LauraKenyon.com

November 22, 2013 · 7:57 AM

Understanding Writers

I found this post by Dahlia Adler a few months ago and loved it. For some reason, it seemed perfect for a rainy Friday. Whether you’re a writer or a reader, it offers some good insight.

Read it, comment, and then head on over to The Daily Dahlia for more.

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If you enjoy Skipping Midnight, fairy tales or puppies (and come on, who doesn’t like puppies?) please head over to Facebook and “like” my page. Who knows, maybe it’s a wizard in disguise and doing so will grant you eternal good karma. Just sayin’…

The Daily Dahlia

Non-writers, we love you. We really do. We love how badly you want us to succeed, how badly you want to give us advice, and the incredible amount of support you give with your words and wallets. You are amazing. And when you try to make suggestions as to how we should go about publishing our books, it’s not you we’re frustrated at, exactly. We know that writing looks easy; it’s something we’ve all had to do in school a zillion times. And we know we’re not all getting paid for it yet, and that makes it look like it’s just this fun little thing we do to pass the time or indulge our insanity, and yes, it is that too.

But here’s the thing: it’s hard work. It’s time-consuming. It’s soul-sucking. And it’s so, so much more than you think it is. It’s something that requires a lot more…

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November 20, 2013 · 6:00 AM

Author Interview: Heather Webb

Joining me for Skipping Midnight’s author interview series this week is the wonderful and extremely talented Heather Webb. Her debut novel, BECOMING JOSEPHINE, will be published by Penguin/Plume on December 31.

I’m truly delighted to have her and am sure you’ll enjoy everything she has to say. Read on!

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1. BECOMING JOSEPHINE tells the story of Josephine Bonaparte, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. What was it that attracted you to this historical figure?

I taught French history for almost a decade, and the French revolutionary period always fascinated me. But I really first became interested in Josephine because of a song by Tori Amos about her. Years later, I awoke one morning with Josephine’s voice in my head. Just like that! So I read my first biography of her and I was hooked. Besides, she wouldn’t stop babbling in my ear. The topic for my current work in progress happened in a similar way—my protagonist started talking to me. My husband thinks I’m insane. Hearing voices in your head must not be normal!

2. As a fellow writer, I have to say hearing voices is perfectly normal. So what do you think people will love most about Josephine’s story?

Above all, I hope my novel inspires readers to want to know more about Josephine, the times in which she lived, and the people in her life. Also, I hope they just enjoy her story! It was a real doozy. Continue reading →

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November 18, 2013 · 9:32 AM

Free Book: The Onion meets the Brothers Grimm

If you have a nose for satire, are reading this blog, and like getting free stuff… chances are you’ll love the new free e-book just unleashed by the folks over at The Grimm Report.

Our Brothers Grimmest (think The Onion set in Far Far Away), is a great way to catch up on all the hilarious stories The Grimm Report has been putting out since last November. Written in mock-tabloid fashion, articles include Snow White’s unfortunate encounter with too many appletinis, the Magic Mirror’s new job judging “The Voice,” Rumplestiltskin’s legal name change, and a collection of “Dear Crabby” letters between a snarky self-help guru and maladjusted fairy tale characters. Continue reading →

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November 15, 2013 · 12:23 PM

Movie Trailer: Angelina Jolie as Maleficent

Disney has just released the official trailer for “Maleficent,” a dark retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale starring Angelina Jolie as the villain. I personally think it looks pretty darn awesome… but I’ve been disappointed in the past.

As an action movie fanatic, this new trend sets me all atwitter. I think showing the fairy tales from the villain’s point of view is a fantastic idea — one that promises action, suspense, and a healthy tinkering of how we view the “good” and the “bad.”

But while 2011’s “Red Riding Hood” had its moments, 2012’s “Snow White and the Huntsman” was borderline unwatchable (thank you, Kristen Stewart). Continue reading →

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November 13, 2013 · 6:00 AM

Author Interview: Dana Gynther

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Exactly one year ago today, Dana Gynther released her debut novel, CROSSING ON THE PARIS. The story follows three women as they take life-altering journeys on the SS Paris (one in first class, one in second, and one in steerage), from Le Havre to Manhattan in 1921.

In honor of the novel’s one-year anniversary, Dana is celebrating by baking a red velvet cake and kicking off Skipping Midnight’s author interview series. Enjoy!

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1. It’s been a year since you released your debut novel, CROSSING ON THE PARIS, to stellar reviews. How has your life changed since you achieved the dream? How has it remained the same?

It has been extremely fulfilling to know that my writing is being read outside my circle of friends and family—that my book is available (or checked out!) at most US libraries, that book clubs are discussing it, that thousands of people have chosen to buy it, that it is being translated into Russian. But beyond that mind candy, my life has changed very little. That is mostly due to the fact that I live abroad—I’ve spent the last twenty years in Valencia, Spain—and have not yet been able to stroll into a bookshop and see my work on the shelf (that must be so exciting!), much less do readings or other events. It’s been frustrating… and something I intend to remedy the next time around.

2. Writing about multiple protagonists is a daunting task for a debut novelist. How did you decide to format the story this way, and why do you think it worked?

I had the idea for this novel while translating a museum catalog on ocean liners—their history, sociology, and aesthetics. While doing those articles, I found their most interesting aspect to be the huge contrast in the accommodations and services from First to Third class. Of course, anyone who wanted to cross oceans back then had to take a steamer—from famous millionaires to humble immigrants—and the conditions differed accordingly. That was what I wanted to explore when I decided to write this novel. Continue reading →

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November 11, 2013 · 4:35 PM

On Desperately Ever After — Part II

Now that I’ve pontificated about what my debut novel is NOT (click here to view On Desperately Ever After — Part I), perhaps I should explain what I was trying to accomplish in the first place.

Like so many women today, I grew up on Disney movies and fairy tales. According to my mother, I saw The Little Mermaid in theaters at least a dozen times (take that, Titanic!), and I definitely made my family listen to every sing-along I could find during our four-hour drives to Cape Cod (sorry guys). Even as late as high school, my friends and I often debated (sometimes quite contentiously) which of us was Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, Ariel (me), Snow White, etc. The designations we came up with were based purely on looks, of course, but isn’t that pretty much how the princes determined their true loves anyway?

Then… shocker… I grew up. I got to know the real world. Continue reading →

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November 8, 2013 · 9:46 AM

Why every writer needs a dog

There from the beginning

The great Jennifer Weiner (author of Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, and, my personal favorite, Goodnight Nobody) doesn’t need to give advice to the legions of writers salivating over her wild success. With 10 bestsellers and 11 million copies in print, she could easily spend the rest of her life in seclusion, mailing out manuscripts for instant publication, and cashing in royalty checks. Instead, she is constantly going on Twitter to make adoring fans laugh; on Facebook to provide glimpses into her life; and all over the web to answer questions and make hope-swollen writers feel a little bit at ease.

A few years ago, when I decided to stop dreaming about becoming a novelist and do something about it, I found a great deal of guidance from a spot on her website. In addition to the numerous pages reflecting her success, there was one titled “For Writers.”

It was filled with great advice. But the best, hands down, was this: GET A DOG Continue reading →

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Filed under Distractions, Puppy Love, Uncategorized, Writing Process

November 6, 2013 · 12:05 PM

On Desperately Ever After – Part I

An illustrátion by Warwick Goble for Beauty and the Beast, 1913.

An illustration by Warwick Goble for Beauty and the Beast, 1913.

Over the past few months, I’ve fielded dozens of questions about my book, the writing process, and what in the heck I’ve been doing with my life besides freelancing, baking, and taking care of my overgrown puppy. Over the last week, since turning my online portfolio site into a brand spanking new blogsite, I’ve also gotten loads of good wishes, messages of support, and much prodding for more details about the story behind Desperately Ever After.

First off, I want to thank everyone who’s shown interest. It’s simultaneously thrilling and terrifying to finally be putting this story out there, but your support makes it a heck of a lot easier.

Second, since I could go on (and on and on) about Desperately Ever After, I’m going to break the explanations into a series of blog posts. This way you don’t go blind from staring at the computer screen too much, Shadow (the aforementioned overgrown puppy) gets to drag me outside for a little bit, and I delay carpal tunnel for a bit longer. Everyone wins. Continue reading →

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November 4, 2013 · 6:00 AM

It’s my story and I’ll cry how I want to

A good friend passed this link on from Bustle.com. It’s a great little article and definitely worth a read.

While DESPERATELY EVER AFTER has nothing to do with Disney fairy tales (more on that later this week), it does aim to dismiss the Disney-perpetuated notion that fairy tale heroines must be eternally graceful, perfectly poised, and blindly in debt to the men who filter in and out of their lives.

Seriously, if YOU woke up 300 years in the future, covered in dust, with a strange man’s tongue forcing its way down your throat and your home in ruins… do you think you’d swoon or break down in tears? And I don’t mean pretty, single-drop-rolling-down-a-flawless-complexion sort of tears. I mean mouth wide, mascara smudged, eyes-and-everything-around-them red sobbing. If it were me, there’d probably be some broken vases as well… and a canister of pepper spray.

So check it out and let me know what you think.

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November 1, 2013 · 9:44 AM

Welcome to National Novel Writing Month

Image courtesy of Felixco, Inc. / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Think you can write 50,000 words in a month?

No, they can’t be the same words repeated over and over again, Bart Simpson. But a bona fide novel? What’s so hard? After all, you must have survived at least one 2,000-word term paper all-nighter… pounding Red Bull and chewing on your hair while your roommate snored away… stumbling up to class the next day looking like you spent the night trapped in a bunker with a rabid raccoon.

All you’d have to do to participate in National Novel Writing Month is repeat that daily from today until November 30. Heck, you’d even have five days to spare. Psht. Child’s play.

Hold up there, Hemingway. Continue reading →