Promotion: Review of The Joke's on Me -- The Midwest Book Review

posted by Vivian Zabel

          Appearing on "Katherine' Bookshelf" in The Midwest Book Review for September, The Joke's on Me! by Laurie Boris.

Review by Katherine Boyer:

The Joke's on Me
Laurie Boris
4RV Publishing LLC
PO Box 6482, Edmond OK 73083
9780982642399 $18.99

Laurie Boris has written a comical book with her first novel, The Joke's on Me. Humor is entwined throughout this book about former actress/comic, Francine Goldberg, Frankie to family and friends, who returns home when she feels that she has been a failure.

"The cherry-red convertible and I bounced down the excuse for a road leading to my mother's bed and breakfast. This was not the most pleasant car trip I'd ever taken, and by the time I got to Woodstock, "bed" and "breakfast" were the only two things I wanted to see, besides a bathroom with a locking door. Unfortunately, when I pulled into the gravel parking lot, there was no room at the inn. The lot overflowed with old Volvos wearing rust spots and bumper stickers like "Free Tibet" and "My Other Car is a Broom".

The catalyst for her return to Woodstock was when the house she was living in rolled down into the Pacific Ocean with all of her worldly belongings, except the cherry red convertible given to her by her former boss. Then the actress she was working for decided to take a hiatus from her work as a famous, well-known actress and didn't need her help. And her mother had a stroke that brought on memory loss.

When she reached her childhood home, she found that her older sister, Jude, had put their mother in a nursing home and started running the family B & B as a holistic health retreat for 'over-the-hill' hippies. She also has ideas for the future of the B & B that will get them back in the black.

Frankie decides to stay and help her sister for the summer. She finds satisfaction in working to save the family business. You will be fascinated by the changes that Frankie undergoes as she sorts out her life.

Some old mysteries, that Frankie was not aware of, pop up as she reflects on her past life and her future. As you read through her memories and the amusing happenings of her former and new life, you will become fascinated with her and her family and friends.

Throughout the summer, Frankie struggles with her future. Should she stay in Woodstock and restore the business her parents had nurtured for so many years or should she head back to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood life? Her decision will be life-changing either way.

Laurie Boris is an award winning freelance writer with a background in advertising and marketing. She has written editorial copy, web articles, press releases, and other marketing materials. She is living in upstate New York working on her next novel.

Katherine Boyer
Reviewer

          The Joke's on Me! is on sale for the holidays: 4RV Bookstore.

4RV Publishing website

Promotion: A Review of The Joke's on Me by Laurie Boris

          One of 4RV Publishing's newest releases is the novel The Joke's on Me by Laurie Boris. The first review of the novel was posted on Write Meg! 

Book review: ‘The Joke’s On Me’ by Laurie Boris

          One of the things I love about books is their endless power to surprise you. When I was offered a copy of Laurie Boris’ The Joke’s On Me, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect — but I accepted based on the first chapter. It sounded funny. Punchy. And it didn’t let me down.

          When Frankie Goldberg pulls back into Woodstock, N.Y., with just her few possessions lodged in a bright red convertible, she’s immediately greeted by her sister, Jude, leading a holistic retreat at the family bed and breakfast. Nothing totally unusual — except for the fact that everyone is nude. After recovering from the shock of that encounter, Frankie begins to take inventory of all the changes that have taken place since she moved to Los Angeles — most notably that her mother, once a formidable woman, has been moved to a nursing home.

         Frankie, a “menopause baby,” is much younger than Jude — and was never considered the responsible sister, even as Jude cycled through husbands and raised her son, Ethan. After Frankie left home to pursue a life as a comedian and actress, Jude picked up the slack — and she hasn’t let her little sister forget it. Brought together again in their mutual desire to help their mother, Frankie has to finally put down roots — or run away again. But the presence of one Joey Mazzarella, former childhood crush, might make the choosing a little more difficult . . .

         Laurie Boris’ The Joke’s On Me is a funny, sweet and realistic story showcasing the love of one family — and the idea that it’s never too late to start over. What really sold me on the novel was Jude and Frankie’s relationship, which felt honest and raw. Though never dramatic, Boris offers readers tender conversations between the women that defy the age gap between them. At the heart of it all, there’s love.

         In her author biography, Boris describes herself as a “closet stand-up comedian” — and I think that humor really shines in The Joke’s On Me. Her sarcasm, rarely mean-spirited, is evident in Frankie’s character, and I immediately felt close to her as a narrator. She’s not without her faults, that’s for sure, but she owns up to them; she’s not without her quirks, either, but they make her lovable. Frankie felt like a friend.

         And the love story? Oh, what a sucker I am for first love — and the sweet progression of Joey and Frankie’s relationship melted the little cockles of my heart. I loved that Joey is a baseball coach and Frankie is a lady that grew up appreciating the sport; like her, baseball is the one game I actually enjoy and understand. The frequent ballpark settings were ones I could appreciate!

          Quirky, fun and very readable, Boris has crafted a novel with pithy dialogue, dueling sisters and plenty of heart. I read it quickly and enjoyed meeting Boris during the Author Speed Dating session at the Book Blogger Convention, where she sat down to tell me about this book and I immediately squealed, “Laurie Boris! Oh, I have your book!” She looked genuinely surprised and was very kind, and I was happy to tell her I’d already enjoyed her debut novel. And if you’re looking for an amusing read, I think you will, too.

         The Joke's on Me can be ordered through the 4RV Catalog as well as through bookstores and online stores. More about the author can be found on  Laurie Boris, Freelance Writer.

5 Myths About Writing Children’s Books

Children’s book writing is supposed to be the easiest genre, isn’t it? And shouldn’t it be simple to get your children’s book published once you have an idea?

Contrary to popular belief, the “easy” world of children’s book writing may not be as simple to break into as you first anticipated. Here are 5 important myths to keep in mind when submitting your children’s book for publication:

1. It’s easier to write a children’s book than an adult novel. False! It’s difficult to write a good book no matter the length and regardless of the age of your reader. Just because you are writing a simpler book for a younger audience doesn’t mean that you should compromise on quality. In many cases, it is even more difficult to get your point across when using fewer words and simpler themes in a children’s book.
2. Picture books are the easiest books to write by far. False! Just because pictures are taking up quite a bit of space in a children’s book doesn’t mean that you’re off the hook. A picture book requires elegant simplicity, concise wording, and sharp verbiage to keep children interested and entice them to read the book again and again. On top of that, competition in the picture book market is fierce, so your book idea needs to pop in order to get noticed by a publisher.
3. A children’s book has to teach a lesson. Not so fast! A quality children’s book shouldn’t cram a lesson down kids’ throats. Yes, a children’s book needs to educate and impart knowledge, but the topic and theme should still be significant and thought-provoking, even in a picture book. The key is to tailor the theme of the book to your audience so that children are not only interested in the story but can take something away from the book after reading it.
4. A good children’s book should be written in rhyme. Not always! Yes, some of the cutest children stories do rhyme, but creating a good quality rhyme throughout a story is difficult to do. In many cases, it is best to avoid rhyming altogether unless you are confident in your rhyming story as a total package.
5. You need an agent to publish a children’s book. Wrong again! Children’s book publishing is a competitive market, but it is possible to get a publishing contract without an agent. If you cannot find an agent interested in your work, then it may be time to seek out smaller publishing houses that are willing to work with authors one-on-one so that your work is more likely to get noticed.

Bethany Ramos is an author and full-time freelance writer with experience in Internet marketing, social media marketing, and SEO. She is passionate about writing captivating children's books and witty chick lit. For more information, you can visit her blog at http://chicklit-books.com/.

A Character by Any Other Name

by Laurie Boris

Along with their physical descriptions, speech patterns, and those quirky gestures however irritating or endearing, your characters' names can speak volumes about their personalities.

Consider Cruella de Vil from A Thousand And One Dalmatians. Would she inspire the same fear if she were named Becky Jones? Would Hannibal Lecter be as menacing if he were Sheldon Greenblatt? What about “Call me Fred.”? Doesn't have quite the same je ne sais quoi, does it?

But how do you come up with just the right name for your character? Here are a few things to think about:

1. Choose something age-appropriate. If I'm writing an American, middle-class character about my age, I think back to high school. Kathy, Lisa, Donna, Mary, and Karen were very popular names for girls, and there were a lot of guys named David, Steven, and Mike. Not that you wouldn't find something more unusual floating about, but in fiction, readers are more likely to go with the probable than the possible. If my character is in her thirties, he or she may have a spunkier name like Jason, Jennifer, Stephanie, or Stacy. (My thirty-something protagonist of The Joke's on Me is named Frankie.) A teenager may have been named after his or her mother's favorite pop culture star. Hence the number of Ashleys, Olivias, Justins, and Britneys floating around.

2. Choose something regionally, ethnically, or culturally appropriate. This is a dicier area, because you don't want to offend your readers by using a cultural or ethnic stereotype. If you have a character in your story who comes from an ethnic or cultural group different from your own, do some research. In some countries, babies are given very specific names based on their meanings. In some cultures or religions, it's considered bad luck to name a child after a dead relative, while in others, this is done frequently and almost expected. What has helped me is a directory of worldwide baby names with their meanings. And my good friend, Google.

3. Consider your character's role in the story. An unlikely hero (or heroine) may have an unassuming name, like David Copperfield or The Grapes of Wrath's Tom Joad. Or, a timid character saddled with a heroic name (or a larger-than-life relative's name) may struggle to fill those big shoes.

4. Avoid making a name into a reading bump if possible. I loved the name Lisbeth for one of my characters, but my writing group's feedback convinced me to change it to something simpler because they kept getting stuck on it and feeling distracted from the story. She's now Liz. No harm, no foul, no reading bumps.

5. Unless you're writing comedy or a funny children's book, avoid any name that rhymes with said. I never thought about this until I wrote a contemporary novel in which I'd named the husband Ted. Imagine page after page of “Ted said” and all those readers laughing to themselves because of the unintentional rhyme. I actually considered putting the whole thing in present tense so I wouldn't have to deal with that particular issue! It was much easier, and better for the story, to change the husband's name.

6. If your character cries out for an unusual name (think Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye or Ignatius J. Reilly in A Confederacy of Dunces), he or she will most likely pay the consequences, just as in real life. But this is rich material for character development. These consequences (teasing, bullying, even scorn for being named after an infamous figure) may end up shaping the character.

7. Still stumped? Open the phone book, peruse baby-naming books, or scan popular culture for an interesting, appropriate name.

How do you name your characters? What are some of your favorite character names from the books you've read? Any that you felt didn't fit the character? Or fit him or her exceptionally well? Any name you're really tired of hearing? Let's talk about it!

------------

Laurie Boris is the author of The Joke's on Me, due out from 4RV Publishing this summer. She also blogs about writing, books, and the language of popular culture at http://laurieboris.com.

What Questions Must be Asked & Answered, Before Creating a Novel Book Cover?

Part 3

by Aidana WillowRaven

In my last two posts, the topic has been on how basic cover design rules tend to remain the same from cover to cover, title to title, genre to genre. But, we need to remember there are some important differences, too.

To repeat the original post's paragraph on this topic: “When contemplating what is needed for the cover of any given book, some basic rules apply to every design or composition. You need to know what the title is saying. You need to know what the title isn't saying. And you need to know to whom the author is saying or not saying the title.”

So far, I've used both an Easy Reader and a MG/YA cover as examples of the points being made in this topic. Today, I'll be showcasing a mainstream novel as my example. Let's ask the same questions with the cover I designed.

What is the title saying? What isn't the title saying? Who is the author saying it to? (I’m using 4RV Publishing’s Stolen by Vivian Gilbert Zabel for the example).

What is the title saying? Something has been 'stolen,' obviously. Judging by the font, there is a frightening and chaotic, almost violent mood implied. Since the title is so basic and short, and a little intense, we’re going to have to look at what isn't the title saying to get more clues as to what we'll find inside the book.

What isn't the title saying? Although there are not that many elements on the cover, it is telling us loads of information, giving little hints as to what has been 'Stolen,' and surprisingly (if you pay attention), from whom and where. First, if you look at the 'ground,' you get the hint of wall paper ... of an older style. So this is an old fashioned home, most likely. Second, the wall photos that are askew show us that there has been a struggle or conflict. This conflict, whether it was physical or emotional, is emphasized with the broken glass in the right frame. That frame is a clue in and of itself. It is telling the viewer that the seemingly happy union has been broken, destroyed, shattered. Let's look at the other frame for the third clue. The image is falling from the frame. The siblings are clinging to each other and seem to be at a public place, like a park, as they are being seemingly ripped from the safety of the very ornate frame. The children are represented in a black and white photo rather than in living color, almost like they are a memory rather than in front of us. Even the fancy frame for the kids, vs the more modest frame for the wedding couple, tells us that the children held the primary love and focus of the characters in the book. As you can see, there are a lot more subtleties to an adult novel cover design than that of a child's book or even a young adult book. Even the book's colors a representative. Blue is the author's favorite color, and the book is a fiction based on true events that happened in the author's life. 

To whom is the author saying the title to? Any parent or grandparent, especially a mother or grandmother, are going to immediately key into this cover. It's attacking one of their basic fears and doing it in a seeming 'safe' environment. This is a marriage and family destroyed at the home level. It's personal. It's emotional. It's tragic. The title and cover are warning people to fear what they fear. That monsters are real and that they live in our walls. They come into our homes and the steal our lives, our souls. They try to, anyway.

Next week, the topic will be: 'The Story', as it applies to Cover Art and Illustration. (I’ll be using a promotional piece for 4RV Publishing’s Aldric & Anneliese, by Harry E. Gilleland, Jr, for the example.)

Aidana WillowRaven

Art Director & VP of Operations
4RV Publishing

Trailer for Midnight Hours

by Vivian Zabel

I would like to share a special book trailer, created by Aidana WillowRaven for my mystery/suspense novel Midnight Hours.



Midnight Hours can be found through any book store or any online book supplier. It's also available on 4RV Publishing Catalog and the 4RV Publishing website.


NOTE:
Tomorrow's article by vehoae will be replaced by another book trailer or by a review of one of 4RV's releases. Her computer, her new computer, decided it didn't want to work. Vehoae will join us next month after her computer recovers.

Vivian Zabel