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Procrastination: It's A Good Thing, guest post by Gabriella Contestabile @gcontestabile64 @iReadBookTours

A problem that has always vexed me as a writer is my proclivity to procrastinate. Sometimes there’s a valid excuse, a last minute day job project, a family emergency, a power outage. Usually, however, it’s just me staring at the blank screen or a journal page wondering why I became a writer to begin with, and why accounting might not have been a wiser career choice.

https://amzn.to/2K7QFm4

That said procrastination helped me write a stronger ending for my novel ‘The Artisan’s Star’. The same happened with my second book, ‘Sass, Smarts, and Stilettos’. I took so long to write ‘Artisan’s Star’ I matured along with my protagonist. I stood at the same crossroads as Elio who, in the final chapters and with fresh awareness, makes a different and far more satisfying lifestyle choice.

“Sass, Smarts, and Stilettos” took me only a year and a half to write, thanks to my publisher, Julie Salisbury. Even there, life got in the way. My ninety-four year old mother moved in with us. It turned our world inside out. Carving out time to write became more and more difficult.

Still, her presence re-connected me with my past in a profound and visceral way. It brought up vibrant memories of our immigrant experience, her sartorial skills, her love of her métier as a magliaia (knitwear seamstress) in Italy, our transatlantic crossing on the SS Andrea Doria. It forced me to go deeper and it made me even more proud of my heritage.

One evening over chamomile tea with honey, our evening ritual, mom told me she regretted selling her knitting machine. So I decided to buy her one. While researching on line I discovered Emily Cunetto, a young knitwear designer living in California who works on two knitting machines not unlike the ones my mother worked on over seventy years ago. That led to more research on exciting new slow fashion initiatives, notably Fibershed, Grow Your Jeans, and the atelier of Jussara Lee in the West Village.

And now an entire new world of possibilities opened up taking the book’s narrative full circle, from the teachings of my grandmother in our hillside village in Abruzzo to sustainability and slow fashion initiatives taking root around the world, a movement driven by young entrepreneurs who believe in doing what’s right for humanity and our environment, and are making great inroads along the way.

So I’ve come to the conclusion that procrastination can be a good thing. And I’m not alone. In Walter Isaacson’s brilliant biography ‘Leonardo Da Vinci’ he advises us to learn from Leonardo, to maintain a childlike sense of wonder and to procrastinate. In the words of history’s most creative thinker, “Men of lofty genius sometimes accomplish the most when they work least. For their minds are occupied with their ideas and the perfection of their conceptions to which they afterwards give form.’

My screenwriting teacher once said that to a writer everything is material. Once your book is inside your head, you are always thinking, imagining, and making connections, which will one day tell a reader this is a story of multiple layers and facets, deeply felt and understood, an experience worth taking in, not unlike DaVinci’s ‘Madonna of the Rocks.’

Gabriella Contestabile is the author of the novel, The Artisan’s Star, and owner of Su Misura (Made to Measure) Journeys; a boutique travel concept for the female traveler who relishes off-the-beaten-track adventures that celebrate the Italian way of life.

The book/travel initiative has its roots in her pre-writer life as a foreign language teacher, later as Executive Director and Vice President of International Training in a number of global companies (including Estee Lauder, Shiseido, and Prada Beauty) where she would create immersive and unconventional learning experiences in unique settings around the world.

One of her favorite pastimes, wherever she is in the world, is to scout out the best, and most ‘Italian’ espresso in the hood. It requires multiple tastings, but that’s the idea. Gabriella was born in Italy, and raised in Ottawa and New York City, where she currently lives with her husband, her mother, and a furry Shih Tzu named Oreo.

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ LinkedIn

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What genre do you write and why?

I started out writing young adult novels. Then I switched to adult novels. After my sixth novel had been published, one of my publishers asked if I would consider writing a nonfiction book for adults. As it turned out, I really enjoyed writing it, especially the research that was involved. That book is Kathryn Kelly: The Moll behind Machine Gun Kelly, and it has been optioned for a major movie.

Tell us about your latest book.

http://amzn.to/2FAItcd

Even though my writer’s voice was adult, I kept thinking about an orphanage I used to drive by on my way to class when I attended NC State University in Raleigh. Eventually, a story started to form, and it was in the voice of a young adult. That is when I created Dara, Mackenzie, and Jennifer, the FIGs—Females of Intellectual Genius—and the story of three orphaned girls with IQs in the genius range. In order to survive in a world where she doesn’t fit, each girl has developed a special talent that is enhanced by her genius. Book 1, The Cadence of Gypsies, takes the FIGs and Carolina, their teacher and mentor, to Italy where Carolina searches for the truth about her own birth. Book 2, The Wish Rider, is Dara’s story, how she came to be abandoned as a young child, and her search for her birth mother that takes them to a hidden, secret society deep underground Grand Central Terminal. The Clock Flower is Book 3 in The FIG Mystery Series, and it is Mackenzie’s story. Once again, Carolina and the FIGs search for the truth, and this truth involves Mackenzie’s biological parents and why she was put in an orphanage right after her birth. As each layer is revealed, they travel to China where Mackenzie is faced with a horror she can’t understand or explain. Yet to those Chinese who believe, it is real.

What marketing methods are you using to promote your book?

I really enjoy the I Read Book Tour because it allows me to connect with readers who are interested in my work. I also have several radio interviews scheduled, press releases which my publisher handles, and several book signings. The distributor has already been doing advance marketing for this.

What formats is the book available in?

All of my books are available in both eBook (Kindle, Nook) and paperback. The Cadence of Gypsies is also available in hard copy.

What advice do you have for other writers?

It is important to never give up if you really have a desire to write. Just assume that what you have written isn’t your best work, and that is yet to come. So many new writers send off their work to agents or publishers before it is ready, so editing is critical.

What's the best thing about being a writer?

I love the fact that I can work from my home office. Like most people, I really have a full schedule. I have always been a morning person, so I reserve the very early morning hours for my own writing before I move on to other things.

Where can people find out more about you and your writing?

Please visit my web site at http://www.barbaracaseyagency.com.

Who is you favorite character in your book and why?

This is really hard for me to answer. The FIGs have been a part of me for several years now, and we have been through a lot together. I love those girls, and I love Carolina. My husband likes to tell the story of how when I complete each book, he puts a box of tissue on my desk because he knows I am going to cry. It’s true. I will write one more book in this series, and it will be Jennifer’s story. It will also be the most difficult to write not only because of what I know Jennifer must face, but because it will be the last book in this series. It will be hard to tell the FIGs goodbye. When I finish it, my husband will put a box of tissues on my desk because he knows I will cry.

Why do you think readers are going to enjoy your book?

I hope they will enjoy the research I did on the connection between the dandelion flower and mortality, the archeological dig site that turns up ancient text that Dara also discovered underground Grand Central Terminal when she was searching for her mother, as well as the ancient Chinese dragon that I introduce into the story. It really is fascinating.

How long did it take you to write your book?

I started thinking about it several years before I started actually putting together the story. But by the time I started writing The Cadence of Gypsies, it only took me about four months to complete it. The same for the other two books in the series. I had thought about the FIGs and their problems for so long that I knew pretty much what I wanted to write.

Who designed the cover?

My publisher is also a wonderful artist, and she has designed all of the covers in The FIG Mystery Series.

Where can a reader purchase your book?

All three books in The FIG Mystery Series, as well as my other books, are available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and anywhere that sells books.

Jo, thank you so much for your wonderful questions and for letting me be your guest. I wish you all the best.

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Interview with Evy Journey @eholychair and @iReadBookTours

Tell us about your latest book.

http://amzn.to/2Frk7jR

I have a one-liner that sums up what I tried to do in Sugar and Spice and All Those Lies: Chanterelles garnished with cream and mayhem.

The phrase “chanterelles garnished with cream” alludes to haute cuisine while “mayhem” hints at crime. Food is featured, but food isn’t really the focus of the story. It’s a device (along with mayhem) to show how the heroine, a cook at a high-end restaurant, negotiates a world far from the one she grew up in. A privileged world of pleasure and menace.

Who are your favourite authors?

Jane Austen, Anthony Doerr, and Chitra Divakaruni in no particular order. Quality of the prose is important to me.

What's your favourite quote about writing/for writers?

The unread story is not a story; it is little black marks on wood pulp. The reader, reading it, makes it live: a live thing, a story. – Ursula K. Le Guin

This says it all, I think, for any form of art—painting, writing, sculpture, music, etc. The creator needs others to see (read, hear…) her work because it’s an expressive, living form whose meanings can change according to the viewer’s personal history.

What's the best thing about being a writer?

My earlier jobs involved a great deal of writing—research proposals, research reports, rehashing of studies both mine and those of others for the consumption of “lay people.” That profession didn’t have the label “writer” attached to it.

Now that I write fiction, I think I have finally earned that label. Fiction is different from the kind of writing I used to do which was grounded on facts, analysis, drawing of conclusions or recommendations and which often followed a more rigid structure and its own special lingo. Fiction requires much more imagination, gives you much more leeway. In some ways, it’s scarier because there are no must-follow rules. But it’s freeing. That’s the best thing about it for me. When you create a character and a fictional story, you have a lot more control, as opposed to facts and method having control of you.

In fiction writing, you have to be open to circumstance, to have the courage or imagination to veer away from your original story because of how characters or scenes develop. That’s what makes fiction writing occasionally surprising and exciting. I love that aspect of it, too.

Where can people find out more about you and your writing?

I have an author website: https://www.evyjourney.com where I write about experiences that have inspired my stories. Also some personal thoughts on writing.

I also have a book review site where I share my views on books I’ve just read which made a deep enough impression on me that I had to write about them: https://margaretofthenorth.wordpress.com.

My third blog is where my thoughts on my other loves—art, travel, and food: https://eveonalimb2.com.

Why do you think readers are going to enjoy your book?

I’ll hedge this question a bit because I firmly believe in the above quote from Ursula Le Guin. When it comes to expressive forms of communication like fiction or visual art, individual tastes dictate what you’ll enjoy or find memorable. For instance, if you like to read about food scenes especially around San Francisco, you’ll find something to enjoy in the book. Also, as one Amazon reviewer says, “The story is deep and sheds light on real relationships and how to distinguish them from the shallow ones.” So, if you like stories liberally sprinkled with angst, you’ll find something to chew on in this novel.

What are you doing to market the book?

I’m doing this blog tour. I’ve sought reviews, bought “new book release” and “book buzz” features on various book sites. I’ll have discounted book sales. And I have a Facebook group which I hope spreads the word about the book to their friends. I call it Thoughtful Romance Readers Love Food. I’d be thrilled for readers to check it out and join. I’ve also offered the book to book clubs.

How do you research your books?

Most of us start with searching the internet. I also read books similar to the one I’m currently writing. Experience plays a part including being at the setting of a story and observing.

The inspiration for Sugar and Spice and All Those Lies comes from the food scene east of San Francisco. I happen to be quite familiar with that scene which includes the Bay Area’s gourmet ghetto. Descriptions of a few restaurants the characters go to are based on real eating places in the area. I also read about what it’s like to cook for high-end restaurants and how people felt when they seemed to be on the point of dying.

I’ve done interviews with people who’ve lived in the settings of my stories. I did that, for instance, for Books 2 and 3 of my trilogy, Between Two Worlds. You can read about those places but when you talk to people who know them well, descriptions become personal and more relatable.

What are you currently reading?

Isabel Allende’s Daughter of Fortune.

When you’re not writing, how do you spend your time?

I live a day-to-day life, including all the grubbiness of it. When I’m at leisure, I do art. Lately, it’s mostly digital art. I’ve been working on an acrylic portrait I can’t seem to finish. It’s a request from my niece of her two young daughters.

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Interview with Lisa Slabach @lisa_slabach @iReadBookTours #DegreesofLove

What genre do you write and why?

I write Women’s Fiction mainly because it is what I enjoy reading and relate to most. Plus, there is so much to write about. Women’s lives have become incredibly complex between balancing family and careers while trying to lead fulfilled individual lives and dealing with the pace of modern life. Yet, despite the complexities, women have the same basic need to love and be loved. It’s a commonality we all share and what I love writing about.

Tell us about your latest book.

http://amzn.to/2qybhhz

Degrees of Love: A Novel is about a modern, working mother who on the surface has it all—the house, the car, the family, the career—but is still inexplicably unhappy. Then she meets her new boss and goes through a sort of awakening that changes the course of her life. It’s about marriage and family and an exploration of love, which includes love of family and self as well as variations of desire.

What marketing methods are you using to promote your book?

Phase 1 began with submitting for editorial reviews and then moving on to individual reviewers via giveaways and e-mail lists. Social Media has been key, including Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, Facebook Ads, and actively soliciting Bloggers. (Degrees is being featured for the month of January on Women Writers, Women(‘s) Books!) Phase 2 will include outreach to bookstores, libraries, and book clubs.

What formats is the book available in?

Currently Degrees is available in paperback and e-book. I hope to have an audio version out before the end of 2018.

Who are your favourite authors?

That is a really hard question to answer. There are so many that I really enjoy and my tastes vary based on my mood. All-time favorites are probably W. Somerset Maugham, Jane Austen, and Henry James. Contemporary favorites are Lauren Willig, Laura Dave, and Rachel Gibson.

What's your favourite quote about writing/for writers?

“If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t matter a damn how you write.” – Somerset Maugham

How long did it take you to write your book?

I wrote the first draft in about four months and then took another five years revising and editing. I didn’t work on it continually though. It would sit in the drawer for a year or more at a time until something would spark my imagination and the story would pull me back.

What is your work in progress? Tell us about it.

I am currently working on a novel about a woman who married her high school sweetheart after becoming pregnant in high school. In her mind, they have a successful, happy marriage and is completely blindsided when he leaves her the day after their daughter graduates from high school. The working title is First Time Single. Themes of love, marriage, and forgiveness are explored, but the tone is much lighter than Degrees of Love.

Who or what inspired you to become a writer?

I really can’t say what inspired me to become a writer. I’ve always been an avid reader and enjoy storytelling in all formats—plays, movies, books, etc.. I have an M.F.A. in theater and started out as an actress and later directed plays. Writing felt like the natural medium to explore next. As a novelist, I get to be playwright, actress, and director.

Does your family support you in your writing career? How?

Absolutely. Just as some families are sports families, my family is the artsy family—one of my daughters wants to be a screenwriter and the other a concept artist for film, and my husband used to be an actor, built sets, and still plays multiple instruments. They all understand the urge to create and give me space to write. My book launch was family event with everyone pitching in and cheering me on.

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Stress Management for Authors, guest post by Ingrid Kelada @ikelada @iReadBookTours #21DaysToHappiness #IngridKelada

Did you know?

According to the Statistic Brain website, 76% of people cite money and work as the main causes of their stress.

As a psychologist and a happiness expert, I can tell you that people think it's normal to be stressed, overwhelmed and tired, but it's not! Certainly, when experiencing it, stress gives energy, but in the long run, it hurts our performance.

Stress is the answer to a perception of danger. In difficult situations, the adrenaline released allows us to be fast, strong and agile. It's very practical in the moment, but in the long term it harms our physical and psychological health.

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Here are the 2 most effective tips for authors that I recommend you practice.

Breathe Slowly and Deeply

By slowing down our breathing, we send a signal to our brain that we are in control. This allows us to react better because we are more focused, creative and effective when we are calm than when anxious or exhausted.

A practical tool to control our breathing is cardiac coherence. This method of monitoring heart rhythms was discovered by American researchers and then widely publicized by Dr. David Servan-Schreiber.

It is believed that the average number of complete breaths that is related to positive emotions and well-being is between 5 and 7 per minute, depending on the person. By "complete breathing" we mean long, deep inhalations and total exhalation: the cycle is about 10 seconds in total (5 seconds of inhalation, 5 seconds of exhalation).

Quick tip: try this…Before you sit down to write, here is a video with English instructions or my favorite video on YouTube, you get a bonus free mini vacation with the second one!

In addition, I suggest you download the APP RespiRelax-iOs or RespiRelax-Android on your smartphone, so you can easily "de-stress" between crises in about five minutes!

Learn to De-dramatize

When you need to focus on your writing but something goes wrong you can feel unable to function. Stress, as previously mentioned, is caused first and foremost by our perceptions or interpretation or events. If you think a situation is serious or negative, your stress automatically increases. Conversely, if you think there is a solution to everything and that things could be worse, your stress decreases. One thing I love to do to help de de-dramatize comes from the book Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. The book poses the question “will it matter a year from now?”. Usually, the answer is NO! Most of the time, we are stressed with things that are usually quickly resolved. We tend to manage multiple emergencies and crises per week to which we most often find solutions. I always say: “if there is not a solution, there is a lesson!”

Quick tip: try this…Since I am not a physician, when dealing with problematic situations at work, I often say to myself: "There are no lives in danger" and this allows me to regain my composure in order to find the best way to deal with the issue.

Ms. Ingrid Kelada is an experienced psychologist and happiness expert. She is a speaker and has facilitated over 1000 workshops all over the world. People find her to be pragmatic, inspiring and funny! She has an online personality questionnaire store to help people identify their talents and interests. With over 25 years experience, she offers her expertise to a wide range of clients. She is bilingual and a member of the professional association of Psychologists of Quebec. Visit her online at www.keladacc.ca

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