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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Rockin' to Devan Sipher's "beat," plus a book giveaway

Photo by Stacey Luftig
**Giveaway is now closed**

Today we welcome Devan Sipher and his debut novel   "The Wedding Beat."  Devan grew up in Southfield, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.  He graduated from the University of Michigan and received a master of fine arts degree at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. For the past five years Devan has been a writer of the "Vows" column at The New York Times.

Courtesy of Penguin we have one copy of "The Wedding Beat" to giveaway to some lucky reader anywhere in the US. 


Visit Devan at his website, Facebook and Twitter pages.

Who are three authors who have inspired you?
There are so many authors who have inspired me. From John Irving to Jane Austen. If there was one book I would particularly recommend for readers on this site, it would be "Marjorie Morningstar" by Herman Wouk. That’s already three names, but the three authors who probably had the most influence on "The Wedding Beat" are Helen Fielding, Jonathan Tropper, and Sarah Dunn.

What is your usual writing routine?
Eat. Pray. Sleep.

How did you celebrate your book deal?
A friend took me out for Chinese food and a Woody Allen movie. Which sounds like a punchline in a Woody Allen movie.

If "The Wedding Beat" were made into a movie, who would you cast in the lead roles?
If it were up to me, I’d want Jason Segel or Paul Rudd cast as Gavin. As I wrote the book, I pictured Sarah Jessica Parker as Melinda, but that’s because I had a crush on her since I was about 12. Anne Hathaway (in her curly-haired mode) would be dream casting. And if Emmy Rossum was just a little older, and I was a little younger. Oh, wait, that’s the answer to a different question.

What TV show, book, or movie reminds you most of your own life?
I’d like to say “Sex and the City” or “Entourage,” but I think it’s more “So You Think You Can Dance?” Every day’s a challenge to be met.

Characters really make the story for us. What three words would best describe your hero, and what about him called out to you and made you want to write his story?
Romantic. Enthusiastic. And hopeful. That’s how I would describe Gavin, and that’s what was appealing about telling his story. He’s also pretty funny (even when he doesn’t intend to be).

Who was (or still is) your childhood crush?
SJP now and always. There was a girl in seventh grade who broke my heart and who looked a lot like her.


How did you decide to write chick lit?
I have to confess, I’ve always been a sucker for chick lit and chick flicks. Even before the names existed. As a kid, I read Erica Jong and Judith Krantz right along with J.R.R. Tolkien and Ian Fleming.  And Bridget Jones’s Diary is one of my all-time favorite books and movies. 

Do you base characters on yourself?
For six years, I was a single guy writing about weddings at The New York Times, so there’s more than a little bit of me in Gavin, the protagonist of "The Wedding Beat."  But I’m in all the characters to some degree. That’s the fun of fiction. I get to be a little schizophrenic in a socially acceptable way.

Is there anything you would like to ask our readers?
Yes! I want to know who you would cast in the movie. And what was the best wedding you ever attended?

Special thanks to Devan for his fun answers and to Penguin for sharing "The Wedding Beat" with our readers.

How to win "The Wedding Beat":
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. Answer ONE of Devan's questions (movie casting choice or best wedding). You could answer both, but no extra points given. 
2. Follow this blog and post a comment saying you are a follower (if you already follow, that's fine too).
3. Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter or in your blog, and leave a comment saying where you've posted it.
4. 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.)
5. Add a friend to our Facebook group. (Tell us who you added.) Be sure to remind them to edit their settings.

US only. Giveaway ends April 22nd at midnight EST.

19 comments:

  1. Ha! I wish I could say my life was like Sex & The City, too! It so isn't...

    The best wedding I ever attended was honestly my own. It was a destination wedding in Jamaica with only my husband, my best friend, and her boyfriend. We vacationed for 3 days prior to the ceremony (to fulfill residency requirements) and then the day after the ceremony they flew home and my husband and I had a honeymoon. It was so relaxed and intimate and special.

    I'm a follower :)

    marthalynn16 at gmail

    ReplyDelete
  2. The best wedding I ever attended was my best friend Kate's - it was fun, we were all young and just had a good time dancing away!

    kdurham2@gmail.com
    i am a fan on facebook
    i follow via gfc

    ReplyDelete
  3. At 24, I am embarrassed to admit that I have only been to ONE wedding. My sisters, and I was a young teen forced to dress up in the bridal party despite my clearly going through the awkward stage. Have been anxiously awaiting the chance to redeem myself ever since!! ;)
    nina565(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. The best wedding I ever attended was my own. I had so much fun dancing and mingling with everyone there. Also, the last two weddings I've been to have been since I've had my daughter (who's three), and haven't stayed past 9 pm :)

    I'm a follower

    bjoneill@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. The bast wedding I attended was a wedding at dawn on a mountaintop where the bride wore black and went barefoot. We all wore our levis (it was the 60s). I also went to a great wedding where the people camping next to us asked us to stand up for them (we didn't know them). The only guest was uninvited...a deer.

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I haven't attended too many weddings, but the best one I did attend has to be my Aunt's wedding when I was a little girl. I was the flower girl, and I took my responsibilities very seriously. LOL.

    I follow on FB & Twitter and will post this to both!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oops! Forgot to include my email address: lalucie at sbcglobal dot net

    ReplyDelete
  8. O1. swtiine(AT)gmail(DOT)com
    O2. I have only attended one wedding, but many receptions. I'd say the best reception was my cousin's since it was laid back & we got to have a lot of fun while eating & celebrating her marriage :)
    O3. I already follow this blog

    ReplyDelete
  9. The best wedding I ever attended was my best friends. Teresa had me keep the guest book. I enjoyed talking with the guests as they came in. The reception was fun! It was in the 1980's, however, it was a classic styled affair. The food and string music was awesome.
    Cyndee.thomas0@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a fun interview! I'm looking forward to reading this, but I'll have to wait on casting choices until I've read "The Wedding Beat".

    I'm a follower of this blog and a fan on FB. Thanks for the chance to win!

    cherbasonATgmailDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
  11. The best wedding we went to had to be my husband's cousin's wedding. It was on a ship or boat in New York Harbor and you got to see the skyline lit up while you ate and drank.
    I follow on GFC
    Tweet: https://twitter.com/#!/MaureenCE/status/192347560365666304
    mce1011 AT aol DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  12. I haven't been to many weddings. Mine will always be a treasure. My daughter's wedding is coming up this fall.
    bluedawn95864 at gmail dot com

    Paul Rudd would be good. I also like Mark Ruffalo. Reese Witherspoon could be good.

    I follow CLC on facebook and subscribe to your email subscription.

    ReplyDelete
  13. No need to enter me (I have already read and loved this book) but I kind of have a couple crush on John Krazinski and Emily Blunt, so would love to see them act in the movie if it were made! I suppose that they don't exactly fit the age bracket of the book, but they would be so darn cute!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. thanks for the chance to read this great story.

    karenk
    kmkuka at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  15. i'm a follower, too

    karenk
    kmkuka at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  16. The best wedding I ever attended was a good friend's wedding.

    I follow the blog.

    Thanks for the giveaway.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  17. I am a member of Chick Lit Central of Facebook and twitter and really, really would love to read this book. I am now following the blog.

    Casting ideas: Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams

    sendsusanmail@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. I have heard so much about this book. It is on my TBR list!

    I would definitely see Paul Rudd in this role, but I like to see Paul Rudd in just about everything. I am not a Sarah Jessica Parker fan so much (liked her early stuff: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and Miami Rhapsody but that is about it), so I would cast someone else. But if you want her to have curly hair, that as simple as some time in the hair dresser's chair.

    I'm a GFC follower.

    I tweeted about the post: https://twitter.com/#!/ggjunk/status/194174754880618496

    bas1chsemail at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hm, I'd say the best wedding I attended was my own. It really wasn't anything extraordinary, but my sweetie and I have been married for almost 33 years.

    kathy(at)bermudaonion.net

    ReplyDelete