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.

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!