Britt Skrabanek

Meet the Dames

Last week I proudly revealed the big title change and release date for my third book, Nola Fran Evie (formerly The Bra Game).

I’m stoked to be taking part in my very first blog hop thanks to my sweet blogger friend, Andrea Stephenson of Harvesting Hecate, who tagged me.

Andrea’s writing is beyond brill, always lovely and thought-provoking. Be sure to check out her piece for her up-and-coming novel, “The Skin of a Selkie”, which I am super duper excited to read when it comes out.

The theme of this blog hop is “meet my character”. I decided to format it a little differently as I wanted to take this time to introduce all three of my main characters to you.

Naturally trying to wrangle up writers for blog hop tagging, especially with the looming book release, is a no-go for me. So I’m cheating a bit and leaving the tagging option open.

Here are the questions if any of you writers out there want to play in the blog hop by answering them at your place…

1. What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?
2. When and where is the story set?
3. What should we know about him/her?
4. What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?
5. What is the personal goal of the character?
6. Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?
7. When can we expect the book to be published?

Photo Credit: State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory

Nola Fran Evie follows three strong dames who were former players in The All-American Girls Baseball League. They accidentally reunite in 1954 on Wrigley Field and find their lives intertwined once again.

There’s feminism, sport, jazz music, civil rights, and romance in this retro, summertime romp across the great city of Chicago. Call it a deeper, sexier “A League of Their Own”, and what happens after.

I love classics, so all three main characters favor iconic movie stars: Nola as Grace Kelly, Fran as Audrey Hepburn, and Evie as Marilyn Monroe.

In fact, Evie takes after Marilyn so much that I weaved a running joke throughout the book, where she is constantly mistaken for the actress. Being that it was 1954, Marilyn was at the peak of her career so I thought it would be fun to play with.

As fashion is always an important element in my stories, I included costumes worn by these actresses. So those of you with a love for classic movies may recognize some of the clothing.

I’m happy to introduce these gals to you now…

NOLA JEAN “FARM GIRL” TURNER

An All-American girl from a farm in Waterford, Wisconsin, Nola played ball during the Depression with charming country boys using bats made out of rotting fences. Raised by her father, he encouraged her to try out for the women’s league, knowing that she would become an integral part of women’s history.

In the league she was known as Farm Girl, a pretty face who pitched like a fierce ballerina. She’s elegant and confident but tough as nails underneath the classy lady.

By 1954 Nola is a lonely widow raising her son and working as an executive secretary at a bank. When she comes to Wrigley Field after being away from the league for a decade, the reality of her suburban unhappiness comes crashing down as she faces the colorful past she left behind.

“Like the thick noise of the stadium every part of the experience blanketed her, smothering everything Nola thought she needed, replacing it with what she really craved…baseball.”

FRAN “LIPPY” MARCIANO

An Italian-American from the South Side of Chicago, Fran played ball in alleys with her three older brothers and other mouthy city kids in the neighborhood. When Fran’s brothers went off to war, she tried to follow them. But Fran and nursing didn’t exactly mix and she was declared unsuitable for service. To do her part in the war, she tried out for the league.

In the league she was known as Lippy, a fearless back-talking catcher who played and spit like one of the boys. She’s feisty and loud but has a heart of gold underneath the tough girl.

By 1954 Fran is living unconventionally with a Cubs ball player and working for the Sun Times as a sports photographer. While she’s covering a game at Wrigley, she spots Nola in the stands with a little boy and makes a beeline for her. It’s been far too long since she last saw her friend, and she knows that fate has brought them together on this day.

“To get Roland’s attention she put her fingers in her mouth and whistled at full volume. She pictured Nola and the other women behind her cringing at the indelicate whistle. But like any other day, she didn’t give a hoot.”

EVIE “TOOTS” SHAW

A Polish-American from the wealthy Chicago neighborhood of North Shore, Evie played ball and flirted with fun boys until she reached her full curviness, and they either stopped talking to her or tried necking. Evie’s mother was an austere Polish woman after riches and status who ordered Evie to marry for money rather than love. Evie rebelled and ran away from home to try out for the league.

In the league she was known as Toots, a busty lefty and the league’s sporty pin-up girl for the boys overseas. She’s come-hither and charming but vulnerable underneath the va-va-voom.

By 1954 Evie is unhappily married to the rich, womanizing Cubs’ owner and is a reluctant socialite. After a showdown with her no-good husband in the owner’s box, she crashes into Fran in the midst of a breakdown. Fran dislikes Evie for her choice of husband, Harvey Shaw, who singlehandedly finished off the women’s league earlier that year.

“The wall Evie leaned against outside the owner’s box was like a good man—holding her up, keeping her from falling. But, how’d she know what a good man felt like? That wall was the closest she was ever going to get.”

Thank you all for meeting my sassy dames. Next week you’ll get to meet the fellows.

Nola Fran Evie will be out next month…July 22!

A Revamped Title and a Release Date

Over beers the other night Mr. H and I got down to business on the cover for my upcoming book release. He asked me to summarize the damn thing in the middle of our favorite tavern so he could gain the necessary inspiration to create one of his cover masterpieces.

Writers, I’m sure you can agree, that explaining your entire book to anyone can be challenging. Naturally the first verbal explanation sounded like a hot mess, but we got through it.

After that, something unexpected came up…a title change.

The Bra Game just wasn’t working. The title popped into my head over a year ago during the first draft phase. Now that the work is completed (yippee!), a change was imperative to encompass the true feel of the story.

The new title is…

…drum roll, please…

NOLA FRAN EVIE

I wrote three strong, incredible main characters for this book. These women are the heart and soul of the story, and they deserve to be celebrated.

Another cool thing is that you guys out there—my lovely readers—helped name Fran and Evie last February when I asked you all to vote for your favorite character names. So, I love the way this all came together.

I’ve never changed a working title before, so this was an ~~interesting~~ laughable process. Silly, stubborn me cried at first (that’s right, in a freaking bar) since I had become attached to the title after such a long time. I worried that I would have to change the entire book—or bits and pieces, or the ending.

Luckily, Mr. H was there to bring me out of my theatrics. And another round of beers sealed the deal.

Now the cover is in the shop and I FINALLY nailed down an important date.

The big release for Nola Fran Evie is…

…drum roll again, please…

JULY 22!!!

Stay tuned for more details, including some behind the scenes posts in the coming weeks.

A big thanks to Roy McCarthy for giving me some valuable/awesome/honest feedback on my description. I’ve made some solid tweaks since my first description reveal.

Here is the new and improved version with the temp cover…

NOLA FRAN EVIE

They were unladylike rebels, three young women abandoning rolling pins for baseball bats to join the All-American Girls Baseball League. They changed history and that changed them. After the league folds in 1954 Nola, Fran, and Evie meet by chance on a popcorn-scented summer day where it all began…Wrigley Field, Chicago. They team up once again to fight for a pivotal cause these dames can only win by uniting as one.

Inside these ball players lies a fierce beauty, an unconventional destiny beyond the kitchen. Foregoing the American dream of sparkling cars and pastel suburbia, together they face up to the reality of nuclear drills and civil rights. Their story is uncovered nearly forty years later when Jacks Demonte discovers a trail of clues tucked away in a vintage handbag. The extraordinary lives of these women intersect with Demonte’s as she falls deeper into a heroic past.

Ta-da! Hope you’re all having a stellar week!

Read an Exchange with Author Britt Skrabanek (@brittskrabanek)

Hey, beautiful friends!

I was honored to have the opportunity to be interviewed by the lovely Eden Baylee. We covered everything from mottos to favorite curse words, from inspiration to guilty pleasures. Be sure to check out the whole thing over at Eden’s place. Happy Friday!

I’ve met many authors via comments they left on my blog. That is how Britt and I connected. Of course, then I discovered we had friends in common, so I’m thrilled to showcase her and her work.

She was a lot of fun to interview and I’m sure you will enjoy reading more about her. Please welcome Britt Skrabanek to Eden’s Exchange.

* * * *

Britt, so great to meet you and have you here at last! Tell my readers if you have any great extravagances.

International travel is my vice. I love the rush that begins with entering another country, from the sound of the stamp as it pounds my American passport to the unfamiliar language drifting into my ears. Traveling abroad opens our minds to other cultures and helps us grow into more tolerant human beings. Each time I come back home, I feel like a better…

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The Life Enthusiast Chronicles with Juliann

Last month my sweet blogger friend Dianne Gray reminded all of us that sometimes we need the downs in life to appreciate the ups. In my monthly series, The Life Enthusiast Chronicles, gorgeous humans from all over tell us what makes them in love with life.

Today I’m overjoyed to bring you my lovely blogger pal, Juliann Wetz from Browsing the Atlas. Julie is a mother, wife, and travel guru who I stumbled upon in the blogging universe forever ago. My wanderlust tendencies often bring me into the arms of travel bloggers, but Juliann isn’t like the rest. Her stories of the world are endlessly quirky, humorous, and inspiring. She brings the world to our homes with a down-to-earth spirit that I simply adore. Watch out, Samantha Brown. Because Juliann’s one heck of a traveling Life Enthusiast!

Connect with Juliann on Twitter.

Dazzle us Julie…

I was not a happy teenager. I lived in rural Ohio, endured painful middle school years and would have been content to spend the rest of my days alone in my room with my books.

But something happened to me in high school that changed everything: I won a scholarship to go to Germany as an exchange student. Me. Little old me. I’m not exaggerating when I say it changed my life.

At 15-years-old, I boarded a plane, flew across the ocean by myself and discovered that there were other ways to live. As cliché as it sounds, there was a whole big world out there and suddenly, I realized how ‘small town’ my life had been.

The teen angst I’d experienced at home was put into perspective. Free to be a whole new me in a whole new place and explore a whole new culture was the most liberating experience of my life. Like an alcoholic tasting their first drink, I was hooked. I’ve spent the rest of my life trying to replicate that feeling and have had great success in doing so.

Wanderlust is in my blood.

Luckily, traveling is a manageable and healthy sort of addiction. (If you can even call it an addiction at all.) I am as eager to jump in the car and drive 50 miles up the highway as I am to sit in a plane for 27 hours and fly halfway around the world. I know when I reach my destination, I’m going to discover something new, whether it’s a mural painted on the side of a barn, an exotic food that I’ve never tasted, or an entire sub-culture that I didn’t even know existed.

I never know what I’ll discover. That’s what excites me most. There’s a whole big world out there!

Sometimes I am struck by a moment and am awed by the thought that I am standing on a small spot of the world where I never dreamed I’d be. This happened one night at Pemaquid Point in Maine as I stood on a cliff under a lighthouse and saw four more lighthouses in the distance blinking back at me. And behind a shopping mall in Alaska while I waited for a bus and saw the aurora borealis. And again in a tiny, cement church in Nicaragua where little girls in hand-me-down dresses sang to me in Spanish.

These are moments when I want to pinch myself for being so incredibly lucky to realize what a great, big world this is. These are my moments of bliss.

I’ve been very fortunate to find ways to travel with my family. We’ve had amazing experiences in so many different parts of the world and it has fostered true appreciation for other cultures in my children. We’ve all learned things about the world that we’ve brought back with us.

When my daughter’s Current Events class discussed the smog problem in China, she was able to share what she’d learned there. She explained what our driver had told us about the ways they limit the number of vehicles on the road by restricting certain cars on designated days as indicated by their license plate numbers.

My brother and my son can tell you how to lure South Dakota prairie dogs and chipmunks to you so you can feed them by hand. (Hint: use sunflower seeds.)

And if you want to imitate Lucy Ricardo and see what it’s like to stomp grapes, my mom and I can fill you in. As it turns out there are dozens of places in Indiana and surrounding states that hold grape-stomping contests in August and September.

Of course, I can probably tell you a little more than my mom since I was actually the champion in Vevay, not her. ☺

All of these memories make me so happy. My journeys around the world have been journeys of self-discovery as well.

My attitude and enthusiasm for a life of travel was summed up nicely by Marcus Buckingham in Now, Discover Your Strengths: “…yours is the kind of mind that finds so many things interesting. The world is exciting precisely because of its infinite variety and complexity.” So true, so true. Which is why I feel compelled to see as much of it as I can.

When Britt tagged me to be June’s Life Enthusiast, I was flattered to be among so many other creative, passionate people. I’ve come a long way from the somewhat surly tween stuck in Nowheresville, Ohio.

Now I’m off to see the world and all it has in store for those who open themselves up to the experience of it all. Thanks, Britt!

Sometimes We Crash

On my favorite hike yesterday evening I had a soul-stopping moment.

There is a rather busy road hikers have to cross to pick up the trail again, with no light or stop sign, so cars have to stop to let pedestrians go. I had just crossed the street when I heard that all too familiar sound of crunching metal.

I whipped around expecting a fender-bender. Instead, I watched her car flip off the side of the road and disappear over the drop-off.

I sprinted back across the street, expecting her to be gone. Several people jumped out of their cars and we all joined at the side of the road.

The car was pinned against the base of a tree, which saved it from somersaulting down the cliff. Had there been a passenger with her, that person would not have made it.

Four men rushed down to the car as we called for help. We all watched in horror, expecting the very worst.

Miraculously she was conscious and crying, with no visible injuries.

We are always told that a person should not be moved until help arrives. However, when a car is cradled precariously by a tree with the possibility of plummeting into a creek way down below, that changes things.

And so the guys worked together and managed to bring her up the cliff to safety.

Good-hearted people kept running over to help. At that point there were too many cooks in the kitchen and we had to turn people away. We needed to keep traffic going so the ambulance could actually get through on the narrow, winding road.

Four of us remained with the driver until help arrived. We did what we could for her during that time.

Fortunately, one man was a physician and besides being extremely shaken up, he could tell that she was alright. Effing lucky as all get-out, but alright.

The other man called the young woman’s mother. It was heart-wrenching to watch her attempt to form a complete sentence on the phone, but you could see that just hearing her mom’s voice was the best thing for her while we waited.

The other woman I was with covered her shaking shoulders with a shawl and I gave her my bottle of water. We continued comforting her as best as we could.

Naturally, it seemed like years before the reassuring sound of sirens echoed in the distance when it had probably only been minutes.

I answered a few questions and then I began my long hike back home in a daze.

This was only my second hike since a pretty awful bicycling accident I had with Silvie a couple of weeks ago when I hit a jerk of a pothole. (Hence, the Band-Aid pic above.)

I crashed and burned on my way home from work, because I wasn’t paying attention the way I should have been. I paid for it too, with a mosaic of bruises, bumps, and scrapes all over my lower body. Crotch bruises…not fun.

I had trouble sleeping and walking for a week. Naturally, Yoga and hiking were out of the question. But I got back on Silvie the bike again two days later. Because after all of that, I was banged up but alright.

Sometimes we crash. The important thing about crashing is to learn from it, to recognize that life is precious and very, very fragile.

We live in a world of distractions that alarmingly moves faster and faster each day. Our minds are cluttered, trying to keep up with it all.

I’m not writing this to campaign against texting and driving, because duh—don’t do that.

I’m writing this to say two things…

There is no such thing as being too present. Slow down, pay attention, and be in every moment as much as you possibly can. It may save your life.
No matter what happens—an accident, a disaster, a crash—we are there for one another. The beauty of the human heart will always come through. And that, lovelies, is a powerful thing.