5 Questions with Iris Smyles!

Iris Smyles discusses & signs her novel Iris Has Free Time Monday, June 24th at 7pm.

1. Are you a fan of Colt 45?
 “It works every time.” Who am I to argue with Billy Dee Williams?

2. Favorite stop in LA?
The museum of Jurassic Technology and The Griffith Observatory are devoted respectively to my two favorite things: fiction masquerading as truth, and space!

3. Who are your literary influences?
Proust is a big one. Like me, he was a dilettante partier until he was 30 when he decided, seemingly out of nowhere, to retire from social life, retreat to his bedroom, and essentially stay there until he’d completed the semi-autobiographical novels comprising, In Search of Lost Time. A roman a clef, my novel is modeled in part after his; certainly Proust is its patron saint as Iris Has Free Time is about lost time, too.

4. Fictional character you love to hate and/or least admire.
 Larry Darrell is still the worst thing about young people today.

5. Describe your book in a tweet (140 characters or less)
Youth in its twilight.

Easy, breezy tunes for stretching out on the sand with your favorite beach read.

Summer Reading from BookSoup on 8tracks Radio.

Brought to you by Zoie.

5 Questions with Kathy Ebel, author of Claudia Silver to the Rescue

Kathy Ebel is a screenwriter, essayist, blogger and native New Yorker.  Claudia Silver to the Rescue is her debut novel and we are delighted to host her on Wednesday, June 19th at 7pm for her book launch.  She was kind enough to answer a few questions for us.

1. Fictional character you admire?
Daisy Summerfield, the eponymous main character in the YA novel Daisy Summerfield's Style by M.B. Goffstein, that I devoured regularly in the early 1980's.  Daisy heads to NYC in 1959 with matching Samsonite luggage, meets a bohemian girl on the train, switches luggage tags, and reinvents herself as a Greenwich Village sculptress in no time.  Instead of an engagement ring, the happy ending is gallery representation.

2. Favorite LA destination?
It's a 3-way: the cove at the southern tip of Point Dume beach, Din Tai Fung restaurant, Pasquale Shoe Repair.
  
3. Who are your literary influences?
 Edith Wharton, Dawn Powell ("The Powell," the tell-tale Greenwich Village apartment building in Claudia Silver to the Rescue, is named in her honor), Joan Didion, Lore Segal, Michael Chabon, Nora Ephron and Stephen Sondheim.  The paintings of Florine Stettheimer, Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and films of Wes Anderson have also been major.

 4. Your desert island book?
 The Kidpower Hour.  That's the novel I'm writing now.  I hope my island has WiFi.

5. Describe your book in a tweet (140 characters or less)
 In early ‘90s NYC, the biggest mistake Claudia Silver ever makes is the best thing that ever happened to her.  With a beat you can dance to.

Kathy Ebel discusses & signs Claudia Silver to the Rescue on Wednesday, June 19th

Here's a handy chart to help you make sense of the complicated life of Claudia Silver, the heroine of Kathy Ebel's debute novel.  Ms. Ebel is a screenwriter ("Cold Case" & "Law & Order: SVU"), poet and blogger (Fatherland) and we are excited to host her on Wednesday, June 19th at 7pm!

5 questions with Ken Paves

We are starting a new program whereby we ask authors who will be appearing at Book Soup to answer a few questions about themselves to introduce them to our readers. Mr. Paves has been kind enough to participate and help us launch what we hope will be a fun and informative questionnaire. Enjoy!

 1. Fictional character you admire? Mickey Mouse. He's just cool. He has timeless style, he's always relevant, he's got a lot of friends, brings people together, a cool park and he's very philanthropic!!!



2. Favorite L.A. Destination? The Tree People! A 45 acre environmental edupark at the top of Beverly Hills atop the 100 + acres of nature that make up Fryman Canyon and 600 + acres that make up Franklin Canyon.


3. What was your favorite book as a kid? Walt Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Come on…the Mouse and magic!! What kid doesn't love that!!! My wand is now my comb!


4. Your desert island book? The Butterfly's Daughter by Alice Monroe. My mother gave it to me after my Grandmother passed away- she loved butterflies. It reminds me of her, but it is also a story of family, tradition, belief, love, honor, determination and hopes and dreams!!!


5. Describe your book in a tweet (140 characters or less.) You Are Beautiful is a guide to help ALL women understand,appreciate&celebrate their own unique beauty; filled w tips to look&feel her best!