Thursday, May 28, 2015

Tour stop: 50 Acts of Kindness by Ellyn Oaksmith




Please welcome a Play list for Fifty Acts of Kindness 
by Ellyn Oaksmith



Much of my writing and music listening is done in cars. Don’t worry, I’m not typing as I drive, I’m composing scenes, coming up with dialogue and fixing plot problems.
Coldplay is a constant for me. Ghost Stories came out last spring and although there’s nothing overly happy about most of the songs because they are about a separation (oh wait, excuse me, Conscious Uncoupling) Sky Full of Stars certainly captures how Chet feels about Kylie. To him, Kylie is larger than life, full of energy and intelligence and mostly, she surprises him with her love. Also,
Magic is a perfect tribute to how love feels. Listening to these two songs helped me frame Kylie and Chet’s love story. And even the sad songs on this album helped me think about the nature of love.
Evergreen by Ed Sheeran perfectly captures what Chet and Kylie are looking for. They both want the real deal, until they’re seventy. Which is why Chet isn’t willing to have a fling with Kylie while she’s visiting from New York. He wants all or nothing, which truly annoys her. She’s not used to men who want more. Also, Thinking Out Loud is another of his songs I love. It’s about finding lasting love.
You and I Forever, by Jesse Ware is another great song that inspired me.
It’s a Beautiful Day by U2 sums up how Kylie’s mom wants her daughter to see the world. It’s not about success or money and it’s not about where you are at the top or bottom of the heap. It’s about this moment, right now and how you treat people.
Let’s Dance by Benny Goodman is Margaret’s groove. She’s an old lady and the best time of her life, when she was falling in love as a young girl, was accompanied by Benny Goodman’s band. Of course much has happened that could make her feel bitter about this memory but I like to think of Margaret hearing Benny Goodman on an oldies station and reliving some nice memories.
I Need You by Tim McGraw (and Faith Hill) would be Chet’s jam. He’s a country boy with his pick up and dog so this is the kind of song and singer he’d love. Also, he really needs a woman who is comfortable in her own skin, unafraid to show her emotions and will appreciate him without wanting change. After his first marriage he feels vulnerable.  This is why he holds Kylie at a distance and demands so much right off the bat. He’s ready for love. And he’s knows with Kylie, it’s going to be all or nothing.
Sugar by Maroon Five, after I saw the video, captured what I love about comedic romances. That unexpected twist in the video – a huge name band shows up at LA weddings to surprise the couples
with a song during their reception. It made me tear up and laugh, which is what the best of this genre hopes to accomplish. I certainly hope people feel this way about Fifty Acts of Kindness.
Pompeii by Bastille is what Kylie thinks about at night, after she’s been fired. The lyrics “How am I gonna to be an optimist about this?”  is exactly the way she would think because she’s used to turning anything bad into something else – spinning it to make herself look good.
Boom Clap by Charlie XCX is how Chet and Kylie feel at the end of the book. “You take me over, you’re magic in my veins,” pretty much sums everything up quite nicely.
Enjoy your summer. I hope you have lots of time for music and reading.

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50 Acts of Kindness
Ellyn Oaksmith

Romantic Comedy/90k



Being overly kind isn't in Kylie Harrow's nature. This has never been more evident than when Kylie vents her frustrations to an innocent employee—and the whole scene is posted online, tanking her career and earning her the dubious distinction of "World's Worst Boss." But when she flees home to the South, Kylie finds her childhood home has changed. The high school quarterback is now the hot and handsome sheriff. Her mother has turned her home into a nudist colony. And worst of all, having heard about her daughter's exploits, her mother won't let her in the door until Kylie completes fifty kind acts in fifty days.

The task seems easy enough at first—and may even help repair her media image—but it quickly turns into a hilarious quest that leads Kylie down a bumpy road filled with new challenges. What started as a gimmick to save her career evolves into a mission to save a spunky old woman and her little dog from homelessness. As Kylie learns about the nature of kindness, she finds the path to happiness and, for the first time ever, maybe even love. 




Buy Links:     Amazon      B&N      iBooks      Kobo      Smashwords(Print)


Excerpt:

"We are a technology marketing company. People don't want to see our underwear or ultrasounds or try to run a meeting while you jump up to pee."
"I'm due in two weeks."
Her whine was still grating on my nerves, but my recorded words sliced like knives. Was I the equivalent of that rooster my mom had that pecked at the hens? One morning mom found him dead, pecked to death. I thought, "Please do not let this be my barnyard reckoning," even though things were clearly sliding in that direction.
On screen I plowed forward. "I cannot do your job and mine. It's killing me. I need you on the ground running. Oh no wait, you can't run. Which is why you missed the flight to Miami where you got 'dehydrated.'" I did air quotes around "dehydrated."
Holy cow. I was so angry it blinded me to very fact she was recording.
"I was dehydrated."
We were both so very tired. "Which is why you ended up lounging in Miami while I ran yet another meeting solo. I stayed up until three a.m. doing the PowerPoint you'd forgotten."
"I ended up in the hospital."
"And missed the flight back to New York and yet another day of work. If you are dehydrated, drink water. It's not rocket science!"
I remembered this day clearly. Sleep-deprived from a red eye, I'd left Betsy in New York, begging her to prep for a meeting the following day. When I got back, the slides weren't ready. She'd gone home. I'd miss another night's sleep to finish them.
It was the perfect storm, and she'd caught it.
I leaned forward to downsize the screen. "2.7 million views?" She'd titled it "World's Worst Boss?!" There were lots of comments, many expletives, and a passionate, nine exclamation points in a row.
Bob dug a crust from his eye. "It's not something to be proud of."
My mind raced. How to spin this before he threw something out? I managed a casual shrug. "I'm in marketing. I can't help it."
"This makes us look so bad."
It was crunch time. There was no room for complaints or excuses. "Does it though? Does it? What I see is that we expect a certain professionalism and energy from our employees, a requirement that, pregnant or not, they perform to the best of their abilities." My delivery was very rough, but it was a message she needed to hear." He wasn't buying. I grabbed for a straw. "Isn't posting this on YouTube a violation of my privacy?"
"I don't know," Bob said wearily. "That's 2.7 million negative hits with MLJK's name attached."
My heart clenched. I needed a cigarette. Now. "Whatever happened to 'any publicity is good publicity'?"
He ignored my lame joke. "She's threatening to file suit. I checked with legal. We can tie her up in court, but the claim is legit."
I inhaled sharply, forgetting, in my growing panic, to exhale.
"Breathe, Kylie."
"S-s-suing us?" Great, now I was stuttering.
"You called her fat. She says you created an unhealthy work environment."
My jaw dropped. This was not the time to point out that, as a former chubette, I never, ever use the F-word. "The operative word here is work. I was running on vapors."
Bob got up and looked out the window at his fabulous view. "Stella, by the way, corroborates everything you've said." My eyebrows shot up in alarm. "Yes, I've talked to her. I've talked to a few people, but the point is that sooner or later we all have to deal with this. Pregnant women deserve…" He stared off into the silver buildings and cloudless sky. When I'd entered, the view had felt empowering. Now it was an invitation to jump. "Latitude. We are a family-friendly company."
I snickered bitterly. MLJK years were dog years. Most of the senior partners were divorced. "And what about women who aren't ever going to have children? We just put up and shut up?" I knew this sounded whiney, but I couldn't help myself. I felt like a tightrope walker studying the tiny figures below, waiting for me to fall. Then it struck me. I felt like this most of the time.
He gazed at me, his eyes weary. "Come on. You're what, not even thirty? You don't know that." Bob was still in his marriage of origin.
"Look at me Bob. My relationships have the longevity of a fruit fly. I have nothing left at the end of the day." I have nothing left right now.
"Maybe it's time to branch out."
Clearly he pitied Betsy. It was time to grab the controls. "I can fix this. I can smooth things out. Get my assistant her own assistant. At least until she's had it."
"Her baby is not an it," he snapped.
"Did I say 'it'?" I'd been talking so quickly. It? Good move Kylie.
"Yes," Bob said quietly, losing his starch. Crossing his arms he glanced at a framed photo: a gap-toothed, pig-tailed toddler on a swing, pushed by his beaming, very pregnant wife. "You're going to have to leave until this dies down."
For a second I felt nothing but a weight pressing on the top of my head, a dull ringing in my ears. "This isn't Survivor. You can't let random strangers on YouTube vote me off because I lost my temper."
"They're not. Lance is."
The CEO? I was in a tippy canoe, and by golly, there went my paddle.
I made a tiny bubble of an objection as I sank. "She wasn't doing her job."
"Effective immediately," he said. I knew what preceded those two words. Terminated.
This wasn't a break.
This was permanent.





About the Author:

Ellyn Oaksmith is an award-winning writer who began her career as a screenwriter in Los Angeles. Her first book, Adventures with Max and Louise, was published in 2012. Fifty Acts of Kindness is her third book. She's currently at work on her first YA novel, Chasing Nirvana. The best part of her work day is spent watching vintage YouTube footage of Nirvana concerts and calling it research.

Ellyn is part of the Girlfriends Book Club which has been featured in The New York Times and USA Today. She lives in Seattle with her family, a rescue dog and a rather rotund cat.


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1 comment:

  1. Hey Krista -- this looks awesome. Thank you. And thanks for a fabulous tour. Loving it!

    ReplyDelete