Souvenir by Therese FowlerClick here to order from Amazon.
Read the excerpt from Souvenir, then answer the three questions that follow.
*****At their Nettle Bay villa, Carson watched Val and Marie-Louise, the ambitious young French realtor Val had picked, pore over photos and property fact sheets on the patio’s café table. He knew he should be as immersed in the activity as Val, knew by the way she kept looking over at him, sitting on the rattan chair to her right, that she thought the same thing. And he wanted to be. He wanted to be fully focused on ideal elevation, proximity to the best surf, amenities such as built-in pools and spas and breeze-catching screened rooms. But his seditious mind kept moseying back in time, to the evenings when he and his father had sat at their square kitchen table and sketched out plans for a very different new residence, one he’d share with a very different girl.
He could see it, as clear as if it happened last week instead of twenty years ago: his dad looking young and capable in the heavy twill pants and cotton button-up shirt he always wore to work in the groves; the kitchen light, a cone-shaped pendant, hanging above the table’s center, its circle of golden light on their outspread papers; his mother singing some ‘60s tune while she updated the books at the desk nearby—The Carpenters, he thought, hearing her contra-alto in his memory. And Meg, sitting close at his left, pushing her long hair off her shoulders and smiling at him, at the future they were drawing with a wooden ruler and pencils sharpened with a knife.
*************************************************************************************
Questions:
1) What kind of view does Therese like?
2) What’s Therese’s favorite Carpenters song?
3) What does Therese use her ruler for?
52 comments:
Good morning everybody!
We can go ahead and start the contest now. It will give some of our overseas folks a bit of extra time as well.
:-)
1) A clear one.
2) "Why do birds suddenly appear...every TIME you are neeeeeeeear? Just like meeeee, they long to beeeeee CLOSE to youuuuuuu...."
3) Reigning benevolently.
("AAAAAA-aaaa-aaaa-aaaa-aaaaa....CLOSE to youuuuuuuuu..." *cough* Ahem. Sorry.)
morning chris :)
1. therese would prefer looking at a soggy swamp, at night, with its millions of skeeters shimmering in the will-o-the-wisp glows, full of blood lust ;)
2. 'top of the world', of course!
3. her 'ruler' would her significant other, what do you THINK he'd be useful for? :P lol
Hi Chris!
I see Carolie is off to a good start with a morning serenade!
Now laughingwolf, really, I can't talk about using my "ruler" when all my kids are around. ;)
(1) Unobstructed. If not that, then A Slightly Skewed One.
(2) Sleigh Ride.
(3) I knew IT. It ALWAYS comes down to measuring with you ladies....
(1) Third-person omniscient. :)
(2) "Rainy Days and Mondays"
(3) Disciplining the SO.
AHAHAHAHAHAH!
I admire people who can be funny so early in the day!
:-)
1. A big sky over a Midwestern plain, wind-swept. I am imagining one of those scenes from old black and white films where a young pilot, cocky and flirty, is about to take off for adventure.
2. Rainy Days and Mondays
3. Judging from her comments this morning: child discipline.
1) What kind of view does Therese like?
A View to a Skill.
2) What’s Therese’s favorite Carpenters song?
"If I had a hammer and you had a nail?" Is that a Carpenter song?
3) What does Therese use her ruler for?
To judge whether others "measure up?"
1. The view of a fat commission check from that money-pit she sold last week.
2. A Place To Hideaway. (for obvious reasons).
3. For counting to 12.
Us novelists aren't exactly mathematicians, you know.
brian jay jones: my view probably is "slightly skewed"--but do I favor it? Hmm... And yeah, ladies measure, but not all of us judge!
Jes, you're in tune. :) Well, my SO is awfully easygoing--but I suppose that could be due to that ruler hanging around.
pjd, nice imagery!
Oh, but not CHILD discipline. (I fear my kids have ME too well trained!)
Charles--clever man! But about #3, it's more like determining whether I measure up. Damn that writers'-insecurity problem!
A most evil editor has promoted this in his most hilarious way:
http://evileditor.blogspot.com/
:-)
arlyle, did I sell something last week?! (pause while phoning agent...)
1. The one where Rosie O'Donnell made fun of Donald Trump's Hair.
2. Top of the World
3. To check her margarine.
(She was told that a manuscript submission had to have one-inch of margarine all the way around it)
Therese- I've been told that you've sold 100,000 copies; however, the check is broken down like this:
1. They anticipate that within the next 75 years, 99,000 of them might be sent back. So, for the time being, they are putting that portion of your commission into a reserve.
2. 40,000 of them were sold to book clubs for a penny. So you get three cents commision on those.
3. Apparently 99,000 plus 40,000 equals 139,000. Until you return the additional 39,000 copies that they shipped (to God only knows where) you are responsible for the total retail price of $712,000. You may pay the balance by cash or money order, no checks please.
BTW~ Don't forget to include your agent's commission, approximately $106,000, in addition to what you send to the publisher.
Threse,
Welcome to Book Roast! I can see you're browning nicely. ;)
My God, you scored some beautiful cover art for your book! I feel myself reaching to shelf and heading for the register. I. Just. Can't. Stop.
My, my, Miss Therese,
I'd be very interested in knowing about your favorite views - landscape, and otherwise, my darlin'.
What does he look like? Your favorite view, is what I'm meanin' by that...
1) What kind of view does Therese like?
One that keeps changing to suit her mood each day. Snow-capped mountains on hot days. Ocean waves on days when she needs a little relaxation. It's a mood window.
2) What’s Therese’s favorite Carpenters song?
Hm. Not knowing many Carpenter songs, I'll go outside the box with Hopelessly Devoted to Muskrat Love
3) What does Therese use her ruler for?
A little light discipline to go with the nun's habit that's in the closet next to the french maid uniform.
*waves to Savannah*
That is some outfit.....
:-)
arlyle, I have serious reservations about those reserves... (pause while phoning agent)
--Thank God my margarines are in order, at least!
Jason, that's right, just like that, don't stop.
Miss Savannah, bring the margaritas and I'll tell you ALL about it, every literary detail.
Oh Sarah--Muscrat Susie and Muscrat Sam! *sigh*
Second verse, not same as the first. A new day and a new book
1) - like nature Dudettes, green plants, flowers and colors spreading in psychedelic patterns.
2) If I had a hammer, I'd hammer in the morning. {What? Carpenters have hammers, too}
3) Houses are out this year. Scale drawings of electric cars with smooth, sexy, aerodynamic lines.
And one last thing I must say - A can of Underwood Deviled Ham. It's a consistency thing.
1) What kind of view does Therese like?
The one from the front row at a Chippendale's revue.
2) What’s Therese’s favorite Carpenters song?
"If I had a hammer..." Sorry, wrong carpenter.
"If I had a cheeseburger..." Sorry, right Carpenter, wrong song.
"Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft"... which makes less sense than either of the others.
3) What does Therese use her ruler for?
Comparison shopping.
lol ...who needs to 'talk'? ;)
Hi again, Miss Therese,
How about we partake of some of my wonderful mimosas, honey?
With fresh-squeezed orange juice, of course. Anything I partake of me, I want it fresh, or course.
Then we'll curl up and have ourselves a man chat, shall we?
And how ever did you manage to have yourself such a wonderful cover, my darlin'? I believe it's one of the nicest I've seen.
So, is it wrong for me to ask about the novel? I like the writing and I'm curious to get a better feel for it. Is it essentially a romance with a non-romance cover (sorry, no clutch!) or not so much?
Savannah Spitfire:
1. Beautiful job keeping in character.
2. Your slip is showing.
3. Now, darlin', tell me what a Southern Belle calls the sharecropper's teenage son when he's trimming the hedges.
1) an ocean view
2) On Top of the World
3) Slapping the crap out of her non-participatory man
doot65[at]comcast[dot]net
Elizabeth
Why, Mr Arylyle,
She refers to him as her nice surprise of a little pre-dinner concoction, a'course.
And I believe Mr. Pacatrue is onto something there, with wantin' to know more about Miss Therese's book. I think that would be mighty nice to hear about.
Is there a limit to how many responses we can post?
1. George Clooney's bald spot.
2. Passionate Kisses
(It is Carpenter's song)
3. As she once said, "Nothing gets through the door, unless it's 12 inches or more."
Just tell me when to stop:
1. The blurry view after a successful night of networking.
2. Hammer, nail, and screw. (Acoustic version, of course)
3. So she knows when to trim. (Her word count. C'mon, what'd you think I was talking about?)
1. Warped
2. Sing
3. Dates
dave f., dude, I am so with you on #1. And if arlyle is right about my sales numbers, I'm all over that car you speak of!
Oh ulysses, I do like a man who's light on his feet... And I'll go for a cheeseburger now and then.
Right laughingwolf: less talk, more measuring!
Miss Savannah, whatever drink you prefer, you serve it fresh and I'll be there.
And as for the cover design, well, I drew it myself, with my ruler, of course.
pacatrue, it is not by definition a romance; it's a family drama and love story, "upmarket" women's fiction, I'm told.
I'm not much for following trends or being genre-bound, so publication has been an interesting journey so far!
blueviolet, yes, yes, rolling waves and men like Carson jogging on the beach!
1. Most liked view:
Ancestral lands (ancestors optional)
2. Favorite Carpenters song:
Excerpt + irony = "We've Only Just Begun"
3. Ruler use:
Since all the penis jokes have been taken, I'm going to have to say wood.
arlyle, George Clooney's anything would suffice nicely.
Twelve inches!? (runs away in fright)
As for your version of networking, one can only wish that would get one on the Lists.
dennis: irony is quite popular these days. And I believe you've managed to fit in another pun...
And lest I be taken literally: I did not actually draw my cover art. :)
LOL!! Keep the posts rolling in!!
(Except Arlyle, who exposed a hole in our system. Only *one* entry per person)
:-)
Therese, if you care to drop in any juicy tidbits about the book or your road to publishing, feel free. That'd kind of be like "super sizing". :o)
Oh, these questions are so tough!
Okay -- 1) A view of all sides. A proper panorama.
2) The one with the birds on the telephone line. Because that is my favorite.
3) I'm guessing she uses it for its proper purpose. Measuring things. Making straight lines.
phoenix, what would you like to know?
The basics: I was a "slush pile" find for my agent--who happened to be my top pick, and had rejected my very first novel three years prior (and rightly so).
The novel she signed me for was my second effort. It ended up unsold; I wrote Souvenir in the six months that followed our last round of submissions with that second book. My agent sold it at auction, and in multiple foreign countries, in a matter of days.
It was very cool to go from abject failure to real success in the space of about seven months. :)
Mary, it's true, I do like to (and try to) see all sides.
That's why I avoided going into Law.
Therese,
That's a sah weet success story!!! Thanks for sharing that. It's always nice to see the behind-the-scenes!!
Well, this is it!
Thanks to everyone who stopped by and played and had fun! The contest is closed.
Therese will be posting the winner in the comments section when she's ready.
Thanks all!!!!
:-)
Aw, Mom, do we hafta go to bed?
I've been having such fun here--many thanks and air kisses from me to the Book Roast crew and each of you hot players.
My answers:
1) What kind of view do I like?
-Well, when it comes to my profession, I like a good re-view.
When it comes to my aesthetic values, I like a tree-filled vista, with some rolling hills thrown in for good measure. Gimme the green.
2) My favorite Carpenters song is "Ticket to Ride" (yes, I know it was a Beatles song first; I like their version too). I was just the right age to identify with Karen Carpenter's lament, "The boy that's driving me mad/is going a-way..."
3) What do I use a ruler for?
-I don't, much. I'm a writer; I eye-ball everything. :)
Now I'm supposed to select THE WINNER, yes? Impossible! You are all the best!
But...
I'm going to say Sarah Laurenson, for her "mood window" which, for all that my preferred view is as stated above, would be my absolute favorite if it were real. And for her ability to punt on the song title!
Consolation prize goes to arlyle for sheer amusement.
What is the consolation prize, anyway? No worries, we'll think of one!
Thanks again, all!
Except Arlyle, who exposed a hole in our system.
It had to be Arlyle, didn't it?
Great entries from everybody, so sorry I completely missed it. Ahem. Time zones, bah.
Mmm, a couple of people actually asked real questions too - extra fries for Paca and Phoenix!
Thanks Therese; glad you had a good time!
Congratulations Sarah!!
The mood window was a nice touch indeed!
:-)
Thank you, Therese, for taking the time to play and share some insights. Looks like a great read!!!
Air hugs all around.
;-)
Ooh, I do love the behind-the-scenes stuff. Awesome! Thanks for sharing, Therese!
And congrats, Sarah.
Gee, I hate it when we have to hang out the "Closed" sign ;o(
Oops, I missed this one.
*heads on to the new one.*
grats to the wie... uh... winners! ;)
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