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!

Remembering James Garner...

HALLIE EPHRON: I was saddened to see that James Garner died last week. Dead at 86 -- not a bad run. And I thought: was he adorable or what? I wish I'd met the guy just so I could say I did.

I had such a crush on him, first when he played Maverick with wry humor, his hat tipped back on his head. Then again, much older as Murphy Jones in Murphy's Romance when he ogles Sally Fields's behind as she grabs a bale of hay.

Could he really have been as nice as he seemed? So I read his obituary skimming past his considerable credits to find out that he grew up in an unhappy home (his stepmother beat him and his two older brothers) in Oklahoma where his father ran a country store. He got into acting on a lark. And... he was still married to the woman he married two weeks after he met her in 1956. And he had two daughters.

If you asked me why I was so in love with him it would be a) he's knock-down-dead gorgeous and b) he made me laugh.

Another actor I was mad about was Robert Mitchum. Look at him, is he the anti-James Garner or what? He died at 79 in 1997, and his NY Times obit described him as "rugged with dignity." True to his image on screen, in real life he was hard-drinking, chain-smoking bad boy who slept around.

If you ask me why I had a thing for Robert Mitchum it would be: a) those hooded eyes were sexy as could be and b) he scared me to death.

If I had to pick, James Garner (white hat) or Robert Mitchum it would be no contest -- though I'm not saying which one or for what.

So today I'm asking you to reveal yourself. Who would you rather be (or be with)?

• Robert Mitchum or James Garner?
• Barbara Stanwyck or Debbie Reynolds?
• John Boy or Walter White?
• Sharon Stone or Cameron Diaz?
• Benedict Cumberbatch or Robert Downey Jr.?
• Jack Nicholson or Carey Grant?
• Tina Fey or Sarah Silverman?
• Jennifer Anniston or Jennifer Lopez?

Your answers will tell us everything we need to know about you.