Deborah Coonts Guest Blogs

Deborah Coonts is the author of the hilarious WANNA GET LUCKY?--a fast-paced, funny mystery set in----wait for it---Vegas.  We predict TLC readers are gonna love this book.

If you can trust my son’s opinion, I was a decent mother, but the market for slightly used mothers has really dried up. I guess, in the grand southern tradition, I could apply for a wife position somewhere.  But, after several marital misadventures, it has become apparent that I don’t play well with others—or at least not with the Y chromosome set when the word ‘wife’ comes into play.

 

And then there’s my problem with the word ‘should.’

 

I was raised in the south, Texas to be exact, back during the last gasp of the Donna Reed era.  My mother, ever adherent to the rules of propriety, would say things to me such as, “Deborah, you should be nice to your brother.”  I can tell you she didn’t mean that being nice to my brother was something I ought to consider and that if I rejected the notion, that would be fine.  No, she meant that if I wasn’t nice to my brother…well, I would see what would happen when my father got home.

 

As a result, the word ‘should’ became a call to arms, which made it a challenge to be collegial in corporate meetings, I can tell you that.  Someone would say, “I think we should…” and all hell would break loose.

 

So, here I sit.  My office is anywhere I choose it to be.  My workday starts and ends when I see fit.  Although, thoughts and story ideas tend to badger me when my defenses are down and I’m searching for sleep.  I awoke the other morning and turned to my still semi-comatose soul mate and asked, “So which is funnier?  I lack the moral courage to be immoral?  Or I lack the moral courage to be bad?”  He blinked at me with owl eyes then said, “I’m getting coffee.” 

 

But, I digress.  As a writer I have total control over my time and how I spend it.  And all I have to do in return is deliver, on time, a unique yet definable, commercially sound, funny yet poignant, brilliantly rendered, one-hundred-and-ten-thousand-word novel.

 

Am I lucky, or what?

 

 Check out Wanna Get Lucky? here!

 

My mother tells me I was born a very long time ago, but I’m not so sure—my mother can’t be trusted.  These things I do know:  I was raised in Texas on barbeque, Mexican food and beer.  I currently reside in Las Vegas, where my friends assure me I cannot get into too much trouble.  Silly people.

  I am the author of WANNA GET LUCKY?, the first in the Lucky O’Toole Las Vegas Adventure series published by Forge Books.  The second installment, LUCKY STIFF, is scheduled for a February release.

 

Comments

[William]

I'm hitting the bookstore this morning! Deborah, we're opposites: I was raised in Vegas, and now live in Texas. I've GOT to read "Lucky"!

[nancy martin]

I'm really enjoying LUCKY. I think our TLC reguarls are gonna love it, too.

As for "should?" I should take a shower and get dressed this morning but, well . . . I can work just as efficiently in my bathrobe, right?

[judy merrill larsen]

Nice to have you here, nancy. And, well, um, I SHOULD go to the gym, SHOULD weed my garden, and SHOULD tidy the house, but, well, the coffee is really good and I've got these books I want to read . . .

[xena]

I worked in Vegas in 1984. Yes George Orwell, it did exist and I was there at the Desert Inn Big Mothering a cast of kids dancing in a big show complete with rhinestone g-strings, production numbers and female impersonators. I only lost a few that year. Kids I mean.
Vegas is a great place for just about anything. Mafia...alien abductions...TV shows...sex...to name a few.
I bet your "Lucky" series will win hands down!
Years later when I worked trade shows there I had a shirt with playing cards on it. Everyone always commented on it when we'd set up. They'd ask me if it was my lucky shirt. I'd always smile and tell them yes it was because I don't gamble. ( note: with my own money)
So welcome to our little corner of the world. I'm looking forward to reading your book!

I'll never forget getting my photo ID and finger prints when I arrived. In case they found me dead in the desert they told me. Ah...soooo Vegas.

[Nancy Pickard]

Hey, Deborah, welcome!

There's a self-help guru, Byron Katie (a woman), who does what I think is a hilarious & wise turn on "should," in which the one being should-ed ends up being just fine the way they are, and the should-er ends up being the should-ee.

Need more coffee before attempting gyrations like ^^^ that.

[judy merrill larsen]

I meant nice to have you here DEBORAH. Guess I should have had more coffee!

[Deborah Coonts]

Ah, Vegas is just awakening and I am not yet fully caffeinated. I should get get up and get some coffee, but I have a coffee fairy in my house--his name is Michael--so I think I should just wait until he is finished with his email and remembers his one-and-only up stairs:) Today, the mercury is going to hit 110. We all should stay inside. But, the heat here is like the full moon--it has an inexorable pull and you never know what might happen. Now, where is that coffee fairy--he's probably taken up with my muse and they've run off together. More after caffeine.

[Deborah Coonts]

I'm thrilled to be here 'talking' about my two favorite subjects, Vegas and writing. Well, okay, they're in my top ten:) So, last night I'm sitting in the Bellagio at Olives Restaurant (one of my faves) and a young, blond woman walks in and sits down--dressed in a bikini--with stilettos, of course. And no one paid any attention (accept me). A bit much for a girl who had to wear a skirt and her Mary Jane's to the mall...

[Margaret]

Welcome, Deborah. Nice take on Should. My who life seems bounded by that word these days, but I'm going to have a second cup of coffee and enjoy the comments before I get down to work.

[Margaret]

And of course, that's WHOLE life, not WHO life....athough. . .

[marie]

Deborah, so happy to see you here!

I searched three bookstores this week and finally got my hands on your novel. I can't wait to start reading it..I love Vegas.
The whole setting and story sounds so great.
Thanks again for the fun time and thanks to Nancy Martin who recommended your title last week.

[Maryann Mercer]

Should doesn't push as many buttons with me as "have to" does, probably because I once had a boss who used the phrase to excess...and I figure I don't "have to" do anything but pay taxes and die at a ripe old age (to continue the family tradition). Needless to say, I am now in a job where the "have to" means selling my favorite authors to people who love to read. So I'm not sure 'have to' counts. :o) And my mom, Scottish born and not one to mince words, never said 'should'. It was pretty much 'be nice to your sister or else' Not that we were until we got to adulthood. Today my 'should' is...you should be working on a two sentence pitch, but...errands and bills come first. On the other hand, that second cup of tea sounds like a better option! Thanks for the great post...I have to check at the store. If "Lucky" isn't there, it soon will be!

[Laura (in PA)]

"Lucky" sounds really fun. Must get it.

My mother wasn't much on "should" either. It was usually "just do it" (long before Nike), and sometimes was only a look. I have to agree with Maryann, however, that "have to" pushes my buttons more. My husband tends to put things that way - well, he used to. He's learned.

And for the record, my vote goes to "I lack the moral courage to be immoral." :)

[nancy martin]

I decided I "should" go to the gym this morning. I pack my bag thinking, "I don't really want to go, but I should." I get into the car thinking, "I really don't want to go, but I should." I get to the check-in counter thinking, "I really don't want to go, but I should." One option is skipping it altogether, but by that time, I'm there and I might as well exercise.

Thanks for being our guest, Deborah. Lucky is a great character.

[Kathy Sweeney]

You should order this book now...;) I know I am!

http://www.mysterylovers.com/index.php?target=products&product_id=55444

Welcome to TLC, Deborah!

[Deb Buckingham]

My honey and I are heading to sunny CA where I'll bask in the sun with your book...I'm off to get it now.

[Laraine]

Hey, Deborah, I was thinking :I don't over-react to the word 'should'", but then I realize I back away fast when anyone starts using emotional pressure in their words or manner--the implied should. I just think there are so many ways to get things done in this world, and exerting pressure on others is pretty much a waste of energy.

Having aired those thoughts, I grinned when I read your response to the bikini-clad customer--I grew up in Dallas, and we always had to change out of our 'play' clothes to go anywhere, even the grocery store! By the time I was 12 or so, I was allowed to wear shorts when riding my bicycle on errands, but I have plenty of photos before that, of me in skirts or dresses, posed next to the bike before heading out for school or elsewhere. When I moved to L.A. in '84, I saw women in their 50s, 60s, and 70s (all sorts of body types and weights) at the beach in revealing suits and everywhere in shorts, and I was astonished at their lack of self-consciousness or embarrassment. After long years here, I'm grateful that I don't feel apologetic about wearing shorts, although I draw the line at uncovering, um, figure flaws, and I still dress 'up' to go to the museum, theater, or movies.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

Hey,Deborah! Welcome!

A bikini and stilettos?You've got to love it. And then write it down.

Should, huh? Contrarian me--sometimes,I like should. When it makes you so the right thing. When you feel virtuous and in control ofy our life (as much as such a thing can be.)

YOu know?

[marie]

I escaped the maternal "shoulds" but now I am admonished by the daughter "shoulds".
My daughter is recommending a book habit intervention to me.
Family members will sit in a circle, we'll hold hands and point out how many book purchases that I have made this summer.
It all started in Barnes and Noble where a clerk called me by name and welcomed me fiendishly to the Mystery and Romance sections.
My daughter told me that I should be pacing myself since she was amazed at how I had so many friends in bookstores. Hmmmm...

[Alan P.]

I was raised with more choices than should. My wife was not. It makes for an interesting house sometimes.

I was thinking about the self discipline of being a writer. You "should" put down 1,000 words before lunch. But, the zoo is calling for you to visit. Just like I should be working on my online lesson for the day. But I'm reading TLC.

The book looks interesting, on the list it goes.

[Debby]

Welcome to TLC, Deborah!!!

I was another lucky one, that my mom raised me without the 'should's. She was always more into the implied guilt trips to make me behave (and so I did).

I am another from Texas, but have lived in PA the majority of my life. But will definitely have to check out your book!

[Deborah Coonts]

Okay, how about the phrase 'ought to?' It's a second cousin to should, but packs more emotional punch. Since I have yet to fully mature emotionally, when some one says I ought to do something....well, the odds of me doing it go down dramatically. Unless, of course, it's something like, "You know, you ought to eat more chocolate" or "You look really stressed, you ought to have one more Cosmo." And, to be honest, after years as a tax attorney, writing is never a 'should' or an 'ought to', it's a 'get to.' I am a lucky one...

[Deborah Coonts]

It is so hot in Vegas now that even the film on the windows, multiple fans, and the air on full blast, the temp in the fitness center is never lower than 85. It almost makes the naked yoga class they have here in Vegas seem appealing. However,the picture from the back of the classroom of everyone doing the downward-facing dog, keeps me away.

[Harley]

Hello, Deborah! I am totally enamored of the phrase "marital misadventures" -- may I borrow it, if I promise to credit you with it?

[storyteller Mary]

It's clear to me that I may as well give up on all the things I "should" do because there are so many good books to be read, and the list keeps growing!

I just finished _Face Time_ (and will feel the lost sleep later, I'm sure). . .

Life will never be dull as long as there are such good writers producing fascinating books!!

[Laura (in PA)]

OMG, I need to get that naked downward dog visual out of my head...

[Kathy Sweeney]

Laura - let me know what works, because I am about five seconds from a self-inflicted head injury.

[Ramona]

Laura, Kathy, the way to get naked downward dog out of your head is to imagine naked firefly.

I probably "should" not have written that.

[Deborah Coonts]

Harley, marital misadventurer is going to be my epitaph. Use the phrase as you see fit, no credit necessary.

[Deborah Coonts]

Even though I've gone Vegas and am dealing with the whole 'clothing optional' thing, I simply can't get my mind around naked yoga. I guess I 'should' dive in...when in Rome and all of that. I did go to a male strip club (research is fun here). Who knew male stripping was a contact sport?

[Deborah Coonts]

Laura, Kathy and Ramona, I probably shouldn't ask this, but since I failed yoga class (I couldn't stop laughing and they threw me out--go figure), but what is a firefly?

[Maryann Mercer]

I'm in the habit of eschewing naked anything...unless I'm in my own bedroom :o) No one needs to really "see" me do squats and leg lifts...however this is being written just before I head to my acupuncturist for a treatment. Think needles on naked skin...there. Does that get the dog thing out of your brain? :o) But I too wonder what the firefly thing is...clarify please :o)

[Laura (in PA)]

I had to look it up. Thank God they don't do it in my class (not that I ever could).

http://yoga.about.com/od/yogaposes/a/firefly.htm

[Ramona]

Deborah, et al, firefly is a bit like visiting the gyno, except you create your own stirrups.

Now I know I *should* not have written that!

I'm looking forward to reading Lucky, which I plan to read while enjoying barbeque, Mexican food and beer.

[Deborah Coonts]

OMG! That is a visual I wish I didn't have:)Hope you enjoy Lucky--she is far more clever than me, she hates the word should, and I bet she could master the firefly, but in the privacy of her own bedroom.

[Cousin Rosie]

Hi everyone!

I just finished this book, and I have to say I LOVED it! It made me totally want to round up the cugina and head to Vegas. The nonna will never have to know.
Who's with me? (Margie? Rita? Rocco?)

Love,
Cousin Rosie

[Bev]

Hi Deborah!

I read your book a couple of weeks ago and I just loved it. In fact, I e-mailed Deborah to tell her and she was so sweet to respond. Thanks! I can hardly wait for the next one to release in February.

In the meantime, I've been buying "Wanna Get Lucky" for all my friends for their birthdays. They've all loved it. Yay! And what a perfect gift for friends who seem to have everything.

[Deborah Coonts]

Thanks for all the wonderful kudos for the book. First novels are terrifying things--like launching your kid into kindergarten, but way worse. I really appreciate the support. The second in the series, LUCKY STIFF, is in production; the pub has the third, SO DAMN LUCKY, and I am scribbling as fast as I can on the fourth, LUCKY THE HARD WAY. I wish all of you the luck I have had--not only have I been blessed with an amazing agent and publisher, but I have been initiated into this wonderful group. You guys are the best! Thanks for letting me play with you today:)

[Deborah Coonts]

Anybody who heads my way needs to give me a call! I know some fun places to play.

[Avis]

Hmm, I thought naked firefly was a reference to Nathan Fillion in the scene from the episode "Trash" in the TV series Firefly. :-)

WANNA GET LUCKY? is now on my to-get list.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

Storyteller Mary! Thank you! SO thrilled you liked FACE TIME...ah. Thank you. YOu have given me such a treat today! xoxo