AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Jon Jon Lannen - Author of The Giraffe That Taught Me How To Laugh

I am honored today to be able to share an interview with Jon Jon Lannen, the author of The Giraffe That Taught Me How To Laugh! Please check out Jon Jon's website and see what kind of cool stuff he's got going on. Also please check out The Giraffe That Taught Me How To Laugh on Amazon!

Jon Jon Lannen is a writer, actor & director living in Denver, Colorado. Jon Jon has been performing improv comedy for over ten years and wants everyone to fall in love with the art of improvisation. Jon Jon writes and performs regularly. He formerly co-founded and ran FORK Productions, along with executive produced the Denver Improv Festival. He recently won Outstanding Author and Outstanding Entertainer by Outfront Magazine. Jon Jon also won the third season of Denver's Next Improv Star. Lannen has performed and taught in improv festivals across the country, including Chicago, Colorado Springs, Denver, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City and Oklahoma City. Jon Jon Lannen currently owns and operates Jon Jon & Co. and is the author of the award-winning book, The Giraffe That Taught Me How To Laugh. Lannen is also adjunct faculty, teaching improvisation, at numerous schools throughout the state.

For information on the author: www.jonjonandco.com

Author Interview

·         When did you first realize that you wanted to write this book?

o   I’ve always loved writing and making people laugh. Growing up, I was always an improviser, but never knew what it was called. There was no work out there that spoke improv to kids. I knew I had to write it. The Giraffe That Taught Me How To Laugh is the book I wish I had as a kid.

·         How many books have you written?

o   I’ve written and published one book, The Giraffe That Taught Me How To Laugh. 

·         What are you currently working on?

o   I am currently casting for andCo, a short-form improvisational show. The troupe is in its fourth season. I’m also concluding the edits on my next book, The Giraffe and Cheetah Taught Me Theater. All of my upcoming projects are on the Jon Jon & Co. site: www.jonjonandco.com

·         Who is your favorite character from one of your stories?

o   Life, the giraffe. That’s definitely my favorite character. Life loves improve so much. That energy is so contagious!

·         What do you do when you’re not writing?

o   When I’m not writing, I perform improv comedy and teach workshops/seminars regularly. I own and operate a boutique-style firm named Jon Jon & Co. focusing on coaching, comedy and consulting.

·         What is the strangest writing habit that you have?

o   The strangest writing habit? For one, I’m not a writer that can crank out a manuscript in a week. I truly have to be inspired organically before I start writing. Some writers think that’s nutso.

·         What inspires your stories?

o   Improvisation and life.

·         What advice would you give aspiring writers?

o   Believe in yourself and write about what you care about. True intention can always be read; literally and figuratively.

·         What book could you read over and over again?

o   Anything from Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein.

·         What famous person would you love to have as a fan of your work?

o   Honestly? Whoopi Goldberg. She’s been an inspiration to me since Sister Act. If she were a fan of my work, I would be over the moon with excitement!

·         If you were stranded on a deserted island and you could have ONE character from a book on the island with you, who would it be and why?

o   That’s an easy one. Life, the giraffe. 

For more information on the author and Jon Jon & Co: JonJonandCo
To purchase the book on Jon Jon & Co: JonJonandCo.com Webstore
To purchase the book on Amazon

REVIEW: Secrets of The Heart - Willow Sanders!!!

**I received this copy via the author in exchange for an honest review. Any thoughts and opinions are my own.** 

Secrets, Secrets are no fun.

Genevieve “Ivy” Hursch thought she was living the dream! As the newly appointed promotions director for a hot new Chicago station, she was certain she had the radio world wrapped around her well-manicured finger. Coupled with an exciting relationship with her perfect new boyfriend, Ivy was certain life couldn’t get any better. That is until a piece of old news threatens to take down her career. 
Heartbreak, scandal, secrets, and lies send Ivy into a free fall of lost dreams and fractured relationships. How will unexpected advice allow Ivy to cope with a life that is less than perfect? Follow Ivy on a journey to discover the secrets of her heart.
Secrets of the Heart is a continuation from Dirty Little Secret. Many of characters and situations from Dirty Little Secret, reappear in Secrets of the Heart, but it can be read as a stand alone novel.

Willow Sanders has done it again! I loved her first novel, Dirty Little Secrets so much(you can find my review of that book here)! Secrets of the Heart is a continuation of Dirty Little Secrets but it can be read as a stand-alone. In Secrets of the Heart we follow Ivy's story and I have to say that between the two, Ivy's story was my favorite. I love Hillary and Bert but there is just something about Ivy that draws me to her. I was really disappointed when Ivy and Peter didn't stay together because I have a soft spot for Peter BUT I can understand why they didn't and it honestly made the whole book so much better. It is so hard to talk about this book without giving away the details because it is so good! 

Ivy is a very strong-willed young woman with a fighter spirit and when her life starts unraveling after the scandal, the secrets she uncovers in her mother's journal, and the strained relationship with her father, I wasn't sure if Ivy was going to make it through it all. True to form, Ivy manages to come out on top and has become a better person through everything she's been through and she's managed to find a sweet, forever love in the midst of it all. 

I love Willow Sanders' writing style  and her new book does not disappoint. I highly recommend that you check out Dirty Little Secret AND Secrets of the Heart! 

Buy Here

About Willow Sanders 

Most of these are always written in third person, as if the author isn't the one actually writing them. So, I'm going to be a rule-breaker and write it in first person instead. I'm a native Chicagoan, vegetarian, and lover of big words. I randomly burst out into song, and have been known to carry on entire conversations (with those worthy of the challenge) in song lyrics. The same can also be said for movie quotes. I'm quirky, sarcastic, I've been told at times I can be a bit esoteric, but overall I'd rather be dancing in the rain than waiting for the storm to pass.

Review: Seven Days and Six Worst-case Scenarios - Leslie Huggans + $10 Amazon or B/N Gift Card Giveaway!!!

Mix dry wit with a juicy corpse and let it simmer over a red hot romance to serve up a wicked comedy. 

Curious, quirky, crisis consultant Victoria Douglas needs a vacation, and to learn to keep her sassy mouth shut. Instead, she’s gunning a stolen SUV up a mountain with beer cans and bug spray as her only weapons in a fight for survival. She and her investigative reporter friend, Julie Tran, have landed in a Caribbean vacation crap-sandwich bursting with murder, narcotics, and one gorgeous piece of man-flesh. 

College flame, Alex Marshall, professed his love and disappeared without a trace. Twelve years later he materializes at Victoria’s resort on St. Kitts and he’s got more charm and sex appeal than ever. Tingling lady bits and long-buried feelings aside, Victoria discovers she and Julie are at the center of a criminal conspiracy that stretches across two continents. They’ve got one chance to prove their innocence before competing nefarious factions feed them to the fish…or worse. Victoria has to decide just how far she is willing to go to save her life and mend her heart. 

Excerpt

If I hadn’t been fighting for my life with beer cans, bug spray, and pent-up aggression as my only weapons, you probably wouldn't want to read about me. After all, a thirty-something woman with two cats and a boss who can’t keep his hands off his crotch is rarely worth noticing. But, this woman was gunning a stolen SUV up a mountain goat path with a monkey in the back seat screeching “Kek-kek-kek.” His owner was screaming something about his own head colliding with the roof. My friend Julie was in the passenger’s seat ordering me to slow down. Good thing I was accustomed to people complaining about my driving because we had much larger issues than my dislike for the brake pedal.

Review: 

I will DEFINITELY be reading the next book in this series! I have to know what happens to Victoria and her crazy, long-lost lover! 

Victoria decides she needs a vacation. Her first clue that vacation was not going to go as planned is when she tries to help stop an escaped criminal as soon as she gets to her Caribbean Island getaway. Now that she's on a bad guy's radar he's trying to take her take down. When he ends up dead, she's the first suspect! Throw in a complicated love story full of heartbreak and disappointment with an ex-lover who is up to his eyeballs in missing DEA agents and is in the possession of something valuable to the Columbian drug cartel and you've got a recipe for vacation disaster!

The banter between Victoria and her old flame, Alex is one of the best parts of this book for me. The characters are well developed and will have you laughing out loud. The mix of Victoria's dry wit and Alex's seriousness proves that opposites do attract and that some flames will burn forever. Poor Victoria cannot catch a break during her island adventure but there is never a dull moment in this story! With lots of double-dealing and plot twists, you'll be hanging on the edge until the very end. 

I cannot wait to read the rest of this series!! 

About the Author:

 

Leslie enjoys a dry wit and a juicy crime and she excels at misadventure. While she has never been a murder suspect, many of the events in her books have actually happened to her. She has two jobs. The first is wearing pantyhose every day while toiling for a global corporation. The second is catering to the whims of her feline companions. She lives to travel all over the globe. Leslie visits the Caribbean every winter for a sun holiday, but has yet to encounter a dashing CIA agent. One must live in hope. Leslie wants to hear from you! Let her know what corner of the world Victoria should terrorize next.

Website: Like Leslie on Facebook!

Email: leslie@lesliehuggansemail

Link to Book: But Seven Days and Six Worst Case Scenarios on Amazon!

ASIN: B00OGWETM8

a Rafflecopter giveaway **I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any thoughts and opinions are all my own.**