Interview and Excerpt: Paula Takes a Risk by Randi M. Sherman
Thank you to Randi M. Sherman for dropping by with a Q&A and excerpt from Paula Takes a Risk. Please visit her tour page at CLP Blog Tours for more information!
**Interview**
When did you know writing was for you?I’ve enjoyed writing and developing characters since I was a teenager. I spent my 20s and part of my 30s performing at amateur nights in Los Angeles stand-up comedy circuit and more recently I’ve studied improvisation in the San Francisco Bay Area. Because I was raised to have practical, albeit less exciting values which included a steady income and a solid career, I felt I needed put my creativity and dreams on hold and pursue a professional career. I always regretted not following my dream and I decided to do something about it. That’s where Paula Takes A Risk comes into play. I continued being funny and sharing my anecdotes. Eventually my stories just grew too big, and became too involved to share at cocktail parties. I found, in most instances other people want to get a word in edgewise and sometimes they need to go to the bathroom. Since it would impractical and rude to put a bookmark in my mouth and put me on their bedside table or in their beach bag until they had more time to dedicate to the stories – I decided to write them down.
How would you describe your books?Entertaining, and thought provoking thru humor
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?I love description and a lot of it. I want the reader to know and enjoy every aspect of my characters. Sometimes it gets out of control. Similar to real life, in writing there is such a thing as too much information (TMI). So there is a lot of editing, or shall I say …deleting.Systemic Descriptionosis – Adverb and adjectives that increase in volume and spread throughout, story-wide, affecting a narrative, causing confusion or boredom. The suspected causes of this condition are the tendency to allow one’s imagination run wild and the regular use of a thesaurus. No cure is known at this time. However, constant monitoring and the occasional excision of excess words are recommended.If you experience these symptoms, please contact a writing guide such as the Chicago Manual of Style, immediately.
What are your favorite genres to read?Any biography or true crime novel piques my interest. Smartly written humor novels are a favorite of mine. And cookbooks – I love cookbooks.
What do you want readers to take away from your story?I hope that my readers will be inspired to a risk or make a change. Don’t be afraid to make your dream(s) come true. And… remember to laugh.
How important do you think social media is for authors these days?Although it would be great to type the last period (.) on the last page of your novel and poof! It’s listed on the top of the New York Times Best Sellers list. Unfortunately, that’s not the way it works.Because of the amount of books published each year, and the cost associated with promotion, authors can no longer count on the large publishing houses to spearhead the publicity. Publicity firms/ services could be expensive and outcomes often disappointing.For these reasons, Social Media is a vital tool for the promotion of a book or product. Most authors, with the exception of those who write books about sales and marketing, are not salespeople. Many of us are quiet and yes, even shy. But, do not mistake shyness for apathy. Our books are our creations (children) and we are fiercely protective and interested in their handling and exposure. Social Media now allows the author to manage the introduction, direction and publicity of their work.Because I am from the generation of handwriting thank you notes, creating and nurturing meaningful relationships, and What would be your advice to aspiring writers?Don’t make writing a chore. Enjoy yourself. Enjoy small victories. Congratulate yourself.
**Excerpt**
Paula squinted from the sudden blast of sunlight when she walked outside onto the terrace of the tennis clubhouse. After a minute, her eyes adjusted and she saw her mother wildly waving her hand in the air. “Paula, honey. Over here.” Paula plastered on a fake smile and walked through the maze of white wrought iron tables and green canvas umbrellas until she reached her mother, who sipped a martini and sat with her feet propped up on a chair. Dorothy Tenenbaum was very tan. She had dyed beige hair, wore beige lipstick, beige fingernail polish and about fifteen pounds of jewelry purchased through a home shopping network. Although she had never stepped foot onto a tennis court in her life, she was decked out in her tennis togs. An enormous sun visor and huge sunglasses covered her face from her hairline down to the bottoms of her cheeks. She looked like a lemur with a hat. Paula bent over to kiss her mother, but was stopped when the bridge of her nose met the brim of Dorothy’s sun visor. They both forced a laugh, then gave each other California air-kisses. As Paula plopped down on the green cushion that covered the white wrought iron chair, it made a fart noise. Paula was too consumed with self-pity to even notice.
Author Bio:
Randi Sherman, a native Californian, lives in San Francisco. With her tremendous grasp of the obvious, Randi has always had the ability to find humor in the mundane and share the laughter. She dares to examine and discuss everyday foibles, which obliges people to stop taking themselves too seriously.
Developing characters and writing have been a part of Randi’s life since she was a teenager, umm-mmum-mumm years ago. She spent time performing stand-up comedy at Los Angeles club amateur nights and studied Improvisation in the Bay Area. Realizing that she preferred having an income, living indoors and eating regularly, she reluctantly put her dreams on hold and entered the corporate world, yet never left behind her sense of humor and creative storytelling ability, skills which were not always appreciated during budget and strategy meetings.
Now, after living indoors for a while and eating, albeit too much, her book, Paula Takes a Risk is here. Randi’s unique wit, writing style and candor will surely make the reader sit up, stand up, roll over or assume an interested leaning position and take notice.
Randi would never claim to have a genius IQ, the body of a super model or always have the right thing to wear. However, she can spell the words, “smart” and “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” Randi maintains a trim, well-toned body that is cleverly concealed beneath twenty pounds of soft protective layering and she has the appetite of a bird. (By “bird” I mean vulture.) Her entire wardrobe consists of black, black and varying degrees of black, except for those items that are covered with lint because she put them through the wash with a tissue.
Things that Randi cannot live without: people to laugh with, her car horn, a gym membership where there are chubby women who break into a sweat while putting on a jog bra, wine, waist capes, and her partner, Carol.
Randi does not like mean-spirited people, liver, left-overs, communal dressing rooms, tight underwear, and people who point.
Randi is five-foot-seven.
Connect with Paula!
paulatakesarisk@gmail.com http://paulatakesarisk.comhttp://randimsherman.blogspot.com/ Buy the Book! http://www.friesenpress.com/bookstore/title/119734000004536283/Randi-M.-Sherman-Paula-Takes-a-Riskhttp://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=paula+takes+a+riskhttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/paula-takes-a-risk-randi-m-sherman/1108568694
**Interview**
When did you know writing was for you?I’ve enjoyed writing and developing characters since I was a teenager. I spent my 20s and part of my 30s performing at amateur nights in Los Angeles stand-up comedy circuit and more recently I’ve studied improvisation in the San Francisco Bay Area. Because I was raised to have practical, albeit less exciting values which included a steady income and a solid career, I felt I needed put my creativity and dreams on hold and pursue a professional career. I always regretted not following my dream and I decided to do something about it. That’s where Paula Takes A Risk comes into play. I continued being funny and sharing my anecdotes. Eventually my stories just grew too big, and became too involved to share at cocktail parties. I found, in most instances other people want to get a word in edgewise and sometimes they need to go to the bathroom. Since it would impractical and rude to put a bookmark in my mouth and put me on their bedside table or in their beach bag until they had more time to dedicate to the stories – I decided to write them down.
How would you describe your books?Entertaining, and thought provoking thru humor
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?I love description and a lot of it. I want the reader to know and enjoy every aspect of my characters. Sometimes it gets out of control. Similar to real life, in writing there is such a thing as too much information (TMI). So there is a lot of editing, or shall I say …deleting.Systemic Descriptionosis – Adverb and adjectives that increase in volume and spread throughout, story-wide, affecting a narrative, causing confusion or boredom. The suspected causes of this condition are the tendency to allow one’s imagination run wild and the regular use of a thesaurus. No cure is known at this time. However, constant monitoring and the occasional excision of excess words are recommended.If you experience these symptoms, please contact a writing guide such as the Chicago Manual of Style, immediately.
What are your favorite genres to read?Any biography or true crime novel piques my interest. Smartly written humor novels are a favorite of mine. And cookbooks – I love cookbooks.
What do you want readers to take away from your story?I hope that my readers will be inspired to a risk or make a change. Don’t be afraid to make your dream(s) come true. And… remember to laugh.
How important do you think social media is for authors these days?Although it would be great to type the last period (.) on the last page of your novel and poof! It’s listed on the top of the New York Times Best Sellers list. Unfortunately, that’s not the way it works.Because of the amount of books published each year, and the cost associated with promotion, authors can no longer count on the large publishing houses to spearhead the publicity. Publicity firms/ services could be expensive and outcomes often disappointing.For these reasons, Social Media is a vital tool for the promotion of a book or product. Most authors, with the exception of those who write books about sales and marketing, are not salespeople. Many of us are quiet and yes, even shy. But, do not mistake shyness for apathy. Our books are our creations (children) and we are fiercely protective and interested in their handling and exposure. Social Media now allows the author to manage the introduction, direction and publicity of their work.Because I am from the generation of handwriting thank you notes, creating and nurturing meaningful relationships, and What would be your advice to aspiring writers?Don’t make writing a chore. Enjoy yourself. Enjoy small victories. Congratulate yourself.
**Excerpt**
Paula squinted from the sudden blast of sunlight when she walked outside onto the terrace of the tennis clubhouse. After a minute, her eyes adjusted and she saw her mother wildly waving her hand in the air. “Paula, honey. Over here.” Paula plastered on a fake smile and walked through the maze of white wrought iron tables and green canvas umbrellas until she reached her mother, who sipped a martini and sat with her feet propped up on a chair. Dorothy Tenenbaum was very tan. She had dyed beige hair, wore beige lipstick, beige fingernail polish and about fifteen pounds of jewelry purchased through a home shopping network. Although she had never stepped foot onto a tennis court in her life, she was decked out in her tennis togs. An enormous sun visor and huge sunglasses covered her face from her hairline down to the bottoms of her cheeks. She looked like a lemur with a hat. Paula bent over to kiss her mother, but was stopped when the bridge of her nose met the brim of Dorothy’s sun visor. They both forced a laugh, then gave each other California air-kisses. As Paula plopped down on the green cushion that covered the white wrought iron chair, it made a fart noise. Paula was too consumed with self-pity to even notice.
Author Bio:
Randi Sherman, a native Californian, lives in San Francisco. With her tremendous grasp of the obvious, Randi has always had the ability to find humor in the mundane and share the laughter. She dares to examine and discuss everyday foibles, which obliges people to stop taking themselves too seriously.
Developing characters and writing have been a part of Randi’s life since she was a teenager, umm-mmum-mumm years ago. She spent time performing stand-up comedy at Los Angeles club amateur nights and studied Improvisation in the Bay Area. Realizing that she preferred having an income, living indoors and eating regularly, she reluctantly put her dreams on hold and entered the corporate world, yet never left behind her sense of humor and creative storytelling ability, skills which were not always appreciated during budget and strategy meetings.
Now, after living indoors for a while and eating, albeit too much, her book, Paula Takes a Risk is here. Randi’s unique wit, writing style and candor will surely make the reader sit up, stand up, roll over or assume an interested leaning position and take notice.
Randi would never claim to have a genius IQ, the body of a super model or always have the right thing to wear. However, she can spell the words, “smart” and “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” Randi maintains a trim, well-toned body that is cleverly concealed beneath twenty pounds of soft protective layering and she has the appetite of a bird. (By “bird” I mean vulture.) Her entire wardrobe consists of black, black and varying degrees of black, except for those items that are covered with lint because she put them through the wash with a tissue.
Things that Randi cannot live without: people to laugh with, her car horn, a gym membership where there are chubby women who break into a sweat while putting on a jog bra, wine, waist capes, and her partner, Carol.
Randi does not like mean-spirited people, liver, left-overs, communal dressing rooms, tight underwear, and people who point.
Randi is five-foot-seven.
Connect with Paula!
paulatakesarisk@gmail.com http://paulatakesarisk.comhttp://randimsherman.blogspot.com/ Buy the Book! http://www.friesenpress.com/bookstore/title/119734000004536283/Randi-M.-Sherman-Paula-Takes-a-Riskhttp://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=paula+takes+a+riskhttp://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/paula-takes-a-risk-randi-m-sherman/1108568694
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