I think one of the most important qualities a person can have is self awareness. I don’t mean they need to be constantly checking their teeth for signs of lipstick or worried about laughing too loud in a library. I mean they should know who they are. They should know their strengths as well as their weaknesses and they shouldn’t make excuses for either. Own it. If you’re bad at something then do what you can to become good-enough-to-get-by or if you really want to be better than that, put in the work. For instance I’m disorganized. That’s not because I’m an artist or because the stars are messed up this month, it’s because I’m a disorganized person. It would be nice to have everything in its proper place but I don’t really care enough about that to make a serious effort thus I have resigned myself to being organized enough to be a good parent to my son (in other words I feed him regularly and I even teach him a thing or two) and to get my bills paid on time (although I think I’m going to have to file and extension for my taxes). I also think that it’s okay to be proud of your strengths and accomplishments. I’m not a big fan of modesty, I’m more into realism. Brittney Spears is a great performer; she has the right to say that. She is not a great actress and she needs to own up to that before taking on another movie role.
So who am I (other than disorganized)? I think I’ve told you what I’m not good at in past blogs: I have issues when it comes to relationships (but I must say, I rock at being an ex-wife, seriously, I’m the woman you want to divorce), I don’t always manage my time well, I sometimes worry too much about things that I have little or no control over and so on. But I am very good at getting along with people from all walks of life. I’ve always been that way. I was one of the few people in my high school that could honestly say that I had friends within every click without ever belonging to one myself. I was friends with the homecoming queens as well as the drop-outs. I think there are two reasons that explain why I’ve always been able to pull this off:
1) I’m interested in people and I accept them for who they are with little-to-no judgment
2) I am a bit of a politician
The first part of this is fairly simple, if someone has a dramatically different approach to life than I do, I find that interesting. I have a friend who is passionately interested in astrology and she has a different hair color every month, none of them could pass as natural. When she went to see Phantom Of The Opera at the local movie theater she wore a ball gown. She loves her boyfriend despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that he periodically likes to dress up in women’s clothing. I would never go to the movies in a ball gown and I would never date a cross-dresser but I just love that she does these things. Not only does it work for her, it also makes her more interesting and entertaining to hangout with.
I have another friend who has made high fashion her life. Her apartment has two bedrooms, one of which she’s converted into a closet…and it’s not big enough. She goes to all the best parties, schmoozes with all the who’s who of San Francisco, is frequently pictured in the society pages and never leaves the house looking anything less than spectacular (not a difficult feat considering she’s drop-dead-gorgeous). I couldn’t handle her lifestyle. The cheek kissing and designer labels are a bit much for me to take on a day to day basis, but I love attending the occasional fashion show or party with her and getting a glimpse into her world. I have other friends who are strict Catholics who don’t believe in birth control and always vote Republican (or whoever the pro-life candidate is), another who’s a scientist who is working to develop a drug to treat Alzheimer’s, loves the great outdoors and doesn’t shave her legs because it’s “a stupid waste of time.”
I love them all…they don’t all love each other but that’s where the politician thing comes in. When I’m in a group of people and I can tell that two or more of them are about to get into it I quickly assess…is this going to be a two minute blow-up or is this going to fuck up our night? If it’s the latter than I listen very carefully to what is being said and just before someone is about to lose it I rephrase whatever it is that has offended them in a way that makes them want to listen. “She wasn’t calling you a slut. She was just saying that the two of you have different comfort levels when it comes to casual sex.” Usually the offended party will calm down and the offending party will feel like I’m standing up for their point of view (even if that may not be the case) and feeling vindicated will allow the whole thing to be dropped.
It is AMAZING how much these skills have helped me. They have helped my social life, they have helped me in my family life and they have helped me immeasurably when it comes to my career. I’ve heard from several people in my publishing house that they really love working with me and I know some of the people there go further out of their way for me than they need to simply because they like me and I can honestly say the feeling is mutual.
I know a lot of people feel more comfortable hanging out with friends who are just like them and I know it’s easier for those people to put together successful social gatherings. But I really enjoy having a diverse group of friends. Now if I could just do something about my house…
Kyra Davis
http://www.kyradavis.com/
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte IN STORES NOW!!!
Preorder Passion,Betrayal And Killer Highlights In Stores May 2006!
For The Love Of A Dog--A fun online read
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Sex, Teens and Tanya Lee Stone
Forgive me for being out of touch, my computer is possessed by evil demons who delight in pissing me off. If you’ve emailed me recently just hold tight, I’ve found an exorcist (aka friendly computer nerd) who has promised to help me.
But why dwell on the negative when you can dwell on the bizarre. I visited the paperback version of Sex, Murder And A Double Latte at my local Borders the other day. It was right there on the front table sandwiched between a book titled To Serve And Submit, tag line: Some were born to rule, other’s were born for something more… and another book (who’s title I have effectively blocked out) about an Iraqi soldier who goes to war only to come back a vampire. He then becomes a secret US government agent and his first assignment is to figure out why a bunch of high powered and previously well behaved women have suddenly become nymphomaniacs.
I think it’s safe to say that society's attitudes about sexuality have changed.
Yes, there were masters and servants back in the 80’s (just ask Depeche Mode) and there were nymphomaniacs and vampires (although I think these may be the first nymphomaniacs to be investigated by a government employed vampire) but I don’t think either of those books would have been prominently displayed on the front table of a mainstream, family friendly bookstore like Borders. But Borders wasn’t taking a big risk with this, they know that we’re all too jaded to be shocked by anything as common place as nymphos and maidens bound in leather straps. The only shocking part is the suggestion that the US government would employ a former member of the Iraqi army, undead or otherwise.
However if it's become harder to shock or offend an adult it's become nearly impossible to shock or offend a teen. When I was a kid the only racy book being read was Judy Blume’s Forever. Yes, it dealt with sex but it was what I would call “soft lens sex.” That is to say it was pretty and soft instead of in your face and grinding. And despite the fact that all the teens were reading it, the book was actually shelved in the regular fiction section (as opposed to YA). Gossip Girls is shelved in the YA and there's nothing soft-lens about it. There are a lot of people who hate Gossip Girls (mostly parents). They feel that all that talk of oral sex and ripping each other’s clothes off is going to corrupt their youth. They’re wrong, the youth have already been corrupted and they’re not going to read books that treat them as if they know less about the world than they do. The trick is to deal with these issues in a responsible way that entertains and does not condescend. That’s what Tanya Lee Stone has done in A Bad Boy Can Be Good For A Girl.
First and foremost it’s a beautifully written book. Her prose are poetic and captivating (and that’s a hard combination to pull off). Her book brings home some important lessons about sexuality, but not in a just-say-no-to-drugs way. Instead Stone acknowledges the realities of teen sex today and brings the reader to a place where they come to understand the importance of learning from your mistakes and the mistakes of others. She empowers readers without hitting them over the head with preachy and overly simplistic answers to complicated problems. I haven’t been a teen in over ten years and yet I still loved the book. It richly deserved the starred review it got from the Library Journal.
In the interest of full disclosure it is true that Stone is a member of GCC of which I am now a member (see the above banner) but I wouldn’t write these things if I didn’t think they were true. So check out her blog and most importantly, check out her book. If your local bookstore doesn’t have it suggest they carry it (seriously, books that are universally adored by critics should not be ignored by bookstores just because they sport “chick” titles). I guarantee you, it’s a meatier and healthier alternative to a lot of the YA “chick-lit” out there.
Kyra Davis
http://www.kyradavis.com/
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte IN STORES NOW!!!
Preorder Passion,Betrayal And Killer Highlights In Stores May 2006!
For The Love Of A Dog--A fun online read
But why dwell on the negative when you can dwell on the bizarre. I visited the paperback version of Sex, Murder And A Double Latte at my local Borders the other day. It was right there on the front table sandwiched between a book titled To Serve And Submit, tag line: Some were born to rule, other’s were born for something more… and another book (who’s title I have effectively blocked out) about an Iraqi soldier who goes to war only to come back a vampire. He then becomes a secret US government agent and his first assignment is to figure out why a bunch of high powered and previously well behaved women have suddenly become nymphomaniacs.
I think it’s safe to say that society's attitudes about sexuality have changed.
Yes, there were masters and servants back in the 80’s (just ask Depeche Mode) and there were nymphomaniacs and vampires (although I think these may be the first nymphomaniacs to be investigated by a government employed vampire) but I don’t think either of those books would have been prominently displayed on the front table of a mainstream, family friendly bookstore like Borders. But Borders wasn’t taking a big risk with this, they know that we’re all too jaded to be shocked by anything as common place as nymphos and maidens bound in leather straps. The only shocking part is the suggestion that the US government would employ a former member of the Iraqi army, undead or otherwise.
However if it's become harder to shock or offend an adult it's become nearly impossible to shock or offend a teen. When I was a kid the only racy book being read was Judy Blume’s Forever. Yes, it dealt with sex but it was what I would call “soft lens sex.” That is to say it was pretty and soft instead of in your face and grinding. And despite the fact that all the teens were reading it, the book was actually shelved in the regular fiction section (as opposed to YA). Gossip Girls is shelved in the YA and there's nothing soft-lens about it. There are a lot of people who hate Gossip Girls (mostly parents). They feel that all that talk of oral sex and ripping each other’s clothes off is going to corrupt their youth. They’re wrong, the youth have already been corrupted and they’re not going to read books that treat them as if they know less about the world than they do. The trick is to deal with these issues in a responsible way that entertains and does not condescend. That’s what Tanya Lee Stone has done in A Bad Boy Can Be Good For A Girl.
First and foremost it’s a beautifully written book. Her prose are poetic and captivating (and that’s a hard combination to pull off). Her book brings home some important lessons about sexuality, but not in a just-say-no-to-drugs way. Instead Stone acknowledges the realities of teen sex today and brings the reader to a place where they come to understand the importance of learning from your mistakes and the mistakes of others. She empowers readers without hitting them over the head with preachy and overly simplistic answers to complicated problems. I haven’t been a teen in over ten years and yet I still loved the book. It richly deserved the starred review it got from the Library Journal.
In the interest of full disclosure it is true that Stone is a member of GCC of which I am now a member (see the above banner) but I wouldn’t write these things if I didn’t think they were true. So check out her blog and most importantly, check out her book. If your local bookstore doesn’t have it suggest they carry it (seriously, books that are universally adored by critics should not be ignored by bookstores just because they sport “chick” titles). I guarantee you, it’s a meatier and healthier alternative to a lot of the YA “chick-lit” out there.
Kyra Davis
http://www.kyradavis.com/
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte IN STORES NOW!!!
Preorder Passion,Betrayal And Killer Highlights In Stores May 2006!
For The Love Of A Dog--A fun online read
Thursday, March 23, 2006
More Publisher’s Weekly Giddiness
Okay, the Publisher’s Weekly review has been posted on Amazon so I guess I can share it here as well:
Following hard on the red spike heels of 2005's Sex, Murder and a Double Latte, Davis's second whodunit delivers on the promise of the first. Mystery novelist Sophie Katz has a knack for collecting real-life murders. The latest victim is her detestable brother-in-law, Bob Miller, with her sister, Leah, the prime suspect. Bob's sister further muddies the waters with accusations that Leah, the perfect Republican society wife, is playing up her black and Jewish heritage for sympathy in the press. Meanwhile, Sophie and Anatoly, her favorite love-to-hate PI, are investigating Bob's three mistresses and extravagant spending habits as well as their own budding relationship. A cast of charming caricatures—the Jewish mom, the gay hairdresser, the destructive toddler—round out a version of San Francisco in which racial politics are fun to play with and sex is steamier than frothed milk. Davis chooses style over substance, skillfully keeping the snappy dialogue funny all the way to the unsurprising surprise ending, and lands square on target for her chick lit audience. (May)
Have I mentioned that I love this review? Yeah okay, they said that I chose style over substance but they didn’t view this as a problem and you know what? That was a conscious choice on my part. That’s not to say that I want my characters to come across as flat, and I don’t think they do, but I didn’t set out to change anyone’s view of the world with this book. I wanted to entertain. We’re in the middle of a war, the environment is in the worst shape it’s ever been in and the powers that be keep telling us that the Avian Flu is going to kill us all. I think we owe ourselves a few indulgent moments curled up on the couch (or on an armchair at Starbucks) with a bucket of bon-bons (or a White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino Blended Coffee)and a book that will make us laugh. If that book happens to be mine then I'm a happy camper. As for the unsurprising surprise ending…well I’m not entirely sure what they mean by that. I will say that in the end the good guys prevail and then bad guys don’t. I can’t imagine that a reader would expect anything else from a book titled Passion, Betrayal And Killer Highlights. As for the rest of it, I’ll just say this: if you were surprised by the way the first book ended there’s a good chance you’ll be surprised by how this one ends. Personally I’m horribly inept at figuring out whodunit when it comes to murder mysteries. I’m almost always taken by surprise. But in my defense I think that’s partly due to the fact that I don’t want to know. I just want to go along for the ride and I find that spending too much time trying to figure out what clues mean what detracts from my enjoyment of a novel. That’s probably a weird thing for a mystery writer to say but there it is.
But all that is beside the point which is that PW gave me a spectacular review, even better than the one they gave me last time around. I also want to address their "frothed milk" comment. You know how they say that if you talk about sex all the time it means you're not getting any? Well in my first book the word "sex" was right in the title and yet there was no actual sex. In this book the word "sex" is nowhere to be found in the title soooo...
I also think that sex between two characters represents some kind of turning point in thier relationship and I don't believe in glossing over turning points, I think they need to be explored in detail.
Moving on, I’m beginning to get some definitive tour dates. As of this moment the first place I’ll be speaking at is Alexander Book Co. on May 5th at 12:30. Alexander’s always has their events on weekday afternoons so those who work in the Financial District or elsewhere downtown can come see an author on their lunch breaks. I’ll also be speaking on May 18th at 7:30 at San Francisco’s Fisherman's Wharf Barnes And Noble and at Capitola's The Capitola Book Café on June 22nd (also at 7:30) and on July 25th I’ll be at Menlo Park's Keplers. I also know I’ll be doing a signing in Denver Colorado on May 24th (I’ll get you the specifics for that event later) and I’ll be in San Diego sometime within the first week or so of June. I think I’ll be in The Hamptons during Memorial Day Weekend but my publisher hasn’t confirmed that with me yet. I’ll have all this up on my website in a few weeks time.
That’s all for now!
Kyra Davis
http://www.kyradavis.com/
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte IN STORES NOW!!!
Preorder Passion,Betrayal And Killer Highlights In Stores May 2006!
For The Love Of A Dog--A fun online read
Following hard on the red spike heels of 2005's Sex, Murder and a Double Latte, Davis's second whodunit delivers on the promise of the first. Mystery novelist Sophie Katz has a knack for collecting real-life murders. The latest victim is her detestable brother-in-law, Bob Miller, with her sister, Leah, the prime suspect. Bob's sister further muddies the waters with accusations that Leah, the perfect Republican society wife, is playing up her black and Jewish heritage for sympathy in the press. Meanwhile, Sophie and Anatoly, her favorite love-to-hate PI, are investigating Bob's three mistresses and extravagant spending habits as well as their own budding relationship. A cast of charming caricatures—the Jewish mom, the gay hairdresser, the destructive toddler—round out a version of San Francisco in which racial politics are fun to play with and sex is steamier than frothed milk. Davis chooses style over substance, skillfully keeping the snappy dialogue funny all the way to the unsurprising surprise ending, and lands square on target for her chick lit audience. (May)
Have I mentioned that I love this review? Yeah okay, they said that I chose style over substance but they didn’t view this as a problem and you know what? That was a conscious choice on my part. That’s not to say that I want my characters to come across as flat, and I don’t think they do, but I didn’t set out to change anyone’s view of the world with this book. I wanted to entertain. We’re in the middle of a war, the environment is in the worst shape it’s ever been in and the powers that be keep telling us that the Avian Flu is going to kill us all. I think we owe ourselves a few indulgent moments curled up on the couch (or on an armchair at Starbucks) with a bucket of bon-bons (or a White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino Blended Coffee)and a book that will make us laugh. If that book happens to be mine then I'm a happy camper. As for the unsurprising surprise ending…well I’m not entirely sure what they mean by that. I will say that in the end the good guys prevail and then bad guys don’t. I can’t imagine that a reader would expect anything else from a book titled Passion, Betrayal And Killer Highlights. As for the rest of it, I’ll just say this: if you were surprised by the way the first book ended there’s a good chance you’ll be surprised by how this one ends. Personally I’m horribly inept at figuring out whodunit when it comes to murder mysteries. I’m almost always taken by surprise. But in my defense I think that’s partly due to the fact that I don’t want to know. I just want to go along for the ride and I find that spending too much time trying to figure out what clues mean what detracts from my enjoyment of a novel. That’s probably a weird thing for a mystery writer to say but there it is.
But all that is beside the point which is that PW gave me a spectacular review, even better than the one they gave me last time around. I also want to address their "frothed milk" comment. You know how they say that if you talk about sex all the time it means you're not getting any? Well in my first book the word "sex" was right in the title and yet there was no actual sex. In this book the word "sex" is nowhere to be found in the title soooo...
I also think that sex between two characters represents some kind of turning point in thier relationship and I don't believe in glossing over turning points, I think they need to be explored in detail.
Moving on, I’m beginning to get some definitive tour dates. As of this moment the first place I’ll be speaking at is Alexander Book Co. on May 5th at 12:30. Alexander’s always has their events on weekday afternoons so those who work in the Financial District or elsewhere downtown can come see an author on their lunch breaks. I’ll also be speaking on May 18th at 7:30 at San Francisco’s Fisherman's Wharf Barnes And Noble and at Capitola's The Capitola Book Café on June 22nd (also at 7:30) and on July 25th I’ll be at Menlo Park's Keplers. I also know I’ll be doing a signing in Denver Colorado on May 24th (I’ll get you the specifics for that event later) and I’ll be in San Diego sometime within the first week or so of June. I think I’ll be in The Hamptons during Memorial Day Weekend but my publisher hasn’t confirmed that with me yet. I’ll have all this up on my website in a few weeks time.
That’s all for now!
Kyra Davis
http://www.kyradavis.com/
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte IN STORES NOW!!!
Preorder Passion,Betrayal And Killer Highlights In Stores May 2006!
For The Love Of A Dog--A fun online read
Monday, March 20, 2006
Paperbacks, Break-ups and Johanna Edwards
Before I get going with this post I want all of you who have been waiting for the paperback version of Sex, Murder And A Double Latte to know that it is finally here (here being www.barnesandnoble.com) which probably means that you can find it in the Barnes & Noble stores as well. The rest of the stores will probably start selling it on April 1st (the official release date). While Barnes & Noble may be selling it they have yet to post the cover on their website. Go figure. But if you want to buy it in an actual bookstore just look for the brightest pink book on the shelves and you should find it easily enough.
Moving on; recently I was invited to join a group called Girlfriend's Cyber Circuit (GCC). It consists of 25 female authors and every month or so we peruse one another's books and let the world know what we think of them in our blogs. I'm flattered that they chose to include me and I was more than a little bit pleased when I found out that the first book I was supposed to look into was one written by Johanna Edwards. I read her first book, The Next Big Thing last year and really enjoyed it. It was definitely deserving of the bestselling status it acquired. Well now she’s come out with a second book titled, Your Big Break. Here's a quick summary:
Danielle “Dani” Myers has become an expert at romantic breakups ever since she was hired to "facilitate" them for clients of Your Big Break, Inc. In other words, she dumps people for money. But company rule #5 (do not get personally involved) is getting harder to obey. One of her dumpees is turning out to be the kind of guy she might just want to pick up on the rebound. and a new client has just walked in, begging for Dani's help breaking up with The Big Jackass, who's been leading her on all this time-and now turns out to be married. It would be a routine job except for one problem: the so-called Big Jackass is married to none other than Dani's mother….
Okay, so when I read this I initially thought, "Big Break Inc.? Isn't that a little farfetched?" Sure, I know of people who have purposely put temptation in their "loved one's" path but an agency that you can hire to actually meet with your boyfriend/girlfriend and tell them it's over...that would just never happen, right?
Apparently Edwards in clairvoyant because she addressed all this in her blog and in a press release. Not only could it happen, it is happening. Edwards took a little poetic license with the subject but there are agencies that do nothing but split people up for money. The whole thing started in Japan but it's catching on here in the States.
I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. There are so many things that people hire others to do. There are those who hire people to shop for them, raise their kids, even pick out and wrap the presents they give to their friends at Christmas time. So is this really such a stretch? Probably not, just sad.
But being the good chick lit author that she is, Johanna Edwards has managed to take a bizarre and disturbing situation and make it highly entertaining. So next time you're in a bookstore check out Your Big Break. A peek inside this book may be a peek into the future.
Kyra Davis
http://www.kyradavis.com/
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte IN STORES NOW!!!
Preorder Passion,Betrayal And Killer Highlights In Stores May 2006!
For The Love Of A Dog--A fun online read
Moving on; recently I was invited to join a group called Girlfriend's Cyber Circuit (GCC). It consists of 25 female authors and every month or so we peruse one another's books and let the world know what we think of them in our blogs. I'm flattered that they chose to include me and I was more than a little bit pleased when I found out that the first book I was supposed to look into was one written by Johanna Edwards. I read her first book, The Next Big Thing last year and really enjoyed it. It was definitely deserving of the bestselling status it acquired. Well now she’s come out with a second book titled, Your Big Break. Here's a quick summary:
Danielle “Dani” Myers has become an expert at romantic breakups ever since she was hired to "facilitate" them for clients of Your Big Break, Inc. In other words, she dumps people for money. But company rule #5 (do not get personally involved) is getting harder to obey. One of her dumpees is turning out to be the kind of guy she might just want to pick up on the rebound. and a new client has just walked in, begging for Dani's help breaking up with The Big Jackass, who's been leading her on all this time-and now turns out to be married. It would be a routine job except for one problem: the so-called Big Jackass is married to none other than Dani's mother….
Okay, so when I read this I initially thought, "Big Break Inc.? Isn't that a little farfetched?" Sure, I know of people who have purposely put temptation in their "loved one's" path but an agency that you can hire to actually meet with your boyfriend/girlfriend and tell them it's over...that would just never happen, right?
Apparently Edwards in clairvoyant because she addressed all this in her blog and in a press release. Not only could it happen, it is happening. Edwards took a little poetic license with the subject but there are agencies that do nothing but split people up for money. The whole thing started in Japan but it's catching on here in the States.
I guess I shouldn't be that surprised. There are so many things that people hire others to do. There are those who hire people to shop for them, raise their kids, even pick out and wrap the presents they give to their friends at Christmas time. So is this really such a stretch? Probably not, just sad.
But being the good chick lit author that she is, Johanna Edwards has managed to take a bizarre and disturbing situation and make it highly entertaining. So next time you're in a bookstore check out Your Big Break. A peek inside this book may be a peek into the future.
Kyra Davis
http://www.kyradavis.com/
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte IN STORES NOW!!!
Preorder Passion,Betrayal And Killer Highlights In Stores May 2006!
For The Love Of A Dog--A fun online read
Friday, March 17, 2006
They Like Me, They Really Like Me!
I just got my first review for Passion, Betrayal And Killer Highlights courtesy of Publisher’s Weekly and it’s pretty darned good! I hesitate to quote them quite yet since the issue won’t be officially out until next week and I don’t want to do anything to piss off the people who have taken the time to say such nice things about me so let’s just leave it at that: they said nice things about me!
Perhaps my excitement over this seems a little disproportionate seeing that this is just 1 review in 1 trade publication. After all, last year I hit the proverbial jackpot when my publicist extraordinaire, Susan Schwartzman, got me reviewed in Cosmo, Ebony, The Washington Post and a bunch of other fabulous publications and while not all the reviews were over-the-top-spectacular they were all what I would consider favorable. But two things make this review (and the impending reviews of at least three national publications that I’ll tell you about later) different:
1) This is my “sophomore” book
2) I now know how good I had it with Sex, Murder And A Double Latte
See, reviewers often don’t like an author’s second book. Think of it this way: say you want to go to the movies but the only film playing at a show-time that works for you is one that you know nothing about. You’ve never heard of the actors who star in it, the director is some kid who is new to Hollywood and if it’s been reviewed somewhere you haven’t seen it. You decide to go and surprise, surprise, it’s good! Now maybe you wouldn’t have liked it so much if you walked in with high expectations but that wasn’t the case. Then they come out with a sequel and you can’t wait to see it. You’ve been building this thing up in your head for months and you’re first in line at the theater and…it’s not as good as the first.
That’s not to say it’s bad, but it is a disappointment. Disappointment breeds resentment and resentment begets bad reviews. I’m not saying that the people at PW were waiting with baited breath to read my book but they did have certain expectations for it and I’m so thrilled that I was able to meet them.
Of course that’s just my theory. It’s entirely possible that I’m totally wrong and the reason that reviewers like to dis authors’ 2nd novels is because they’re bloodthirsty individuals who like to randomly dash people’s dreams; but somehow I don’t think so.
Okay, now for reason number two. As I’ve just explained, Sex, Murder And A Double Latte was my first book. I had no idea what I was doing when I wrote it and I had no idea what I was doing when I promoted it. Seriously, when I was in the middle of writing it I went to Borders to get a how-to-write-a-book book and found that there was a whole section for those suckers. My first thought? “Oh, I guess lots of people want to be authors, who would have thunk it?” That's how clueless I was. I have since discovered that 95% of the world wants to be authors. From minimum wage cashiers all the way up to highly paid lawyers, they all have a book idea. Many of them have explained to me that deep down they "really are writers at heart" which is all well and good. I am the first to acknowledge that many writers who are more talented than I am never get publish (another thing I didn’t know when I started this journey). But I do think that in order for someone to be a writer they have to…you know…write something! You’d be amazed by the number of “authors” who fail to grasp this concept.
But I digress. My point is that when I found out that PW was going to review Sex, Murder And A Double Latte I didn’t think much of it. I thought everyone was reviewed by PW. So not true. PW only reviews a handful of the God-only-knows-how-many books that are published each month. So just getting in there is an achievement. But the thing about PW is that getting in doesn’t mean that they’re going to be nice.
Well I got in and they were very nice to me so happy dance all around. And of course I’m delighted that the national magazines have expressed an interest! If it’s hard to get into a publishing trade magazine that dedicates several pages to book reviews each week it’s practically impossible to get into a fashion/lifestyle magazine that dedicates half a page a month to book reviews.
Plus I have fans now, honest to goodness fans! My publisher tells me that there have been people emailing them, demanding to know when and where I’ll be touring (a question I should have an answer to by the end of the month). And then there are all of you blog readers: my cheerleaders and confidants that I have come to love so very much!
What can I say? Life is good!
Kyra Davis
http://www.kyradavis.com/
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte IN STORES NOW!!!
Preorder Passion,Betrayal And Killer Highlights In Stores May 2006!
For The Love Of A Dog--A fun online read
Monday, March 13, 2006
Don’t Mess With Texas
Wow, you Texans are vocal. For those of you who haven’t been keeping up, I wrote a blog a few days back informing everyone that I would most likely be visiting the Hamptons on my upcoming book tour and detailing the many preconceived notions I have in regards to what the Hamptons are all about. I also noted that I have allowed certain stereotypes to taint my views on the great state of Texas. For the record I did say that I was aware that my stereotypes were uninformed and that over the last year my many Texan readers have opened my mind a bit. Nonetheless I have gotten more emails about that post than any other post I’ve written thus far, all from Texans most of whom felt the need to defend their state. I think it’s interesting to note that no one from the Hamptons wrote me. Those socialites sure have a tough skin, must be a side effect of the botox.
Anyway as I said before, I’m sure that if I visited Texas I would discover many things that I liked about the place, but I also want to point something out to y’all. Most of you who wrote were either from Dallas or Houston. It has been my experience that big cities are rarely reflective of the states to which they belong. I dare you to find anyone who would say that New Orleans is a typical Louisiana town. New Yorkers from Manhattan tend to have very different views and attitudes than those who live well outside the city and Portland has nothing in common with the rest of Oregon. I mean when I went to Portland I encountered lots of hardcore environmentalists as well as urbanites who were eager to partake in what I would consider metropolitan activities. When I went to central Oregon I encountered prominently placed advertisements for “Mouse hunting” expeditions and men who thought it was okay to wear a Hooters t-shirts while dining out with their girlfriends. When I tell people from Portland that I left the city to check out the rest of the state their eyes get really big and they ask if I encountered any “problems.”
To be clear,I'm not suggesting that Texans who don't live in Houston spend their time shooting mice. As far as I know they could spend their Friday nights debating the implications quantum physics has on Western religions. I’m just saying that Dallas and Houston might not be the best benchmark when it comes assessing Texas.
Now that I’ve said all that I also want to suggest that most states and cities are associated with their own bundle of special stereotypes. Obviously stereotypes that suggest racism are…well…bad but most of the others are relatively harmless and can be a lot of fun for the locals. I went to school in NY for a brief period time and whenever I did anything that was considered quirky or different it was blamed on the state where I grew up. “Oh, Kyra doesn’t wear a watch, how Californian of her.” Almost all my Californian friends wear watches but I never bothered to correct anyone when they said this because it gave me an excuse for being late. “It’s not my fault we missed the first ten minutes of the movie, it’s because where I come from they don’t teach the children how to tell time!” When I had too many drinks and decided to dance on the bar, that too was blamed on my Californian upbringing.
Furthermore when I lived in San Francisco’s Castro district I loved nothing more than watching a tour bus drive by. When there isn’t a tour bus in the area the Castro is a fairly calm place. You can find business men reading through their Wall Street Journals in outdoor cafes and guys walking down the street having casual conversations and the like. Then one of those fake cable car vehicles drives through filled with tourists from Nebraska or wherever and all of a sudden Mr. Wall Street starts belting out some Barbara Streisand number and the guys who were previously talking are grabbing each other's respective asses and making out with a vengeance. The rest of the pedestrian locals start waving and saying things like “Welcome to Than Franthisco!” And you can just see the delight on the tourist’s faces. They’re like kids who have not only found out that Santa Claus is real but that he’s willing to allow you to video tape him while he’s playing with his elves.
So I guess what I’m saying is that if I was a Texan I’d probably tell tourists that I had a firearm to match each one of my outfits even if I had never shot anything more lethal than a water-gun, just because that’s what people want to hear. They want to go home and say, “Oh, those crazy Texans and their guns…they sure are a hoot.” Why ruin their fun?
Kyra Davis
http://www.kyradavis.com/
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte IN STORES NOW!!!
Preorder Passion,Betrayal And Killer Highlights In Stores May 2006!
For The Love Of A Dog--A fun online read
Anyway as I said before, I’m sure that if I visited Texas I would discover many things that I liked about the place, but I also want to point something out to y’all. Most of you who wrote were either from Dallas or Houston. It has been my experience that big cities are rarely reflective of the states to which they belong. I dare you to find anyone who would say that New Orleans is a typical Louisiana town. New Yorkers from Manhattan tend to have very different views and attitudes than those who live well outside the city and Portland has nothing in common with the rest of Oregon. I mean when I went to Portland I encountered lots of hardcore environmentalists as well as urbanites who were eager to partake in what I would consider metropolitan activities. When I went to central Oregon I encountered prominently placed advertisements for “Mouse hunting” expeditions and men who thought it was okay to wear a Hooters t-shirts while dining out with their girlfriends. When I tell people from Portland that I left the city to check out the rest of the state their eyes get really big and they ask if I encountered any “problems.”
To be clear,I'm not suggesting that Texans who don't live in Houston spend their time shooting mice. As far as I know they could spend their Friday nights debating the implications quantum physics has on Western religions. I’m just saying that Dallas and Houston might not be the best benchmark when it comes assessing Texas.
Now that I’ve said all that I also want to suggest that most states and cities are associated with their own bundle of special stereotypes. Obviously stereotypes that suggest racism are…well…bad but most of the others are relatively harmless and can be a lot of fun for the locals. I went to school in NY for a brief period time and whenever I did anything that was considered quirky or different it was blamed on the state where I grew up. “Oh, Kyra doesn’t wear a watch, how Californian of her.” Almost all my Californian friends wear watches but I never bothered to correct anyone when they said this because it gave me an excuse for being late. “It’s not my fault we missed the first ten minutes of the movie, it’s because where I come from they don’t teach the children how to tell time!” When I had too many drinks and decided to dance on the bar, that too was blamed on my Californian upbringing.
Furthermore when I lived in San Francisco’s Castro district I loved nothing more than watching a tour bus drive by. When there isn’t a tour bus in the area the Castro is a fairly calm place. You can find business men reading through their Wall Street Journals in outdoor cafes and guys walking down the street having casual conversations and the like. Then one of those fake cable car vehicles drives through filled with tourists from Nebraska or wherever and all of a sudden Mr. Wall Street starts belting out some Barbara Streisand number and the guys who were previously talking are grabbing each other's respective asses and making out with a vengeance. The rest of the pedestrian locals start waving and saying things like “Welcome to Than Franthisco!” And you can just see the delight on the tourist’s faces. They’re like kids who have not only found out that Santa Claus is real but that he’s willing to allow you to video tape him while he’s playing with his elves.
So I guess what I’m saying is that if I was a Texan I’d probably tell tourists that I had a firearm to match each one of my outfits even if I had never shot anything more lethal than a water-gun, just because that’s what people want to hear. They want to go home and say, “Oh, those crazy Texans and their guns…they sure are a hoot.” Why ruin their fun?
Kyra Davis
http://www.kyradavis.com/
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte IN STORES NOW!!!
Preorder Passion,Betrayal And Killer Highlights In Stores May 2006!
For The Love Of A Dog--A fun online read
Friday, March 10, 2006
Strange Happenings
I was on Highway 17 today (the strip of highway that connects Silicon Valley with Santa Cruz) and it started raining. It’s been raining on and off for weeks now so this was no big surprise. What was surprising was that the rain suddenly turned to snow. Here I am twenty minutes away from the beach and it’s snowing! It does not snow here in the greater Bay Area. Okay, every once in a while the very tips of the Santa Cruz mountains will get a snowflake or two but it rarely lasts longer than a few minutes. But this was snow, snow. Like the kind of snow you expect to see in Utah. My son was understandably thrilled, I was somewhat less so. See, 17 is kind of a precarious highway and if it’s going to snow I’d rather be somewhere else. I was just getting off the highway when the radio DJ announced that there were two accidents on the strip of road I had just been on. An hour later there were five accidents. They had to close the highway down completely and the side roads were so backed up that it was reportedly taking forty-five minutes to travel three miles. No one here really knows how to drive in the snow; we’ve never had to but maybe it’s time to learn because I just heard a weather report that predicted that tomorrow it might snow at the beach! Monday they say the temperatures could dip down to the 20s! Sorry about all the italics but seriously, what is this? I have a wool coat that’s literally been sitting in my closet for the last ten years so I’m prepared but I might have to buy something for my son.
Meanwhile someone has sold his soul on EBay. You think I’m joking, right? Or maybe that’s just a figure of speech? Nope. Someone went on EBay and said that for every ten dollars bid he would attend one church/temple session. The person who placed the winning bid would be allowed to choose the denomination. Believe it or not the guy got more than five hundred dollars for it and will be attending Baptist services starting this weekend. Is this normal? Maybe it is. Maybe the mainstream has changed dramatically and I’ve just been too busy writing and parenting to notice. Anyway, if I spot four horsemen galloping through the sky I’ll know something’s up.
Kyra Davis
http://www.kyradavis.com/
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte IN STORES NOW!!!
Preorder Passion,Betrayal And Killer Highlights In Stores May 2006!
For The Love Of A Dog--A fun online read
Meanwhile someone has sold his soul on EBay. You think I’m joking, right? Or maybe that’s just a figure of speech? Nope. Someone went on EBay and said that for every ten dollars bid he would attend one church/temple session. The person who placed the winning bid would be allowed to choose the denomination. Believe it or not the guy got more than five hundred dollars for it and will be attending Baptist services starting this weekend. Is this normal? Maybe it is. Maybe the mainstream has changed dramatically and I’ve just been too busy writing and parenting to notice. Anyway, if I spot four horsemen galloping through the sky I’ll know something’s up.
Kyra Davis
http://www.kyradavis.com/
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte IN STORES NOW!!!
Preorder Passion,Betrayal And Killer Highlights In Stores May 2006!
For The Love Of A Dog--A fun online read
Sunday, March 05, 2006
This and That
So, are we all ready for the Oscars? I don’t know how much I’ll be able to see but I’m hoping to get a glimpse of at least one great dress and one really bad one. I also want to see Jon Stewart (I kinda have a little crush on him).
When I'm not contemplating celebrity fashion faux pas' I contemplate the impending publicity push for Passion, Betrayal And Killer Highlights. I’m cautiously optimistic about how it will be received. I’ve been getting lots of preliminary feedback and it’s all been great plus I know of at least one national magazine that will be featuring it so that’s also a good thing.
If everything goes according to plan (that would be the plan of my publicist) I’ll be touring San Francisco, San Diego, Denver and…drum roll please…the Hamptons. Now if you’re like me you probably hear the word Hamptons and think anorexic socialites sipping martinis along side their Anglo-Saxon billionaire husbands. Yes, it’s a major stereotype but that is what most people on the West Coast (and perhaps elsewhere) believe to be true. However my publicist assures me that the Hamptons attract all sorts of people, not just the rich and intentionally-hungry and seeing that she lives in New York and apparently goes to the Hamptons with a certain degree of regularity I’m inclined to believe her.
It is interesting how we tend to form stereotypes about certain areas of the country. I remember last year my publicist tried to convince me to tour Dallas and I balked. “I can’t tour Dallas!” I exclaimed. “I’m a Black, Jewish woman!”
“Kyra,” she had said patiently, “there are lots of Blacks and Jews in Dallas.”
“Yes, but I’ll be the only one who doesn’t have a gun!”
It turned out to be a moot point anyway since the press and bookstores of Seattle and Philadelphia ended up being more interested in promoting my work. However now that I’ve been communicating with several readers and writers who are from the South (many from Texas) I am beginning to think that my ideas about Texas may be out dated. For instance I found out that not every Texan is a gun owner…just a little over half of them. Surely at least some of those 45% who don’t own a firearm are ethnic so I guess I wouldn’t have been completely alone. And Dallas is a big city with a diverse population and I’m sure their issues surrounding racism are about the same as the issues here in the Bay Area. I recently read an article stating that California schools are some of the most segregated in the country so what do I know? Plus while fewer Californians have guns apparently a lot of the guns that are here get stolen. In my book a licensed gun owner isn’t anywhere near as scary as an unlicensed one.
I’m rambling a bit so I’ll wrap this up. If my publicist has her way I’ll be partying in the Hamptons and when and if I do I’ll be sure to let you know which of the stereotypes regarding that area are true and which aren’t. And maybe one of these days my publicist will send me to Texas and I’ll get to dispel a few myths about that place too.
Kyra Davis
http://www.kyradavis.com/
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte IN STORES NOW!!!
Preorder Passion,Betrayal And Killer Highlights In Stores May 2006!
For The Love Of A Dog--A fun online read!
When I'm not contemplating celebrity fashion faux pas' I contemplate the impending publicity push for Passion, Betrayal And Killer Highlights. I’m cautiously optimistic about how it will be received. I’ve been getting lots of preliminary feedback and it’s all been great plus I know of at least one national magazine that will be featuring it so that’s also a good thing.
If everything goes according to plan (that would be the plan of my publicist) I’ll be touring San Francisco, San Diego, Denver and…drum roll please…the Hamptons. Now if you’re like me you probably hear the word Hamptons and think anorexic socialites sipping martinis along side their Anglo-Saxon billionaire husbands. Yes, it’s a major stereotype but that is what most people on the West Coast (and perhaps elsewhere) believe to be true. However my publicist assures me that the Hamptons attract all sorts of people, not just the rich and intentionally-hungry and seeing that she lives in New York and apparently goes to the Hamptons with a certain degree of regularity I’m inclined to believe her.
It is interesting how we tend to form stereotypes about certain areas of the country. I remember last year my publicist tried to convince me to tour Dallas and I balked. “I can’t tour Dallas!” I exclaimed. “I’m a Black, Jewish woman!”
“Kyra,” she had said patiently, “there are lots of Blacks and Jews in Dallas.”
“Yes, but I’ll be the only one who doesn’t have a gun!”
It turned out to be a moot point anyway since the press and bookstores of Seattle and Philadelphia ended up being more interested in promoting my work. However now that I’ve been communicating with several readers and writers who are from the South (many from Texas) I am beginning to think that my ideas about Texas may be out dated. For instance I found out that not every Texan is a gun owner…just a little over half of them. Surely at least some of those 45% who don’t own a firearm are ethnic so I guess I wouldn’t have been completely alone. And Dallas is a big city with a diverse population and I’m sure their issues surrounding racism are about the same as the issues here in the Bay Area. I recently read an article stating that California schools are some of the most segregated in the country so what do I know? Plus while fewer Californians have guns apparently a lot of the guns that are here get stolen. In my book a licensed gun owner isn’t anywhere near as scary as an unlicensed one.
I’m rambling a bit so I’ll wrap this up. If my publicist has her way I’ll be partying in the Hamptons and when and if I do I’ll be sure to let you know which of the stereotypes regarding that area are true and which aren’t. And maybe one of these days my publicist will send me to Texas and I’ll get to dispel a few myths about that place too.
Kyra Davis
http://www.kyradavis.com/
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte IN STORES NOW!!!
Preorder Passion,Betrayal And Killer Highlights In Stores May 2006!
For The Love Of A Dog--A fun online read!
Friday, March 03, 2006
Happy Pursuits
Hello all. Sorry for being absent for so long, I’ve been traveling. Now moving on:
My son was looking over the cover of a local Jewish periodical this morning when he asked me to explain one of the headlines. “Mom,” he said, “what’s an ultra religious lesbian?”
“Well,” I said casually, “you know how some men are attracted to men? Well lesbians are women who are attracted to women and apparently that article is about religious lesbians.”
My son cocked his head to the side. “Are all Gays religious?”
“Some are some aren’t. One thing has nothing to do with another.”
My son looked back down at the headline before asking. “I’m religious but I’m straight...at least I think I am. Am I straight mom?”
“That’s not one of those things you can figure out when you’re 6. When you’re older you’ll know.”
He accepted that and moved on to another subject but the conversation got me thinking about a blog I wrote back in August in which I implied that my son’s affinity for 1970s disco might be a reflection on his sexual orientation. I got a few emails after that one from well meaning readers who wanted to reassure me by letting me know that my son was most likely heterosexual. For the record, I was joking. I don’t actually believe that the musical tastes of a six year old has anything to do with who he’ll be attracted to later in life. Furthermore, I don’t care if he does turn out to be Gay. If he grows up and marries some nice girl who he dearly loves then I’ll be happy as a clam. However if twenty years down the line my son calls to tell me that he and his boyfriend are officially engaged and he wants to be married in a pretty white gown I’ll be happy to find him the perfect Vivian Tam to flatter his figure. I also don’t care if he grows up to be a doctor, a writer, a hairstylist or a mechanic. I just want him to be him. People are always trying to mold their children to become the person they want them to be. To a certain extent that’s appropriate. Obviously I want my son to be a considerate, responsible individual with an aptitude for making and maintaining friendships. I also want him to stand up for himself and to be socially conscious. But I don’t need him to take the Bar exam or attend Harvard, unless of course that’s what he wants to do.
I’m always meeting people who want their kids to be a certain way. I’ve met mothers who have expressed distress because their daughters like the girly things that they have always distained, fathers who express frustration with their son’s lack of athletic ability and I’ve met several people who try to force their children to become passionate about what they perceive to be intellectual pursuits. The latter are often the same people who hire tutors for their kids so they can be reading at third grade level in kindergarten. I mean really, would it be such a big deal if their kid was reading at third grade level in third grade? For that matter would it be the worst thing in the world if their son would rather paint a picture than throw a football?
The Declaration Of Independence states that the pursuit of happiness is one of our unalienable rights. Shouldn’t we be teaching that to our children? I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be teaching our children to read too but I don’t know that it’s something we should be stressing out about when they first enter elementary school. After all over 99% of Americans over the age of 15 are literate. However 7% of Americans are taking antidepressants and it’s said that at least 10% of Americans will go through a major depression at some point in their life. That’s major depression. God only knows how many people are moderately unhappy although I’m sure that number is well over 50%. Based on those statistics it would seem that being happy is harder than reading and I don’t think our kids can learn to be happy by pursuing their parent’s dreams.
So maybe my son will grow up to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 company with a beach house and a super model girlfriend. Or maybe he’ll get a job as a yoga instructor and will spend his weekends flipping through International Male while listening to Donna Summer on his IPod . As long as he ends up being happy with his life then he’ll be ahead of the curve.
Kyra Davis
http://www.kyradavis.com/
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte IN STORES NOW!!!
Preorder Passion,Betrayal And Killer Highlights In Stores May 2006!
For The Love Of A Dog--A fun online read!
My son was looking over the cover of a local Jewish periodical this morning when he asked me to explain one of the headlines. “Mom,” he said, “what’s an ultra religious lesbian?”
“Well,” I said casually, “you know how some men are attracted to men? Well lesbians are women who are attracted to women and apparently that article is about religious lesbians.”
My son cocked his head to the side. “Are all Gays religious?”
“Some are some aren’t. One thing has nothing to do with another.”
My son looked back down at the headline before asking. “I’m religious but I’m straight...at least I think I am. Am I straight mom?”
“That’s not one of those things you can figure out when you’re 6. When you’re older you’ll know.”
He accepted that and moved on to another subject but the conversation got me thinking about a blog I wrote back in August in which I implied that my son’s affinity for 1970s disco might be a reflection on his sexual orientation. I got a few emails after that one from well meaning readers who wanted to reassure me by letting me know that my son was most likely heterosexual. For the record, I was joking. I don’t actually believe that the musical tastes of a six year old has anything to do with who he’ll be attracted to later in life. Furthermore, I don’t care if he does turn out to be Gay. If he grows up and marries some nice girl who he dearly loves then I’ll be happy as a clam. However if twenty years down the line my son calls to tell me that he and his boyfriend are officially engaged and he wants to be married in a pretty white gown I’ll be happy to find him the perfect Vivian Tam to flatter his figure. I also don’t care if he grows up to be a doctor, a writer, a hairstylist or a mechanic. I just want him to be him. People are always trying to mold their children to become the person they want them to be. To a certain extent that’s appropriate. Obviously I want my son to be a considerate, responsible individual with an aptitude for making and maintaining friendships. I also want him to stand up for himself and to be socially conscious. But I don’t need him to take the Bar exam or attend Harvard, unless of course that’s what he wants to do.
I’m always meeting people who want their kids to be a certain way. I’ve met mothers who have expressed distress because their daughters like the girly things that they have always distained, fathers who express frustration with their son’s lack of athletic ability and I’ve met several people who try to force their children to become passionate about what they perceive to be intellectual pursuits. The latter are often the same people who hire tutors for their kids so they can be reading at third grade level in kindergarten. I mean really, would it be such a big deal if their kid was reading at third grade level in third grade? For that matter would it be the worst thing in the world if their son would rather paint a picture than throw a football?
The Declaration Of Independence states that the pursuit of happiness is one of our unalienable rights. Shouldn’t we be teaching that to our children? I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be teaching our children to read too but I don’t know that it’s something we should be stressing out about when they first enter elementary school. After all over 99% of Americans over the age of 15 are literate. However 7% of Americans are taking antidepressants and it’s said that at least 10% of Americans will go through a major depression at some point in their life. That’s major depression. God only knows how many people are moderately unhappy although I’m sure that number is well over 50%. Based on those statistics it would seem that being happy is harder than reading and I don’t think our kids can learn to be happy by pursuing their parent’s dreams.
So maybe my son will grow up to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 company with a beach house and a super model girlfriend. Or maybe he’ll get a job as a yoga instructor and will spend his weekends flipping through International Male while listening to Donna Summer on his IPod . As long as he ends up being happy with his life then he’ll be ahead of the curve.
Kyra Davis
http://www.kyradavis.com/
Sex, Murder And A Double Latte IN STORES NOW!!!
Preorder Passion,Betrayal And Killer Highlights In Stores May 2006!
For The Love Of A Dog--A fun online read!
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