The Book That Almost Killed Me by Jenn McKinlay

BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE is out TODAY!!!  Take a good look at this cover because this book (oh, this book!) almost killed me.

AVAILABLE SEPT 26th

The book was done. Finished. Ready to go. The plot was a bit out there being the old comedy trope of a wrong bed scenario where two characters end up in bed together who shouldn't be. It was a bit of a modern twist on Move Over, Darling, starring Doris Day and James Garner. I'm not saying I write romantic comedy capers like those fabulous old films but I'm not not saying it either. (Yes, I just winked at you).

Side note: I will always halt traffic, stop the clocks, and put the phone on mute if a Doris Day movie comes on. Seriously, don't bother me unless you're bringing me a bucket of buttery popcorn goodness.

Now my editor and I had worked closely on this book. We were both happy with it, and then the world changed. I won't go into the politics of how or why the world changed (ahem) but suddenly just being female made me feel vulnerable in ways it never had before, and I couldn't go through with the book the way it was. I couldn't let my heroine be victimized, however unintentionally, no matter that a happily ever after resolution awaited her. The scenario no longer worked for me. I called my editor and said I needed the book back. She gave me three weeks.

I gutted that book or maybe it gutted me. Either way, in twenty-one days fifty thousand words (half the book) were ripped out, revised, or rewritten so that my heroine came out triumphant and I came out like a bloated, soggy lasagna noodle. I have since recovered but it was ugly there for awhile. 

Now here's a high point. Barking Up the Wrong Tree is my second romantic comedy in the Bluff Point series and it was chosen as a TOP PICK with 4 1/2 stars by RT magazine: 

"Dive on in to the second terrific book in McKinlay’s Bluff Point series where romance and second chances are definitely in the air! Her newest heroine is a poster-child for being truly commitment-phobic, an attitude brought on by a nasty incident in her past. How the hero and her friends try to break through the heroine’s barriers makes for a funny and warm-hearted story. But the cherry on top of this sundae is the addition of a trio of delightful furry (and feathered) sidekicks, the wonderfully foul-mouthed parrot Ike and the canine crew of Saul and Hot Wheels. McKinlay is definitely on a hot streak!"

Here's a snoot boop from Saul, Ike, Hot Wheels

So that was pretty cool and here's the review of the book from Booklist reviewer John Charles (because he "gets me" and the review made me laugh):

Pretty great, right? And, yes, this absolutely made my three weeks of chocolate milk shake and Frito fueled revision hell worth it! Mostly.

After our dysfunctional relationship evened out, I have to say, Carly Decusati is one of my favorite heroines! A feisty, curvaceous Italian girl, she is unapologetically single and refuses to compromise who she is or what she wants and she makes me laugh. If you're looking for some hilarity and hijinks (much like the ones found in those old fifties/sixties movies), then stop by Bluff Point for a visit. It'll make you laugh and hit you in all the feels, I promise.

So, how about you Reds? What's the book that almost killed you? How did you overcome? If this has never happened to you, seriously, keep it to yourself! 

Oh, and is anyone else a fan of the old rom-com movies, or is it just me? If so, which one? I've always loved If a Man Answers with Sandra Dee and Bobbie Darin -- don't judge me!

A Matter of Trust--What would you do?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:   It happens to me at the airport. I'm by myself, and waiting in my very good seat in the waiting area, and, um, I have to go to the bathroom. DO I give up my good seat, and lug all my stuff with me? Or do I look for a likely trust-worthy looking person and say--could you just watch this for me and I'll be right back?

Now, obviously, this is FRAUGHT. This is asking someone to do exactly what the security announcements say not to do. But in this case, I'd be the dangerous one, right? And I'm not. Of course that someone could steal all my stuff. So, sigh, I NEVER do it, but I always think of it.

Another time, on the airplane, I was having trouble getting into my 11A window seat--because I had a bag, and a latte, I couldn't navigate myself over the passenger in 11B. "Could you hold my latte for me?" I asked 11B. She looked at me like I was CRAZY. "No, I'm afraid not," she said. 

 

What a terrific photo of Diane Vallere!

So how do you know who  is trustworthy? That's what the fabulous (you know her,right?)  Diane Vallere is asking--

WHO DO YOU TRUST?

                        Diane Vallere

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about trust, which I think is a very scary subject. Specifically, I’ve been wondering what it is about trust that makes us willing to gamble our emotional well being? Is it a currency with which we shop for people who become our closest confidents, or is it a measure by which we rule out wannabe friends and partners?

Not terribly long ago, I was talking about a mutual friend with some coworkers. “I like her, but I wouldn’t trust her as far as I can throw her,” said one. We all agreed. But on principle, it seems silly that we could acknowledge liking someone who we all know we wouldn’t trust. I couldn’t tell you what that person had done to make us all agree so quickly, but there it was: unanimous votes on untrustworthiness, cast in a matter of seconds. It would have taken longer to get us to agree on lunch.

It seems that every day we encounter strangers to whom we grant our trust: the mechanic who tells us that our car repairs are going to cost $900, the sales associate who says we look good in yellow, the Trader Joe’s employee who tells us we’ll really like the Malbec/Merlot blend. So we have the work done on our car, we buy the outfit, and we drink the wine. We trusted these strangers for no reason other than we wanted to.

But maybe the car didn’t really need that much work. Does it hurt as much to learn that the mechanic lied as it does when a loved one tells us they read our private journal? Not really. 

So why does it bother us so much when a person we’re close to violates our trust? Because it tells us something about that person, or because it tells us something about ourselves?

I think a lot about trust when I’m working on a book. Everybody in a character’s life can’t be trustworthy; it goes against the laws of real life. But in a mystery, where characters often aren’t what they seem, does trust play the same role as coincidence? Is it a plot device to move a scene forward, or is it an honest-to-goodness reflection of our own desire to believe the best about human nature when surrounded by the worst?

No actual teddies were loaned for this blog

When we trust someone, we become vulnerable. It’s like extending a valuable part of ourselves in the hopes that the person we trust will treat it with the respect it deserves.

It’s kind of like loaning out your teddy bear. Scary subject, indeed!

HANK:  Would you ask a stranger to hold your latte? Would you ask a stranger to hold your baby?  Have you ever trusted someone you shouldn't?

And trust me on this--one lucky commenter will win Diane's new book!

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Diane Vallere lives in a world where popcorn is a breakfast food and Doris Day movies are revered for their cultural significance. After over twenty years in the fashion industry, she now writes full time, juggling the Mad for Mod series, the Style & Error series, and the upcoming Material Witness series. She launched her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since. Find her at http://www.dianevallere.com/.

THAT TOUCH OF INK

When interior decorator Madison Night receives a five thousand dollar bill in the mail, she knows it's a message from her past. But when she discovers a corpse while trying to learn of the bill's value, Madison suspects her former lover wants more than a reconciliation. His actions belie his intentions, and even a gallon of daisy yellow paint can't hide the writing on the wall. Madison follows a circuit of rare dollars and common sense and discovers a counterfeit operation, a jealous lover, and the true value of her independence.