Book Launch – Lia London and “Her Imaginary Husband”

I’m happy to welcome a fellow indie author to the blog.  Say “hi” to Lia London!

Lia London was a high school English teacher. Many of events in the story were based on real things she either experienced or witnessed. However, there was neither a lecherous, hunky coach nor a campus cop. When her son was born, London came home to stay, and has since written nine books in a variety of genres. In addition to writing, she is the creator and curator of Clean Indie Reads, a book blog featuring “Flinch-Free” fiction by her esteemed peers. She lives happily with her real live husband (a teacher) and two children (teens), a dog and a cat. She loves jazz music, Taekwondo, and milk chocolate.

Follow Lia in the Interwebs:

Website:  www.LiaLondonBooks.com

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/LiaLondon1

 

Her brand new book is “Her Imaginary Husband”

New teacher Nikki Fallon is trying to ward of unwanted advances from the hunky football coach. She should…

1. slap him silly.

2. report him for harassment.

3. invent an imaginary husband.

 

You can buy it, right now, at:

http://bit.ly/ImaginaryHub

Here’s a little more from Lia explaining how the book came to be:

 

Back in college, while studying to be an English teacher, I worked in the local grocery store. I had to put up with some really annoying customers who felt it was their right to flirt obnoxiously with me because I was in customer service. I took to wearing a fake wedding band which I would wiggle at them to hint that I was not available. Once I quit and began my teaching career, I naturally dropped the ruse. However, I have often wondered what would have happened if I’d kept it going.

 

This book is a blending of that “what if” and many memories I have from my first two years of teaching English. Quite a number of the funny and poignant incidents in the story were based on real events. Names have been changed, of course, and there never was a romance story involved. I wasn’t as adorable as Nikki.

And I’ve also got a great interview with Lia:

Who is your favorite author?

That’s always a tricky question because it depends on what I feel like reading. I can tell you some favorites, though: Douglas Adams and Eoin Colfer for humor, Orson Scott Card and J. K. Rowling for sci-fi/urban fantasy world-building and just plain amazing plots, John Grisham and Michael Crichton for suspense (like a cardio workout from your chair), and C. S. Lewis and Mark Twain for depth of message and beauty of language. I simply must give props to fellow indie authors Michelle Isenhoff and Annie Douglas Lima for exquisite writing and brilliant story-telling (two different skills).

How do you describe your writing style?

I seem to be a bit split on that. Most of the time, I’m very conversational and a bit silly/snarky. That is definitely what comes out in Her Imaginary Husband. At other times, in other books, I wax poetic and get all literary.

Use no more than two sentences. Why should we read your book?

You’ll laugh, you’ll sigh, and you’ll come away looking at teens and teachers a little differently than before. It’s also a very sweet romance that’ll restore your hope in nice guys.

Have any of your characters been modeled after yourself?

Absolutely. Nikki is a cute, desirable version of me. Her teaching style and the way she interacts with her students, colleagues and mother are very much like me. I, however, do not act like her in romantic situations at all.

If you could exchange lives with any of your characters for a day which character would you choose and why?

With Nikki, of course. I’d love to go back into the classroom with the kids.

What books have most influenced your life?

In terms of my life, it would be the scriptures which shape my whole persona. In terms of my writing, I had two influences that come to mind. One was John Christopher’s White Mountain trilogy. It’s the first time I remember being exposed to the scifi/fantasy genre other than Narnia, and I fell in love with the whole realm of possibilities that went with creating another world. The other is more representative of a style: The HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It’s not like I read it over and over, but the delightful manipulation of language Douglas Adams used intrigued and inspired me. (He wrote for Monty Python, y’know.). I wanted to do that to sentences—make them take sudden turns at the end that slam a person into a giggle.

If you could select one book that you could rewrite and add your own unique twist on, which book would that be and why?

Perhaps the Eragon series. The writing was so abysmal, and yet the story itself was good.

Beatles or Monkees? Why?

I’ll have to go with the Beatles. They are more prolific, and often much more profound. I love a catchy tune, but lyrics that make me think are even better.

Who should play you in a film of your life?

Doesn’t everyone want Meryl Streep? Or Sally Field? They are both so genuine in their performances, not worried about “pretty” more than real. They have great energy and depth, and seem to really care about people. I wish I had their figures, too.

 

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