Jeri Smith-Ready

Blogtoberfest Day 8 - Lauren Baratz-Logsted

The winner of the ARC of 13 to Life by Shannon Reinbold-Gee (who now has an official pseudonym of...drum roll...Shannon Delany) is Lauren! Congrats! Lauren, please send your mailing address to jeri AT jerismithready DOT com.

Today's Blogtoberguest is Lauren Baratz-Logsted, author of, among many other books, Crazy Beautiful, which was just released. It just so happens that I got my copy yesterday and after reading the first page, it mysteriously vaulted over several (dozen) books to the top of the pile. Okay, technically it's not on the pile, because I'm reading it--and it's compulsively FANTASTIC!

In an explosion of his own making, Lucius blew his arms off. Now he has hooks. He chose hooks because they were cheaper. He chose hooks because he wouldn’t outgrow them so quickly. He chose hooks so that everyone would know he was different, so he would scare even himself.

Then he meets Aurora. The hooks don’t scare her. They don’t keep her away. In fact, they don’t make any difference at all to her.

But to Lucius, they mean everything. They remind him of the beast he is inside. Perhaps Aurora is his Beauty, destined to set his soul free from its suffering.

Or maybe she’s just a girl who needs love just like he does.

HALLOWEEN: WHEN NO ONE KNOWS WHAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE

by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
www.laurenbaratzlogsted.com

Halloween can be tough when no one knows what you’re supposed to be.

Two years ago, my daughter went as Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family. People kept guessing, “Are you a Colonial girl?” “You’re supposed to be a little Puritan, right?” She became frustrated. She wasn’t trying to look like someone who’d settled America or someone who preached a strict moral code – not that she’d put it quite like that; she was trying to look like a girl whose favorite doll’s name was Marie Antoinette and whose favorite game to play with that doll was Guillotine. Like I say, frustrating. Out of over a hundred homes visited that night, only maybe half a dozen adults guessed she was Wednesday Addams. We decided those half dozen were highly intelligent beings. The rest? Not so much.

I suppose my daughter comes by her propensity for tough-to-guess costumes from her mother. I have a history of people not knowing what I’m supposed to be…and not just on Halloween!

Probably my most difficult-to-guess costume was senior year in college. I’d taken a course where we read dramatic plays and I decided I would be The Lady in Black from August Strindberg’s Ghost Sonata. My costume consisted of a retro sleeveless black dress, black opera gloves and black stockings. Since I didn’t have any black shoes that I felt would fit the costume, I went shoeless, figuring we were only going to the party in our dorm anyway.

I lived on a coed floor that year and my companions that night were a trio of guys I was friends with, whom we’ll call B, C, and D to protect their real identities. (We’d call them A, B, and C, but then, whenever I referred to A you might think I’m starting a new sentence.) We were an easily bored foursome back in those days and it didn’t take us long to decide the dorm party was lame. I, in particular, found it dreary, because people kept asking me what my costume was and when I’d tell them, they’d inevitably go, “Huh?” I’m here to tell you, “Huh?” is not a satisfying response under such circumstances.

One of the guys – I can’t remember now if it was B, C, or D – knew of a party off campus, so off we went. Even though the party was at least five miles away. Even though none of us had a car. Even though I had no shoes.

We figured we would hitchhike. What could be easier? Surely, there would be loads of people just dying to pick up four hitchhikers at once!

Not. We soon learned the error of our ways. So then it was suggested – I can’t remember now if B, C, or D made the suggestion – that I should do the hitchhiking part, attract a car while my three cohorts hid behind a bush, then once I’d secured a ride, they’d jump out and I’d ask the driver to take my friends too. What could be easier?

Actually, a lot. The first car that stopped, as soon as my friends jumped out the driver peeled off with the passenger door still open, said passenger door clocking me in the ribs.

Ouch.

So we started walking.

And walking.

And walking.

By the time we got to the party, my stockings had deteriorated to footless tights with ragged edges and my ribs were so sore, I knew I wasn’t going want to look in the mirror the next morning to see the damage. Still, we’d made it. We were feeling extraordinarily pleased with ourselves, even C, who tended to be a little grumpy. It’s amazing how happy, no matter how absurd or idiotic the goal, it can make a person to achieve that goal.

And surely, having struggled so hard to achieve it, this party would be far superior to the one we’d left behind. No?

Well, no and yes.

No, because right away it started in again with this whole new group of people.

Them: “Who are you supposed to be?”

Me: “The Lady in Black from August Strindberg’s Ghost Sonata.”

Them: “Huh?”

So unsatisfying.

But then yes because there was this one guy, this really cute guy, in a striped black shirt, white tie and fedora – I was sure he was dressed as a gangster.

Him: “Who are you supposed to be?”

Me: “The Lady in Black from August Strindberg’s Ghost Sonata.”

Him: (slow smile, revealing terrific orthodontia) “Cool.”

So satisfying.

We danced and played the night away never sleeping and the next day Fedora Boy and me had breakfast and went to see a soccer game.

I didn’t even care anymore that I still had no shoes and almost no one knew who I was supposed to be. At least one person did. Sometimes that’s all you need.


To enter to win Crazy Beautiful, leave a comment below. For complete rules, read the introductory post.

Deadline for entry: Saturday, October 17, 11:59pm Eastern. NOTE: THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. The winner is alanajoli!

Other open Blogtoberfest giveaways:
Saundra Mitchell and Shadowed Summer
Sarah Beth Durst and Ice
Megan Crewe and Give Up the Ghost
Nancy Holder and her 5-pack of novels
Kelly Parra and Invisible Touch

Thanks again to Lauren for sharing her hilarious Halloween tale. I can totally relate!

Labels: Blogtoberfest, Contests, guests

• posted by Jeri @ 8:00 AM
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