We’re introducing ourselves this week, and what better way to do that than with the aid of a skilled journalistic interviewer?
Unfortunately, I don’t know any.
But I do know myself, and worked as a reporter back before I lost my lust for long hours and lousy pay.
Behold, I give you my interview with…well, me.
Tawna: Tell me a bit about yourself.
Tawna: I was born in a space shuttle on Uranus—
Tawna: Don’t start with the anus jokes, this is a family-friendly blog. Besides, you can’t just make stuff up.
Tawna: I can’t tell dirty jokes and I can’t make stuff up? You just negated my whole writing career.
Tawna: (heavy sigh) which is what?
Tawna: Funny smut – also known as romantic comedy. My debut is called MAKING WAVES, and it’s a sort of modern parody on the pirate romance cliché. Sourcebooks is releasing it next August as the first in a trio of romantic comedies centered around the notion that normal is nice, but weird is wonderful. It’s kind of my motto.
Tawna: Why doesn’t that surprise me? Let’s talk about something more appropriate. Tell me about your likes and dislikes.
Tawna: (holds up glass) I like good wine, world travel, hiking, biking, kayaking, yoga – pretty much any athletic pursuit that doesn’t involve jostling. I dislike being jostled. I also dislike shopping carts, mushrooms, morning breath, and men who can’t drive a stick shift.
Tawna: Men? Is there a man in your life?
Tawna: Oh yes – my husband, Pythagoras. I married him at halftime at a Portland Trail Blazer game 12 years ago. We said “I do” in front of 21,000 screaming fans who did not bring gifts.
Tawna: Wow, so you must’ve been engaged a long time?
Tawna: Totally! They called a week before the wedding and told me we’d been picked, so I turned to Pythagoras and said, “We just won a wedding, want to get married?” He said “To you? Sure, I guess,” and we were engaged! It was very romantic.
Tawna: I see. And you write…uh, romance?
Tawna: Yes.
Tawna: This could be a problem.
Tawna: (smiling) Want a drink?
***
So I think that went well, how about you? Hey – where did you all go? Hello? Anyone?
In all seriousness (right, like that’s my thing) I welcome you to this new season of the Debutante Ball. I’m thrilled to be a part of this amazing community and to rub shoulders with writers who are infinitely cooler than I am.
Did I miss any questions? Something I forgot to ask myself that you wanted to know? Leave them in the comments with a good bottle of Sangiovese. I’ll be more inclined to answer that way.
September 3rd, 2010
| Posted by Tawna Fenske | 2011 Debs, Making Waves, Tawna Fenske
| 32 Comments
Hello darling readers! How exciting to be writing my first post for The Ball! I’ll admit, as I type, I am not wearing a party dress and pearls. Some debutante, right? Leggings and a T-shirt is about as fancy as I get these days–very unglamorous, given that I work for Glamour magazine. But, thank goodness that my job doesn’t require high fashion. I’m a writer. And a mom. I work from home in the business of ideas, words–and wiping runny noses. And I love every minute of it (almost every minute).
I’ll be posting here on the Ball every Thursday. Let’s get acquainted! I’ll start:
I live in Seattle with my husband, Jason, and sons Carson (3) and Russell (1). Baby #3 is due in February (God help me). (And let’s not forget the rascally golden retriever, Paisley.) I knew from an early age that I wanted to be a writer (I won’t embarrass myself with stories of the homemade “newspaper” I wrote and distributed to my neighborhood in the sixth grade), and after receiving my degree in journalism from Western Washington University, I set out to start freelancing. I landed my first assignment with Marie Claire, and after years of hard work, I now contribute regularly to a long list of magazines, including Glamour, Redbook, Woman’s Day, Real Simple, American Baby, Cooking Light, Parents, Parenting, Health and O, The Oprah Magazine. I’m also the health and fitness blogger for Glamour.com. Come by and visit my blog–Vitamin G, and my personal blog, here.
Earlier this year I sold my first novel–The Violets of March–to Penguin (Plume). It’s a story I loved writing, and I’m eager to tell you all more about it in the months ahead. The book will be out next summer (2011) and I can hardly wait! Fiction has been such a welcome change of pace from magazine work. I’ve enjoyed the chance to strengthen my creativity in new ways, plus, it’s so freeing sitting down to write something that comes straight from my imagination, rather than an interview transcript.
That’s my resume, now let me share some off-beat and completely random details about myself:
*I sneeze after taking my first bite of chocolate–without fail.
*I have a secret addiction to The Bachelorette, The Bachelor (and, cringe) The Bachelor Pad. An addiction that is now–not so secret.
*In junior high I went through a phase where I wanted to be an airline pilot. Ah, no.
*I love to run, and try to get out for a daily jog (which is interesting now that I’m pregnant).
*Current favorite pregnancy craving: The juice from a jar of pepperoncinis.
*My parents made me take Norwegian folk dancing lessons as a child, which left me with a lifelong love of lefse and Scandinavian traditions.
Told you–random! That’s all for now! I’m so excited to get to know all of you in the year ahead. I’d love to know: What do you hope to learn/read about from the Debutantes this year?
xo, Sarah
September 2nd, 2010
| Posted by Sarah Jio | 2011 Debs, Sarah Jio, The Violets of March
| 20 Comments
Hi, I’m Kim Stagliano , your Wednesday Deb and author of All I Can Handle I’m No Mother Teresa: A Life Raising Three Daughters with Autism (Skyhorse.) I’ve been a Deb Ball fan for years and am knocked out to be part of the 2011 class. Congrats to my fellow Debs, best wishes to the class of 2010, and thanks to all of the readers who’ve made this site a success.
My book is a “Kimoir” (memoir makes me feel O-L-D) and sure to make you laugh, even if you have to grab a tissue once or twice while you read. I started writing in 2003 when my husband Mark was out of work. It was cheaper than therapy and healthier than overdoing the cocktail hour, if you know what I mean. Mark and I live in Fairfield County, Connecticut and have three beautiful daughters – who have an autism diagnosis. Mia is 15, Gianna is 14 and Bella is 9. Our lives are anything but typical, never boring (how I long for boredom!) and often upside down and inside out.
One of the first writers I met online was the fabulously funny Jenny Gardiner, 2009 Debutante. She introduced me to loads of writing sites and blogs including The Debutante Ball, Miss Snark the anonymous literary agent (oh come back, Miss Snark!) and Backspace.
We’re supposed to share a few fun facts about ourselves. 1) I can raise one eyebrow, like John Belushi in Animal House; 2) I tend to look like The Runaway Bride in photographs because I have Cookie Monster sized eyes; 3) I was on QVC twice as a demo model for my husband’s company. I ironed on a German ironing board and demonstrated a cake box with freezer packs in the base. It’s a lot harder than it looks!
As the autism rates continue to climb to ever frightening heights, there”s scarcely a reader here who doesn’t have a family member or friend facing the challenges of the diagnosis. My book is a glimpse into day to day life (a la Erma Bombeck) and will help you understand what the diagnosis does to and means for families, and how you can help. We chose a November 1st debut date so that the book would be available for the holidays.
The opening line of my introduction is, “Oh God, not another book about autism.” Then I make this promise: You won’t need a Prozac to read it. See you next Wednesday!
Deb Kim
September 1st, 2010
| Posted by Kim Stagliano | Kim Stagliano
| 20 Comments
Welcome to Tuesday! I’m Eleanor and I’ll be your Deb guide through Tuesdays this year. Please do watch your step and don’t feed the camels – they tend to spit.
I’ve had a lot of jobs over my life – teacher, temp, secretary, wedding coordinator – but I’ve always been a writer. I’ve tried my hand at poetry (but I will never subject you to any of it), chick lit, creative non-fiction, romance, and YA, but I’m happiest in what my editor calls “that sweet spot between literary and commercial” fiction. In elementary school I wrote my first novel (well, let’s just call it a short story extended dance mix), about the army-jacket-wearing daughter of a movie star and her faithful golden retriever. As I recall, she spent a lot of time hanging out in diners, and now that I look back on it, she was woefully neglected.
Fortunately, my writing has advanced at least a little bit since then, and my novel The Weird Sisters will be published by Amy Einhorn Books (publishers of The Help and The Postmistress, along with a gajillion other great books) on February 17, 2011. The Weird Sisters is a novel about three adult daughters of a renowned Shakespeare professor who return home to the small college town where they grew up, partly because their mother is ill, but mostly because their lives are falling apart and they don’t know where to go next. You can find out more at my home, home on the web.
Right now I live in a pile of cardboard boxes as my partner, the writer J.C. Hutchins, and I complete what feels like the longest move in history, from Florida to Colorado (though I am fairly certain my pioneer ancestors might argue that point). I’m happiest when I’m in, on, or adjacent to water of some kind, and can usually be found with a book in one hand and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s in the other.
You should also know:
I’m really tall. When I met my editor, Amy Einhorn, one of the first things out of her mouth was, “You’re so tall! Why didn’t you tell me?”, and I was all like, uh….I didn’t know it mattered? So, yeah. I’m around six feet tall, and yes, I totally will get that box of cereal off the top shelf at the grocery store for you.
I can completely kick your butt in Mario Kart Wii, but I’d rather we play Rock Band. You can be lead guitar. We’ll go on tour. It’ll be awesome.
Most of the conversations I have will contain at least instance of my saying, “Oh! I heard about that on NPR!”, and another of my looking something up on Wikipedia.
Walking into my house when music is on will leave you convinced that you’ve somehow stepped back in time to 1988.
I’m totally thrilled to be here on The Debutante Ball – I’ve been reading since its inception in 2007, and I’m looking forward to celebrating my fellow Debs’ books through the year. Bring your tiaras and your pearls and join the party in the comments below!
August 31st, 2010
| Posted by Eleanor Brown | 2011 Debs, Eleanor Brown, The Weird Sisters
| 22 Comments
Okay, first piece out of the gate for the new 2011 Debs… no pressure… just following five of the most incredibly talented and all-around menschy women on the web, all of whom just signed off with beautifully bittersweet farewells…
I might need a cut man for this one.
Oh, Hi! So I’m Elise, a.k.a. Monday Deb, and my debut Young Adult novel, Populazzi, comes out August 1, 2011 from Harcourt Children’s Books. I also have a co-written novel coming out in October, which I’ll talk more about in later posts.
I live in L.A., and came out here immediately after college to follow my big dreams of becoming a wildly successful… actress.
Just one problem with that. I freak out on camera. Seriously. I get incredibly nervous, sweat in weird places, and words come out of me in cadences that no human being would ever use in real life. People who know me tend not to believe this, but I have proof. In the “Blind Dates” episode of California Dreams, I have a line. Check it out – I appear about 3:13 in. Yup, that’s me, the freak with the big hair saying “Whoa, that guitar player is hot.”
As is my acting.
Of course, the best part of that show for me was the end credits: ”Elise Allen as Herself.” This wasn’t a nod to my deep method acting, but to the fact that I worked in the production office of the show, and only got the part because the writer jokingly named it after me, and the producer thought it would be hysterical to actually let me play the role. Soon after, this same producer tactfully suggested I might have better luck writing, and urged me to try my hand at a spec for one of the many shows he was running at the time. A year or so later, I had my first produced TV script: an episode of Saved By The Bell: The New Class, for which I learned many vital life lessons, including the fact that Mr. Belding must always say, “Hey Hey Hey Hey Hey!” Five “Hey”s. No more, no less. Five.
Since then, I’ve had all kinds of random writing jobs, from the heady (a prime time sitcom where they feed you incessantly and give you high-priced electronics for Christmas presents!) to the hilarious (100 pages of dialogue to be programmed into a Furby… most of it written in Furbish!). Currently, I work mostly in kids’ TV and DVDs, and last year I reached a serious career height when I wrote for… THE MUPPETS!!!! Yup, Kermit the Frog said words I wrote. I had a long, involved conversation with Miss Piggy. The whole thing was kinda too cool for words, and will hopefully be coming soon to a website near you.
While I’ve been writing professionally for many years, the book world is brand spankin’ new to me, and I’d be a daily hyperventilating mess without the great advice and stories from 2009 and 2010 Debs. I can now add the other 2011 Debs to that list of mentors — we’ve only been in touch about a month, but they’re all remarkably smart, funny, and talented, and I’m already learning so much from their experiences.
To me, that’s what being a Deb is about: reaching out to other authors to share our mishegoss and entertain each other as we all fumble our way around. I’m thrilled to be a part of this Deb class, and I’m looking forward to connecting with everyone out there as we go on what’s going to be an amazing ride of a year.
August 30th, 2010
| Posted by Elise Allen | 2011 Debs, Elise Allen, Los Angeles, Populazzi, actors, jobs, pop culture, television, writing
| 16 Comments
Simply From Scratch (in German, Weiss der Himmel von dir) by graduate Deb Alicia Bessette enjoys its sixth straight week on the bestseller list in Germany. The publisher is Kruger Verlag, and the translator is Andrea Fischer. Danke, Deutschland!
Books N’ Cooks gave Simply From Scratch a very nice review, calling it “witty,” “well-written,” and “incredibly moving.” Thank you, Books N’ Cooks!
The 2011 Debutantes are here! They start their blog reign tomorrow – if you missed reading about them, check in here.
The winner of Jenny Nelson’s book GEORGIA’S KITCHEN is Jane Cook. Congrats, and thanks to everyone who entered!
August 29th, 2010
| Posted by admin | 2010 Debs, 2011 Debs, News Flash
| One Comment
We’re so pleased to wrap up our time at the ball with debut author, Jenny Nelson here today. Her new book, Georgia’s Kitchen just came out this month. Georgia’s Kitchen tells the story of Georgia Gray, the talented, thirty-three-year-old head chef at a trendy New York restaurant who, suddenly finding herself unemployed and unengaged, travels to Tuscany, where she helps open a trattoria, finds romance with a vineyard owner and embarks on a crash course in self-discovery before returning to New York to salvage her reputation and open her own restaurant in the city she loves.
And guess what? You can win a copy here today. All you have to do is leave a comment and you’ll be entered to win.
Jenny stopped by to answer a few questions. Welcome, Deb Jenny!
A lot of the Debs love to cook. Do you? We know you have kids, so you probably don’t get much time alone, but if you had a night to yourself to cook whatever you liked best, what would it be? I do love to cook and, fortunately, my six-year-old twin daughters are fairly adventurous when it comes to tasting new things (which, sadly, is not the same as liking new things), so I do get to try out some new recipes now and again. If I were home alone with the whole delicious evening to myself, I’d make a super simple grilled wild salmon rubbed with olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon zest, sautéed swiss chard with plenty of garlic and good olive oil, and quinoa salad with black beans, corn and tomatoes. I’d wash this all down with a glass of Sancerre, then finish off the meal with a serving or two of Death by Chocolate ice cream (in a mug, not a bowl — it tricks me into believing I’m not eating as much), no explanation necessary.
Even though you’ve undoubtedly been asked this a million times already, we want to know. What’s your connection to Tuscany that led you to send your main character there? I’m a huge Italiaphile who loves all things Italy – food, wine, design, architecture, clothing, people and, above all, the country itself. My husband, Warren, and I have traveled extensively throughout Italy and were married outside of Florence in a villa overlooking the Duomo. Warren’s mother’s side of the family live in Milan and he speaks Italian fairly fluently, so we decided that gave us the perfect excuse to get married there. Once I’d decided that Georgia, my main character, was a chef, sending her to Italy was a no-brainer – what chef wouldn’t want to go to Italy, the land of truffles, San Marzano tomatoes, artisanal pasta, and so many insanely delicious wines you couldn’t possibly name them all? Plus, it allowed me to revisit Tuscany, if only through Georgia’s eyes, which was like seeing it for the first time all over again.
It seems like the day after your book debuts, people start asking about your second book. What are you working on now?I’m working on a novel about a thirtysomething woman who trades in her cosmopolitan city life for life in the country. It explores themes of love, family and self-discovery and, like Georgia’s Kitchen, has a food motif running through it, though in a very different way.
What was the most exciting thing about your debut week? I’d have to say my book launch party. I’m not one for the spotlight, and throwing parties for myself is not something to which I’m accustomed. So I was a little nervous beforehand, worried that the food might not pass muster or the wine wouldn’t be up to snuff or – gasp! – no one would show. But the minute I walked into Kenmare, the restaurant in New York hosting the party, all my cares disappeared (I’m sure the seriously stiff Sicilian Margarita I swilled had something to do with that!). As one friend remarked, the party was the perfect mix of family, old school friends, new friends, industry types and randoms. The common thread was that everyone there knew how hard and how long I’d worked on Georgia’s Kitchen and everyone was there to celebrate that effort. It was a warm and lovely event I’ll never forget.
Anything you wished other debut authors had clued you in to before your big debut this month? It’s such a whirlwind and it brings up so many emotions it can be overwhelming. Elation at being published, anxiety about the book not selling or not being well received, angst about completing book number two, delight upon seeing the book in real live bookstores. I wish someone had told me to savor the moment and not to let my emotions get too far ahead of me. And I really wish someone had warned me to never, ever check my numbers on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. With a simple click of the mouse you can find out how well or poorly your book is selling online. The fluctuations are wild and I honestly have no idea what the numbers even mean. Every day I vow that I’ll never ever check again and then I go back! If I were to pass on any advice to future debut authors, I’d say take some time to reflect on what getting published means for you. As Ann Lamott says in her fantastic book, Bird by Bird, it won’t change your life, or provide fame and fortune overnight, but it’s something you carry with you always. And that’s pretty cool.
Thanks, Jenny for being a Deb for the Day! Congratulations on your release. Don’t forget everyone, a comment gets you entered to win your very own copy of Georgia’s Kitchen. Contest ends today at midnight Pacific time.
P.S. I should also add a note to the new Debs who take over tomorrow…If you ever are in charge of interviewing someone for the site and you totally forget until the morning before, you better hope the person you’re supposed to interview is as nice, quick and accommodating as Jenny Nelson so that you don’t look bad on the very last day you’re a member of The Debutante Ball. I’m just sayin’. Thanks Jenny for saving my (tofu) bacon.
August 28th, 2010
| Posted by admin | 2010 Debs
| 24 Comments
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