About the Book:
What if you found yourself climbing out of a bedroom window, naked, in the middle of the afternoon, to avoid being caught in bed with your married lover? Would you have second thoughts about dating?
After Shayla Ross discovers that yet another potential “Mr. Right” is, in fact, incredibly wrong for her, she decides to go on a diet. No. She’s not going to forgo her much-loved, sinfully-delicious girl scout cookies or her (admittedly too frequent) trips to McDonalds. Shayla is going on a dating diet.
An incredibly hapless and infinitely loveable heroine, elementary school teacher Shayla Ross decides to take her summer vacation from teaching as a period of self-discovery. Much to the chagrin of her meddling mother, Shayla sets out to find herself and, in the process, bumbles into a series of successive funny and heartwarming interpersonal interactions that will have readers falling in love with her.
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Author Interview:
1: Tell us a little about yourself and what got you in to writing?
I’ve been writing since I was 5 years old. Actually, I used to get in trouble for staying up late, under the covers, reading and writing well past my bedtime. If my mom didn’t find me, and make me turn out the light, I’d fall asleep the next morning eating breakfast. There’s a picture of me somewhere doing a nosedive into my Shredded Wheat.
2: Do you have a favourite time and place where you write?
Not too long ago, I joined a co-working space where I go almost every day to write. I love it there. It’s so much easier to focus than at home. Plus, it’s not so lonely.
3: Where do your ideas come from?
A million places. On the fiction side, I can be inspired by something I see or hear or a real life situation or emotion. Sometimes, I’ll wake up from a dream with an idea. On the nonfiction side, it’s easier to get an initial idea because I’m writing about real events and people. What’s hard about that though is that, if it’s not all tying, neatly, together, I can’t just make stuff up to fill in the gaps. So it’s all easy in some ways, challenging in others.
4: Do you have a plan in your head of where the story is going before you start writing or do you let it carry you along as you go?
Oh, I’ve learned the hard way to plan. When I don’t have a loose but flexible idea of where I’m going, I can write myself into dead ends and tangents like no one else. I think having an outline is priceless. That said, even now, I occasionally don’t follow my own advice, and I end up paying for it.
5: What genre are your books and what drew you to that genre?
I write across the spectrum – everything from adult literary fiction to chick lit, to mystery, to romance, to memoir. I just love putting pen to paper.
6: What dream cast would you like to see playing the characters in your latest book?
Right now, I’m working on a memoir so that’d be really hard to cast. Of course, I’d want someone amazing and iconic to play myself, but that’s just ego. In reality, I think I’d be better off going with an unknown. That way, she could be the perfect mix of train wreck and endearing with no celebrity gossip carnage trailing behind her.
7: Do you read much and if so who are your favourite authors?
I’m a voracious reader. And I’m addicted to Audiobooks. It’s hard to choose favorites because there are just so many exceptional authors out there, but I’m on a memoir-binge at the moment and have been completely engrossed by Kevin Hart, Dan Harris, and Anna Kendrick. A book I reread every few years is Summer Sisters by Judy Blume.
8: What book/s are you reading at present?
Oops. I think I anticipated this question. I’m still mid memoir-binge.
9: What is your favourite book and why?
Summer Sisters because it reveals just how complicated love can be. I’m working on a sequel to my first memoir right now and it deals with the intricacies of my relationship between me and my sister, Tyla. I love her so much, and, yet, there’s envy there too at times. I didn’t understand that it was possible to love someone and have them love you and break each other’s hearts until I read Blume’s book. In many ways, it opened my eyes and is an inspiration for what I’m writing about now.
10: What advice would you give for someone thinking about becoming a writer?
Don’t think. Do. I know it sounds simplistic, but the only person who can keep you from being a writer is yourself. And the only thing that distinguishes a writer from a non-writer are words on the page (or screen, or tablet, or whatever). I’ve learned that so much of writing is just getting my butt in a chair and doing the work. Don’t worry about being good or who’s going to want to hear what you have to say. And don’t try to edit and write at the same time. Just come up with a plan you can stick to for devoting time to the craft and then make your writing time sacred. It’s like having a date with creativity.
11: What are the best Social Media Sites for people to find out about you and your work?
Thanks for asking! I’d love to connect with your readers.
All my books are available on my Amazon page www.amazon.com/Daralyse-Lyons
And my website is www.daralyonsauthor.com.
There are links to my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts there.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Dara-Lyons
Twitter: @daralyonsauthor
Instagram: www.instagram.com/daralyonsauthor
About the Author:
Writing isn’t so much what I do. It’s who I am. Ever since I was five years old, I knew I wanted to tell stories for a living. I have a tendency to fall in love with characters and a somewhat (by which I mean extremely) fanatical need to put their lives down on paper.
I write Young Adult fiction because I am still seventeen at heart and because I remember what it felt like to pick up a book and see myself in its characters. Some of the books which influenced me as a teenager include Summer Sisters by Judy Blume, She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb, and all the Sweet Valley High books by Francine Pascal. I hope that my readers can see themselves in my characters and get lost in my fictional stories and the very real emotions that drive them.
A few fun facts about me… I am an adrenaline junkie who loves skydiving, rollercoasters, and parasailing. As a certified yoga instructor, I try to find peace in movement and I meditate (almost) every day. I live in the quaint Mount Airy section of Philadelphia. And at least once a week I do comedy improv (think Who’s Line is it Anyway?) and laugh at the utter ridiculousness of make believe.
Other books by Daralyse:
The Lost Daughter (Nov, 2008)
The Emotional Yoga Experience:Use Your Body to Heal Your Mind (June, 2014)
Confessions of a Straight Gay Woman (Sept, 2014)
Christmas Treasures (Nov, 2014)
Santa’s Answer (Nov, 2014)
Dunkin and Donuts (Feb, 2015)
The Lesbian Love Diaries (June, 2015)
Attorney’s Alibi (Nov, 2015)
Family Ties: Thicker than Water; Does it Hurt?; Like Mother, Like Daughter; My Forever Friend (June, 2016)
Yoga Cocaine (Nov, 2016)
Reading Nook 