Alesia, I went to your website, and I noticed that you write in several genres: chick lit, legal thrillers, non-fiction, and teens & tweens. To say the least, you are an eclectic writer. What has become your philosophy of writing?
Well, it looks much worse than it is! LOL. Actually, every one of the genres you mention is tied together by my signature humorous style. I generally say that I write funny novels, and the rest is a matter of reader preference. For example, the legal thrillers came about because I practiced trial law for several years, but none of the legal thrillers I read appealed to me. They were all plot, no character. No emotion. No humor. I didn’t know a single attorney who lived life that way! I wanted to show a lawyer with a sense of humor who sees the funny side of even the most dire situations. I guess that’s my “philosophy of writing,” although I’ve never thought of it in such grand terms: write as honestly as I can about the crazy situations we all face, and find the humor in all of it. This works for me whether we’re teens, military spouses, thirty-somethings looking for love, or trial lawyers trying to solve murder mysteries.
I see you’re a participant in the 2005 NanoWrimo. What made you jump aboard this crazy ship of writing?
It was all due to one dear friend, Lani Diane Rich. She raved about the energy of Nano so much, I wanted to check it out for myself. We have a blast at www.literarychicks.com, and I basically do whatever she tells me to do. My life is much better that way.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on for NanoWrimo?
Sure. SEVEN WAYS TO LOSE YOUR LOVER is about a woman who calls herself “The Anti-Date Antidote” — a “reverse Cyrano de Bergerac” — the Breakup Artist. Shane Madison is so busy ending relationships before she can get hurt that she has even developed a hobby (which turns into a paying business!) helping other women “encourage” their boyfriends to break up with *them.* It’s kind of a chick lit comedy of manners; for some reason Doris Day movies starring Kate Hudson keep playing in my mind while I write it.
You have a novella “The Naked Truth about Guys” in the new anthology, THE NAKED TRUTH. Aside from the catchy, makes you want to read it title, why should readers pick up the book?
It’s a very fun book. Of course the very talented Donna Kauffman, Beverly Brandt, and Erin McCarthy are always a treat! In my story, The Naked Truth about Guys, the secret hook (you’re the first to hear!) is that I like to turn conventional, cliched plots on their heads. I took a perennial favorite – girl wants smarmy guy, nice boy next door pines for girl, girl finally realizes nice boy next door is the one for her — and turned it completely around. And I had a ball doing it!
Is there one book(s) or story(-ies) out there (not written by you) that you love so much that you wish you had penned it?
Oh, wow. There are hundreds of books that fall into this category! But, then again, maybe not. Because the books I truly love to read, and revisit over and over, hold some new surprise at each reading. If I’d written them, I wouldn’t be able to say that!
Check out Alesia @ her website: http://www.alesiaholliday.com!