The Last Page: Review and Author Post and Giveaway - Oh My!

Today, I have the privilege of having Lacy Camey here for a guest post, in addition to my review of her latest book, The Last Page. Be sure to check out the details of an awesome giveaway - a chance for a $10 Amazon gift card - after Lacy's comments.You also have the opportunity of earning bonus entries to better your chances!


First of all, here is a short little bio about Lacy ~~

Lacy Camey is a fiction writer and 
lives in Houston, Texas with her musician/producer/songwriter husband, Joel, and has a cat who acts like a dog, named Blue. When she isn't writing, or collaborating with her husband, she enjoys being outside, running, working out, reading, cooking, is a huge movie buff and loves watching reality shows on Bravo, especially The Real Housewives franchise. She loves having fun, enjoying the life God has given her and loves to encourage others to follow their bliss. She secretly dreams of going on the Amazing Race with her husband on CBS but is still trying to convince him to audition.

• I asked Lacy to talk about how she gets her story ideas. I have heard some authors say that they 'hear' voices in their heads and that they are just telling the story of those voices. Let's see what Lacy has to say - take it away, Lacy!

Thanks for having me today! My first book idea that I wrote as a teenager originated out of a lifeguard stand. Since I was a lifeguard at a country club in a relatively small city (70k people), sometimes the pool was completely empty and there I would be, sitting. Bored! So, out of my boredom, a story was created. With this particular story, it was more character-driven. I saw this character and what she was going through and I could hear her southern bell-drawl. She would say at the opening of the story, “I, Eliza May, clearly despise William Taylor. Why, eva since I’ve eva known him, he’s been nothin’ but a pure breed nuisance” (think southern, historical romance, haha).

Moving on to The Last Page, my latest release, this book idea originated out of necessity for a script-writing class I took in college. I had to come up with an idea about something and write one half of a screenplay for my final. So I had the premise of the general story idea, but it changed over five years as I grew as a person.

Other story ideas come to me in a dream, at times. I’ve had a few dreams where I wake up and think how it would make a good story, so I file it away.

Other ideas that I have just honestly come to me. I’m always living in the “what if”. What if this happens? What if this girl is living here, and then this happens and she has to…”

I just can’t help it. My imagination is very active, to say the least. Just the other day, I was getting gas for my car, and I watched an altercation happen inside the gas station. In my wild imagination, I thought, “What would I do if he pulled a gun out and started firing inside and I was a witness.” I started thinking about how I would just immediately run as fast as I could and leave my car just as it was. I would call the police and this is what I would say… I’m always imagining crazy scenarios!

The complicated and difficult part is growing that “one liner” idea. You’ve heard of writers probably who wait on inspiration. If I waited, it would be forever. Nothing would ever get written. Getting the ideas to grow is by trial and error and putting pen to paper, fingertips to keypad. Sometimes, it’s a little hard, honestly. Okay, sometimes it’s very hard! But that’s where trusting the story will come and just going over it, over and over.

When I’m stuck in a story line, I try and think about it as much as possible. Out of really thinking about it, at the park, in the shower, cooking, driving, usually small ideas come and out of working with the small idea, the larger idea follows.

I also pray and ask God for creativity and witty ideas. I trust that He’s responsible for those ideas that seem to drop from the sky and appear in my dreams.

I’m looking forward to seeing in my lifetime the device where you attach to your forehead and simply “think” your novels, and your thoughts are transcribed onto the page. Maybe that will happen when I’m 80? That would be crazy!

If you want to know more about me or stay up to date with my books, please visit my website. I’d love to hear from you!

Lacy would love to stay in contact with her readers. Feel free to visit her blog and website at www.lacycameywrites.com or follow her on twitter @lacycamey or Facebook or e-mail her: lacycameywrites (at) gmail (dot) com

For every book written by Lacy Camey, purchased by others, a portion goes to supporting an orphanage in South America. Lacy has plans to build an orphanage very soon with proceeds from her books. You can stay updated on the process at her blog at www.lacycameywrites.com  

And now - the details about the giveaway! Win a $10 Amazon Gift Card! From now until the end of Lacy's blog tour (Oct 10th), if you leave a comment on her blog tour page, you are entered to win: Lacy's CLP Blog Tour Page. That's all you have to do! If you buy the book and email a copy of the receipt to Samantha at CLP, you get a bonus entry!

You can buy The Last Page at these places ~~

Amazon
Barnes & Noble

My thoughts on The Last Page ~~

Let me just say that I loved this book!! And I am so glad that there are 2 more books coming to finish out this series. I can't wait to get caught up again in the lives of Norah, her best friend Cloe and her sister Maycee. Lacy has made her characters so very believable and real that I felt like I was part of this group of women. This is chick lit at it's finest! I can't wait for book #2!!

Thanks to Lacy and Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours for asking me to be a part of The Last Page blog tour! Check out the Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours webpage for more stops on the tour.