Britt Skrabanek

Social media (and that whole love/hate thing)

I love it. I hate it. I love it. I hate it. I…you get the gist.

Well, it looks like social media is here to say, guys. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say…embrace it already!

I totally get the the love/hate thing. I’ve gone through it myself.

It’s a common subject.; in fact as I was writing this post, I came across a great blog post by Jenny Hansen discussing Facebook called What do your Facebook Interactions REALLY say about you? Be sure to check out the Social Me analysis fun when you stop by.

OK, so back to the love/hate thing!

When My Space was “it”, I quit and rejoined several times. Each time I left because I wanted intimate relationships, so if people couldn’t see me in person or at the very least call me on the ancient-adjacent telephone…well, tough cookies!

When I moved away from my fam in Dallas, I joined Facebook. Somewhere in there I quit due to my previously mentioned stance over the lack of modern day intimacy.

And, guess what? I got lonely as hell.

If I didn’t get the memo before that the hey day of the casual phone catch-up was over, I got it this time.

Gee whiz, even email, our techy equivalent to a handwritten letter, has lost its glory in the world of personal relationships.

So, I decided to rejoin Facebook for the sake of companionship. I realized this is just how things are. As such, I decided to stop swimming upstream and simply float along the lazy social media river.

Before anyone gets huffy or accuses me of drinking the Kool-Aid, please know that I am still a diehard advocate for in-person or telephone get-togethers. The exquisite comfort of the human voice is unparalleled no matter how far the internet takes us.

I like to think of social media as an enhancement of communication, rather than the bitter end.

As a lesser known author trying to get my name out there, it is an amazing tool – and hey, it’s free and pretty darn fun.

Don’t worry, I’m not one of those annoying writers polluting your social feed with book pimping updates. All I have to say about that is…YUCK! I think we can all agree that people selling anything aggressively is such a turn-off.

However, I do believe in making new connections through social media and hanging out, having some laughs and sharing bits and pieces of life together. Undeniably, it’s a strong community out there, and I think in many ways it’s a healthy development.

Do people share annoying tidbits from time to time? Yes. And my advice for you is to either hide their updates or just scan right along past them. My advice for them…the complaining, the whining, and the too much info are no-no’s.

Nobody ordered a Debbie Downer with a splash of neuroses.

Like anything, moderation is key.

There is no need to be a part of every social media site in existence. I stick with Facebook and Twitter. Oh, how I love Twitter! It makes me feel super clever when I nail a point in 140 characters or less.

(Pardon my social media nerd outburst there.)

Still not with me? Here are two of my favorite social media memories which changed my outlook…BIG TIME!

Twitter Talk

A blogger gal pal of mine, Jessica Korteman of Notes of Nomads, and I had this incredible convo on Twitter. She lives and Japan and had just started reading my book, Everything’s Not Bigger. So, we were chatting on Twitter about my little book. It was morning here and I was sipping my cup of joe. It was nighttime there, and she was drinking a cup of milo. To speak with someone I have never met, to share a warm beverage with someone on the opposite side of the world…you guys, that’s pretty damn cool.

P.S. Be sure to check her blog out! I always joke that she is the female version of Indiana Jones in my mind, and she’s probably going to end up as a character in one of my books.

Facebook Reunion

I lost contact with my childhood best friend, Laura. We went through everything together growing up – playing Barbies and “house”, our first boy crushes, and major obsessions with Tori Amos and Aerosmith. She moved out of state, then I moved out of state; she moved again, then I moved again. We tried tracking each other down many times and had no luck.

Quite awesomely, we reunited on Facebook. Logically speaking, we probably would have never found each other without silly old Facebook.

If you take a good look at your own social media memories, you may notice some undeniable moments you would not have experienced otherwise. Think about it for a sec…

Virtually, you’ve gone to many weddings, you’ve seen lots of newborn babies, you’ve supported someone when they were going through a rough time with a comment – a little ray of hope.

Perhaps it’s not the type of humanity we ever thought could exist, and that is why it confuses and scares us sometimes. But, it’s there for us if we want it.

Seriously?! How are we NOT friends already? Click the links below, so we can fix that!

Let’s share a laugh (and maybe a snort or two) on Facebook!

Let’s Tweet our little hearts out together!

ALSO, ONLY ONE WEEK LEFT FOR YOU TO…

Vote for two of my characters’ names (it’s fun!)

AND…

Score $1 off on both of my books on Smashwords!

So, what do you guys think about social media? Do you love it, hate it, or love/hate it?

When Things Were Swell

By golly, do I love research!

History, culture, fashion – I just want to roll around in them all the livelong day. But, then I wouldn’t get a thing done, now would I?

Last week I mentioned that I started my third book, The Bra Game. I’ve got a super fun poll going all month long where you can vote on two of my characters’ names. You can visit the original post for lots of details or if you’re the ants-in-your-pants type like I am, you can just vote right here…

CHARACTER #1

In a Nutshell: Feisty Italian-American Tomboy
Classic Movie Star Twin: Audrey Hepburn
Baseball Position: Catcher, Bunter-Stealer
Occupation: Photographer

CHARACTER #2

In a Nutshell: Busty Polish-American Sex Kitten
Classic Movie Star Twin: Marilyn Monroe
Baseball Position: Left Fielder, Left-handed Batter
Occupation: Housewife/Socialite

*The big character name reveal will take place on the 28th, so be sure to stop by to see if your names win!

Truthfully, researching the fifties is a blast: hot cars, milkshakes, Elvis and his pelvis, drive-ins, roller skates, McCarthy’s communist witch hunt, and of course…baseball.

I feel pretty solid on my pre-1950’s research needed for this project. Between my WWII junkie background and this fabulous book I picked up, which covers the women in baseball tangent I’m including throughout, I’m set.

The Bra Game takes place in 1954 Chicago.

I would love to hear any book or film recommendations you may have which paint a portrait of 1950’s American culture. I’m open to any of your suggestions.

Documentaries and non-fiction are great, but classic movies and fiction are perfect, too.

Also, I’m a big fan of writing historical fiction with era-appropriate music to set the mood. So, anything you think might be good…I’m all ears.

Ready, steady, go!

High Fashion, Suburban Swingers, Narcotics Detectives, and Gypsies

Haha…made you look! You’re probably thinking…what is that crazy Britt up to now?

But this fun bouquet of words is actually from a reader, a snippet from an outstanding review my little book, Everything’s Not Bigger, received last night.

If you’re interested in the randomness this title exudes, then you’ll probably want to scoop up a copy of Everything’s Not Bigger while it’s $1 off on Smashwords (ends February 28th.)

Also, my first book Beneath the Satin Gloves is a buck off as well. It’s kooky in a different way. Think WWII, spying lounge singer, sex and lies, and a little time travel element to keep you scratching your head.

And for you Valentine’s Day enthusiasts out there, I promise there are some mega romantic moments in each story that will make your heart go pitter-patter.

I’m totally interested in a buck off your books, Britt!

Well, cheers to that and click here for all the deets…

Here’s the full review from Amazon…

“What do Dallas high fashion retail salespeople, basset hounds, suburban swingers, Czech cuisine, narcotics detectives, Romani (Gypsies), gay trust fund debauchees, and witness protection all have in common? Answer: Jaye Davis.  

So move over Sophie Kinsella and Tom Robbins and make room for one of the most thoroughly modern female protagonists ever created. And, as a delightful bonus, find that all of Britt Skrabanek’s other characters in this novel are not bigger than life; they each ring true with the feel of a fact-is-stranger-than-fiction cast of players. No, these are not your typical quirky oddballs populating the television sitcoms but characters whose lives intersect so effortlessly with Jaye Davis. I ask myself whether Everything’s Not Bigger is a roman à clef or most definitely the very imaginative product of a keen observer of human nature. This novel is suspenseful, romantic, peppered with history, and salted with satirical social commentary.  

As with Britt Skrabanek’s first novel, Beneath The Satin Gloves, this offering is sprinkled with clever and tender comic relief. Two particular scenes, one involving a grumpy Czech grandmother (not Jaye’s), and the other depicting her platonic non-date stroll over a landmark Prague bridge, are sure to entertain. However, don’t be misled; this is a serious story about conflicting contemporary values. How do we overcome bad decisions, and do we have the determination to shape the life we really want to live.“

Name my characters, why don’t ya?

Geez Louise! I never thought I’d write one book and here I am starting my third. I’m either destined to be a novelist or you’re all destined to hear the rantings of a crazy lady.

Anywho, I’m in the outlining stage, also known as the honeymoon phase for us writers, and I can use your help out there. I want you guys to name two of my characters!

Fun, yeah?

Here’s a brief background for you to ponder before choosing the names from the polls below.

I had this crazy discovery last summer when I bought a vintage handbag here in Milwaukee and I found some artifacts from 1954 – two baseball tickets, and a shopping list on the back of a voting receipt.

Sixty years ago, people! How cool is that?!

I wrote a post about it, because I was so freaking excited! This was back when I first started blogging and nobody knew who the hell I was, so you can check out The Clues in the Vintage Handbag if you want.

I daydreamed about who the owner of the handbag might have been, and pictured three different women. So, my brother-in-law pointed out that it looked like I had the skeleton of a decent story on my hands, and he was right. (Thanks, Shawn!)

And, here we are.

My working title is The Bra Game. The story will bounce back and forth between the woman who discovers the handbag and clues in somewhat modern day to the three women she imagines as the possible owners back in 1954. The three women were previously connected as baseball players in the All American Girls Baseball League at the tail end of World War II.

Since I adore strong female characters, these unconventional athletes are right up my alley. We know that when the men came home, the women were expected to ditch their wartime duties, and make lots of babies and pies.

But, what about the women who were different?

So, there’s your teaser.

This is a completely different project for me as it will be a departure from my previous thrillers, and more of an exploration of social issues. Rather than an international locale, this is all about Chicago in the fifties…an all-American romp, if you will.

And, instead of one main character, I have three! I’ve got one named because her name hit me like a ton of bricks, and so it must be.

But, I still have two more to name…and here’s where you come in.

CHARACTER #1

In a Nutshell: Feisty Italian-American Tomboy
Classic Movie Star Twin: Audrey Hepburn
Baseball Position: Catcher, Bunter-Stealer
Occupation: Photographer

CHARACTER #2

In a Nutshell: Busty Polish-American Sex Kitten
Classic Movie Star Twin: Marilyn Monroe
Baseball Position: Left Fielder, Left-handed Batter
Occupation: Housewife/Socialite

It would be awesome if you guys would spread the word on this poll of mine…the more, the merrier! The name reveal will take place on February 28th.

And if you don’t know anything about my previous work, now is the time to check them out. I’m currently offering a whole buck off the entire month of February.

All the details are right here.

Beggars and Champagne

Once upon a time, there was a magical land far, far away named Milwaukee. It was a land filled with beggars and champagne…

…at least in my eyes, the starry eyes of a non-native.

Before I moved here I led a previous life in Dallas, and a previous-previous life in SoCal. At a young age, Wayne’s World taught me that Milwaukee was Algonquin for “The Good Land”.

Hey, I thought it must be an alright place if Alice Cooper and the Native Americans said so.

Other than that, people told me it was a land of cheese and beer. Seriously, this is all I once knew.

When I first met my Milwaukeean paramour in Dallas, we interrogated each other – as we all do during the dating phase – and naturally we confessed our first dreadful jobs.

Quite casually, he said, “I used to be a beggar.”

Red flag!

“A beggar?” I asked, batting my eyelashes and trying my darnedest to stay open-minded, because man oh man was I smitten!

“You know…at the grocery store.”

Light bulb.

“Oh, a BAGger! You bagged groceries.”

Phew!

“That’s what I said.”

No you didn’t.

It turns out the letter “a” is pronounced a little differently in the Midwest.

We had a good laugh over that…obviously. And, me and my far-from-bumming beau got hitched and moved to Milwaukee, the good land.

*Read the rest of the story over at OnMilwaukee.com (I was invited to write a “Readers Blog” at On Milwaukee, so it would be awesome if you guys could stop by their place…I promise there are more laughs with this kooky tale.)