Allyson Charles's Blog, page 6

Looking for reviews!

The third book in my Pineville series, WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE YOU?, is up now on Netgalley. For all reviewers interested, here's the link, or just click on the picture below:https://www.netgalley.com/widget/open...Thanks so much!

A Valentine's Don't

This past weekend I pulled down my spring and Easter decorations, and nestled among all the bunnies was an old postcard that I had used as inspiration to a plot point in my book, PUTTING OUT OLD FLAMES. Apparently it was a thing in Victorian times to send snarky postcards to people, sharing just how much they didn’t love someone. Whoever sent these were the original mean girls.In PUTTING OUT OLD FLAMES, a teenaged Chance sends his girlfriend a card to break up with her, complete with a sad little poem. And I got the idea from the postcard that I like to display every Valentine’s Day. I might not have a Valentine this year, but I have a good laugh every time I see this card. I’m sure Mr. Clarence Bowlby didn’t find it nearly so amusing when he received it February 14, 1910, but I’m hoping he found some humor in it later in life.Or at least relief that he didn’t end up with such a, ahem, witch.Hoping you have a few good laughs this Valentine’s Day![image error]

It's Pie Day!

Happy National Pie Day, everyone. I know some of you celebrate this awesome holiday on March 14th, PI(e) Day, and some today. But I say, why discriminate? Celebrate with pie on both days.I had heard that Pie Day was celebrated on 1/23 because "pie is as easy as 1-2-3." Sort of a conflation of two sayings - easy as pie and easy as 123. But now I can't find any proof of that, so maybe I dreamed that up. Regardless of its origins, it is still one of the national days of which I heartily approve. So go out, eat some pie today. Your diet will keep till tomorrow. And if you want to make a pie, below is a recipe I got from my mom's recipe book for one of her peanut butter pies. Yes, our family has multiple peanut butter pie recipes. We really like peanut butter. Don't judge.3/4 c. creamy peanut butter3 Tbsp. butter1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs1 box vanilla pudding mix3 c. milk1 box chocolate pudding mix1 tsp. vanilla1 4oz container frozen whipped dessert toppingchopped peanuts and chocolate curls, for garnishHeat 1/2 c. peanut butter and butter, and stir until smooth. Stir in crumbs. Cool. Press into a a 9" pie dish. Chill.In sauce pot, combine vanilla pudding and 1 1/2 c. milk. Cook and stir until full rolling boil. Stir in remaining peanut butter. Spoon into crust. Chill.Combine chocolate pudding mix and remainder of milk. Cook and stir until full boil. Add vanilla. Spoon over peanut butter vanilla layer. Chill.To serve, spread frozen whipped dessert topping over the top, and sprinkle with chopped peanuts and chocolate curls if desired.

My First Book Signing

I had my first-ever book signing this past Saturday. It was a lot of fun, but do I ever realize how much I have to learn. I was there with four other romance authors, and sat next to Marina Adair and Elisabeth Barrett. They showed me my first mistake. I'd shown up without an elevator pitch for my books, and tripped over my tongue quite a lot describing them to very patient Barnes & Noble patrons. Those two lovely ladies, however, sounded professional and friendly when they chatted about their books. Having a pitch should have been self-evident, and I hadn't even considered it. My only excuse is my brain is fried from my deadlines.Beyond my pitchlessness (I'm making that a word, people), I also really stink at self-promotion. I start to feel pushy when I try to sell something. I blame my mother. (It's always mom's fault :) ) She wouldn't let me go door-to-door selling Girl Scout cookies, fearing it was an imposition on our neighbors. I grew up hyper-sensitive to making anyone feel obligated. But I'm in a business now where I am selling a product, so it's something I have to work on. But even with all that, I had better sales than I expected, met some bloggers, and created relationships with some new readers. All in all, a success.It was great doing a signing with a group of authors. There was a lot less pressure, and great camaraderie. I met some awesome people and got to talk books, and to me, that makes a fun afternoon. I'm attaching some pics of the day. In one of them, it may look like I'm enjoying myself about as much as I would a root canal, but I really was quite happy. My sisters laugh at my RBF all the time. A toothy-grin is also on my must-practice to do list.

THE CHRISTMAS TREE Blog Tour

THE CHRISTMAS TREE is out, and as part of the promotions, is part of a blog tour with a giveaway! And I know how everyone loves free stuff. Today the blog tour is atHearts & ScribblesSo follow the link, and enter the rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win a copy of THE CHRISTMAS TREE and THE ACCIDENTAL ELOPEMENT by Maggie Dallen. The blurbs for both books are below:THE CHRISTMAS TREEIt was one little fender bender. Sadie was only in picturesque Pineville, Michigan, for a day, trying to handle the ramshackle house her grandmother left her and juggle the sale of her failing design business at the same time. Her debtors don’t care that it’s almost Christmas. But then neither does the big bad contractor whose truck got squashed.Colt McCoy might be the least festive person she’s ever met. He’s gruff, rude, and way too upset about a minor accident. Of course, he is nice to look at, with dimples hiding in his scruffy beard and a body like a lumberjack’s. And Sadie will have plenty of time to enjoy the view, since their community service sentence has put the two of them in charge of Pineville’s jinxed Christmas tree.But as their squabbles over ornaments turn to laughter, anyone can see Colt and Sadie have something electric. The hard part is guessing if they’ll light each other up—or just keep blowing the fuse . . .THE ACCIDENTAL ELOPEMENTFirst comes love, then comes marriage—or is it the other way around?Lucia is an Italian spitfire with big dreams like her billionaire grandfather. But she wants to become a top tier fashion designer, not the heir to the family business in Italy. Now is her only chance to forge her own path. And what better place to start than in New York City? But working behind a bar doesn’t exactly pay the rent. Her trust fund would come in handy, but she needs to get married first. Luckily, she may have found the perfect husband candidate in her co-worker, who just happens to be the most charismatic and devastatingly gorgeous man she’s ever met . . .There’s more to Ryan’s charming smile than meets the eye—he’s out for revenge and working for his enemy is his best bet at getting it. When Lucia comes to him with her crazy plan, he sees a perfect opportunity to make his move. But doing that could mean hurting his new wife. They say nothing’s sweeter than revenge—but “they” never met a woman like Lucia . . .Hearts & Scribbles

REVIEW - TELL ME HOW THIS ENDS

Last week I had the chance to read a friend’s recently released romance novel, TELL ME HOW THIS ENDS. I’m always a little leery reading a book written by someone I know. What if I don’t like it? How do I spin the white lies to not insult her? Thankfully, I needn’t have worried, because Victoria De La O’s debut novel is outstanding.TELL ME HOW THIS ENDS is a New Adult romance, but for me it read adult. The few NA I’ve read I haven’t been able to relate to all that much. Too much angst. Too much drama. But De La O’s writing transcends age brackets. The emotions it taps into are universal, regardless of what stage of life you’re in. The story follows the lives of two brothers, and the one woman they both want. Unlike most love triangles, TELL ME HOW THIS ENDS doesn’t take the easy way out. It doesn’t make one of the male protagonists a cheating a-hole, a fact that he manages to keep hidden from the heroine until the final pages of the book. (Why are the women always so blind in those books?) Here, both brothers are worthy. And De La O makes it believable why the heroine would like both men. But because it’s a triangle, you know there isn’t going to be a happy ending for someone. So I must admit to a sliver of dread creeping in as I got closer to the end of the book. I liked both male heroes so much, I didn’t want either of them to walk away alone.The writing is exceptional, and parts of the story twisted me up. Every author wants to elicit emotion from their readers – and De La O did that in spades. One point in particular had me curled up on my sofa with a box of tissues. And I cry ugly, people. Thankfully, there were no witnesses to that particular snot-fest.If you’re in the mood for a tightly-crafted, beautifully written love story, you can’t do better than TELL ME HOW THIS ENDS.Ms. De La O’s website is:http://www.victoriadelao.com/The buy links are:AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksKoboBack cover blurb:Brothers Jude and Ryan McAllister are inseparable. When Jude stepped in to raise Ryan after the death of their mother, it became the two of them against the world. But the scars it left were bone-deep. Then Lizzie Price comes along.Lizzie hopes Ryan’s kindness can help heal her wounds from a toxic relationship. But when she meets Jude, their powerful attraction makes him difficult to resist. The problem is, Lizzie doesn’t realize Jude and Ryan are brothers, and they don’t know they’re falling for the same girl.By the time the truth comes out, everyone is in too deep. Ryan is in love, Jude is in denial, and Lizzie wants both brothers. All of them agree that no one deserves to get hurt. But love and desire have a way of testing even the strongest bonds.

What is the funny bone connected to?

What makes something funny? I’ve been trying to analyze humor, but humor to me is like obscenity to the Supreme Court – I can’t really define it, but I know it when I see it. I’ve been reading through the backlist of one of my favorite romance writers, Jennifer Crusie. If you haven’t read any of her writing before, do yourself a favor and go out and buy (or borrow) yourself one of her books. She can be laugh out loud funny. I like how her romances always feel a little more realistic than the average romcom – sometimes the first-time sex isn’t that great and not everyone is a drop-dead gorgeous supermodel.While reading two of her earlier works, TRUST ME ON THIS and CHARLIE ALL NIGHT, it struck me how similar in feeling they were to a 1930s or 40s screwball comedy. The stories are full of mistaken identity, fast-paced repartee, and some classic battle-of-the-sexes elements. Since they were her earlier works, I didn’t think the stories were as developed as her more recent books. Then again, that just might reflect my type of humor. I like screwball comedies – to a point. Sometimes the scripts just seem too forced, and I got that feeling from some of the situations in these two books.So, I recognized the screwball comedy in Crusie’s work. But what makes screwball comedies funny? Sometimes I feel like a monkey when I write. I can copy the elements of a type of humor, but without understanding why those elements are actually funny. Some people subscribe to the superiority theory of humor – that people laugh at the misfortune of others. Sigmund Freud argued for the relief theory – the idea that humor is a way for people to release psychological tension. And others believe in the incongruity theory – that humor arises when there’s an inconsistency between what people expect and what actually happens. All those ideas are great, but I can think of examples of each of those theories where the results aren’t funny.Sigh. My study of humor goes on. For now, I’ll just write about things that I’ve personally heard of or seen that have made me laugh, and hope that other have the same sense of humor as I do. And maybe it’s time to watch some more Cary Grant flicks. He was always good for a laugh.

What do you like to do on a rainy day?

As only someone who has lived through a multi-year drought can appreciate, the sound of rain splashing against my windows is a joy to behold. Yes, it is raining in California. Hopefully these early storms are indicators of a very wet winter to come. Great for our water tables, but maybe not so great for my writing. Because on a stormy afternoon, who wants to work? I’d much rather be snuggled on my couch with a cup of cocoa and a book. Or knitting a scarf. Better yet, finishing up my one attempt at a quilt.Years ago, I started sewing a quilt using scraps from my old jeans. What’s better for a rainy day activity that making something that will keep you cozy? When it’s sunny and warm, those quilt scraps stay in their box in my closet. And, since we haven’t had that many rainy days the past few years, my quilt is still in the sewing-together-squares-stage. Yes, I’m going to blame the drought for my less than stellar finishing power. But with storm systems off the coast, maybe an end to my quilt is in sight. Then again, maybe not. I have two books due to editors on January 1st. Not the most brilliant of scheduling tactics on my part, I know.  So while I’d really like to curl up with my quilt, or a book, I’ll have to focus on my deadlines instead. And hope that the rain lasts past the new year.Here’s what my quilt looks like so far. I think it will look great, if I ever get it done…

Why’d You Have to Go There?

Has it ever happened where you’re happily reading a good book, and BAM! Suddenly you’re not safe anymore. A dreaded political statement has been inserted into the prose, taking you out of a perfectly good piece of fiction.Most fiction, but particularly romance novels, serve as a fantasy. We want to be that woman who gets swept off her feet by that perfect alpha male (or beta, I’m not judging). By inserting politics, you’ve added a cold splash of reality into the fantasy – even if your reader agrees with your viewpoint.As a reader, it turns me off. I read a well-written, very funny romance novel a couple months ago, but was taken out of the story at four different points when the author felt the need to make her character spout her political views. I still haven’t decided whether I’ll buy another book from that author.As a writer, I understand that we want to make our characters as fully-fleshed out as possible, and that might mean giving them opinions on politics. But do you have to hammer the reader over the head with it? It also seems like an odd business decision (and, yes, writing is a business) of potentially alienating half of your reading population with your views.There is a time and place for everything. I love debating politics with friends, family, and the local barista as much as anyone else, especially during this crazy election season. But come on people. Can’t we at least make our romance novels politics-free zones?

Road Trip: Southwest USA

I love road trips. Getting in your car and driving wherever the road takes you is the ultimate expression of freedom. It’s rather like writing in that respect. I can go where I want with the characters, drive them in whichever direction I like. And it’s amazing the ideas that come to you when you have no thoughts in your head beyond what’s around the next curve. (As a safety tip, don’t try to jot down those ideas while driving. Investing in a voice recorder is safer, or knowing how to turn on that function on your phone without looking. I’ve succumbed to the urge to write and drive at the same time, and it’s a good thing I was on an empty stretch of highway through the desert with nothing in my way.)On this trip, I hit three new-to-me national parks, had the best view of the Milky Way that I’ve seen yet, and hiked through some amazing scenery. But what impressed me the most was the spur-of-the-moment outing I took in Vegas on my way back home. I saw Evil Dead: The Musical. Yes, at a small theatre on the strip, one of the greatest worst-movies-ever has been made into a theatrical production. And it was awesome.In order to appreciate Evil Dead: The Musical, you’d already have to be a fan of Sam Raimi’s early genius. I heard one patron behind me whisper during the show that it was bad, and I don’t think he meant in the “this is so bad I’m falling off my seat laughing” kind of way. But there will always be one or two ignorant cretins who can’t appreciate true art.Evil Dead: The Musical is the highest rated horror, comedy musical playing in Vegas, and that’s a list of one that’s hard to top. Sitting in the splatter zone costs extra, but you get to take away a gore-coated t-shirt to help remember the evening by.  (Although, after seeing the aftermath, I’m glad I went with general admission.)I liked how the musical didn’t follow the plot for Evil Dead (the movie) point for point, but made it their own. The writers had a fine line to walk between creating something distinctive and paying homage to their inspiration. They did it well. Their Ash was fantastic, and watching demon-possessed bodies sing and dance is always a good time. My only complaint was the couple of political jokes they threw in, which I think is almost always a mistake, but that’s a blog post for another time.So if you’re ever in Vegas and get tired of the fine-dining and fancy Cirque shows, go slum it with the Evil Dead musical.And since I wasn’t allowed to take any pictures inside the theatre, I’ll share some snaps of the rest of my road trip. They’re no Ash cutting off his hand with a chainsaw, but they’re still rather pretty.And the prettiest picture yet. If you live in CA like me, you'll understand.