Fiction – Page 9 – Britt Skrabanek

The Big Tease

So, I had planned to show you guys something today…

something pretty amazing…

awesome, if you will.

BUT…

you’ll just have to wait a bit longer for…

the big book cover reveal for “Nola Fran Evie“.

(If you’re new here and wondering what the hell I’m talking about, you can go right here and here to catch up.)

Yep, the cover is still in the shop and the official book release is two weeks from today. That’s the lovely thing about being Indie—I can fiddle with things until the last minute and leave you all hanging.

(Insert evil laugh here.)

In the meantime I’ve got a whole social media extravaganza happening if you want to get teased daily with bits and pieces from the book. I got a little misty-eyed when I started tweeting #NolaFranEvie. I never thought a hashtag would give me warm fuzzies, but dammit, it happened.

I’m assuming most of us are already connected, but if we’re not, you know the drill.

Twitter Tweeps

Facebook Faces

Currently in social media land, I’m sharing my favorite retro lines for each of the characters. Yesterday Nola, my Grace Kelly doppelgänger, sassed it up with this vintage-esque stinger…

“Listen pal, I’m nobody’s sweetheart.”

(Ouch!)

Up today from the trio is Fran. As her nickname in the All-American Girls Baseball League happened to be Lippy, you can imagine that she has some colorful remarks.

Stay tuned for the cover reveal next week and another exciting edition of The Life Enthusiast Chronicles on Thursday.

And while we’re on the subject of retro lines, what are your favorite sayings from another era? Ready, set, go!

Meet the Fellows

A couple of years ago when my mother-in-law had just finished reading/editing my first book, Beneath the Satin Gloves, she brought up an interesting thought…I wonder if your work is something men would read.

Truth be told, I wasn’t sure. I hadn’t thought about genders at all, I just wrote the thing.

While my books feature strong female characters, told from their point of view, I have greatly enjoyed writing male characters as well. A few men have read my work and said they were entertained.

My parents divorced when I was pretty young. I lived with my dad until my early college years, so I mostly had a male’s perspective growing up.

I remember my dad trying to do my impossible hair for school and dressing me in Dallas Cowboys T-shirts. I was the kid that looked pretty kooky in that Southern California school—and, you guessed it—I got made fun of.

Later in life my mom received her Bachelor’s degree at 38-years-old and ran her first marathon at 40. She worked her way up to the very top of her career, one dominated by men.

In other words, I’m not a girly girl.

I love fashion, I’m a romantic, and yes, I wore a tutu for a number of years as a ballet dancer, but I’m also a go-getter, beer-loving, potty-mouth who tells it like it is.

I wanted to take a moment today to highlight some of the fellows in my upcoming book, Nola Fran Evie, because I think they’re pretty darn awesome.

If you missed “Meet the Dames” last week, click here.

Mr. H on the patio — Mr. H rockin’ the retro look on our patio.

LAUREN RHYS

“She smiled at Lauren’s profile, framed perfectly by the open window of his mustard yellow, beat-up Ford. Dusk’s long finale cast a soft glow on the zooming fields behind him. He looked otherworldly, as if the gods had dropped a perfect specimen for all men to strive to be and for all women to strive to be in bed with.”

Lauren grew up in Waterford, Wisconsin and when he wasn’t working on the farm or playing baseball, he sat on an old fence with Nola talking about nothing and everything. During WWII, they lost contact with one another when he became involved in clandestine work in Europe.

In 1954 he’s a school teacher at a rough city school in Chicago who plays jazz music. Nola reenters his life at the Blue Note Club while he’s making an important speech.

(A big thanks to Mr. H for coming up with Lauren’s sweet name.)

ROLAND DUBOIS

“His tall, athletic build was enough to leave any woman weak in the knees. That dark exterior and lovely confidence were unmatched in the realm of men. But man, oh man, his voice. His voice was warm cookie comfort.”

Roland grew up very poor in Louisiana with his parents and three older sisters. The army was his one chance to see the world, so he enlisted and fought in the war from start to finish. He became a janitor at Horlick Field, the home field of the Racine Belles, and he met Fran.

In 1954 he’s a star baseball player for the Cubs. He and Fran live together, unmarried, dealing with more issues than the average couple.

SAL MARCIANO

“She looked him over and decided he was quite good-looking. He was of medium height, not much taller than she was in heels, with dark hair, skin, and eyes that oozed Italian guy. Unsettling though it was, he looked at her in a special way.”

Fran’s brother, Sal grew up on the South Side of Chicago, in a studio above their family’s Italian restaurant. He volunteered for service first and his two brothers followed him. He came home from the war early when he lost his leg.

In 1954 he’s a top reporter for the Sun Times. While he’s covering Fran’s important event at the Blue Note, he sees Evie for the first time.

So, those were the good guys. Here’s the bad one…

HARVEY SHAW

“Like enemies on opposite sides of a muddy trench, equally suspicious of stray bullets and gangrene, Evie and Harvey glared at one another from the top of their opposing staircases. His face was a blur from her vantage point, yet she knew his body language well. It was stiff and emotionless, much like his heart.”

Harvey grew up in North Shore, Chicago, born to a privileged family of old money dating back to the city’s industrial beginnings. Harvey’s money and power got him out of the war, and he remained unscathed during America’s fateful years.

In 1954 he’s one of the owners of the Cubs. Harvey ran the women’s league into the ground and cheats on Evie every chance he gets.

Thanks for taking the time to meet my fellows. Nola Fran Evie is coming out in 3 weeks…July 22!

Dirt in the Skirt for a Good Cause

With my upcoming book release next month for Nola Fran Evie, which is about three women in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, I thought this was a perfect current event to share with you guys.

I stumbled across an awesome news story courtesy of the AAGPBL Players Association’s Facebook page.

Yesterday the San Rafael Pacifics, an independent professional baseball team, wore replicas of the Rockford Peaches historic uniforms during a game to honor Breast Cancer survivors.

And, yes. They were men in darling pink dresses…

We’ve seen men in professional sports support Breast Cancer Awareness with different pink accessories—gloves, cleats, hats—but never before have they played like this!

They are the first men’s professional baseball team in history to wear dresses. Love it!

Two of the uniforms were autographed by Academy Award winner Tom Hanks, who starred in one of my all-time favorite movies and the reason I was obsessed with the women’s league from a young age, “A League of Their Own”. They were auctioned off with proceeds going to a breast cancer foundation in California called “To Celebrate Life”.

This was a very cool way to honor these women—the brave gals who played in the All-American Girls Professional League seventy years ago and the courageous women battling Breast Cancer today. I applaud these men for dressing up and getting some “dirt in the skirt”.

As many of you know, back in February I found out that my mom was battling her second stint with Breast Cancer. If you missed the posts, you can read about the experience here “This one’s for you, Mom” and here “We Surpass the Tough”.

My mom is doing beautifully.

She “got lucky” with Stage 1, but the emotional scars are just as challenging as the physical ones, and she’s still on a very challenging journey to healing. But, as I’ve said before, she’s a trooper and she’ll kick ass as she always does.

I don’t think we can ever raise enough awareness for Breast Cancer, so I was delighted to see a fresh take on a good cause with these ball players. I’m sure my mom will be tickled when she reads this as she recovers from one of her final surgeries this week.

If you want to check out the full story, there’s a good one right here on Yahoo Sports.

And just for fun, I wanted to leave you all with a few photos of the gals of the All-American Girls Baseball League wearing the original uniforms from 1948. I especially love the pic of the girls huddled around the magazine together.

(All images are courtesy of Florida Memory.)

Photo Credit: State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory

Credit this photo: State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory

You may have noticed I added a little countdown on the sidebar for the big book release. Twenty-four days to go…woot!!!

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?

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!