The Answer Man

About a week ago I received an email giving me a link to the trailer and information about a movie called The Answer Man. After reading the email once and not thinking much of it since it was about a movie and I normally write about books or books turned into movies, I let it sit in my Inbox thinking, oh, I'll give it a better look later.

Having a blog and being on a few sites where I ask for recommendations of books and writing advice I figured, hmmm, someone just got my email and passed this one along to me, that's fine. But emails received by folks I don't know and yet aren't what I'd call Spam peak my curiousity.

Today I actually clicked on the links sent in the email to view the trailer and see what was up with this movie and why would I be interested in sharing it with you. Well, I'll tell you why I would be interested and why you should learn more about The Answer Man:

Right off the bat, the trailer will tell you it's a story about a man, an author (okay, got me hooked a little there) who 20 years ago wrote an unusual book. He spoke to God and got an answer and the title of his book God and Me was a big success. Of course the author is a recluse and much of this character's character can be summed up in a quote you hear in the trailer - and just might be my all time favorite quote from a movie - "Hell is other people" I still laugh when I hear it.

The next thing that hooks me is the cast. The author, Arlen Faber is played by Jeff Daniels. I don't know what it is about this guy but when he is on, I just want to watch him. Click on his name if you want to learn more about Jeff - did you know he writes songs and sings? Go take a look and come back. I can't explain it, he is just one of those guys that whether it's Dumb and Dumber, Terms of Endearment (odd that I start of with Dumb and Dumber isn't it? Probably because I have teen boys) or the commercials that are on the air here in Michigan, I again stop what I'm doing and watch him.

The rest of the cast is great as well with the main female role is played by Lauren Graham and Taylor Pucci plays a guy fresh out of rehab and is searching for answers. Lauren's character also has a son, but before you let your eyes glaze over and shout, God not another story about a kid bringing a couple together, stick with this one.

And the other hook that snagged me is the story leads from the male perspective - something I always enjoy more than from the over done female side. Showing the main three adult characters, it is Jeff's character that much of the story comes from. He is looked at as the man with all the answers - he spoke to God for Christ sake (pun intended) and Lauren and Taylor want answer and to be taught, and of course in the end as you may have guessed, it will be Jeff's character that is taught and changed the most.

Is it a rom com, a chick flick, perhaps but it's a great premise and from Magnolia Pictures - another hook for me as Magnolia has put out some of the more original pieces of work than what we have gotten from larger Hollywood teams. Check out the trailer below and then go see it!

Thanks Emily Kanoff of Magnolia Pictures for sending me the email!

Chicago Mom's Blog Lies. Women's Fiction? You Bet!

Talk about women's fiction - the story making the rounds about a Chicago woman who maintained a blog about her day-to-day experience of being an unwed, pregnant woman with a terminally ill baby has admitted that it was all a hoax.

Several times on this blog I love to talk about ideas for a story. Now if you have read the headlines about this woman and don't think there is a novel size story there, then you are missing the boat on current events helping you find or adding to your story writing.

The Illinois woman who gained a following as she talked about her fears and concerns of this pregnancy states that she did not gain monetary support but emotional support. She went as far as showing a doll as the newborn baby.

How does this help your writing? As soon as you heard about this woman you had to have asked yourself why? And as you try to answer it, you begin character development.

What depth of loneliness does a woman or man have to be to create a lie and add to it everyday?

Was it loneliness, mental illness, or just plain mean?

Did her real life friends and neighbors know she was doing this? If not, what sort of energy did it take to lead these two different worlds?

What does it say about the readers of her blog who gave so freely their support to someone online?

How did she get to this place in her life?

Do readers who now know the truth seek revenge? If so, in what form?

How does she clean up the mess, now that it's out in the open, that her blog of a couple months played on the emotions of people?

I'm sure you can think of more questions as to how something like this comes about. Use it and run with it. There is a story just waiting to be told!

Huffington Post

NBC Chicago News

A Contest You Should Check Out!

Do you have work in progress? Do you at least have the first 3 chapters done? If so, polish those 3 chapters up, make them shine and make them sing but more important make it so the judges at The Next Big Writer website want to keep reading!


Thanks to the great women at WoW, I was alerted to a website I had missed.










The Next Big Writer website is a community where writers share and review each other's work.

They have over $3,500 dollars worth of prizes and exposure.

May 16 is the Deadline so get going!!!!

Brenda Novak

One of the things I love about the writing community is it's giving nature. This is one community that never hesitates to help each other out. Whether it is giving advice on query letters, agent reputations, first copy read throughs or helping a much larger cause, writers know how to pull together.

This time, the call for help is Diabetes.

Every year Author Brenda Novak hold an Online Auction to benefit the research of diabetes. This is her 5th year and opens May 1. Brenda has made the call for the writing industry to help and help out they do by offering up their time and talents so that bidders have a large, fantastic list of items to bid on and in the process raise some serious cash.

She has several major co-sponsors and items to bid on run from lunch with several different authors, a night stay at Nora Roberts Inn (Who knew she had one?), trips to Seattle and much, much more.

Please take a look at the items and how to participate at Brenda's Auction Site

The items to bid on are just amazing and too much to list here so take a look. Make a plan on which item you can't live without and go bid!!!!!

Look in the Young Adult Section for Women's Fiction?

Okay, so the books that libraries label as Young Adult have females in them who aren't of an age that you would classify as women but I was surprised to see that books like the Twilight series, which are so popular with women of all ages are put over in the Young Adult section.

Upon learning this I wondered what other stories I may have passed by (Jane Austen) because had I realized Twilight was YA I might have, in my prejudice attitude never picked it up. What a mistake that would have been!



We've discussed before on just what is women's fiction and the end decision was that Women's Fiction is an umbrella for stories with a female that we watch tackle, achieve, lose, celebrate, grieve, fail, succumb, do an about face, a situation. Bella, in Twilight, does all that and more. But, it is done in a way that most times I forgot how old Bella really was. Author Stephanie Meyer never wrote Bella as a stereotypical teenager (I should know, I have two) with slang vibrating off every page which some Young Adult books do.

Now, I have not read this next book that I'm highlighting here but I loved the title (which you know I'm a fan of great titles) and I liked the storyline:






Sydney Salter







Another one that caught my attention is Sucks To Be Me by Kimberly Pauley:














Check them out or at least visit your library and find the YA section and take some time, maybe this summer, to explore our younger female stories. You might find yourself reliving your youth or you might be surprised and find that the problems or excitement of our "younger" years still exist today!

Feel free to comment on any YA books you'd recommend to women who love Women's Fiction.

WOWOWOW.COM Is the Answer to My Question

If you are like me, and you are using the Internet to Network for whatever reason, small business, new writer, old writer, freelance writer, I'm certain that at some point you've asked "Is this blog or website even worth it? Is anyone even listening?"

I know I've asked it many times. Well, this afternoon, I received an answer.

wowOwow.com The Women on the Web website included this blog in their Blogs We Like in their Book Party section.

If you have not checked out wowOwow, this website was launched by CEO Joni Evans, Mary Wells Lawrence, Liz Smith, Lesley Stahl, and Peggy Noonan on March 8, 2008.

The sites contributors include Whoopi Goldberg, Marlo Thomas, Candice Bergen and more incredible women!

If you want to know what other women are talking about when it comes to News, Politics, Style, Books and more then head over and take a look. And while you are there, visit the Book Party section and check out the other blogs they like have linked to, you might find a new favorite blog!

Thanks again Annik La Farge for including my blog!

Janice Lynne Lundy Blog Tour!

Hi everyone, let me start by introducing you to Janice.

As a fellow Michigan-der I was thrilled to be able to participate in this blog tour. Feel free to ask Janice any questions, she's made herself available to my blog and her schedule of appearances is in the previous post where last week I announced her arrival!

Described by her readers, audiences, and colleagues as “practical and poetic, possessing deep and gentle wisdom,” Janice Lynne Lundy serves as an interfaith spiritual guide to tens of thousands of women throughout the United States through her nationally syndicated magazine column in Women’s LifeStyle, as a professional speaker and retreat facilitator, and as a Spiritual Director. She has been recognized for her sensitive and compelling interviews as well as for her gift for connecting with soul-searching women. Jan is an adjunct staff member for the Institute of Spirituality at the Dominican Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her newest book, Your Truest Self: Embracing the Woman You Are Meant to Be, was released in October 2008 by Sorin Books.

Jan is the author of three previously published personal and spiritual growth books: Coming Home to Ourselves: A Woman’s Journey to Wholeness; Awakening the Spirit Within; and Perfect Love: How to Find Yours and Make It Last Forever (co-authored with her husband, Brad Lundy).

The mother of three, stepmother of four, and grandmother of three more, Jan resides on the peaceful shoreline of Grand Traverse Bay in northern Michigan with her husband, Brad, her creative partner and soul’s companion.

Learn more about Jan at her website: www.awakenedliving.com.

Register for her newsletter and she'll send you her new, inspirational 90-page e-book, The Awakened Woman's Guide to Life.

Visit her blog: www.awakeisgood.blogspot.com. She enjoys hearing from her readers and responds personally. Email: jan@awakenedliving.com.


Aren't these blog tours a wonderful tool for authors today!!

Janice was kind enough to offer an article on the importance of friendship with women: Friends: Midwives To Our Souls

Again, remember, Janice will respond to any questions you may have about her writing or her great book.

WOW BLOG TOUR!

I am excited to be participating in Wow - Women on Writing's blog tour! I chose Janice Lundy's new book Your Truest Self - Embracing the Woman You Are Meant to Be because I'm all about women today and she's a fellow Michigander! Visit her website Awakened Living to learn more about Janice and her work.

Come back next week to read Janice's article written just for us here: Friends: Midwives to Our Souls



By Janice Lynne Lundy

Within every woman there is an essential truth waiting to be uncovered, a truth that will empower her to discover a spiritual life that is real and authentic, one that will nourish and sustain her every day. Janice Lynn Lundy thoughtfully guides readers toward finding that essential truth for themselves. Drawing from her personal encounters with twelve spiritual mentors--Frances Moore Lappe, Daphne Rose Kingma, Iyanla Vanzant, Naomi Judd, and more--she has created twelve Transformational Truths to guide and enable women to live more peaceful, confident, and open-hearted lives.

ISBN: 1-933495-12-X
Sorin Books, October 2008


***Below is a calendar that shows where Janice will be popping up in the next few days so please take some time and visit these sites, you may just find a new blog or site that you can't live without!

My How Time Flies

Wow, didn't mean to take such a long break. In addition to trying to write I am now the Children's Librarian for my town library so stick with me, no more long lulls I promise.

In that time since my last post, I have finished reading two great books and if you haven't gotten to them yet I suggest you pick them up.



Your Roots Are Showing (another great title, just love it) by Elise Chidley. I agreed to read this one because of the title, it's that simple. Thanks so much for passing this one on to me. Needing a major makeover after Lizzie makes that dreaded mistake of sending an email where she has spilled her guts on how she feels about her husband to the wrong person - her husband! With twins in tow she has to try to put things right when her husbands wants a divorce. While this is a story that has been played out many times, Elsie does a great job of bringing humor and love to her characters and it makes for a great read.

The second book which I read some time ago is from one online fried, Allison Winn Scotch, Time of My Life. I picked this one up for several reasons, 1 - I enjoy her blog, 2 - the cover is amazing and 3 - the time travel aspect was interesting to me, and 4 - I've read her earlier book The Department of Lost and Found.



I've posted before about my excitement of getting this one in the mail and how excited I was to hear that it will be turned into a movie and with a title like that at the same time David Cook's song Time of My Life came out, well it just seems like fate doesn't it that his song should be in the movie!

If you enjoyed the Time Traveler's Wife - and who didn't? Then pick Allison's book up. With a time traveling theme where Jillian gets to ask and answer the question, what if? What if we went a different route earlier in our relationships and jobs, what would life be like? If you knew then what you know now what if anything would you change if you could?

Loved every page of it and the cover is just beautiful and I'll have to swing over to Allison's blog which I hate to admit I've been away from for a few months now.

Pick both of these up, you won't be disappointed!

New Stuff on the Way!

My in box has been overflowing with good stuff on women's fiction. Unfortunately those dog days of summer have left little time to weed through them.

Watch for specific themed days that will have information pertaining to writing and selling women's fiction, news you can use to help you over the hump, author showcase, and great books give away.

So don't give up on me, stay tuned!