The Writer's Life 8/12 - Destiny

I’d guess almost everybody wants to believe there is a specific soul mate out there. This is the basis of Find Me, I’m Yours, a novel by Hillary Carlip, described as multi-platform, “one girl’s hunt for love in a transmedia world.” It is designed as an ebook where the reader may click on any or all of the 33 unique websites created for it. Available only on Kindle at Amazon, I lucked into a print copy, and I’m fortunate to have had the opportunity to sample it. It is a lively, witty romp, dubbed not “chick-lit” but “click-lit.” The story, a first-person account of a woman in her early 20‘s, is simple: the protagonist hunts a potential mate, “Mr. WTF,” who has left clues all over L.A., claiming he longs for "the one." Late in the narrative she remarks: “It’s amazing what can happen if we believe in destiny, or are at least willing to consider it. Everything that feels f-----d up, tragic, or wrong could all be part of the choreography leading us to what is beautiful, happy, and right.” In the epilogue she states: “…magic and inspiration are everywhere, even in crap, if you just keep your eyes open.” This girl is easy to root for. Does she find what she’s seeking? Is she being had? Read it and find out. It is chock full of pictures relative to the storyline. The prose and dialogue crackle, although there is lots more profanity than necessary. It incorporates the colloquialisms and abbreviations common to the worldwide web, almost all of which I understood. I researched only one of the links, which appealed to my male chauvinist pig tendencies: www.kneeboobs.com, which is dedicated to the main character’s roommate, whom she refers to as the “hacktress,” one of the less acerbic terms used to describe her. This is Carlip’s fifth book, the first having been a co-write. Her sales rankings are impressive and, given this particular effort, deserved. 52 users have rated it, forging to a consensus of 4.6 of five. I rate it 3.5. The Kindle experience is no doubt superior to the print.

Today’s  NY Post devotes three pages to a new trend -- getting hypnotized in order to work out. Three celebrities are among the women endorsing it: Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, singer Lily Allen and actress Olivia Munn. Recalling how difficult it was to get motivated, how dead I’d feel before working out, it actually makes sense. I’ve known people who tried to quit smoking through hypnosis. It helped at first, then failed, but it’s such a small sample that it’s meaningless in terms of efficacy.

Donald Trump has castigated Bernie Sanders for abandoning a political appearance when two female representatives of Black Lives Matter seized his microphone. He vows to have hecklers removed. I wonder if the group will see this as a challenge. Wouldn’t a confrontation be great theater?

The 162 MLB baseball schedule always offers wonders. Yesterday, for the first time in history, all home teams won, going 15-0. It is amazing that this had never happened, given that there were only 16 teams until 1961.

My thanks to the kind folks who bought and donated books today. The most satisfying sale went to Dr. Lee, garbed all in green, who bought Cat Miracles by Brad and Sherry Steiger. I wonder if she'd just come from surgery.

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/