The Book Review Club (June 2016)

Welcome to the June 2016 edition of The Book Review Club. This will be the last "meeting" before our annual summer hiatus. Which doesn't mean we won't be reading over the summer. We will! All to return with September 7th book reviews that'll knock your socks off! As for post and links to fellow reviewers? We have books to recommend for your summer reading! Thanks for checking us out today! Below my post are links to reviews

WITH MALICE 
by Eileen Cook (young adult, contemp psychological thriller)

I once shared a room with Eileen Cook. That was BEFORE I read WITH MALICE! Ha!

From the book itself: 

The Record Eagle Paper
School Trip Ends In Tragedy
May 3

Two local girls, Jill Charron and Simone McIvory were involved in an automobile accident in Tuscany Italy while on a school trip. Ms. McIvory was declared dead at the scene. Ms. Charron sustained significant injuries, including a brain injury that has impacted her memory of events. She’s been flown home for further care.

So....what do we have? An 18 year old girl wakes up in an Italian hospital following a car accident. Jill can't remember the last six wks of her life, including what happened in the car accident that killed her best friend. What role did Jill play? Was it indeed an accident? Was Simone truly her best friend? What kind of person is Jill really? Simone? And where does the not-so-nice Italian guy fit in? How about the new best friend, Anna, from the rehab hospital? And the feuding families? And the online brouhaha? (Ya gotta love a review that can work in "brouhaha"!!) And then there's the ending....

Toss in Eileen's tight writing, devious plotting, strong sassy voice, chapter hooks...and you've got a book that keeps you up at night. (Luckily, my family loves me tired and cranky.)

A little extra something else that really grabbed me: The story is told through a variety of mediums: police statements, newspaper articles, travel guidebook entries, social media posts, yearbook entries, regular narrative. All this keeps the twisty-turny plot moving smartly along. And keeps the reader so spellbound, she doesn't accomplish a single thing on her to-do list!

In conclusion: Go read the book, but don't complain to me when you get behind in life along with losing your beauty sleep. WITH MALICE is superbly written and perfectly creepy. It can be enjoyed by both young adults and adults. This book hits shelves on June 7.

(Dear FCC: I read everything Eileen Cook writes. (I'd read her shopping lists, if she'd share them with me.) I read an ARC of WITH MALICE. I only review books I like. I reviewed this book. Put it all together... Go buy yourself a copy of this great book. Enjoy life a little. )

And now....onto the rest of our reviews. Please click through. You won't want to miss a single one!

YOUNG ADULT FICTION BOOK REVIEWS
Sarah Laurence: THE LIE TREE by Frances Hardinge (YA)

Scott Parker: DOC SAVAGE: THE MAN OF BRONZE by Kenneth Robeson (1933 version,
                                                                                                crossover YA to adult, action/adventure)
Stacy Nyikos: HOW I LIVE NOW by Meg Rosoff (YA)


ADULT FICTION BOOK REVIEWS
Alyssa Goodnight: DYING BY DESIGN by Renee Patrick (mystery)

Ellen Booraem: SLADE HOUSE by David Mitchell (supernatural mystery)

Jenn Jilks of Cottage Country: GREEK MYTHIC HISTORY by Spencer Clevenger (mythology)

Linda McLaughlin: LORD OF SCOUNDRELS by Loretta Chase  (historical romance)

Lucy Sartain of Ranting and Raving: NEW YORK DEAD by Stuart Woods (mystery)

Patti Abbott:  NIGHTINGALES by Kristin Hannah (historical)

Stacy of the Cat's Meow: THE TEA ROSE trilogy by Jennifer Donnelly (historical)


NONFICTION BOOK REVIEWS
Jenn Jilks of Cottage Country: BEYOND THERAPY by Erving Polster (self-help)J

Jenn Jilks of Cottage Country: NO TIME TO CRY by Vera Lienvebers (autobiography)

Ray Potthoff: THE GAMBLE by Thomas Ricks (military history)


Note to Reviewers: Any errors (broken link, missed review, etc), just shoot me an email or leave a comment. Thank you so much for your reviews!

The Book Review Club (February 2012)

Welcome to our little Book Review Club! Interestingly enough, all our reviews this month fell into one of two categories: Young Adult or Adult. Please enjoy and add with enthusiam to your to-be-read pile. Happy February!

UNRAVELING ISOBEL by Eileen Cook

(young adult)

This month I am using a new, groundbreaking method for reviewing a book. It's related to the fact that I'm going to a new gym where I don't have any friends. Which means I don't have anyone to chat with while on the dreaded Elliptical. So, I've taken to reading. I'm usually ready to hop off after about five interminable minutes. Let's see how UNRAVELING ISOBEL affected my workout.

In a nutshell: Isobel's mom marries a guy she met on the Internet. They move to his creepy, gothic mansion, far from Isobel's friends. The good-looking, hands-off stepbrother moves with them. Isobel worries about going insane like her father when she starts seeing ghosts.



What I liked: The characters were interesting. The dialogue was snappy. There was a creepy, paranormal element. The mystery was totally sewn up. There were no plot holes (one of my pet peeves). There was a good romance. There were some unexpected twists. And it was humorous.

Elliptical Rating: UNRAVELING ISOBEL kept me going for 30 minutes! Thank you, Eileen! My heart thanks you, too!

Added Bonus: The grunting, sweaty man on the machine next to me moved after I laughed out loud a few too many times. Triple thank you, Eileen!

Linkage:
-Eileen Cook's website
-Eileen Cook's very entertaining blog
-A very funny (if I do say so myself!) interview I did with Eileen a couple of years ago

And now to....wonderful reviews by wonderful reviewers! Please click through. You'll be happy you did.

YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Staci of Life in the Thumb: THE SHIFTER by Janice Hardy (Fantasy)

Kaye of the Road Goes Ever Ever On: SONGS FOR A TEENAGE NOMAD by Kim Culbertson

Stacy Nyikos: THE APOTHECARY by Mail Meloy & Ian Schoenherr

Alyssa Goodnight of the Writers' Road Less Traveled: DEADLY by Julie Chibbaro (Historical)

Beth Yarnall: ANGELFALL by Susan Ee (Science Fiction)

ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Patti Abbott: AUSTENTATIOUS by Alyssa Goodnight** YES! This is our very own Alyssa Goodnight's debut novel!**

Sarah Laurence: THE MARRIAGE PLOT by Jeffrey Eugenides (literary fiction)

Scott Parker: BURY YOUR DEAD by Louise Penny (Mystery)

Lucy Sartain of Ranting and Raving: CATCH ME by Lisa Gardner (Thriller)

Linda McLaughlin: THE BREATH OF GOD: A NOVEL OF SUSPENSE by Jeffrey Small (reviewed by Teresa Zimmerman-Liu)

Ellen Booraem of Freelance Ne'er-do-well: TAIL OF THE BLUEBIRD by Nii Ayikwei Parkes (Mystery)

Beth Yarnall: BONDS OF THE EARTH by G.N. Chevalier (M/M Historical Romance)

Beth Yarnall: FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT by Darynda Jones (Paranormal Romance)


Note to Reviewers: Any errors (broken link, missed review, etc), just shoot me an email or leave a comment. Thank you so much for your reviews!

The Book Review Club (March 2011)

Thanks for stopping by! It's the first Wednesday of the month, which means it's time for bunches of great book reviews. And just so that you know how passionate we are about bringing wonderful books to your attention, I'd like to point out that this is our TWENTY-SEVENTH meeting!! Wow! Kind of boggles the mind! I'll keep my review relatively short so that you keep scrolling to the many links to outstanding reviews. Enjoy!



THE EDUCATION OF HAILEY KENDRICK by Eileen Cook

Have you ever read anything by Eileen Cook? She writes adult, young adult (like this book I'm reviewing today), AND middle-grade (the first will be out this April). Yes, yes, she is versatile. And talented. And extremely funny.

From the cover flap of THE EDUCATION OF HAILEY KENDRICK: Hailey Kendrick always does exactly what's expected of her. She has the right friends, dates the perfect boy, gets good grades, and follows all the rules. But one night Hailey risks everything by breaking a very big rule in a very public way...and with a very unexpected partner in crime. Haeiley gets caught, but her accomplice does not, and Hailey takes the fall for both of them...They say honesty is the best policy--but some secrets are worth keeping, no matter the cost. Or are they?

What you can expect from an Eileen Cook novel? 1. perfect plotting: There's not a loose end in sight. 2. laugh-out-loud humor: You'll have a stomachache. 3. characters to love and root for 4. a YA with nothing racier than a few kisses (which is very useful if you have a child who reads "up". 5. Oh, and did I mention the STARRED Kirkus review? "Cook has whipped up a real treat."

My, my, this may be the first time I've blogged about Eileen without using sarcasm. You see, we know each other in real life and have THAT kind of a relationship. Well, it's actually much more her than me... Hmmmm...if you've got a sec, check out this humorous (if I do say so myself) interview I did with Eileen about a year ago. There's even a photo of Eileen Cook in her jammies! Mwahaha!

And, now, drum roll, onto marvelous and varied book reviews! Please click through. You'll be glad you did!

MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Kaye of the Book Review Forum: TIGER RISING by Kate DiCamillo (Middle Grade)

Sarah Laurence: JERSEY TOMATOES ARE THE BEST by Maria Padian (Young Adult, reviewed by both Sarah and her daughter)

Alyssa Goodnight of the Writers' Road Less Traveled: THE ESPRESSOLOGIST by Kristina Springer (Young Adult)

Stacy Nyikos: TWISTED by Laurie Halse Anderson (Young Adult)

Keri Mikulski: HATE LIST by Jennifer Brown (Young Adult)

ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Jenn Jilks of Cottage Country: DEAD AIR by Rochelle Krich (mystery)

Scott Parker: BRUNO, CHIEF OF POLICE by Martin Walker (mystery)

David Cranmer of The Education of a Pulp Writer: RIPLEY'S GAME by Patricia Highsmith

Prairie Rose of Prairie Rose's Garden: THIS BODY OF DEATH by Elizabeth George (mystery)

Beth Yarnall: LIVE WIRE by Harlan Coben (mystery)

Linda McLaughlin: SECRET SANCTION by Brian Haig (Legal Thriller)

Linda McLaughlin: THE IRON DUKE by Meljean Brook (Steampunk)

Patti Abbott: A GESTURE LIFE by Chang Rae Lee

Staci of Life in the Thumb: THE BIRD HOUSE by Kelly Simmons


NONFICTION REVIEWS

Ellen Booraem of Freelance Ne'er-do-well: ABBEY LUBBERS, BANSHEES & BOGGARTS: AN ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FAIRIES by Katharine Briggs (Odd as it seems, Ellen and I felt this was the best place to list this review! Now, aren't you curious? :) )


(Note to Reviewers: Leave a comment or shoot me an email if you find an error. Nothing would surprise me; I was interrupted about a million times while setting up this post!)

Thanks for visiting, everyone!

Author Eileen Cook Goes YouTube

What kind of a day are you having?

Productive? Fun? Too busy?

It really doesn't matter because there's room for a laugh in every day.

Which is why I bring you the one and only, very creative, very hilarious EILEEN COOK.

Eileen's YA, GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD has just been released in paperback. (Yes, you want one or a dozen straightaway.)

Anyway, to celebrate the paperback release, Eileen created GUT-SPLITTING YouTube interviews where her antagonist, Lauren Wood, who gives advice on being popular. Here's the link to all the YouTubes.

And to save you from having to click, here's the first POPULAR LAUREN VIDEO. Enjoy!

Guess who I've been hanging out with!

Last Saturday, I was on a very fun Young-Adult panel with (left to right) Laura Preble, Debra Garfinkle, and Cindy Pon. It was at Romance Writers of America--San Diego chapter.

Our topic: Writing Young Adult. It's like writing for adults. Only different.

Catchy title, eh?

I had a great time. I loved being on a panel with three brilliant YA authors! I loved the RWA audience! I loved having lunch served to me!

And now I'm over guest blogging at Eileen Cook's blog. Eileen Cook is hilarious, asks fun interview questions, and is a little lax about getting dressed in the morning! (Sorry, Eileen, I couldn't resist!)

Tomorrow is the last day of school for my children! Yippee!

Eileen Cook And GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD

MEET EILEEN COOK! Eileen and I have lots in common. We're agent sisters because we have the same agent. We're mirror opposites: She's an American living in Canada. I'm a Canadian living in the USA. We both have brown hair.

There is, however, one HUGE difference between us. I have SCADS AND SCADS more fashion sense than Eileen. (You'll see what I mean further down in this post.)

Here's cover copy for Eileen's most recent (as in this very month!) release: GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD:

In the final weeks of eighth grade, Lauren Wood made a choice. She betrayed her best friend, Helen, in a manner so publicly humiliating that Helen had to move to a new town just to save face. Ditching Helen was worth it, though, because Lauren started high school as one of the It Girls–and now, at the start of her senior year, she’s the cheerleading captain, the quarterback’s girlfriend, and the undisputed queen bee. Lauren has everything she’s ever wanted, and she has forgotten all about her ex-best friend. But Helen could never forget Lauren. After three years of obsessing, she’s moving back to her old town. She has a new name and a new look, but she hasn’t dropped her old grudges. She has a detailed plan to bring down her former BFF by taking away everything that’s ever been important to Lauren—starting with her boyfriend. Watch out, Lauren Wood. Things are about to get bitchy.


And now for my hard-hitting interview!

Me: First off, I love the cover. Love it. Did you have any input? Is that your kitchen knife?

Eileen: I love this cover too! I may have actually squealed when I opened the jpeg the publisher sent. I There is a scene in the book where the main character dresses up a Barbie doll in a cheerleader outfit and then chucks it into a wood chipper. I thought it would be fun to show someone holding a Barbie doll by it’s hair and sticking a pin into it- voodoo style. I shared my idea, but the art department warned me that Barbie is trademarked so they frown on people sticking pins in her on book covers. (I thought this was a bit unfair as I've bought more than my fair share of Barbies over the years) The designer did like the concept so she ordered a custom made doll from China and created the cover we ended up with.

Me: Tell us about your best friends in middle school. Would you have been a Lauren, a Helen or maybe an Eileen? If you answer Eileen, what kind of teen were you? (See? Two can ask this question!!)

Eileen: I had the same best friend all through middle school and high school. We're still very close friends even though we live on different sides of the country. I keep threatening that if she ever shares my deep dark teen secrets I will tell her daughter what she was really like. I still have the diaries and some of our passed notes to prove it.

As a teen I had the super power of invisibility. I wasn't popular or unpopular- I had the ability to blend into the background. I can only wonder what I could have accomplished if I hadn't been so worried about what everyone thought of me all the time.

Me: Do you laugh out loud when writing? I ask this because I laugh out loud when reading your books. I'd like to think we're laughing together.

Eileen: I crack myself up when I'm writing. Sometimes I even get the full on snorting, tears in the eyes laughing. I'm so glad to know you're laughing with me as well. I would hate to think I was laughing all by myself, that would just be sad.

Me: What's up next for you writing-wise?

Eileen: I am sooo excited to be working on a new YA book. It is about a prank that goes wrong and the main character has to decide how to deal with the fall out. I'm also working on a middle grade series about a girl who is a part of a fairy godmother family. I'm one of those people who are happiest when I've got a project on the go.

Me: The next is sort of a delicate subject. But my readers expect me to ask the tough, hard-hitting questions, so here goes. Rumor has it that you wear your pj's out in public? Is it true? Be honest. We have cameras everywhere.

Eileen: What kind of person goes out in public in their pj's?

Me: Be honest...

Eileen: FINE! Yes, I have been known to go out in my pj's, but that is because of your bad influence which encouraged me to believe this was okay. Plus, I will have it known that I have very stylish jammies.

Me: Uh, no, you do not have stylish jammies. Au contraire...

Eileen: Strangely, I don't have a picture of me in my jammies out and about in the city....

Me: Ha! But I do!

The head and the hands have been removed for legal purposes. But, friends, this is Eileen Cook!

Additional information for your viewing pleasure:
Here's Eileen modeling Victoria's Secret or maybe it's a link to her very hilarious blog!

Here's Eileen's husband modeling Victoria's Secret or maybe it's a link to the first chapter of GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD.

Well, friends, I hope you enjoyed reading this interview as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thanks for being such a good sport, Eileen!

interviews and reviews! Ta da!

Not sure who out of you guys reads The Happy Nappy Bookseller's blog. If you do, you already know she's an independent thinker with an interesting take on life.

Here's The Happy Nappy Bookseller's review of i so don't do spooky. She loved it! Yay!

And here's her interview with moi and a holiday giveaway! You'll like the questions.


Also, come visit me at Eileen Cook's blog where I'm being grilled. You know how wild and crazy that woman is. I certainly know it now that I shared a room with her in Oklahoma City last September! Anyway, Eileen had the audacity to ask me what I was like as a teen!!! And in case you missed that delightful photo of me at 16 years old posted by Sarah Laurence, Eileen tossed it up on her blog.

**I'll be signing at the Santee Barnes & Noble (9938 Mission Gorge Rd, Santee, CA) from 6-8 pm today Friday, Dec. 11. And doing a little presentation with the police detective I call to help me with research. It's a fundraiser for our school, so please mention Carlton Oaks when you check out, and B&N will donate 20% of your purchase back to the school. Please come visit! :)**

High School's Out for Summer

Yesterday was my 15 year old's last day of school before summer vacation.

On the way home, we stopped at our local convenience store to pick up a cold drink. This place has, hands down, the best fountain diet coke in San Diego County. But I digress.

So, I'm standing in line, sipping the best diet coke around and thinking about that summer-vacation feeling.

The cashier says, "What's new?"

"It's the last day of high school," I reply.

"Oh no," says the postman standing next to me. He slumps.

"What's the matter?" I ask.

"Now, they'll all go home and let their dogs out."

How very very interesting. I would never have equated high-schoolers-home-for-the-summer with increased danger for mailmen.

It's all in your perspective.

And I'll all about characters and their perspectives at the moment. I got I So Don't Do Makeup back from Editor Wendy. And, while I'm taking care of the suggested revisions, I'm also checking to make sure the dialog and actions and metaphors fit the character. Such as, does the character who loves snacks and junk food uncover the hot sauce clue?

Oh, and, by the way, the revisions aren't too bad at all. Yay!!

And, now about something totally different (sorry, I couldn't think of a smooth segue!)...



A contest where you can win a $75 gift card to spend on books!

Eileen Cook is celebrating the six-month release anniversary of her book, What Would Emma Do? Click over to Eileen Cook's blog for details.

SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS! Yowzer!

My Town Monday: WD-40

Before starting this week's My Town Monday's post, I want to wrap up last week's book giveaway.

Congratulations to Alyson at New England Living, the winner of a signed copy of Eileen Cook's WHAT WOULD EMMA DO?!

And congratulations to Paradox of Paradoxical! You've won a signed copy of I SO DON'T DO MYSTERIES! Email me at barrie.summy@gmail.com, and we'll get the ball rolling.

Thanks to everyone for playing!

Now, without further ado, here's this week's My Town Monday post. And it's rust-proof!

Did you know that WD-40 was invented in San Diego?

Way back when, in 1953, the Rocket Chemical Company, a little company of three people working in a little lab, "set out to create a line of rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry."

It took them FORTY tries, hence the name WD-40! The WD stands for Water Displacement. (Apparently, there is a mysterious (for me) scientific connection between corrosion prevention and water displacement.)

Convair used WD-40 to protect the outside of the Atlas Missile from corrosion. In 1958, WD-40 hit store shelves in an aerosol can. In 1960, the company boasted seven employees and sold a whopping 45 cases daily to stores in the San Diego area. In 1971, the company went public. By 1993, sales were up to a million cans/week!

From the product website, here's a interesting tip for you musicians out there:

Try soaking new guitar strings in WD-40 before putting them on a guitar. The WD-40-soaked strings are easier to play and less likely to break because of the reduced friction. (submitted by J. Mark Holbrook)

So, the next time you're at a fancy cocktail party and someone asks you to pass the WD-40, you can totally impress by saying, "Oh, do you mean the Water Displacement that was invented in San Diego on the 40th try?"

(sources: http://www.wd40.com/, http://www.sandiegotraveltips.com/)

Sepiru Chris and Junosmom list links to other My Town Monday participants. They're lending a hand while Travis Erwin, our fearless MTM leader, gets his life back in order following a recent fire that burned his house down. To help him out, please visit Habitat for Travis.

Please, please, please, come over to the Book Roast where I'm being GRILLED today starting at 9:00 AM Eastern time. Yes, it does sound scary. And I'm not a brave soul. It took me three years to work up to a flu shot. Plus, 9:00 AM Eastern time is SIX O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING Pacific time. By nature, I am not a morning person. Yikes.




And, while you're tripping merrily through bloggy land, please leave a comment on Eileen Cook's interview with me for a CHANCE TO WIN A SIGNED COPY OF I SO DON'T DO MYSTERIES. Seriously. There aren't that many comments, so you have good Vegas odds...









And, finally, be good to yourself. You deserve it.

BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!

Eileen Cook and WHAT WOULD EMMA DO?


While juggling friendship issues (her best friend isn’t speaking to her), a love triangle-turned-square (okay, maybe she shouldn’t have kissed her best friend’s boyfriend…but it was totally an accident!…sort of), and escalating mayhem in her small religious town (uh-oh…what would Jesus do?), Emma realizes she has to stop trying to please everyone around her and figure out what she wants for herself. It’s time to start asking, “What would Emma do?”







Hi bloggy peeps! I'm baaack!. It's ME, the slightly chubby, super sassy and trailer-trashy KELLY Couric! I'm taking over the blog today to interview Author EILEEN COOK who has a fantastic YA out now, WHAT WOULD EMMA DO? I called Barrie and told her Eileen had called in sick with food poisoning. Due to a moose meat burrito. Eileen lives in Canada, you know. Land of ice fishing, toques and moose meat burritos. I've done my research.


(knocks on door, then cautiously opens it) Hello...hello.....Barrie are you here?




(rushes over to Eileen and does the air kissing thing) So, nice to meet you daahling. I'm Kelli Couric. Barrie BEGGED me to do this interview. I loved WHAT WOULD EMMA DO?I could so relate because I kissed all my girlfriends' boyfriends!


(looks momentarily confused, but quickly reverts to cute, intelligent-looking self) Oh, okay.




So, Eileen, now that you've achieved your publishing goal, are you actually working on anything new? Or do writers publish, then chill on the couch, guzzling cocktails and bonbons?



I keep waiting for the cocktail bonbon stage to arrive. I also note that so far I haven't been invited to any fancy literary parties where I hob nob with famous authors and laugh at their stories.

While waiting for my party invitation to arrive I have been working on something else. My next story is a tale of friendship, betrayal, revenge, and a love of classic movies. I hope to have a publication date for it in the New Year. The working title is Black and White.


Keep me in mind if Black and White gets optioned for a movie. I'm all about betrayal and revenge. (hands Eileen a business card) And now a question everyone's been dying to ask. Do you pay for your ideas? If not, where do you get them? Please be honest. And generous.




Target. I find they have the best value for dollar.






(jumps up in excitement) Seriously??? I'm at Target all the time. Good wine prices.




Uh, no, that was a joke. Really I'm one of those people who collects scraps of ideas, stories, conversations the same way clean black pants collect cat hair and lint. I write them down or tear them out of magazines and newspapers and stuff them into a file. I'm pretty sure my brain works like a compost heap. I just keep piling things on top and eventually something new is created.


Do you, like, outline? Or just write whatever?





I want to outline. I envy the outliners, they have such a clear idea of where they are going versus those of us who sort of wander aimlessly around the story until we sort it out. I've tried to outline. I make a great outline. It looks very snappy on the page. Sometimes I use color coding and regimented lists. Tragically, the outlines I create end up having nothing to do with the story I write.


Tell us something weird about yourself. Preferably juicy and scandalous. We're all friends here. Seriously. What's said on this blog, stays on this blog. And if it's something like a unibrow you've never had taken care of professionally, feel free to include a pic.

I can't do a cartwheel. I've tried. My mother even hired someone to teach me how so I wouldn't be mocked in gym class. Can't do it. I start off good. I have the commitment, but in the end my legs sort of flop over. It's pathetic. My dreams of being an Olympic gymnast crushed.

(frowning) You consider not being able to do a cartwheel scandalous?? Remind me never to let you interview me! (licks lips) And now for the most scrumptious question of all... What is your favorite dessert?



I am not a dessert snob. I'm open to a range of fattening treats. Sometimes I go for the simple- a good chocolate chip cookie or brownie and sometimes I want the high end molten chocolate lava cake. In the summer I like things like lemon bars and fresh strawberries swimming in whipped cream.

                 Is it just me or is anyone else hungry now?


Oh, honey, I'm always hungry. Which explains why I'm Queen of the Muffin Tops!





Thank you, Author Eileen Cook for the marvelous interview. And for writing the marvelous WHAT WOULD EMMA DO? And especially for agreeing to giveaway a signed copy of your book.

Here are the rules:
Leave a comment to this post to be entered once.
Link to this interview, then let us know to get entered a second time.
Contest closes midnight Pacific Time, Sunday, Jan. 18.



Now....hop on over to Eileen Cook's blog for her interview with Barrie Summy and a chance to win a signed copy of I So Don't Do Mysteries!

The truth about teens and reading

I totally outed Child #1!

My 19 year old who says things like, "I'm not a reader. I haven't liked reading since elementary school."

Yes, he knows how to push my buttons. Brutally.

Tonight I cracked open the door to his bedroom because I needed extra light in the hall.

What was he doing?

Lying on his bed and.....reading! A book I'd stuck in his stocking last month.

I bit my tongue. I didn't comment. Didn't ask if he was enjoying the story. Didn't say, "Neener, neener, neener. See. You really are a reader, you poseur non-reader!" Nosirree, I was a mum Mom.

Then, this morning, he was reading again. This time in the living room.

The book?


              Naked by David Sedaris


And speaking of entertaining books, I have a VERY hilarious interview for THIS WED., JAN 14 with Eileen Cook. Her brand new YA, What Would Emma Do? is now on shelves. AND Eileen will post a SOMEWHAT hilarious interview with me on her blog on the very same day. AND we're each giving away a signed copy of our book to a lucky commenter and/or linker!



Also, the Book Roast is re-launching TODAY! Here's the week's line-up:

Monday, Jan 12: Mystery Publisher
Tuesday, Jan 13: Eric Stone
Wednesday, Jan 14: Agent Lucienne Diver
Thursday, Jan 15: Barrie Summy
Saturday, Jan 17: Elysabeth Eldering

Yes, I'm up for a grilling on Thursday. Should be quite the experience. Please come by and see me. Don't worry; I'll remind you. ;)

Ra-ra-ra-random!!!

I've been tagged by the one and only Vodka Mom! If you haven't checked out her blog, you really must. She's a hoot and a half.

And now I must list SEVEN random facts about myself. Up-front warning: these will not be anywhere near as outlandish as Vodka Mom's. Because, well, she is more wild and crazy than I am. Now, don't you really want to check out her blog?!

Okay. Here goes:

1. I've been engaged THREE times. To three different people. Each one was a different nationality. But they all had one thing in common: blue eyes!

2. I have Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. It's true. A doctor told me. This is a useful device at cocktail parties when you want people to move away from the snacks. While standing within sneezing distance of the food, I announce, "Hi! My name is Barrie, and I have ETD." (Okay. Maybe I haven't actually used this ploy...yet. But I just might this Friday when I'm at DH's big fancy schmancy company holiday party. They always serve really fine appetizers.)

3. My fave foods are: diet coke, red licorice, black licorice. Other than that, I'm a pretty healthy eater. Seriously.

4. A long time ago, in a faraway place, I worked in marketing for 7UP Canada. During this time, I met Wayne Gretzky who was our corporate sponsor. You're probably all wondering if he was one of the guys mentioned in #1. Keep on wondering, folks...

5. One of my kids has webbed toes. DH (Darling Husband) and I each have a great great great feathered grandmother with wings and a pronounced bill. Kidding. Although webbed toes do run in both our families. (Probably more in his as I'm loathe to admit to genetic abnormalities.)

6. Once upon a time, I dated a French Canadian who saved his ear wax for art projects. He was very definitely not part of #1.

7. Did you notice that Child #3 hacked into my blog? Check out my new-and-improved (?) profile!

Choose this award.                                   Or this award.

Or you can be like me and choose both. I'm just that way. Delightfully indecisive.

Here are the rules:
1. Do five jumping jacks
2. Balance on one foot.
3. Call a friend to say hi.
4. Take a hot bath.
5. Hug your kid or your dog.
6. Post seven (or whatever you have time for) random things about yourself.

Then, choose your award(s) and i.d. five people (or whatever) for the meme. Oh yeah, and let the people know you chose them. Oh yeah, and link back to me.

Here's who I'm i.d.'ing (in alpha order). Check them out. I think you'll really enjoy what these bloggers have to say.

Cheaper Than Therapy because we can all use some therapy at this crazy time of year! Her blog is grrrreat!
Don Mills Diva because she lives where I'm from. Plus you'll love her blog!
Eileen Cook--We're agent-sisters; she's really, really funny (no pressure there, Eileen); she's an American living in Canada, and I'm a Canadian living in the U.S. And she's the type everyone wants to hang out with!
Just a Plane Ride Away because she's far from home and makes all sorts of interesting observations. Not to mention her incredible photographic skills!
Laughing Wolf--He's a crazy blogger. You just never what strange bits of info he'll post up.

EXACTLY SIX DAYS (INCLUDING ALL DAY THURS) UNTIL THE RELEASE OF I SO DON'T DO MYSTERIES!

Until next time, Katie Couric...

JK Rowling had the sorting hat. We have the choosing shoes. (Please admire these beautiful new shoes Child #4 got for the Father-Daughter Dance.)

I really enjoyed playing Katie Couric. Perhaps a little much! I may dress up as Katie Couric for Halloween. I've been a pirate for the last three years, and it's time for a change anyway. Maybe I could talk hubby into going as Matt Lauer.

When it came right down to it, Child #4, not Eileen Cook, chose the winning commenter for a copy of the very well written, very funny, very why-isn't-it-longer UNPREDICTABLE.

I could've predicted (ha, ha!) that Eileen would cave on the who-gets-to-choose thing.

Why?

First off, Child #4 can tap dance, and Eileen, um, really can't. Sorry, Eileen, but it was bound to come out at some point.

Second, it's pretty tough to say no to child #4. Ask anyone in my family, including Child #1, #2 and #3, Dorothy the Dog, the two veiled chameleons and our newest addition, the rat. You might be wondering (or not) what happened to Squirtle, our mean, red-eyed dwarf hamster. Without going into all sorts of sordid details, Dorothy's a dog, and the hamster escaped from her cage and was wandering recklessly around our house...

Ahem. Back to Eileen Cook, Debut Author Extraordinaire.

The winner of Eileen's very very marvelous, very very funny debut novel is: Bill Clark of Greenwich Gossip

So, email me your snail mail addy at: barrieDOTsummyATgmailDOTcom

For those of you who didn't win, thank you for participating. Now, just go buy the book. You'll feel better; Eileen'll feel better; I feel better. It's a win-win-win situation.

I promise I will get all the books I owe into the mail this week. Thus fulfilling New Year's Resolution #5.

Oh, yeah, I keep forgetting to do this. Here's the link to the first chapter of Eileen Cook's UNPREDICTABLE.

Author Eileen Cook, Katie Couric, and Win a Free Book

I'm a Katie Couric wannabe. She has great hair. She's smart. She's famous. And everybody loves her. Thanks to Eileen Cook, author of UNPREDICTABLE, who has good-naturedly agreed to answer a bunch of inane questions, today is my Couric day.


Oh wait, a short commercial before we start. If you want the chance to win a copy of Eileen's brand new ultra hilarious romantic comedy, UNPREDICTABLE, (and who wouldn't?), comment on today's or yesterday's post on this blog or on today's or yesterday's post on Eileen's blog or, for double the chance to win, on BOTH blogs. Alright then, freebie book business out of the way, let's go straight to the interview extraordinaire.


Do you outline before starting a book?







I'm a fly by the seat of my pants writer who secretly wishes she was a plotter. I have plotter envy- it goes well with my office supply fetish. I love the idea of binders with color-coded tabs and Post it Note flags. Instead I practice the time-honored tradition on beating my head on the desk until the story falls out. I am attempting to do more outlining, but it remains to be seen if these outlines provide me with a map or just a nice reminder of where I thought the book would go back before the head beating began.

I’ve met writers that do detailed 100 pages plus outlines with binders for all the main characters and writers who start with Chapter One and see where the story goes from there. I saw John Irving (author of A Prayer for Owen Meany) speak and he likes to write by starting with the end and working backwards. Sometimes new writers want to know “what works” and it is a tricky answer as what works for one person will completely block another. You have to find your own way into your story.

Are you part of a critique group?






I used to belong to a writer’s group that met on a monthly. Eventually due to people’s schedule the group disbanded. I now belong to an online writer’s critique group where we post scenes. I also use a group of early readers made up of both writers and readers to critique my draft. When I have a manuscript ready to go I pass it out to all of them and collect their comments before heading into the final revision stage.

In addition to getting feedback, I think it is important for writers to give feedback. It can sometimes be easier to pick apart someone else’s writing, looking at what works and what doesn’t work because you aren’t involved in the story. Once you can see it in someone else’s writing it is easier to look at your own and see if you are guilty of the same mistakes. If you don’t have a regular group of writers that you meet with I often suggest people pick a favorite book and a book they disliked and go chapter by chapter looking at what happens in each scene, what’s the conflict, if they liked it why, if they didn’t why? I have them highlight lines that they liked or places where they felt the story was dragging. One thing that excites me about writing is how much there is to learn. No matter how long you’ve been writing there is always a way to improve. I’m a bit geeky this way.

You are absolutely hilarious. Were you the class clown?






My parents are both funny so it may be genetic. Growing up I was mortified at my parent’s jokes and I’m pretty sure during my teen years I tried to ban them from talking at all when my friends were around.

I was a bit too shy to be the class clown, but I’m pretty sure my close friends saw me as the clown type. I’ve always tended to see things from a different angle that tends towards the humorous.

So, how'd you land Rachel Vater as your agent?






While writing Unpredictable I picked up a copy of Writer’s Digest that happened to have an interview with Rachel. I don’t recall what she said, but I remember thinking “she’s perfect for me!” I stuck the article on my bulletin board (complete with her picture) and whenever I found myself blocked I would remind myself that this fabulous agent was waiting for my masterpiece even though we had never communicated. Inside my head we were already a mean, lean writing team. I knew I wanted an agent I could connect with and who would take a career building approach to my writing.

When I finished the book I sent off a query to Rachel. I was prepared to send it out to a long list of agents if needed, but she was my top choice. People are sometimes surprised when I tell them that I didn’t have any connections or family in the business. I was a slush pile find. I can’t imagine going through the publishing process without a strong agent in your corner and Rachel has been the perfect business partner for me.

What are you working on now?






I recently signed a contract with Simon Pulse (Simon and Schuster) and am really excited to be working on some young adult novels. I always loved reading and in the past couple years have started to read all the great stuff coming out these days in the young adult and middle grade market. I love Meg Cabot and would run away in a heartbeat to be her personal assistant if she would have me.

The other area that I’ve tried out recently is writing screenplays. I’ve always been a huge movie buff and when Unpredictable was optioned by New Line I wanted a chance to write the script. For some reason the studio didn’t want someone who had never written a script before to do the job- go figure. I took some classes and am really interested in how the format is so different than novels. Scripts have to be much tighter as you typically only have 90-120 pages and the story has to be told in all action and dialog.

What is your favorite cookie?







I can pick just one favorite? Of course I am coming off the post Christmas cookie butter and sugar hangover where I made all the cookies that you never make any other time of the year.

If had to pick one favorite I would go with the traditional standby of chocolate chip. I add a touch a cinnamon in mine as the secret ingredient. Shhh don’t tell anyone.

Happy Valentine's Day, Eileen! We wish you loads of Belgium chocolate (yes, we know you love it), wheelbarrows full of chocolate chip cookies and, most of all, great big humungous book sales!