“Things Every Southern Woman Should Know How to Make”

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Alice clicked on the headline, mildly curious about what yet another stranger thought should be in her kitchen repertoire. Pictures of China plates mounded with crispy fried chicken, greens, cobbler, and a pile of biscuits a mile high flooded the screen, all set off with a pitcher of sweet tea beaded with condensation. The table was set; an apron draped off to the side next to a box labeled “Gramma’s Recipes” in fine calligraphy. She closed the browser and put away her tablet. She was born a Georgia peach, but she couldn’t make a cobbler to save her life. Did that mean she wasn’t southern? Or maybe just not “Southern.” For Alice, there was no recipe box full of family traditions. Her younger years were filled with rental homes in different states and her father’s voice coaxing her toward a text book rather than a cookbook. Metalworking and fabrication held more interest than learning to flambé or sauté. Did it make her less of a woman that her cooking skills consisted of fresh salads...
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I WISH Blog Tour! Interview with Elizabeth Langston


Hi, folks! Today, we’ve got an interview with Elizabeth Langston, author of I WISH, her new YA series. I WISH arrives today from Spencer Hill Press!



 
 What Lacey needs is a miracle. What she gets is a genie with rules.


 
Lacey Linden is hiding the truth of her life—a depressed mom, a crumbling house, and bills too big to pay. While her high school classmates see a girl with a ready smile and good grades, Lacey spends her evenings seeking ways to save her family. On a get-cash-quick trip to the flea market, Lacey stumbles over a music box that seemingly begs her to take it home. She does, only to find it is inhabited by a gorgeous "genie." He offers her a month of wishes, one per day, but there's a catch. Each wish must be humanly possible.

Grant belongs to a league of supernatural beings, dedicated to serving humans in need. After two years of fulfilling the boring wishes of conventional teens, he is one assignment away from promotion to a challenging new role with more daring cases. Yet his month with Lacey is everything that he expects and nothing like he imagines. Lacey and Grant soon discover that the most difficult task of all might be saying goodbye.
 
ISBN: 1939392233 
 
Links:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
 
 
Isn’t it beautiful? Now, I had a chance to ask Elizabeth a few questions about her experience writing I WISH, and here’s what she had to say:

Did anything in particular inspire you to write I WISH?

Grant was the character who came to me first. I knew he was smart, charming, inquisitive —and completely unaware of how hot it is to be all-powerful. But I found it really difficult to create a heroine who deserved having Grant in her life. So he languished, unwritten, for a long time.

Then something happened to one of my daughter’s best friends. They were in high school—and my daughter was constantly driving her around, to work or home. I asked what was going on. Basically, when the friend’s mother fell into an alcoholic stupor, the teen girl became the head of the household. She got a job, took care of her siblings, tried to handle the housework, and managed to cling to decent grades. I had my Lacey.

 

What was your favorite part about writing Lacey? Grant?

Lacey’s story allowed me to write about so many different kinds of relationships. She doted on her brother. She mourned the loss of one friendship and enjoyed the renewal of another. She found warmth with her friend Eli and something more with Grant. Mostly, though, she gave me the chance to explore the pain, exasperation, and love that can exist between mother and daughter.

Grant’s job, as a supernatural being, is to try to understand humans. He is so logical—almost Spock-like—that it became really fun to see human emotions through his eyes.

What was the hardest part about writing I WISH?

Lacey’s mother, Crystal, is mentally ill. I would’ve liked to let Grant wave a magic wand and make her all better. But that wasn’t realistic. So I had to let her suffer, stumble, succeed, and relapse. And in her pain, Crystal was often casually cruel to Lacey. That was hard to write, but necessary.

Did you write I WISH to a playlist?

Not really, although the story does have a theme song.  “Break In” by Halestorm.

(I love this answer because I’ve found this song pretty inspirational, too!)

Did you have a favorite snack while you worked?

Fritos and ginger ale.

Thanks, Elizabeth, for giving us an insight into the making of I WISH! Remember, you can check out I WISH today!



 
About the Author:
Elizabeth Langston lives in North Carolina, halfway between the beaches and the mountains. She has two teen-ish daughters and one husband (a geek like her). When she’s not writing software or stories, Elizabeth loves to travel with her family, watch dance reality TV shows, and dream about which restaurant ought to get their business that night.
Elizabeth’s debut novel WHISPER FALLS released in November 2013. Its sequels, A WHISPER IN TIME released in April 2014 and WHISPERS FROM THE PAST released in October 2014.  Her new series begins with I WISH in November 2014. Learn more about her at www.elizabethlangston.net.
Author Links:
Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Blog | Website
 


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