A Maryland Chick-lit Writer's Inspiration by K.L. Brady, Author of The Bum Magnet

Michelle at GalleySmith started this great blog craze about highlighting local authors on The Literary Road Trip.  I've been a bit lax in participating, but I do have some of these great local authors lined up with guest posts and interviews.  I've just been slow to post them.

K.L. Brady, author of The Bum Magnet and a local Maryland author; you can check out a list of her appearances or read her latest blog posts.  Today, she's here to share her inspiration, with some local flare.  Give her a warm welcome.

As a “chick lit” author—which by my definition means I write about female characters and their relationships using heavy doses of humor—my experiences while residing in Maryland and D.C. have certainly inspired my writing. I lived here during my childhood and for most of my adult life. From Hillcrest Heights in Southeast D.C. to Forestville, Fort Washington, and Cheltenham, Maryland (which is Upper Marlboro with higher real estate taxes), I’ve seen this area through the 1970s gas crunch, a major hurricane, mayoral sting operations, planet-sized potholes, two recessions, political turmoil, a terrorist attack, and the first African-American president. And through it all, one thing has remained constant: women still outnumber men. This condition makes for a, shall we say, “unique” dating experience for the women in the area and  provides me with more writing material than I can feasibly use in one lifetime.

If we want to be modern women, we eventually have to adapt to the new times--but I refuse. Unfortunately, I'm a child of D.C's 60s and still have old-school leanings when it comes to love and dating. I believe men are supposed to call first - and no, a text message that reads "whatchu doin 2nite?" does not constitute invitiation. I believe men should ask you "out" on real dates. "Out" means not "in" the house - microwave popcorn and a DVD do not a date make. And no, dinner does not guarantee that you will get "dessert." When women like me stay committed to our rules, the selection of women is so plentiful that men can quickly and easily move on to the next target, many of whom don't impose any rules. So, for men in the Maryland-DC area, dating is like an all-you-can-eat buffet. For women, it’s more like a rice cake—dry and unsatisfying.

People often ask me where my sense of humor comes from and why I incorporate so much into my writing. The answer is simple: I laugh to keep from crying. When you haven’t had a decent date since Jesus was a carpenter, you have to laugh to keep from crying. When you’ve reached level of financial success such that your blip on a man’s dating radar reads “sugar mama,” you have to laugh to keep from crying. When your heart’s been stepped on so many times that it can double as a Dance Dance Revolution Mat, you have to laugh to keep from crying. Some might consider such a dating life depressing, sad, or lonely. For me, it’s entertaining and replete with writing material. Without experiencing another relationship, I could write for eternity based on the life I’ve lived until today. And I view that as an enormous blessing--because if I write a hundred books one of them is bound to be a bestseller.

Ahhh, but fret not single ladies in the metropolitan area, there is a small glimmer of hope at the end of the grim, dark tunnel of DC dating. It's called "relocation."  However, until your big moving day comes, stick to your rules, persevere...and laugh through your tears. 

Thanks again K.L. Brady for a great guest post. If you have enjoyed this guest post, stay tuned for my review of The Bum Magnet.

About the Author:

K.L. Brady is a D.C. native, but spent a number of her formative years in Bellaire, Ohio.  She says, "I know, you've never heard of it. It's famous for three things: The House That Jack Built, New England Patriots wide receiver, Joey Galloway, and the home of Three's Company star Joyce DeWitt."  She's also an alumnus of the University of the District of Columbia and University of Maryland University College, earning a B.A. in Economics and M.B.A., respectively.

Nothing But Ghosts by Beth Kephart

Beth Kephart's Nothing But Ghosts follows Katie D'Amore's struggle to recover enough to live after the death of her mother, but her mother's ghost is not the only spirit present in this novel.  Lost loves, mysterious socialites locked inside their estates, and other specters haunt these pages.  Kephart's narration from the point of view of Katie is limiting, but an excellent choice as readers unravel the mystery of her town's hermetic socialite alongside Katie.

"My dad has this knack for lighting the darkness, for uncracking all the cracks that break images apart, for returning the disappeared to the land of the living."  (Page 5)

Katie must face her loss, her future, and the past, and she does it in the basement of a library and in a garden of Miss Martine's estate as she and other kids work through the summer digging a hole for a gazebo foundation.  What Katie doesn't expect is to find life in the past and the present, nor does she expect to see her father emerge from his own opaque painting to whisk broad, vivid paint across a new canvas.

"If you were looking down on me and my bike from a cloud above, you'd think we were a zipper.  That's how fast we go, how straight down, all the way to Miss Martine's."  (Page 9)

"What if the glass breaks and the bird flies in? What if the whole upstairs shatters and crumbles? I imagine the finch making a nest inside my lamp shade -- dropping the feathers into my shoes, over my breadspread, over my pillow, over me.  I imagine everything giving way to the finch."  (Page 22)

Nothing but Ghosts is not simply a coming of age story, but a tale of how each of us deals with loss.  Kephart is a master of description, making each image vivid, each plot line significant, and she does it all in concise, poetic language.  In a way, readers may find that parts of this novel are simply a large narrative poem.  Very enjoyable, quick read, with deeper meaning and an even deeper sense of understanding.

Check out this book trailer too:

About the Author: (from author's Website)

Beth Kephart is the author of five memoirs, an autobiography of a river, a young adult novel, and a newly released corporate fable called ZENOBIA: THE CURIOUS BOOK OF BUSINESS (co-authored with Matthew Emmens); four new books are forthcoming. A SLANT OF SUN was a 1998 National Book Award finalist, a Salon.com Best Book of the Year, and the winner of other honors. INTO THE TANGLE OF FRIENDSHIP was written with the support of an NEA grant; GHOSTS IN THE GARDEN was a Book Sense pick; FLOW: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF PHILADELPHIA'S SCHUYLKILL RIVER was supported by a Pew Fellowships in the Arts grant; and UNDERCOVER, released in September of 2007, was named a best young adult book of the year by School Library Journal, Kirkus, Amazon, and others. The winner of the 2005 Speakeasy Poetry Prize, a contributor to many anthologies, an occasional teacher and frequent reviewer, Kephart has written for publications ranging from the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Washington Post, to Family Circle, Philadelphia magazine, Salon.com, Real Simple, and Parenting. Kephart is the strategic writing partner in an award-winning, boutique marketing communications firm called Fusion.

FTC Disclosure:  All title links and images will bring you to an Amazon Affiliate page; No purchase required.  Additionally, my copy of Nothing But Ghosts was borrowed from my local library and recommended by Amy of My Friend Amy and Beth Fish Reads.  

It may take me a while to get to books recommended by bloggers, but I do get to them.  Thanks everyone.

Interview With Garth Stein

If you haven't seen my review of Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain, you should check it out, here.

Garth Stein kindly took some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few interview questions for me over at the D.C. Literature Examiner.

I know we're all busy with the holidays, but I hope you will take the time to pop over and comment on my interview and the second part.

My First Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

I've never participated in Library Loot before because I've generally stuck all my books in the Mailbox Monday posts.  But since I forgot that I picked up my long-awaited library books over the weekend, I figured I would join in the fun.  So here it goes:



1.  Nadirs by Herta Muller, who recently won the Nobel Prize in Literature, check out my article on her, here.



2.  Unmasked by Ian Halperin

What did you pick up from the library?

Clicking on titles and cover images will bring you to my Amazon Affiliates page; no purchases are necessary. 

Mailbox Monday #57

It's Monday again and we're here with another peep at my mailbox.  Mailbox Monday is sponsored by Marcia at The Printed Page.  If you haven't checked out her blog, you should, especially since she started sharing her vacation photos from New Zealand and more.


Anyway, here's what came in the mail this week:



1.  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford for a January tour date with TLC Book Tours.



2.  2 copies of When She Flew by Jennie Shortridge, one will be given away to a reader of my blog; naturally, it will be an international giveaway.



3.  Fire in the Lake by Frances FitzGerald, which is going in the box of giveaway books for the 2010 Viet Nam War Reading Challenge.  Stay tuned at War Through the Generations for more information on Dec. 1.  I got this copy in excellent condition from the library sale shelves for 50 cents.  Be advised that the cover image is not the same as the bargain book.

Clicking on titles and cover images will bring you to my Amazon Affiliates page; no purchases are necessary.

What did you get in your mailbox?