Monday, August 8, 2011

Escaping with Laurie Viera Rigler...plus a book giveaway


**Giveaway is now closed**


Laurie Viera Rigler is the author of the time-swapping novels "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict" and "Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict," which are available in North America (Plume), the UK (Bloomsbury), and Italy (Sperling & Kupfer). Her short story, "Intolerable Stupidity," will appear in the upcoming anthology of Austen-inspired fiction entitled "Jane Austen Made Me Do It" (Ballantine). She can be found at her online home, janeaustenaddict.com, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.
She's here today to talk about the therapeutic benefits of a good book and has two personally inscribed copies of "Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict" to give to some lucky readers anywhere in the world.

Fiction Therapy

No one opens a novel expecting it to solve their problems. But I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who opens a novel to escape from problems.

For me, reading has always been a refuge. When I was a kid, I learned to tune out family squabbles by immersing myself in a book. Sort of a kid's version of noise-cancelling headphones. I'd open a book, and everything outside would disappear.

My life today is far more serene, but I still turn to novels for escape. The more transportive the fiction, the better. It's no wonder I wrote two novels in which my heroines long so much for escape that they not only find themselves transported to another time, but also into another body.

In one of those novels, Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict, my privileged heroine (also named Jane) from Regency England finds herself stuck in the body and life of Courtney, a twenty-first-century L.A. girl with a very small apartment and a colossal disaster of a love life. Unable to crack the code of all those self-help dating books crammed into Courtney's bookshelves (what is a girl from 1813 to make of terms like "hooking up" and "commitment quotient" anyway?), Jane turns to the works of Jane Austen for comfort. They made sense in her own time; perhaps they can shed light on our contemporary world as well. And let's face it: the labyrinthine rules of 21st-century courtship are probably almost as confusing to us as they would be to a girl from Regency England.

The words of Jane Austen are as relevant to me as they are to my nineteenth-century heroine. I think of her as my wise counselor, my oasis from all my worries, and my gatekeeper to another world. It's funny how her novels, while offering me an escape from things I don't want to think about, actually end up being a safe way to deal with the very things I wished to avoid. She's such a keen observer of human nature—the good, the bad, and the ridiculous—and she's such an enchanting storyteller, that before I know it I'm recognizing situations from my own life in her stories. And she's so funny that even if what I recognize about myself isn't all that attractive, I can laugh at it all and not take it so seriously.

Special thanks to Laurie for sharing her thoughts with us and her books with you.

How to win "Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict":

Please comment below with your e-mail address.
(Please note: Entries without an e-mail address will NOT be counted. You can use AT and DOT to avoid spam. Or provide a link to your facebook page or blog if you can receive messages there.)

Bonus entries (can be listed all in one post):
1. Please tell us: Do you have a favorite novel or novels that you turn to when you need an escape from your own worries?

2. Please tell us: Have you ever found an insight into your own life in your favorite fiction?
3. Follow this blog and post a comment saying you are a follower (if you already follow, that's fine too).
4. Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter or in your blog, and leave a comment saying where you've posted it.
5. Join Chick Lit Central on Facebook. Edit settings if you don't want to receive a lot of messages at your e-mail account. Please read our posting guidelines, as well. (If you're already a member, let us know that too.)
6. Add a friend to our Facebook group. (Tell us who you added.) Be sure to remind them to edit their settings.

Giveaway ends August 14th at midnight EST.






32 comments:

Colleen Turner said...

It is so true how a good book can help you forget about your problems for awhile. For me, I can become so immersed in the setting and story going on in the book that I forget where I am for a minute until someone brings inevitably brings me back to reality:).

I love rereading Little Women whenever I get the chance. They are like old friends and make me feel better.

I have never found answers to my personal issues going on in a book, but reading other people's points of view has definitely made me more understanding of others.

I am a Facebook follower (Collen Turner).

I am a GFC follower (Colleen Turner).

Thanks!
candc320@gmail.com

Kim W. said...

1. My escape novelS are: any book from the Shopaholic series or Vivian Lives by Sherrie Krantz

2. Insight into my own life? I think most books I read could provide insight into my own personal life in some small way. From relationships to being a mom and a wife, to trying to run my life smoothly...

3. I already follow this blog

4. I have posted this contest on Facebook

kewalker1972@gmail.com

Kat said...

1. Reading is probably one of the best escapes because you can focus your mind on the words in front of you. I would love to win this!

2. My go-to books are the Harry Potter series and Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy, which is like an old friend I've known since high school.

3. Last year when my relationship was coming to an end, I noticed that the books I was drawn to had moving on after a relationship as a theme. While the books I read didn't necessarily give me insight (although Eat, Pray, Love certainly came close), they did help give me strength to make the decision I needed to.

4. I follow this blog through GFC.

5. I am a member of CLC.

6. Posted on FB.

ladykathryn@rogers.com

Linda Kish said...

I read for escape all the time but I can't say I have a favorite. I'm sure there have been a lot of aha moments in my reading. Can't get to be my age without that happening. At least I don't think so.

I am a GFC follower

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

karenk said...

1. i believe that books can take you away to your own special place...and allow you to be a part of their magic.

2. i don't have a 'favourite' novel or story to turn to.

3. i'm a follower :)

karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com

Mary Preston said...

I would love to read "Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict" thank you.

1. The 'Lord of the Rings' always brings me great joy and solace.
2. I don't believe I have ever found an insight into my own life through my reading.
3. GFC follower: Mary Preston
5. I joined Chick Lit Central on Facebook: Mary Preston
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Jeryl M. said...

I'd like to win this book.

jeryl.marcus@gmail.com

Jeryl M. said...

I don't have a book that I turn to when I need to escape because I don't have a favorite book, and I don't read books over again.

I am sure I have read books that have given me insight into my own life but I can't think of any now.

I am a subscriber.

I am a Facebook fan.

jeryl.marcus@gmail.com

Magda said...

It seems thst this giveaway is not only for US/Canada! :) Great!

"Pride and Prejudice" is – for me – the best chick-lit of all times. :) And I love all those books and films that are somehow relateg to Elizabeth and Darcy's story, it's great fun. So "P&P" itself or something similar is always a great escape.

I still resist being on Facebook... but I'm a follower.

thinky(at)interia(dot)pl

Nina said...

I definitely can understand what she's saying! An enjoyable post!
One of the books I love to read as an "escape" are books like "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood". I love books with parallel lives and stories!
nina565(at)aol(dot)com

Georgina said...

Jemima J by Jane Green is my go to book if Im in need of a book to make me feel better. It always makes me laugh and I love the book.
Im a facebook and GFC follower

georginascott1989 (at) hotmail (dot) com

Amy said...

I am a GFC follower (Amy Bromberg), FB follower (Amy Lazarus Bromberg) and twitter follower (@abbeautycall)

Email address is amybromberg@gmail.com

Jen Lancaster's books always lift my spirits. Her sense of humor is hysterical!

I shared this giveaway on my FB wall.

I also tweeted this giveaway:

https://twitter.com/#!/abbeautycall/status/101057308624297986

StereoQueenBee said...

1. Please tell us: Do you have a favorite novel or novels that you turn to when you need an escape from your own worries?

Just reading in general. I also go to the library to be around books. I find it very relaxing.

2. Please tell us: Have you ever found an insight into your own life in your favorite fiction?

Not insight per se, but I can definitely identify with characters.

3. Follow this blog and post a comment saying you are a follower (if you already follow, that's fine too).

Already follow the blog.

4. Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter or in your blog, and leave a comment saying where you've posted it.

Facebook - Sabrina-Kate Eryou
Twitter - stereoqueenbee

5. Join Chick Lit Central on Facebook. Edit settings if you don't want to receive a lot of messages at your e-mail account. Please read our posting guidelines, as well. (If you're already a member, let us know that too.)

Already a member.

queenofcrunk at gmail dot com

Victoria Rothenberg said...

I actually read Jane Austen as an escape hatch! My favorite book of hers is Persuasion, but a little Pride and Prejudice is good for some downtime as well.

Hope I win a book about other Jane Austen addicts;)
victoria AT theyarnspot DOT com

Anonymous said...

I'm a follower of this blog!

cat123hen(at)aol(dot)com

Dana Al-Basha said...

Hey Laurie!!!

I read your first book and it was nice but I haven't read the 2nd one so I would love to get the giveaway book!!!

Thanks!

Danielle said...

I always turn to the classics when I want to get away. I think because it takes me out of the time I am living in and I get to "visit" a new place and time. I think my favorite books to reread are Persuasion and Anna Karenina.

I don't know that I have found answers to a problem in the book directly but they do help to get your mind off a problem so the solution can come. It seems the more you focus on the problem the more difficult it is to see the solution. So by taking a break and focusing my mind on something different it is easier for me to see the solution. Hope that makes sense, if not I am going to use the blonde card. :)

I am a Facebook follower (Dannie Lee).

I follow this blog.

Danielle
daniegirl77(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Okay Danielle talked me into commenting.....smiles. And Laurie. I do have certain books I read for comfort so to speak. I usually take them on trips etc. to relax or when I just need something I'm familiar with like a bedtime story for kids. I usually take Jane Eyre, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice and a short novel or easier read. Here again a different time and place removes me from a current stressful situation.

I have enjoyed using some of the quotes so I guess that's personal use.

I would love copies of Lauries books. schafsue at gmail dot com

I really enjoyed looking at your site and reading the other comments. I had never been to it before. The interview with Laurie was great as well.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for all the thoughtful comments, everyone. Really fascinating!

Suzan, I'm happy that Danielle persuaded you to comment!

And Danielle, what you said makes total sense to me. I can really relate (and I don't think it's because of my hair color). :))

Vilma said...

Would love to win!

vlopes@plymouthrock.com

Krystal Lynn said...

I love reading The Enchanted Inc series. I like the magical element in it. Anything involving wizards or witches and a good love story makes me happy. =)

miss_kris_11(at)yahoo(dot)com

Krystal Lynn said...

I am a blog follower, group member and retweeting on twitter!

Literary Chanteuse said...

1) Pride and Prejudice would have to be it. Life just seemed to be simpler then.

2) The one that comes to mind is Eat, Pray, Love. I guess the whole travel aspect and finding yourself spiritually I relate to.

3) I'm a GCF follower.

Margaret
singitm@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

I like the interview and interestingly enough the theme of my bookclub for September is Jane Austen. The book leading the poll Confessions Of a Jane Austen Addict.

1. Do I have to just pick one? There are so many.

2. I am a member of this blog and on FB.

3. jenceyg msn com

4. I will post the giveaway on my blog.

Sheila B said...

I don't have a specific book I read when I'm upset or down but if things are hectic I will tend to reach for a favorite to re-read. Jennifer Weiner is a great re-read provider. I have never found anything in a book that answered any great questions looming in my own life but rather bits of pieces of my littered throughout various personalities a certain author tends to lean on in their writing.

I am a Facebook follower

THanks!

sbrennan1955ATyahooDOTcom

patricia f. said...

1. My escape books are historical novels and classics takes me to other time and place

2. Insight is choose austens pride and prejudice and Mansfield park can relate to them and feel like reading bout fAmily.
Also harry potter series

3. Will be subscribe to facebook follow blog etc.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Melissa, for welcoming me to your blog and hosting this giveaway, and thanks to everyone for your wonderful comments!

Patent Agent said...

Give me a Jane Austen *anything* and I will be pleased!

Holidaymaker said...

I've never been much of a fan of new adaptions of old classics, though I'm tempted to give this a go!

Patent Attorney said...

All these sort of modern adaptations of Jane Austen stories really interest me, and this one sounds particularly engaging, like an LA Bridget Jones (so probably just as angsty but more tanned)!

London Accountants Worker said...

I totally agree with you about using a book to escape your problems, it seems easier to become embroiled in fictional character's problems.

Caroline said...

Comfort books you asked? Persuasion and Prrincess bride are mine. The books not the movies.
Caroline.m.christian at gmail.com