Mona Lisas and Little White Lies by John Herrick

Please welcome John Herrick author of Mona Lisas and Little White Lies

John Herrick will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Mona Lisas and Little White Lies

by John Herrick

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GENRE: Romantic comedy

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INTERVIEW:

What or who inspired you to start writing?

When I was in third grade, I’d finished a class assignment early and noticed the girl next to me writing a short story. It looked like fun, so I gave it a try—and couldn’t stop. I wrote story after story, year after year. All my free time went toward writing, and when I turned 10, I wanted to write a novel. Good luck with that when you’re a kid! So when I couldn’t stick with a project long enough, I gave up on it. I taught myself screenwriting and songwriting as a teenager, but the possibility of writing a novel? I literallycalled that dream dead. But the desire just wouldn’t disappear. Fast forward in time …

Although I grew up reading book after book, the mandatory reading in high school and college left me with little desire to read for pleasure, so I stopped. Years later, I rediscovered my love for reading through John Grisham’s early books. I read The Firmand fell in love. So I followed up with The Client.That rekindled the fire in me to write fiction—but it took 10 more years before I wrote my first novel. Never give up!

How did you come up with ideas for your books?
I spend time priming the pump for ideas, but none of my novels have resulted from that list of concepts. However, I believe it gets your subconscious working 24/7. Eventually, a story or character seems to rise up somewhere within me, and I know that’s my next project.

What expertise did you bring to your writing?
Readers tell me my strongest suits are character development and putting emotion into words. That makes sense to me when I consider the background details: When I plan a novel, I know where I want to take it. That said, I’m a strong believer in dropping my characters into scenarios and letting them respond. As I’ve gotten to know the characters by creating biographies and watching them in action, I get to know their personalities, and I get a feel for how they act and speak.

Regarding emotion, I credit that to the years I spent writing songs. Popular songs are a snapshot of one character’s emotions at a particular moment in time. Generally, you have two verses and a chorus to capture that characters joy, angst, heartbreak, anger. You get used to putting emotion into relatable language, and writing a song is like writing a dialogue (or a monologue). And because you’re limited for time, you learn to make every word count, so you select your words with precision.

My background in information technology—computer programming, process analysis, project management—taught me how to dig up logic problems and solve them before the end user (or the reader!) does.

What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
I want people to know they’re never alone. Someone cares. Growing up, I learned how it felt to be the one who didn’t fit in, the one who was more sensitive than other guys my age, the one who had interests that didn’t align with others, and the one who, quite frankly, didn’t make friends easily and spent a lot of time outside the circle. That means I know how to connect with people who feel that way. And I have to believe it’s the reason I create protagonists who are outsiders or feel like outsiders in their world.

As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
The next book always surprises me and ends up challenging me to accomplish more or to make myself uncomfortable. So my plan is to show up and see what God has in store.

If you could be one of the characters from any of your books, who would it be and why?
Okay, if you want to know the truth, I think a piece of me ends up in every one of my protagonists anyway! I may not “be” them, per se. I’m usually not in their predicament. But my emotions are often theirs. That emotional parallel is therapeutic for me. So I’m not my characters, but I’m also eachof my characters, I think.

That said, I would love to have walked in the shoes of my character Del Corwin from my last novel, Beautiful Mess.Del was once an A-list actor who kept company with the Hollywood elite, particularly Marilyn Monroe, who has a key presence in the book. I’d love to see what it was like for him to live in creativity day in and day out, to have the time to focus on it exclusively.

Do you belong to a critique group? If so how does this help or hinder your writing?
No, I don’t. I never let anyone read my stuff until I finish the first draft. Remember earlier when I mentioned I had abandoned my dream of writing a novel? Well, that paranoia has never left me. So I do everything I can to remove the negativity—even the constructive criticism—when I’m building something from nothing. Once the draft is done, I have a few friends who are voracious readers, friends I know will be honest with me, and I tell them to tear the story apart wherever they find issues. I’m a firm believer in constructive criticism, but I also believe there’s a time for everything.

Do you outline your books or just start writing?
I start with a high-level sketch, but it morphs into a more detailed sketch once the ideas start flowing. I end up with a sketch 50-100 pages long, which is more like a mini version of my novel. But that sketch is so detailed, I even lift several blocks of dialogue from it verbatim! Most of my creativity goes into the sketch, which makes it the hardest part. When it comes time to write, it’s more a matter of just cranking it out, but careful to tap into my emotions.

Do you have an all-time favorite book?
In all honesty, it’s the Bible. I can read passages of it over and over and find something new. It’s also gotten me through some challenging phases of life.

But in terms of books that aren’tthousands of years old, my favorite is The Great Gatsby.High school required me to read it, and the teacher told you the author did such and such, and this symbolizes that, and I memorized whatever I needed to in order to pass the test. But as an adult, I read the book again, and a whole new world opened for me. I noticed themes and symbols on my own, as a writer, and I fell in love with that book. I reread it every so often. Which reminds me, it’s time again…

Have you started your next project? If so, can you share a little bit about your book?
I have a couple of projects in motion! I’ve finished the first draft of one. After focusing on a couple of romantic comedies, this next novel is a return to drama, but I struck new ground with it. The setting is Manhattan and Queens, and it weaves together family, loss, romance and a paranormal element. The way it came together surprised me.

My creativity stayed in high gear, so instead of going through the revision process right away, I’ve started my high/mid-level sketch of another novel, and am about 50% done with the plan. It’s more complex than anything I’ve written, but oh, I love this book. And it’s a potential kickoff to two series.

Looking forward to sharing both novels with you! If you want to hear when they’re ready, you can sign up for my newsletter at www.johnherrick.net(in the Contact page—and I don’t spam you), or follow me @johnherrick or my other socials.

Who is your favorite actor and actress?
Can I say this: He’s no longer alive, but my favorite actor is still John Candy. I miss that guy and the way he made us laugh. My favorite actress is Jodie Foster. I love strong female leads. They make me want to write.

What is your favorite reality show?
Hands down, it’s MasterChef.I don’t pretend to have much of a talent for cooking, but watching the show makes me feellike I could. That counts, right? 😉

Anything else you might want to add?
Thanks for reading! You can find out more about Mona Lisas and Little White Lies at www.johnherrick.net. I never take readers for granted and love hearing from you. Connect with me on my socials. Those are at my website, too. 😉

BLURB:

She’s America’s hottest new celebrity. But her identity remains a secret.

Lily Machara is a wisecracking auto mechanic. She’s never cared for glitz or drama. But when Ryder Flynn, a rising star in the world of commercial art, adopts Lily as his muse after a random sighting, Lily discovers herself painted into his hot new pieces … and becomes America’s newest — anonymous — celebrity.

The only problem: The woman Ryder imagines isn’t the true Lily.

Or is it?

Now, as Lily and Ryder give in to mutual curiosity and a budding romance, Lily’s life — secrets and all — fall victim to a pop culture with one question on its mind: Who is the woman in Ryder Flynn’s art?

In the spirit of Cyrano de Bergerac and Pretty Woman, MONA LISAS AND LITTLE WHITE LIES is a delightful new romantic comedy from John Herrick, bestselling author of Beautiful Mess.

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EXCERPT:

Ryder rubbed his eyes. No wonder they felt so sore—one glance at his watch told him it was almost two in the morning. Although he could still hear well, the loud music seemed to have whittled his sensitivity to about 85 percent, as though he’d wrapped his eardrums in cotton.

After dinner, he’d allowed Chase to drag him to a nightclub, which was where Ryder had last seen his friend before returning to the hotel alone by way of a taxi. They would find each other before the art show opened that morning at ten o’clock. Chase might push his limits, but he was never late.

Now, upon entering the hotel, he found the lobby empty except for a concierge at the front desk. The room’s silence rivaled that of a funeral parlor. Ryder made a beeline for the elevator bank and pushed the round button to hail a ride upstairs. With a glance around the corner, he found the doors to the art show shut and locked. He detected no pulsating rhythms, which meant the wedding reception had ended, as well.

Ryder heard the elevator tone—followed by the swish of fabric coming from his left. He halted. Listened.

Another swish, like the chiffon of a bridesmaid’s dress.

When the elevator doors opened, Ryder wasn’t standing in front of them. With one eyebrow furrowed and his ear cocked upward, he eased toward the far end of the elevator bank, then peered around the corner.

More rustling of fabric, then tiny sobs. Step by step, he followed the sounds. On his right, he noticed someone had left open the door to a dark room. Another sob came from inside that room. A female voice.

“Hello?” Ryder whispered. His eyes adjusted to the dark as he brushed his hand along the wall in search of a light switch. At last, he located the switch and flipped it on.

The room was small. He wandered to a far corner, where a desk topped with random clutter sat, a four-star hotel’s answer to a dumping ground. When he peeked behind the desk, he discovered a young woman. Weeping, she sat crumpled on the floor with her back against the desk. A peach-colored rose trampled by life.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

John Herrick is best known as a chronicler of the human heart. His complex characters and earnest tone prompted Publishers Weekly to write, “Herrick will make waves.” When he is not writing, he loves long drives on the interstate. He is a sucker for 1990s music. Herrick lives in St. Louis.

In addition to novels such as BEAUTIFUL MESS and FROM THE DEAD, he authored the nonfiction bestseller, 8 REASONS YOUR LIFE MATTERS.

Visit his website at www.johnherrick.net.

You can find John online at:

amazon.com/author/johnherrick

facebook.com/johnherrickbooks

goodreads.com/johnherrick

youtube.com/c/JohnHerrick

@johnherrick

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

John Herrick will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f2940