Guest Post: Laurel Osterkamp discusses how jury duty inspired The Holdout (CLP Blog Tours)

Photo Credit: CLP

Traveling With T is a stop on The Holdout by Laurel Osterkamp blog tour sponsored by Chick Lit Plus. This tour consists of excerpts, guest posts and reviews- to see what other bloggers are saying about The Holdout (or to read an excerpt), please visit Chick Lit Plus‘s tour page.

Laurel Osterkamp Guest Post

I really wanted jury duty.

For one, I would get out of teaching for a week or two. It was close to the end of the school year and my seniors were super squirrely. But there was more to it than just that. I’ve seen my fair share of legal dramas, and I thought it would be cool to sit in that box and decide the outcome of a court case. So when I got my summons I felt like I’d been awarded something cool.

But that was nothing compared to actually getting picked. The lawyers interviewed us, not individually, but as a group. And we all had to state where we were from, our marital status, age, and profession. I was one of two people who wasn’t a native Minnesotan, and the other guy couldn’t speak English. I believe that for that reason, the defense wanted me. It was a court case between a famous and successful Minnesotan businessman and a Turkish boating company. Of course the defense would want someone, anyone, who was from out of town. That person was me.

And like Robin in The Holdout, I did become one of two people who spoke up for the defense during deliberations. Actually, there are a lot of similarities between my jury experience and Robin’s. More similarities include:

· The jurors. I made their personalities a little more extreme in the book, especially in Four’s case. Hopefully the real-life Four will never read The Holdout, because she’ll probably hate me if she does. But other than that, I borrowed a lot from real-life.

· The case. It was actually about yachts, and I learned a lot about cold-molding epoxy, which is a method of boat construction.

· The routine. We did get prox-cards, which were keys to our very own jury room. We did get treats all the time, and we also took stretching breaks and had our own screens in front of our own cushy chairs. But my favorite part was that the bailiff always said, “All rise for the jury” every time we entered the room.

· The deliberations. It was basically ten to two in the end, and the guy who agreed with me was the foreman of the jury. He was also worthless. I also wound up arguing with the juror who inspired Nick/Ten but it was also him who I respected the most out of all the jurors.

· The verdict. But you’ll have to read The Holdout to find out more about that.

· The best part was walking away at the end. Knowing that I’d be able to walk away made me more willing to speak out than I’d ever been before.

· Nick/Ten really had been on three juries in two years – one county, one state, and one federal. So if you think that’s not possible, think again!

But there were differences too:

· There was no romance. There were some single twenty-somethings on the jury, but I never picked up on any sort of spark between them.

· There was no real-life handsome bad-boy who inspired Silas Smythe. Too bad. The trial would have been more interesting if he had been around.

· I did eventually learn most of the juror’s names.

In the end, jury duty was a great experience, if for no other reason that it inspired The Holdout. I recommend it even for people who aren’t geeks like me. You’ll learn a lot, and in the end, you’ll have an interesting story to tell.

Want to buy The Holdout? Visit Amazon!

Photo Credit: CLP

Laurel Osterkamp’s award winning novels have been hailed as funny, intelligent, snarky and poignant. She is the author of four novels and two novellas, including the November Surprise series, which, like The Holdout, features the Bricker family. Laurel was recently on a federal jury, and she loves watching Survivor.

Want to connect with Laurel? Visit Twitter, website, Goodreads or blog!

Audio Books- Yay or Nay?

Oh my.. I have a bit of a confession. A small secret. A thing that I rarely tell anyone.

I really don’t care for audio books.

Wait.. Maybe I should rephrase… I have not cared for the audio books I’ve tried in the past. The characters do not sound right. I can’t get involved in the story, sucked in like normal. I feel like a fish out of water, like a college party night without alcohol. I feel yuck.

Here’s the thing: When I read a book- the character has a voice, the voice that I give them in my head. And, no disrespect to audio books- but the voice I give the character sounds better than the audio version. Now granted, there are times that I may not know what the characters are supposed to sound like- but I prefer the voice I give them.

But I keep reading tweets and reviews from people talking about audio books & I have to say that I’m intrigued at times. Not enough to pay the full price for the audio. Not enough to get an Audible subscription. But…. somewhat. And I feel that sometimes I’m missing out.

Enter Gone Girl. 2012, I bought Gone Girl on Kindle (and then 1 day bought it on sale in hardcover because I freaking loved that book). Buying it on Kindle gave me a much lower price for the Audible version. Still I resisted. I mean how many ways can you own Gone Girl (even though it was a fan-freaking-tastic book)? I finally gave in a few weeks ago. I bought the audible version for 4.99. And I’m enjoying the heck out of it. Do I love it because I already love the book? Maybe. Do I love it because I love the voice of Amy- a character I was never quite sure I was giving an adequate voice to? Perhaps. Is the audio just that good? Possible.

Now am I about to jump on the audio bandwagon? Not quite yet. One time does not make a fan for life. But, I am more intrigued. And open to giving them another fair shake.

So tell me- are you an audio fan or not? And if you are- what are some of the “must try” books in your opinion?

Guest Post: Wendi Wachtel writes about the letter she writes to herself

Today Wendi Wachtel from H2O Bungalow stops by to discuss her New Year Resolutions- and I have to say, after reading this, I would like to start doing this!

Guest Post by Wendi Wachtel

Hi I’m Wendi from H2OBungalow where I blog about DIY home projects in a 1950’s small waterside bungalow..

I was so honored when Tamara sent me an email and asked me to take part in her assembly of New Years posts. I thought it would be fun to share our New Years Eve tradition. I stopped making New Years resolutions a long time ago. I felt like I put half-baked effort into coming up with resolutions. A few weeks later they’d be completely forgotten…to me, it seemed a complete waste of time and energy.

A few years ago my sister, Sherri shared a special and different New Years Eve tradition that she follows. We had a fun group over for New Years Eve. We were all sitting around the fireplace, having a great time and waiting for the countdown. When we had about an hour to go, Sherri announced we were going to do something to get ready for the New Year.

She handed everyone a blank envelope along with a piece of writing paper and a pen and told us all to write a letter to ourselves. Not just a letter, but one that listed how we want the New Year to be different. What we want, how we see ourselves, what changes we want to make, basically what traits we want to keep and what traits we want to let go. She said to keep it simple.

The room went silent for a while we were all contemplating and writing. Our group was a fun, bordering on rowdy bunch and it was funny to see everyone focus on the task at hand. We were instructed to seal our letters in the envelopes when we finished writing. My sister waited until the last letter was tucked away and the envelope sealed. She then instructed us all to address the letter…to ourselves and then give it to her.

As she collected the letters she told us she would hold onto them for 6 months. We’d be getting our personal notes back at the midway point in the year. True enough, mine arrived mid-June. I let When it arrived, I let it sit on my dresser, leaning against the mirror for a while before I opened it. I took that time to think about everything I wrote, how life was different from the changes I made and even where I fell short in the areas I wanted to improve.

It was 2012 and the year we dramatically changed our life and lifestyle when we moved to our Fl. waterside bungalow. I think this was the first time I’ve ever reflected back on a New Years resolution, promise or whatever you’d like to call it. To me, our New Years Eve letter was so much more powerful than a midnight promise after copious amounts of champagne. Since then, we’ve adopted this practice as our own New Years eve tradition. I’d like to call it my non-resolution tradition.

Thank you, Wendi, for guest posting!

Guest Post: Karen Brown- resolutions and drafts: A magical combination

Today, Karen Brown- author of The Longings of Wayward Girls, discusses why she broke her rule of not making resolutions.

Guest Post by Karen Brown:

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. It’s always seemed like a gesture doomed to failure, made at an incredibly auspicious moment—one that each year feels full of magic. Keeping a resolution made for the New Year was a little like having made a wish knowing that I was the only one able to grant it. As a child I’d address my weaknesses: I vow not to procrastinate. These seemed things I could address and control, but they were dull, everyday commitments, and never seemed to match the thrill of a new date written at the top of a school paper. I found soon enough that as the year progressed I fell back into habits that were probably not in my control to change.

As an adult one New Year’s Eve, standing in a line for the ladies room in a club, the band booming through the wall, I spoke my resolution out loud to a woman I hardly knew. “I’m going to publish my writing.” I’m sure she smiled at me, indulgently, and then disappeared into the next available stall. This resolution seemed far too outlandish—and it would take years for it to become a reality. Maybe a resolution is simply a reaffirmation of our dreams, and a chance to prove we can be the person we imagined?

This year, I decided to make a resolution before the new year presented itself. I wanted to finish a draft of my new novel by midnight. Even making the decision had a sense of the fairy tale about it. I’d been working on the thing all summer, and making little headway. I was dabbling, not really writing. As New Year’s approached I knew that a deadline was necessary, and what better reward than that sense of completion as the new year rolled in?

I made no other plans New Year’s Eve—no other commitments. I worked for fourteen straight hours with few breaks. At eleven thirty I wrote the last scene and at midnight I opened a bottle of champagne—a gift from the childhood friend to whom I’d dedicated my first novel, and who before a visit last summer I hadn’t seen in over thirty years. Of course the book isn’t entirely complete, but reaching the end, letting the story lead me to reveal where it’s been headed all along, is completion enough. A new draft for a New Year! Other than health and happiness, as a writer I can’t think of anything better.

Thanks Karen Brown for taking time to write this guest post! If you enjoyed reading this, check out the interview and author spotlight that Traveling With T posted about her last summer.

Giveaway: The Swiss Affair by Emyliah Hall

Photo Credit: Harlequin

Thanks to Harlequin Books, Traveling With T has another giveaway! Ya’ll know how I LOVE giveaways- and I’m so excited to be able to offer you, the readers of Traveling With T, another book giveaway!

The details: Just check the Rafflecopter link at bottom of page for your options to entry and then cross your fingers! The giveaway is open to only US/Canada folks (sorry!) The book will be released Jan 28th (so the giveaway starts a few days early on Jan 18th and ends Jan 31st.)

Summary from The Swiss Affair by Emyliah Hall:

For Hadley Dunn, life has been predictable and uneventful. But that is before she spends her second year of college abroad in Lausanne, a glamorous Swiss city on the shores of Lake Geneva. Lausanne is imbued with the boundless sense of freedom Hadley has been seeking, and it is here she meets Kristina, a beautiful but mysterious Danish girl. The two bond quickly, but as the first snows of winter arrive, tragedy strikes.

Driven by guilt and haunted by suspicion, Hadley resolves to find the truth about what really happened that night, and so begins a search that will consume her, the city she loves, and the lives of two very different men. Set against the backdrop of a uniquely captivating city, The Swiss Affair is an evocative portrayal of a journey of discovery and a compelling exploration of how our connections—with people, with places—make us who we are.

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Author Spotlight: Julie Kibler, author of Calling Me Home

Photo Credit: Author Provided

Yesterday, the interview with Julie Kibler posted. Today, it’s about the fun side of Julie- #literaryconfessions, #literarycrush, and more!

Author Spotlight: Julie Kibler

Julie- who are some of your favorite authors?

As a kid, my favorites were, of course, Laura Ingalls Wilder and Frances Hodgson Burnett. From young adulthood on, I always loved Maeve Binchy and Rosamund Pilcher. In recent years, I’ve been especially engrossed by books written by Chris Cleave, Chris Bohjalian, Elizabeth Berg, and too many others to name. I actually hate to name favorites, because tomorrow I’ll remember a different one and think, “OOPS.”

Do you have any #literaryconfessions?

Many more than I’ll ever admit. Maybe one is that I am a Bronte girl, much more than an Austen girl. I always enjoy movies made from novels by any of them, but I have never made it all the way through a Jane Austen novel! Ack!

Do you have a #literarycrush?

Recently I was painfully, heart wrenchingly in love with Will Traynor, right along with Louisa Clark in Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You. Longstanding crush? Probably Rochester from Jane Eyre. I always seem to fall for the complicated, difficult heroes.

What books have you been looking forward to reading in 2014?

I have a stack of books calling my name, but a few from friends I’m especially looking forward to. Ellen Marie Wiseman’s What She Left Behind is burning up the charts since it released a few weeks ago and I can’t wait to get started. Lydia Netzer’s second novel, How to Tell Toledo from the Night Sky, will be out this summer. I loved Shine Shine Shine! I want to read other books by Rainbow Rowell (I LOVED her YA novel Eleanor & Park in 2013). I could go on and on.

What was 1 book in 2013 that everyone was buzzing about- but you have not read?

Probably Elizabeth Gilbert’s Signature of All Things. I would like to read it, but haven’t yet.

If you could be best friends with a character from a book- who would it be? And why?

This sounds morbid, but if I’m ever diagnosed with a terminal illness, I hope I’m surrounded by friends such as the characters in Elizabeth Berg’s Talk Before Sleep. Berg has a way of writing characters that just seem to “get” life — and me! I read the things they think and say and nod and smile and say, “Yes.”

*Thanks to Julie for sharing her #literarycrush and #literaryconfessions- among other things! Connect with Julie via Facebook or website!

Single By Saturday by Catherine Bybee (giveaway & excerpt)

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Traveling With T is a stop on the Single by Saturday by Catherine Bybee blog tour. This is a huge blog tour- with bloggers reviewing, posting excerpts, and chattering away about the latest book by Catherine Bybee. Plus, Catherine is having a super-fab giveaway (Kindle Fire, 1 set of signed books, a $20 Amazon gift card, and 2 sets of swag). Even more- this super-fab giveaway, this super-stupendous, made of awesome giveaway is international. Yes, folks, you read that word. INTERNATIONAL.

I’ll wait while you catch your breath from screaming and jumping for joy at that news……….

Check out the other stops on the blog tour by visiting here & show some love on Twitter by using the #SinglebySaturday hashtag!

Photo Credit: Provided by Author’s Publicist

SINGLE BY SATURDAY

The Weekday Bride Series, Book Four

Montlake Romance, Contemporary

January 07, 2014, First Edition

Paperback & Kindle

KAREN JONES:

The petite blonde married a Hollywood star, yet she’s the one who spends every day playing a part: The part of a happy wife. A year ago, she agreed to wed a famous actor to diffuse rumors about his personal life. Now, her divorce sits just around the corner, along with a five million dollar payout. However, as she prepares to exit her fake marriage gracefully, her drop-dead-gorgeous brother-in-law walks through the door… and into her heart.

ZACH GARDNER:

Dark-haired, blue-eyed hunk, Zach, crashes Michael and Karen’s fancy one-year anniversary party, determined to meet the wife his brother hid from their family. But sparks fly the moment he and Karen see each other. When the famous couple decides to visit the whole Gardner clan, Karen must keep Michael’s secret under wraps in front of his questioning relative… including Zach, the man who could be the real love of her life.

PRAISE FOR SINGLE BY SATURDAY

“The fourth outing in the Weekday Brides series captures readers’ hearts and keeps them glued to the pages until the fascinating finish. Romance lovers will feel the spark fly … almost instantaneously.”

–RT BOOK REVIEWS, TOP PICK!, 4 ½ STARS

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥Excerpt for Single by Saturday by Catherine Bybee♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

This man was gorgeous, and if she were one to believe in instant attraction, her body responded to him with a fierceness she didn’t think possible. Maybe this was what the women gazing at Michael experienced that she did not. This wild thrill of discovery that led to possibilities only the big screen could fulfill.

Instead of letting her imagination get the best of her, Karen flattened a hand over her stomach and attempted to act unaffected. “Do I know you?”

The sex personified blue-eyed man stepped toward her. It took effort for her to hold her ground.

Sensing her unease, he held still, looked around the both of them as if noticing the caterers running about and guests arriving behind him, and said simply, “Zach Gardner.”

The smile on her face stayed. The name tickled at the edges of her consciousness. Memories flashed behind the veil of her mind until she narrowed her focus. “Michael’s brother?” she whispered.

Zach gave a small nod and swept his eyes down her frame. When his eyes met hers again, he masked whatever he’d been thinking, then he smiled and said, “And you’re the wife none of us have met.”

Not a lot shook Karen. She’d managed the role of Michael’s wife under the ever-present scrutiny of paparazzi, producers, actors, and fans . . . but the man standing in front of her did what no one else could. He made her question her decision to marry.

Links to Connect With Catherine Bybee

www.catherinebybee.com

catherinebybee@yahoo.com

catherinebybee.blogspot.com

twitter.com/catherinebybee

Photo Credit: Provided by Author’s Publicist

BIO:

New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee was raised in Washington State, but after graduating high school, she moved to Southern California in hopes of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned novels Wife by Wednesday, Married by Monday, and Not Quite Dating. Bybee lives with her husband and two teenage sons in Southern California.

Giveaway Information: Super fab giveaway- Kindle Fire, 1 set of signed Bride Books, 1 $20 Amazon Gift card, and 2 sets of swag. This giveaway is international and ends January 27th.

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Author Interview: Julie Kibler, author of Calling Me Home

Photo Credit: Author Provided

Julie Kibler’s debut novel, Calling Me Home, holds a special place in my heart. Not because it’s good (It is, though), but because it was the first She Reads book chosen after I became the She Reads Twitter Chat and Online Discussion Leader. And boy, this book made THAT memorable! I won’t spoil the book by going on and on about it- for 2 reasons- 1. today is all about Julie and 2. I want you to read this book (psst… Goodreads is having a giveaway!)

On to Julie’s interview 🙂

Julie Kibler, author of Calling Me Home

Calling Me Home is your first book, Julie- and it made quite a splash! It will be made into a movie, it was a Pulpwood Queen and She Reads Book Club selection- and several authors posted it on their “must read” lists. How does that make you feel?

It has been an exciting year, to say the least. Some days I have to pinch myself.

Calling Me Home is fiction- but it’s inspiration was from a family story about your grandmother. Did that make writing this book easier or harder?

It made it easier in that I had a muse in my deceased grandmother and an inkling of a story and an unusual setting. It made it harder because I knew I couldn’t tell the “true” story because of not knowing all the details—I had to really give myself permission to just go with my imagination. I’m sure the resulting story is really very different from what happened to my grandmother. I’d love to know, but that won’t happen this side of the grave!

Has there been any progress made in the news that Calling Me Home will make it to the big screen? Will you, as the author, have a choice in the cast?

I haven’t heard anything new lately. I don’t have any specific rights in cast choice, but I imagine I might be consulted at some point. I figured I’ve done my job—writing the book. The rest is up to the producers and directors!

After writing, the edits and all the other things that go into making a book- when you finally saw the first copy of Calling Me Home- what was your reaction?

I was at the Pulpwood Queen’s Annual Girlfriend Weekend in Jefferson last January and received a box of my books at the bed and breakfast where I was staying. They were intended for giveaways that weekend—my personal copies would arrive the next week. Still, it was an unforgettable moment, feeling the texture of the pages and seeing the lovely buttery yellow of the cloth cover for the very first time. And don’t tell anyone, but I did keep one! 🙂 (I made up for it later.)

Do you have any more book signing events planned?

I’m about to attend the Pulpwood Queen’s 2014 weekend again, this time as a panelist, which is exciting! I have a few Kentucky events in the works for late spring and will be at the DFW Writer’s Conference in early May. Other than the launch events I already did locally, I’m not doing a bookstore tour for the paperback, but often visit with book clubs or do library events or events with other organizations here and there.

Julie- what are you working on next? Are you in the process of gathering ideas for a new book?

I’m working on a new story. I’m really excited about it and hoping to find real time to devote to it this spring. I think readers who enjoyed Calling Me Home will be pleased, as I’m finding myself obsessed once again with the concepts of home, family, and the geography of the road.

*Thanks to Julie for answering the interview questions! Connect with Julie via Facebook or Website.

Love Water Memory by Jennie Shortridge

Photo Credit: Gallery Books

This book was sent to Traveling With T from Gallery Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Love Water Memory by Jennie Shortridge

Lucie is not like other women. She’s disciplined. She wears a protective shell. Designer clothes and goes after what she wants in life. At least she did. Lucie has no memory of the woman she was before after she is found in the San Francisco Bay. She only knows what she is told at the hospital- her name is Lucie and her fiancée is coming to get her.

When Grady comes to pick Lucie up, he grapples with what to tell her- does he tell her what happened the day she left? Will knowing that help or hurt her? He also grapples with this Lucie- this Lucie who eats carbs, this Lucie who does not have protective shell on- this Lucie who is kinder, less worried about appearances. Part of him wants the old Lucie- the Lucie he knew, the girl that helped make him the man he is today.

Lucie is struggling to remember things- and gets glimpses of memory at times- but when she looks at the life, the stuff of the old Lucie, she has to wonder why those things were so important to that Lucie- why she had all these designer clothes, makeup that covered freckles, that concealed who she was? Why did she feel the need to hide her true self?

When Lucie finds herself confronted with ways the old Lucie acted, she knows that she wants to be different. Lucie wants to be different than the Lucie she sees around the house- less rigid, more in the moment. More importantly, she wants to remember- needs to remember. When Lucie finds out that Grady has been keeping the fact that her aunt, her last living relative, calls to her a secret- she wonders why and knows she must talk to this aunt. Once Lucie begins to talk to her aunt, the power of the past comes back and Lucie begins to slowly understand things.

Together and separately, Lucie and Grady are on a journey to find out more, to remember about old Lucie and to find a place in life for new Lucie. The Lucie who needs protecting, but also needs to know the whole story about what happened on the day she left?

Traveling With T’s Thoughts

Love Water Memory, my first Jennie Shortridge book, takes an interesting concept- memory, and creates a book that is sure to please. Not being able to remember who you are and being comfortable with all the life choices “you” made- would you still make the same choices now that you have an opportunity to do differently? What if the man you chose can’t love the “new” you? Can you fault him? What if- when faced with all the previous trappings of your life- you find out that the new you does not like the “old” you? What then?

Jennie Shortridge explores this and much more in Love Water Memory– a book that is highly discussable for book lovers.

*Love Water Memory was sent to Traveling With T in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

To see what other She Reads bloggers are saying about the January She Reads Book Club Selection, please visit here or follow this hashtag on Twitter: #srblog.

Guest Post: Melinda McGuire talks about New Year Resolutions & the power of “yes”

Melinda McGuire is a Southern Lit loving and writer with a big heart person! Melinda and I began tweeting some because we saw each other via Deep South Mag- and then Melinda let me guest post a couple of times on her blog! Reading her blog posts made me know that I wanted her to write a guest post about her resolutions- and she did. And it’s beautiful.

Melinda McGuire and the power of “yes”

2014 and Learning the Power of Yes

Christmas Day has passed. All of our boxes are packed in the attic – better organized this year, thankfully, since I was still unpacking random ornaments and wrapping paper on Christmas Eve from these mysterious boxes and bags I had hidden from myself. I guess I wanted to give myself a challenging game – hide and seek the Christmas Decorations. I lost, so well done my evil twin, well done.

I have double motivation for New Year’s Resolutions. One – another year is coming, a fresh start, a clean slate, the opportunity to make changes. Two – New Year’s Day is my birthday, another year older, an opportunity to reflect on where I am in my journey of life.

I have some of the usual resolutions on my list: lose weight, get in better shape, survive running a Mud Run and Color Run with my oldest child and my husband, do a better job of managing my money, improve my organization habits.

I also have a resolution that may not be on everyone’s list: learning when to say “yes” and why.

Saying “yes” –to more time with my family, more time “unplugged,” more time reading for pleasure, more time resting, more time playing, more time working on the IMPORTANT, more time reading and studying the Bible, more time in prayer, more time seeking ways to use the gifts that I have been given to bless others. “Yes” to strengthening and building my spiritual life, my family life, my professional life.

Saying “yes” – to initiating experiences that I want, to seeking out the important in my life, to setting boundaries, to giving myself permission to fail, to giving myself permission to succeed!

Yes to gratitude, yes to peace, yes to rest, yes to perseverance, yes to optimism, yes to hope, yes to good coffee.

Yes to warm blankets and old movies, yes to afternoons in the sunshine, yes to late night summer barbeques, yes to family traditions, yes to days on the lake, yes to road trips, yes to planning for spontaneity!

Yes to hugs, yes to kisses, yes to towels hot out of the dryer, yes to new socks, yes to beautiful bookmarks, yes to notebook after notebook of writing and business information, yes to the free flow of ideas.

Yes to kicking the negative soundtrack out of my head permanently.

Yes to knowing who I am and being that person with grace, compassion, and joy.

So, here’s to 2014 and to learning the power of “yes.”

If you enjoyed reading Melinda’s guest post- visit her blog!