Author: Jennifer Lane

I was just reading a blog post about writer’s personality traits at http://victoriamixon.com/2010/07/13/6-personality-types-who-will-succeed-as-writers/
(thank you to Julie Musil for compiling some great articles at http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.com/2010/07/best-articles-this-week-for-writers_23.html) and it struck me that I don’t really consider myself a writer at this point. I’m a psychologist, not a writer, right?

I only started writing fiction about three years ago, on a lark, and it feels startling that I have a published novel out there. (I also feel very fortunate!) Less than two weeks ago Omnific Publishing released With Good Behavior–that reality is still sinking in. Every weekend I find myself becoming a little more immersed into writing. It’s been a blast learning about this craft as well as meeting dedicated authors and voracious readers.

Then Monday hits and I’ll pull myself away from the writing world to sit down with my psychotherapy clients. Some days it’s a rather jarring transition. Suddenly the “characters” in my world are behaving in unpredictable, initially puzzling ways (though once I get to know clients better, their choices make perfect sense). The interpersonal connection of therapy is deep and intense (on a good day) whereas writing can be a very solitary activity.

There is some overlap between therapy and fiction writing, though. Therapy is all about story-telling after all. Both therapy and writing require introspection and emotional sensitivity, as well as a fascination with people—their strengths, their quirks, their relationships. Therapy necessitates perseverance and optimism, which have served me well when staring at a blank Word document.

I’m curious about my future directions for career and identity, and I’m sure it will be an interesting ride. Certainly I’m not the only one who has a “day job”, writing on the side. How does writing fit into your identity? How has your writing career evolved?

In With Good Behavior, Grant and Sophie are both trying to make it on the outside. One condition of their parole is that they have to get employed, and Grant manages to find a job on a Chicago architectural cruise ship. Have you ever taken an architectural cruise? I thoroughly enjoyed hopping onboard myself in the “City of Broad Shoulders” in the summer of 2008, when this story takes place.

The Chicago Spire was one architectural marvel on the tour, just beginning construction. (Unfortunately, construction of the Spire has now halted due to the financial crisis facing our economy.) Once I saw an artist’s rendition of this amazing building, I became overwhelmed by the endless possibilities for using its design in a romance novel, and I simply had to include the Spire in WGB. When you see the drawing, I think you’ll know why:

                                                                    
                                                                          ‘Nuff said. 😀

In a world gripped by organized crime, family dysfunction, and little chance of redemption, is it possible for true love to persevere? For Sophie Taylor, a beautiful psychologist who lost everything when she violated an ethical boundary, and Grant Madsen, a handsome naval officer who sacrificed everything to protect a family member, searching for that love carries a heavy price. When their paths cross outside their parole officer’s door, the attraction is instantaneous. Beneath the surface, though, is a hidden connection that may not only shatter their fledgling love, but also prove deadly to them both.

It’s almost July 13th, the date of the release of With Good Behavior! *squeals* I would say that it’s been a long time coming, but Omnific Publishing has worked so quickly that it actually feels more like a whirlwind. I submitted a query letter to Omnific in January, 2010, and a mere six months later, the book’s hitting the shelves. Thank you to the Omnific team for your diligent and efficient efforts!

I’m also excited to announce that the sequel, Bad Behavior, will be published by Omnific as well. We’ve selected a blurb from the sequel to include in the original, as a “carrot” to entice you. Bad Behavior continues the adventures of Grant and Sophie (a.k.a. McSailor and Bonnie) with parole and therapy in the rough seas of Chicago’s organized crime.

Would you like to see the book cover? Read the synopsis? Purchase a paperback or ebook? Check out:

http://omnificpublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=22&products_id=29

I’ve had several friends ask me why I’m wearing a carrot costume in my Twitter and blog photo. Believe it or not, carrots and other vegetables do in fact tie into the plot of With Good Behavior!

My mother is very skilled at sewing. I remember that she would make a dress for my Barbie, and then whip up a matching dress for me. (Thanks, Mom!) She also sewed a few Halloween costumes for my sisters and me, and our favorite had to be the carrot costume. As the story goes, during bath-time my mom and sisters were discussing silly Halloween costume ideas, and at that moment the carrot seed was planted. Always up for a challenge, Mom took some orange and green felt, a yardstick, a wire hanger, and voila!

So how is the carrot connected to With Good Behavior? Roger Eaton, the captain of the architectural cruise ship that employs Grant and Sophie, has a penchant for eating Chicago deep-dish pizza and other artery-hardening foods. In one part of the story Roger tries to start eating heart-healthy vegetables, but he abhors the “tasteless pieces of crap”. Grant teases Rog about not getting along with veggies — telling him that Rog and the veggies should go out on a date to get to know each other better — and pretty soon the conversation degrades to the point where they’re laughing about “sexy vegetables”. (I guess you’ll have to read it!) So, carrots are indeed relevant to the story.

The romantic leads in With Good Behavior, Sophie Taylor and Grant Madsen, are two law-abiding citizens who unwittingly got mixed up with a Mafia capo, Logan Barberi. Their involvement with Logan led them both to prison sentences. The story begins as Sophie and Grant are starting parole and attempting to rebuild their lives and their dignity. Sophie is a former psychologist who’s an intelligent, spunky, strawberry-blond beauty. She has a tendency to open her heart to wounded people, including the “bad-boy” boyfriends littering her past. Grant is a former Navy lieutenant who’s hard-working and kind, with dark Italian features and stunning crystal-blue eyes. He has a penchant for brooding and self-sacrifice. Their paths collide outside their parole officer’s door, and both have no idea about the explosive hidden connection waiting for them like a ticking bomb down the road.

For more of my author interview, check out http://www.omnificpublishing.com/
The interview will be posted around July 13th, 2010–the release date for With Good Behavior!

I continue to learn so much throughout this publishing process. Once Omnific Publishing developmental editor Jessica Royer Ocken and managing editor Cindy Campbell finished meticulously editing each chapter, attorney/copy editor CJ Creel went over the manuscript with a fine-toothed gavel, highlighting several implausible aspects of my character’s crimes and sentences. Ruh-roh! Seems that I missed out on the pesky little issue of “criminal intent” for Sophie’s felony. I panicked at first but my Aunt Nancy’s calming words, “Set-backs can often represent good news” indeed came true. And my trusty legal advisor Nix came through with some great ideas for making changes. After reworking several scenes, I think the novel is better for it!

It looks like the release date will be sometime late June/early July. We’re inching ever closer!

There is accumulating research evidence that exercise is good not only for physical health but also for mental health. Exercise is a great intervention for depression and anxiety, and can also boost brainpower! It seems that cardiovascular exercise can create increased cerebral blood flow and brain connections, resulting in improvements in executive functioning tasks like planning, memory, and multitasking (http://www.apa.org/monitor/2010/06/exercise.aspx)

What does this evidence have to do with writing a novel? I’ve found that WALKING is the best remedy for any difficulties I’m having with the plot or characters. If I’m not sure about the next direction to take in my story, I’ll strap on the iPod and hit the neighborhood for about sixty minutes of brisk walking and voila! I’ve usually come up with a creative idea in the process.

There’s something about repetitive cardiovascular activity that helps us work out problems while working out. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/24/AR2010052402608.html?referrer=emailarticle).

I’ve been a competitive swimmer all my life, but swimming in a pool usually involves too much thought (including switching strokes, hitting the walls right on my flip turns, keeping pace, and trying to avoid careening into my fellow lane-mates) for the writing problem-solving I’m seeking. Open-water swimming would probably work better. But I know that walking really does the trick. And, once I heal my bum hip/lower back, slow jogging can also work it out.

If you are a writer, what helps you solve problems? Or, in other performances like job, school, and relationships, what helps you “work it out”?

The latest news is that the release date for With Good Behavior will likely be late July 13th, 2010. Yeah! Jeffery Hoyle, the Omnific marketing associate who has been guiding me through this winding road of publication, is hard at work creating the website jenniferlanebooks.com. The manuscript is now in the hands of my Omnific managing editor, Cindy Campbell. (We’re working on streamlining the flashbacks so that only one point of view is represented, as well as fact-checking to increase accuracy). Omnific is also looking over the sequel, currently titled Couples Counseling, for possible publication. And I’m charged with getting my photo taken professionally (insert fake cheer) for the book jacket. It’s quickly coming together!

I recently returned from Chicago, the setting for With Good Behavior and the scene of my sister Susan’s wedding shower. The shower was a lot of fun but it was rather eerie to find life imitating art (if I may so boldly attempt to call my novel “art”). My oldest sister Laurie found a fun cocktail to serve, called “Fly by Night”. (First dip the champagne flute rim in simple syrup then in sugared orange zest, then add half an ounce of Crème de Violet, one ounce of St. Germaine, and finally champagne.) Since one of Susan’s wedding colors is a dark rose/rhubarb color, I decided to add a splash of pomegranate juice to the mix, making the cocktail a beautiful burgundy color. Somehow I got assigned the job of making these intricate cocktails for our sixteen guests, managing to spill the sticky liquid all over the counter and myself, and it became clear to me that I had suddenly turned into my lead character Sophie Taylor! Psychologist turned bartender.

Susan’s wedding reception will take place on a cruise of the Chicago River. It turns out that the ship they’ve rented is an architectural cruise ship by day and a party ship by night. I found this eerie since my other lead character, Grant Madsen, secures a job on an architectural cruise ship early in the novel. At the shower, we were looking out the window at the Chicago River and happened to see the ship she’s renting running an architectural cruise right outside. Party guests were asking each other if they’ve taken an architectural cruise before (most hadn’t) and one joked that she should make sure the captain hadn’t been drinking before the cruise starts, again reminding me of a scene from the novel. I’d had no idea that both Sophie and Grant would be attending the shower with me!