crazy is an art form – released January 2011.

Chiczofrenic is the term for the woman who is purposeful and intentional in how crazy her life may be. The goal with this book is to recognize many women drive themselves crazy, intentionally, by trying to be all they can. I firmly believe we can have it all. A great relationship, being a great mom, keeping a good house (if that’s important to you), being a career woman, following your dreams, working out, eating right, and many more. Women seem to have the knack for how to manage it all and not go crazy. Women seem to always take on more and more…and are successful at it.

Women have tried forever to pretend they fit in the norm even when the norm wasn’t what they wanted. I want women to embrace that more - without caring what anyone thinks. Learn to laugh at your own craziness and be cool at the same time. Be the strong individual you want to be while looking like a million bucks.

Being a woman is difficult and is a constant evolution and journey of self discovery. It’s not always an easy journey and through the process you realize everyone has her own issues. Her own brand of crazy, which is my own kind of normal. Crazy but embracing it.

ISBN: 978-0-578-07034-6

Book: $14.95 Available on www.lainaturner.com

E-Book: $9.95 Available on Kindle and Smashwords

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Excerpt 

WHAT MAKES US WHO WE ARE?

Do you remember back when you were young and it was all about Barbie dolls and Baby Alive? If you had brothers, or even if you didn’t, there might be a Stretch Armstrong and some Hot Wheels thrown in. As young girls, we enjoyed playing house. Traditional play acting for girls and boys alike. Mimicking our parents and grandparents. Is this where we learned that we wanted to have that perfect life? Is it what all the people against Barbie and Ken were fearful of? I’m taking creative license here as I don’t know if anyone is actually against Barbie and Ken, but I think it sounds plausible. We played with the perfect Barbie, in her perfect clothes, her perfect corvette, and perfect Ken. Barbie and Ken never defaulted on their mortgage or had the corvette repossessed, and Barbie’s boobs never sagged, her butt didn’t droop. Did we feel this was how life was supposed to be? Perfect? How did you feel the first time you realized that life wasn’t going to be like Barbie and Ken living the life in the Dream House? Was it when you hit puberty and realized that you weren’t going to be 36-24-34? How did you feel? I felt cheated. Damn that fantasy.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/laina-turner/id407703399?mt=8

Sub Antarctic Islands

Here in Perth the weather is so hot, I'm dreaming of setting up home in the fridge. So, for this weekend, I thought about a virtual escape to the sub-Antarctic islands.

Macquarie Island has a great government site, including a webcam. It's a world heritage site, too.

Fortean Times

Since Friday at this blog is for weirdnesses encountered in life, I've been remiss not posting a link to the Fortean Times, The World of Strange Phenomena. Enjoy!

Romance Round the Net

If you didn't get to the Tools of Change conference, don't worry. Sarah from Smart Bitches did, and shares her experience here. Jane, of Dear Author, does the same here. I like that they're looking at the digital reading evolution from the readers' perspective.

Keri Arthur is over at Dark Side DownUnder talking about our reading habits, to read in our genre or to venture beyond? She's also giving away a couple of great books!

Remember the other day I was talking about the changes to Facebook Pages? Lynn at Authors Tools Blog has a  useful breakdown. And if you "like" her Facebook Page, you can download a free copy of her social networking for writers report. I'm checking it out now!

Literary Escapism has a great list of new release dates.

and I'm waiting for my copy of Patricia Briggs' River Marked. All you reviewers with advance copies -- mean! mean, mean, mean.

Plus, on Monday I'm hosting Dr Laina Turner-Molaski on her book tour for the release of Chiczofrenia! Comment at any stop in the tour (ie any blog) to go in the draw to win a $40 Visa card.

Under the Sea

There's such a large expanse of ocean off Western Australia that I want to believe it holds a drowned continent. The flora and fauna of Australia are unique, but what if there is a whole lost continent that was even weirder? A continent where the "hobbits" of Flores Island (which is really close to North West Australia) had a unique civilisation, lost forever?

Writing Update

The first draft of "Persian Flames" is done! I'm too close to it at the moment to reflect on how it works -- the emotion, the conflict, the magic -- and then there's the description. With the fabulous Iranian setting, have I brought it alive? So much stuff to review, but the first draft is done and I am ... relieved. For a while there I thought the characters' intense emotional journey would trap me forever. It will be interesting to see how it reads after it's rested a while (sounds like resting dough!).

All of which leaves me free to tackle a short story idea rattling around in my brain. I want to stick an adult into a boarding school. Something light and a touch old-fashioned and submit the story to "My Weekly".

Plus "Untitled" is my newest project. A paranormal romance novella, minus the suspense of the Out of the Bottle series, but with an Australian flavour and flirtation. Hopefully, the beginning of an "Australian Fey" series.

Taryn Kincaid

Healing Hearts is a sweet historical romance story that any girl could love. This tale is the perfect combination of drama, angst and passion that will entertain you throughout. If you are looking for that stunning, but all too brief read, Healing Hearts  is the novel for you. (Lisa, Once Upon a Chapter)

You know, sometimes you read a review that just screams, "buy the book!" Taryn Kincaid's Healing Hearts is winning a lot of those reviews.

Taryn Kincaid has written a wonderful Regency romance. I adore stories of wounded heroes and the heroines strong enough to help them heal. Life and memorable novels include tears, but a romance has a guaranteed happy ending -- and I like that.

Join Taryn as she answers my questions and shares her enjoyment of the Regency world.

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You've called your heroine Emma, are you a Jane Austen fan? Do you have a favourite Austen novel? If you're not a fan (heresy), why not?

Well, really my heroine is named after Harry Potter's Emma Watson. No? Would you believe Emma Thompson? Oh, okay. I LOVE Jane Austen. And of course I love Emma. And Clueless! My top three Austen novels are Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility and Emma. I've read and re-read them all. And watched and re-watched almost all the movie versions of them! Loved Keira Knightly as Elizabeth Bennett. And Mathew MacFadyen. And Colin Firth! Need we say more? Colin Firth is Darcy. (Also Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones.) But I digress. I tend to go running off on tangents.

Emma just seems the archetypical Regency name. That or Jane. Couldn't very call my heroine "Babs," after all.

Who is your favourite side character in "Healing Hearts"? Tell us about them.

That would be Oliver Garrett, Adam's "valet" (I say this in jest) and right-hand man, the retired sergeant who was Adam's batman when they fought on the Peninsula. When Adam was wounded at the battle of Albuera (where Emma's brother was lost), Garrett watched over him, guarding him like a zealot and preventing any, shall we say, um, medical mishaps. Although he makes only a brief appearance in Healing Hearts, he's pivotal to the plot in two respects. What are those? Oh, ho, no. That would be telling!

I love Regency language, the genteel curses and the rougher thieves' cant. Imagine calling someone on a lie by saying, "What a whisker!" How about sharing some Regency phrases? Do you think we could work them into modern conversations?

When I first started reading Regencies, the comedy of manners short novels that seem to be disappearing now, I was enthralled with the colloquialisms, slang and cant. Sets the scene. Puts you right in the thick of things. You are there! Even if you haven't heard an expression before, somehow you just know. But, as in all things, a little can go a long way. There are very few in Healing Hearts--it's not your traditional London season ballroom/drawing room Regency. I love all the ways of saying someone is drunk (foxed), broke (without a feather to fly with, pockets to let, on dun street) or a simpleton: chuckleheaded, hen-witted. I do use these last--especially chuckleheaded-- in modern conversation! And I do make them up! You can couple anything teensy-weensy with "brained." (Don't tell. The Regency purists would shoot me for that.)

Release day in a week. I'm so excited for you and sending you tons of good karma. How do you plan to celebrate?

Aside from Snoopy Dancing around the house and everywhere I go? Oh, chocolate. Lots of it! Works in good times and in bad, don't you think?

Describe your perfect writing day. Does it include coffee and a quiet house, or rock music and an inspirational glass of wine? Would it include Twitter or disconnecting the internet?

My days, writing or not, include coffee. Coffee is one of my major addictions. That and Twitter. I'm not very good at it but I love it. Twitter, I mean. I'm great at coffee. No, I can't write with music on. I get distracted by the lyrics and start tapping and singing along. Not that I can do either. Um, yes. I mentioned the Twitter thing, right? Blogging is another. (I LIVE for comments on my blog!) My perfect writing day, a day I'm really in the zone and moving along, definitely means I'm ignoring the internet. (Except for dictionaries, thesauri, Google...well, maybe just the occasional Twitter peek...)

Thanks for having me in, Jenny. This was so much fun. I hope everyone enjoys Emma and Adam and Healing Hearts as much I enjoyed writing them!

***

from Carina Press

As a girl, Emma Whiteside asked Adam Caldwell, Viscount Riverton, to wait for her to be of marriageable age. Now, twelve years later, Emma hates Adam as much as she once loved him, holding the former army major responsible for the death of her brother on the battlefield.

Adam already blames himself for the loss of the men under his command. But the fiery young woman Emma's become sparks his arousal, as well as emotions Adam thought long dead. The passion between them makes him want to reclaim the man he was before the war.

Though she tries to hold on to her hatred, Emma's longing for Adam is undeniable, especially after the two share a smoldering kiss. Still, Adam is certain no woman would want a man so damaged. Can Emma prove him wrong?

***

You can find Taryn blogging, Twittering and on Facebook.

Virtual Visiting

For a while now Saturdays have been for virtual visiting at this blog. Museums, art galleries (and really, I should have included gardens, like Monet's) and generally hanging out on the Net, but being a bit cultured about it. Even as I shared links that caught my attention, I wondered if what I was really revealing was the emptiness of the Net. Can a virtual experience of a painting be as good as standing with sore feet (from all those marble floors) in front of the original?

Google Art Project answers that question with a resounding YES!

Honestly, all I want now is time to indulge in some serious gallery gazing. The site and the quality of the images are amazing.

Moondyne Joe

Having come across a photo of Moondyne Joe I can't resist sharing the amazing fact that this Australian bushranger escaped from our local (and later, high security) prison with the use of a spoon!

Yup, spoon. The limestone in our region is so soft a spoon can literally dig an escape tunnel--and we built a prison out of it -- two prisons in fact.

Romance Round the Net

Of course you've already seen it ... Heroes and Heartbreakers is the new romance community place to be online. Publishers neutral, it's  run by Macmillan.

Get set. The Romance Reviews has its grand opening March 1. Check out the prizes!

Another heads up. It's nearly DABWAHA time. It's Smart Bitches, Trashy Books and Dear Author's vote for your favourite books contest.

Eleni, she of Taverna fame, is celebrating her blog's three year anniversary and the inspiration to write with a giveaway. Details here.

And I'm celebrating another great review for Angel Thief from Tammy's Reviews, "an inventive take on the genie in a bottle, with a very angelic twist! " Thanks, Tammy!

Womag Writer has the latest guidelines for short stories sent to The Weekly News in Britain.

Katrina at the Mojito Literary Society blog shares a great quotation, "Well-behaved women seldom make history." Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. It started me thinking if it's equally true that "Well-behaved women seldom make a great fictional story." Even if your heroine is well-behaved, she becomes intriguing when she steps out of that good behaviour, or something forces her out.

Jane Kindred is over at Here Be Magic being funny and truthful and imparting the one bit of wisdom all writers need -- Write it anyway!

Pillows, Dreams and How We've Changed

Would you believe, the use of pillows has altered how people dream?

The angle of the brain is different to when humans slept flat on the dirt. Blood flow is different. Connections within the brain are different -- and that means different dreams.

And would you believe, sleeping without a pillow increases the "efficiency" of sleep and so less is needed.


*And if you believe any of this, you're as insomniac'd as me ;)

Writing Update

Today, I'm admitting two distractions that have torn me away from finishing "Persian Flames", my fourth Out of the Bottle novella.

The first was Facebook. Yes, that octupus we love to hate changed the rules for how pages behave and that lead to a mad scramble to rejig my Facebook presence. I set up a page a while ago, but it was a quiet thing, a place to mention reviews and progress with the Out of the Bottle series. Now, with pages' new ability to "like" one another and comment, my page will be my primary presence on Facebook. I'll still chat with friends as a person (ie not-as-a-page), but if time constraints kick in, the page will be my (for lack of a better word) professional presence and as such, receive what Facebook time I can scrape up.

Confused? Believe me, Facebook's changes confused me for days.

Here I am as a page, http://www.facebook.com/JennySchwartz.author I'd love it if you "liked" me. And if you have your own page identity, shoot me a message or leave a comment on my page wall and I'll like you back.

Also, you might see (if you haven't visited my page before) a new welcome page. [Once you've liked my page, you don't land on the welcome page again -- but you can see it if you're curious. Just visit my page wall, look at the links beneath the profile pic/avatar and click the grey one that says "Welcome!"] What do you think of it? I took an old photo of a black swan, cropped it and added my name and tag (no, not a graffiti tag, just an explanation that I'm an "Australian paranormal romance author) and saved the new file to the appropriate for Facebook pages 500 pixels wide. That's high level tech skills for me. And it worked! Huge thanks to awesome Amy Atwell and Tia Nevitt for explaining how to create a static Facebook page. Who knew it could be so (nearly) painless?

Okay, enough about Facebook.

The second distraction I'm admitting to is a short story that conked me on the head, yesterday. I had to step away from "Persian Flames" and write a short, emotional contemporary. We'll have to see if I can find a market for it. The interesting thing was how grounded I felt after writing a contemporary. Makes me wonder if there are benefits in  stepping out of the paranormal world occasionally.

Anyway, that's it. I have rambled unbelievably this morning. I hope your writing and lives are going smoothly -- and remember, any hiccups can be cured with a spoonful of sugar :)

Click here to getImages &
Pepe Le Pew Pictures - Pictures

Having grown up watching Looney Tunes, how else can I celebrate Valentine's Day but with a salute to the most famous French lover of all, Pepe le Pew.

Maybe you're feeling rich this weekend?

Well, if you are, why not check out what the rich and ridiculous (no, not really ridiculous, just couldn't resist the alliteration) are buying?

Bonhams seems to sell everything -- cars, paintings, books, wine. And given that romance novels love billionaire alpha heroes, you can call trawling through Bonhams and drooling "research" -- after all, a billionaire hero needs his toys!

Seven Deadly Sins

As a list, the Seven Deadly Sins are more about the human desire to organise our experience of the world than a complete list of failings. Still, they've held the popular imagination for a very long time and The Psychologist (Journal of the British Psychological Society) has a great discussion of modern research and theory around these old ideas.

I really wanted to add a list of seven deadly writers' sins, but my brain is fried. So no humour, just a link to a thought-provoking article.

Romance Round the Net

Promo is one of those things in a writer's life that is fun but daunting. Who on earth would be willing to host us on their blog? Well, if you're a romance author, Ashlyn Chase has put together a list of bloggers/sites willing to do so. Huge thanks, Ashlyn.

Jessica Hart is talking structure and problems (the ones your characters have, not your writing hiccups).

Jackie Burris, Housewife Blues and Chihuahua Stories blogger, has a contest running till the end of February -- leave a comment on one of her posts to go in the draw to win a book up to US$10 from the Book Depository. It's open to international readers. Anywhere the Book Depository delivers. Plus a great way to liven your day and meet new people :)

ShelleyRae from BookdOut is also part of a book giveaway, the Follower Love Giveaway Hop.

Do you have a sexy paranormal novella ready to rock 'n' roll? Harlequin has a contest open to pitch to an editor. It's for their Nocturne Bites line.

Anything tech-related is tough for me. Fortunately, other authors are beyond savvy. They're downright tech-experts and generous. Tia Nevitt has put together links and a guide for turning just about any device -- yup, that includes the computer you're using right now -- into an ereader. So if you want to read digital books, you can!

Holly at Long and Short Romance just reviewed "Angel Thief" and gave it 4 stars! Happiness!

Mass-produced Tailoring

It's been talked of for years. We plug our measurements into the system and the factory shoots out a perfectly tailored whatever at the other end.

But forget clothes.

We have 3D printing. We have entirely robotosised factories. How long before tables, chairs, keyboards, anything that can be made by machines is efficiently and cost-effectively factory made to our unique needs?

Let me tell you, I'd be lining up for comfy chairs suited to my height (what there is of it! I'm short) and wallet.

Writing Update

The project that's front and centre is finishing "Persian Dreams". Ideally, I'd have sub'd it to Carina Press by now. But no. I had to toss the first draft and start from scratch because of a plot hole. The new story has oomph, but the oomph is complicated, emotional and tough to write. I want the readers' experience to be effortless, so they can sink into the emotion. But unravelling the complex characters so readers can know and love them is tough. The MS has chewed up and spat out my timeline.

At the back of my mind, "Shards" (my UF novella) is causing similar troubles. I don't have to start from scratch, but when I return to it, there will be significant revision. It requires a huge investment of yet more world building, adjusting the hero's personal situation and conflict, and looking ahead to setting up a potential series. That's right. Instead of a stand alone novella, "Shards" has decided to become a full length novel and kick off a series. 

Is it any wonder I'm feeling a tad crazy? I haven't even mentioned the chick-lit paranormal romance novella that's bubbling away. Damn it. The characters are even talking to me! So it needs to be written, too.

Do you think I could clone myself?

Following Blogs

I follow 121 different blogs. Most are from the world of romance publishing -- authors, reviewers, publishers, agents -- but others are simply for interest -- gardening, neuroscience, architecture. Google Reader is the only reason I can follow what is to me a mind-boggling number of discussions. Other people follow triple and more that number -- I can only salute them and feel exhausted on their behalf.

But the downside of using Google Reader is that a blog post has to be awesomely awesome for me to make the additional effort of clicking through to the original blog to leave a comment. I don't think it's laziness. Just time and energy being limited (only 24 hours in a day! who decided that?!!). Plus shyness. When a blog has an established community of followers, I can have an acute awkward moment and slink away rather than introduce myself and join in.

So this post is prompted by my guilt that I follow, read and enjoy great blogs, but fail to make their creators aware of how much I enjoy their insight, information and humour.

I'm a lurker!

Live like a King

Cupola Room at Kensington Palace
by Thomas Sutherland

The British Historic Royal Palaces website is amazing. I can't think of any other way to sum it up. Lots to see and do even if -- like me -- you're thousands of kilometres away from any of the castles...uh...palaces.

Oh my, Narcissus

Bronze Mirror
circa 80BC
Bedford Museum
By Simon Speed (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Do you ever wonder what it would be like if you never knew how you looked? I'm not talking about being blind. I'm talking about a pre-mirror world.

According to wikimedia, the first man-made mirrors were probably simply vessels filled with water. In its stillness, people saw their faces. But then we got polished obsidian, other stones and polished metals such as copper and bronze.

Imagine putting your make up on relying on a watery reflection? Then again, after the cruelty of some bathroom mirrors, water has a definite appeal.

Romance Round the Net

Romance Junkies 2011 Writing Contest has prizes for writers and readers. It's sponsored by Carina Press, Harlequin's digital-first imprint (and publisher of my Out of the Bottle series).

How is a bestseller list created? Dear Author has answers.

Joely Sue Burkhart has an important post on protecting your work. She's not talking copyright or theft, but the more insidious effect of emotional attack -- yup, even the self-inflicted stuff.

Over at Book Ends, LLC Sally MacKenzie talks about novellas and how, no, they're not a snip to write. I needed this reassurance that short though they are, writing a novella can be a tough journey. Word count might be cut, but the passion, the intensity of the story, must still compel the reader.

Remember Kylie Griffin's post last week on world building. This week she collects some authors' takes on the issue. Very interesting.

Wendy, SuperLibrarian, has a post that, for me, defines the A rated book: "Do I want to drop everything and reread this right now?"  If the answer is yes, then the book gets an A. 

If you're a member of Romance Writers of Australia , the newsletter Hearts Talk is out now in electronic form. I guess paper form must be in the post. I'm looking forward to settling down and reading. Lots of great advice, info and sense of community.

And I almost forgot -- Happy New Year!

It's all about sole

Let's take a comparatively minor modification of human behaviour -- the wearing of shoes.

People have been wearing shoes for a few millenia now. Has it been long enough for evolution to start de-selecting for hard-soled people and allowing in more sensitive footsies? Think about it. People with tough feet probably ran faster, longer, were a better survival bet. But with shoes, all that changes. No longer are sensitive-footed folk scorned as mates.

Now consider whether the genes controlling the sensitivity of feet also control other traits. Maybe tough-feeted people are also more resilient, less likely to suffer post traumatic stress and so on.

If this were true, then when women torture their feet by wearing stilettos, we're actually proving our "toughness".

Writing Update

Well, January defeated me. I failed to meet any of my self-imposed writing deadlines. This would depress me except for the fact the novella and novel I'm writing will be better for the extra time/plotting tangles they've insisted on.

Hugh and Niki in Persian Flames brought an intensity to their relationship that took me by surprise. I could hardly tell them, "hey, guys, chill", so instead I've had to balance it with humour and ensure the suspense/danger element of the story matches the intensity of the relationship development.

This weekend I finished Angela James's Before You Hit Send self-editing workshop. I know I'm published with Carina Press and Angela's their executive editor and a lovely person, so you might be thinking that I'd say something nice about the workshop even if it sucked. But the truth is, the workshop is brilliant. It's about writing as a craft and the online workshop format suits perfectly. Adverbs, dangling participles and passive writing, not to mention commas, pacing and the kitchen sink (by which I mean it covers everything). For serious writers, this is a seriously good tool and a reminder to build our craft skills.

Finally, my second post for 2011 The Year of the Stereotype is up at my eHarlequin blog. For February I'm tackling alpha heroes. Can you have a romance novel without one?