Pretty Okay

By Laura Spinella


Remember the old Virginia Slims tagline: You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby! I’m not advocating smoking, but the cliché is appropriate. I wrote my first GBC post in 2010. Back then I was a nervous debut author, unfamiliar with the perks and perils of publication. When I recall the lengthy explanations my seasoned literary agent took time to offer, I am humbled as I cringe. To say it was a steep learning curve is an understatement. I’m still not sure I’m anywhere near the downside of that hill. But I do know a hell of a lot more than I did three years ago. At the end of the day, the debut novel did pretty okay—awkward phrasing to match my awkward published author garb. It’s hardly a custom fit, and it still feels a lot like dress-up.

Did I make the New York Times Bestseller list? No. Is BEAUTIFUL DISASTER in its tenth printing? No. Did Oprah call? Afraid not. On the upside, and there is one, the achievement of traditional publication did come with some nifty highlights. Like Cinderella’s trip to the ball, I went to RWA’s RITA awards last summer. They gave me a flashy green finalist ribbon that, amazingly, did make me feel as though I’d truly accomplished something. During the awards, I sat chair-leg-to-chair-leg with Nora Roberts—how cool is that? Funny, somehow she didn’t seem quite as excited as me. Book clubs turned out to be the hidden treasure on the hamster wheel of show and tell publicity. I’ve met some really nice people along the way and drank an awful lot of their wine. My icing-on-the-cake, however, came up front, on the heels of BD’s debut. The novel’s setting is my alma mater—the University of Georgia, a place that is my eighth layer of skin.

Southern hospitality is always in good form, and the university was kind enough to throw me a tailgate-worthy, kick-off bash. But that’s not the icing part. At the time, my daughter was an incoming freshman at Georgia. I wonder, to this day, what are the odds? A kid chooses a college, 1200 miles from home, as her mother’s novel debuts, literally and fictitiously, in the exact same spot. Along with an airline ticket, I probably should have invested in a lottery ticket.

Interestingly, the same daughter will be a senior when PERFECT TIMING hits store shelves in November. It’s a jarring reminder that time does move on, more quickly than you think. This book boasts an Alabama/Las Vegas/Boston setting, so I’m already panicked that I have no alumni affiliation to back me up. But since there is no crying or whining or resting on your laurels in books, I suppose I’ll suck it up and just hustle a little harder. Admittedly, there was enough about being a published author that made me not want to dive back in. It is my addiction to storytelling that compelled me to go again. It also insists I embrace everything that comes with promoting a bound book. So here’s to publication and PERFECT TIMING! Consider this newest Girlfriends Book Club blog the drop of the green flag. To celebrate, I’ve included the musical tribute below. It’s a nod to my rock star protagonist, Aidan Royce, and the whirlwind of book publicity to come! Oh, if you have a sec, please come by a "like" my new FB page, Laura Spinella Books, cuz where we go again...

Laura Spinella is the author of the award-winning novel, Beautiful Disaster and the upcoming novel, Perfect Timing. Visit her a lauraspinella.net

365 Snapshot & BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!

By Laura Spinella

This seems like a good juncture for a reflective blog. I was going to go with the publishing mistakes theme, but realized how low we are on liquor. So, instead, I’ll drink what’s left, aptly setting the mood for reflection. Nudge me if I start to slur. It’s an appropriate pause point for a number of reasons, including the birthday I celebrated yesterday. I still get to hang with the forty-something crowd, but not for too much longer. On the upside, this time next year I’ll gape at people in their late fifties, saying, “Holy crap, I’m glad that’s light years away!”




The Ladies of Taunton's Booktini



I actually spent last year’s birthday wondering what this one would bring. The drum roll would have long since passed, and my much anticipated book on the shelf would, with any luck, be… restocked?? If it was a baby, by now it would have teeth and babble a coherent, “Mama.” Truthfully, I’d have it on three or four preschool waiting lists. I never was particularly adept at entertaining small children. Here’s what I didn’t envision a year ago, spending yesterday’s birthday at a book club. When the woman contacted me months ago, I casually mentioned that while I’d love to attend their BEAUTIFUL DISASTER get together, it was my birthday. Maybe another day that week would work? Nope, last Tuesday of the month, that’s their book club date. Fine with me. I was fairly certain I could drink their wine to celebrate, just as well as my own. Honestly, book clubs, by far, have been the unforeseen perk in all this. I thought the signings would be the icing on the cake. Some had their moments, and some were a total bust, but they all came with a level of tension that I could never dial down. Book clubs, on the other hand, were a more natural fit. You get to do a lot of listening, which takes the pressure off. And depending on the group, I often found myself feeling like a lifelong member. Booktini (which has to be the coolest name ever for a book club) in Taunton, MA was one of the best—hand monogrammed wine glasses, door prizes, BEAUTIFUL DISASTER refrigerator magnets, and some of the nicest women I’ve ever met. They made me glad I didn’t listen to people, close kin in some cases, who suggested I bag the book idea and pursue something less fanciful—like, maybe, an application at Home Depot.

In addition to that lengthy list of publishing firsts and author naïveté, which is still bumbling, though not quite as pathetic as it used to be, were contests. I never gave them much thought. There are only so many hours in a day. Subtract out every facet of life that has nothing to do with book writing and factor back in the 24/7 dedication required to write a book. I’m no math whiz, but I’m fairly certain this results in a negative number. So, whatever my reasoning, it just wasn’t something I paid much attention to before BEAUTIFUL DISASTER. A few months ago, I entered one. An invite came in the mail from NJRWA’s Golden Leaf contest. What did I have to lose besides four books? The only real problem was the competitive nature of such an event. Remember, I’m the author who has never visited her Amazon page. It’s not that I have an aversion to competition—I’m just more comfortable with armchair rivalry, preferably the kind where Vanna controls your fate. Yet, by summer’s end, there I was, a finalist in the contest. Go figure. Courtesy of complex circumstances, I didn’t make it to their Put Your Heart in a Book Conference where the awards are bestowed. But I did check my email late last Friday. Holy Moly, I won. BEAUTIUFL DISASTER was awarded NJRWA’s Best First Book in their Golden Leaf contest. Now there’s something I definitely didn’t envision a year ago.

Next week, I head back to the book’s roots, Athens, Georgia. The University of Georgia Alumni Association has been supportive of my literary efforts, and has invited me to participate in their annual Alumni Authors Showcase. I was quick to accept. Aside from the showcase, I haven’t seen that middle child since August, and I’m curious to see if she still knows how to say, “Mama!” I did a signing at UGA last January. At the time, I thought that was the full circle to my big book event. I really did. I’d revel in the moment, sign copies on the campus that inspired the setting, and look around longingly for characters who don’t exist. I’d go home, and that would be it. Well, as I said, bumbling naiveté. So when I take this pause, I see a lot of things I never imagined—at least when it comes to this curious thing we call publishing.

In celebration of BEAUTIFUL DISASTER’S win, and heeding good Girlfriend advice to put the book in readers’ hands, I thought I’d give away a signed copy! Just leave a comment and I’ll pick a winner by Friday.

You can always find me at http://www.lauraspinella.net/ or on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/BeautifulDisasterANovel?sk=app_150903068337795