Monday, May 18, 2009

Today's special is...Freudian Slip!

Freudian Slip by Erica Orloff

Almost a year ago, Erica Orloff was one of the first authors to throw themselves on to the red hot coals of the Book Roast, with The Roofer. We're delighted to toast her once again, with her imminent new release: Freudian Slip. Death, demons and DJs - an unearthly combination...

When raunchy shock jock Julian Shaw is shot, he expects a white light, or perhaps his dearly departed grandmother. What he gets instead is a Guide, Gus, and an assignment: a lovesick Kate Darby, whose life is a mess. He also gets orders from The Boss to fix her life. But doing something good kind of grows on Julian. And now he wants a chance at redemption--and he just may have to sell his soul to the devil to get it.

Excerpt . . . Julian's conversation with the devil:

Balam continued, his voice lugubriously smooth, “This signing bonus comes—if you should end up back in your mortal body—with wealth. Unimaginable wealth. And just for you,” he snapped his fingers and a thick contract on many pages of legal-sized paper appeared out of nowhere. “Clause 17H.”

Julian examined the contract, running his finger down all the fine print until he got to 17H. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope. Clause 17H. I’ll toss in a ménage a trois with twins.”

“Identical twins?”

“Absolutely.”

“Playboy-quality twins?”

“You insult me, my friend. Would I deliver anything less. Impeccably perfect Playboy-quality twins. Blondes.” Balam snapped his fingers. “One better. Natural blondes. Brazilian wax of course.”

“Look,” Julian said. “Tempting as all this is, how come you’re not burning in a sea of fire? You’re not what I expected.”

“Of a demon?”

“Yeah. No pitchfork. No horns. No red skin.” Julian reached out and patted Balam’s suit. “Expensive Italian suit. Expertly tailored.”

“I use a guy from Hong Kong over near the Waldorf Astoria.”




Freudian Slip
comes in June, but you can pre-order at Amazon here or at Barnes and Noble here.

Erica keeps herself busy in a variety of genres, including sassy chick lit, comedic romances, YA and paranormal. Find out more about Erica and her books at:

www.ericaorloff.com
www.magickeepers.com

Or check out her blogs: Erica Orloff and Demon Baby and Me

Question...

LinkIt could only be...tell us about your tailoring. Dahlings, my little fashion sweeties, from top to toe, and down to the skin if you dare - what are you wearing today and where did you get it from?

47 comments:

Shona Snowden said...

OK, so it says Monday at the top, but it's Tuesday here, so let's go!

Shona Snowden said...

Hm, I guess you're all wearing pjs and a snore right now.

OK, so dahleenks, I am wearing a top, cardigan and scarf from Gap and skinny leg black jeans from Next. As for underneath...I'll leave that to your imagination, dahleenks.

Back tomorrow with a whole different outfit. Gotta love time zones.

fairyhedgehog said...

Pjs, yes. A snore, no.

So: a t-shirt top so old that it's got a permanent twist to it, showing cartoon surfers and bearing the legend "Life's a beach", together with cropped jersey trousers in blue and white toile de joie. Pink and green floral flip flops (do you guys call them thongs?) from Accessorize complete the ensemble.

I just hope the postman doesn't knock today.

Chris Eldin said...

This is one of many of Erica's books I will end up owning!! I think I'll need a separate shelf...
:-)

fairyhedgehog said...

Is no one else wearing clothes today?

Sarah Laurenson said...

The Erica Orloff shelf. Sounds about right. How funny is this one? Damn. Love the Brazilian. Weren't we just discussing that recently?

Sarah Laurenson said...

Have you guys read Magickeepers? I devoured it last week.

Marnie said...

Well they call what I am wearing Business Casual. Black slacks and a Blue professional blouse with flats. Nothing wow its Tuesday and the boss isn't in.

Anonymous said...

Very cool book cover up there.

I'm wearing a white button down shirt, blue pants and a blue Penn State tie. All purchased at Kaufmann's most likely. For those that don't know Kaufmann's, it's a department store that no longer exists. That's tells you something about how often I update my wardrobe. To top off the ensemble, I have on a "Mr. Rogers" sweater because it's so cold in my office.

PS I'm boring.

Stephen Parrish said...

I've already preordered my copy of FS. Now I see I'm going to have to look up "lugubriously" before I start reading it.

I'm wearing jogging shorts and a t-shirt. I'm barefoot---which I would always be if I could.

Erica Orloff said...

Well, we're all naked underneath. ;-)

I am in an airport cafe heading back home after a signing. I'm WAY more dressed in business casual than I ever am at home in from of my PC--it's usually pjs or sweats . . . or my lucky bathrobe. And I usually am sporting the ULTIMATE fashion accessroy--a Demon Baby clinging to my back.

Sarah Laurenson said...

Oooh. That's an expensive accessory. I hear they're really rare.

Sarah Laurenson said...

I'm almost out the door for work, so I'm in my usual work clothes - jeans, a polo shirt and sneakers.

fairyhedgehog said...

You have a lucky bathrobe, Erica? I could do with one of those.

Pissenlit said...

Brown sweatpants with beige pinstripes...probably from Sears or something(I forget) and a grey sweatshirt with navy lettering(in white trim) from my alma mater that I got during an end of term 50% off sale(it claims it's a size small...ya, small ogre, maybe).

Mark Terry said...

Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes T-shirt, green (You ought to be able to figure out where I got it)

Levis 501 Blues. Belt. White socks. Brooks walking shoes. Fruit-of-the-Looms briefs.

Charles Gramlich said...

I'm wearing some drippings from the steak I just ate.

Melanie Hooyenga said...

I LOVE the excerpt!

It figures today I get asked what I'm wearing.

Black cotton shorts and a white tank top flipped up to expose my stomach to the fan that's three feet away. It's kind of toasty here.

Amy Sue Nathan said...

I'm wearing mismatched sweats. Veeery sexy.

Aniket Thakkar said...

Hi Erica,

I totally loved the excerpt. I am so getting my copy of this one. :D

As for what am wearing.

"Among other things", I am wearing a 6-inches smile after reading the 'Playboy-quality twins?' part. :D :D

Erica Orloff said...

Fairy hedgehog
My so-called lucky bathrobe is in near tatters and belonged to my grandpa. I am afraid to wash it!

Jude Hardin said...

I'm wearing a Tommy Bahama polo with an Hawaiian print, a hand-me-down from the podiatrist my ex-wife works for (I would never spend that kind of dough for a shirt), Wrangler jeans, Adidas socks, New Balance cross trainers, Hanes boxer briefs, and a classy little Seiko watch that was in a drawer for twenty-five years until recently when I pulled it out and had a new battery installed.

The book sounds mahvelous, dahlink.

Chris Eldin said...

I had to delurk because Jude has a nice ensemble.
;-)

I'm wearing lunch love--a nice girlfriend visit which happens waaay too infrequently.

Phoenix Sullivan said...

Hi Erica! So glad you're back here. You were SUCH an easy, delightful roast last time, and looking to be quite easy and delightful again. ;o) And such a different book, to boot!

Jeans are pretty upscale for me, so I'm in tangerine sweat pants by Hanes. White ankle socks and undies -- also by Hanes (when you find a great designer, you absolutely MUST stick with them!). Holy Blood & Crescent Moon T-shirt from the Ft. Worth Opera. Little black go-with-anything canvas slip-ons from Wal-Mart. And a ton of mechanics grease from trying to hitch up the mower to the tractor at lunch time.

Now tell me, does an airport cafe come in a "small"?

Phoenix Sullivan said...

Now, if I were to get one of those deep-voiced "So, what are you wearing" phone calls, I think my answer would be quite different. ;o)

Shona Snowden said...

A fascinating collection, dahleenks. Right now I'm wearing top-to-toe Target; flannel pjs, fleecy dressing gown and their cheap version of Ugs. Snug. Must get dressed for real before I take kids to school, though.

Now here's the more serious part of the question...Erica, and everybody else, do you use fashion/clothing in your writing to help with character?

(Chris, does wearing lunch love mean you tipped a glass of wine down your shirt?)

Erica Orloff said...

Jude:
Thanks . . . it's a fun comedy, I think.

E

Erica Orloff said...

Phoenix:
Aww . . . thanks for having me.

Love the ensemble--especially the opera shirt!
E

Erica Orloff said...

Shona:
Not too much . . . but I think a few datails to hopefully "nail" a character, or maybe show change. In Freudian Slip, my female character starts out in more asexual clothing--polos and jeans and "practical" underwear, and gravitates toward La Perla underwear and silky shirts and shorter skirts by the time the novel is done . . . .
E

laughingwolf said...

welcome back, erica... i keep amused and entertained by you db chronicles ;)

neat excerpt, shona!

lessee: brown hiking shoes, sweat sox, blue jeans, denim shirt... just got back with older daughter from kfc, we shared with only son... younger daughter at her ma's

not even close to what db wears... uh... does not wear ;)

laughingwolf said...

YOUR db chronicles... rats!

McKoala said...

I'm dressed from top to toe in soft, velvety fur. Apart from the RAZOR SHARP BLOODSTAINED CLAWS.

Shona Snowden said...

Now it's Wednesday, and I'm back in the skinnylegs, only grey today, with a grey wool wrap top. I'm matching the sky outside. It's raining today and our garden is flooded, with the laundry not far behind.

Sometimes I don't even mention clothes when I'm writing. I'm not a big fan of stories where, every day, the heroine gets out of bed, 'throws on' (it's always 'throws on', why?) jeans and a t-shirt before anything can happen. Or stories where every outfit is detailed, and yet utterly bland...'a pastel turtleneck, black slacks and black pumps'. In fact the mere mention of the words 'turtleneck', 'slacks' and 'pumps' can cause me to close a book. (Gee, hope no one's wearing that combo today...)

If you're going to mention clothing, have a reason for it, that's what I say. Like Erica does. Make it work for you. Make it a character trait. For example, what jeans and t-shirt? Are they an old, beloved pair the heroine can't bear to throw away? That might tell me that she values comfort, doesn't care too much about her appearance and/or doesn't have much money. And the t-shirt - what does it say? Note here that most people who mentioned t-shirts mentioned their 'content'. These little choices say something about us - even the choice of a plain t-shirt, over one with a pic or words.

Here endeth the lesson.

Practical exercise...just for fun...pick an outfit that somebody has posted here and see if you can figure out what it says about their character. Try and pick somebody you don't know. Let's find out how close we can get...

Sandra Cormier said...

Really and for truly? I didn't miss it? Cool!

What am I wearing now? Pajama bottoms and a T-shirt Jamie Ford sent me. It says Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet on the front, and it says Bitter on the back. I have another one that says Sweet. Kinda reminds me of Dude Where's My Car...

Erica Orloff said...

laughing wolf:
Well . . . all Demon Baby blog readers know . . . it's nudity or nothing.
E

Erica Orloff said...

McKoala:
Oooh . . . you scare me. ;-)
E

Sandra Cormier said...

Since I don't 'know' the others here, I'll pick Laughing Wolf.

He's easygoing and laid back. He likes to fish and watch the game on TV. He doesn't argue much, but when he believes he's right, he presents his case in a calm manner that puts others to shame.

Anonymous said...

Remember me from above, the one with the boring white shirt and Penn State tie. I changed. Now I have on a Hockey Hall of Fame t-shirt and some plaid gray pajama paints. And no socks, because socks are an invention of He Who Should Not Be Named. I call him...Tim (crap, I named him!).

Sarah Laurenson said...

McK - such a fierce description. You must watch Project Runway.

I'm home - finally - and still in my polo shirt (Kohls), jeans (CostCo), Nike sneakers (Sports Authority) [I prefer New Balance, but couldn't find any in my size and not leather that day], ankle black socks (CostCo), Jockey briefs(Macy's), grey a-frame t-shirt (Target).

I'm about to kick off my shoes and socks and cuddle with my wife on the couch while we watch DWTS or AI finals tonight. They're both being taped.

Sarah Laurenson said...

E - you still awake?

Shona Snowden said...

With Erica's level of waking in question, perhaps it is time to close the roast for today. Thank you all for your input!

Erica, would you like to choose a winner for a hot-off-the-presses copy of Freudian Slip?

Unknown said...

Today I sported my favorite yellow v-neck T-shirt, dark wash jeans, Paramore "Riot" scarf, and orange VANS.

It's a shame I only had to attend second period today.

-J.T.

Erica Orloff said...

Well . . . I like J.T.'s outfit best! So . . . can I pick J.T.? Orange Vans. Paramore? Totally groovy!
E

Shona Snowden said...

JT, (Just Too cool for school?) is our winner for today!

Congrats JT, and thank you Erica.

fairyhedgehog said...

Thanks, Erica, for the fun.

And congrats to JT!

(I rather liked McK's outfit myself, scary though it is.)

laughingwolf said...

grats jt... and thx erica :)

[gonna steal your line: it's nudity, or nothing! ;) lol]

Unknown said...

Epic Win!

And to think I got voted most likely to end up living in a dumpster back in the 8th grade.

-J.T.