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Thursday, August 9, 2012

Laughing Out Loud with Wade Rouse, plus a book giveaway

Introduction and interview by Tracey Meyers

**Giveaway is now closed**

Recently, I wrote, for Chick Lit Central, about a dream I had. In this dream, I traveled to Saugatuck, MI to attend a writers retreat led by humorist Wade Rouse. Well, today I have a confession to make... It was not a dream after all....

I really did attend one of Wade Rouse's writers retreats! During that time I had the pleasure of getting to know Wade not only on a professional level, but on a personal one as well.  I mean how could I not?  I spilled a glass of wine on him about half an hour into the meet-and-greet that took place on the first evening of the retreat. (And yes, this really did happen! No dreaming involved.)

Upon my return home, it came to my attention that although Wade's "Go-To-Gay" column gives CLC readers a glimpse of  who Wade Rouse is, it doesn't paint a full picture, which is why I proposed that in lieu of his August column we feature him in one of our author interviews.

I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful Wade Rouse is. (I can only hope the interview below gives you a further snapshot of this.)  In a short period of time, he has become someone I greatly respect, admire, and consider a role model.  I appreciate his sense of humor, and the pearls of wisdom he so eloquently weaves into all of his writings.

Even though I have yet to read one of Wade's books (Sorry Wade, I will get to this as soon as I can!), I am a loyal reader of his "Go-To-Gay" columns, Beach Coast columns and the pieces he narrates for Michigan Radio.  I look forward to each and every installment of these works knowing that they will not only make me laugh, but they also make me think more intently about the things taking place in my own life.

Thanks to Wade, we have a copy of  "At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream" to give away to one lucky CLC reader located in the continental US.  

To learn more about Wade, visit him at Facebook, Twitter and his web site!  Also, more information about his writers retreats can be found here as well. 

Do you feel men can be successful Chick Lit writers? Why or why not?
Of course. I think any writer, first and foremost, must be passionate about his or her book, no matter the genre. Great writing is great writing, period, no matter who is writing or what the genre. As a writing teaching, I always instruct aspiring writers to follow their hearts, to write what is screaming to get out of them, to overcome their fears and channel that unique writing voice. Only then can you be successful. If you try and write what you think is going to sell, or what you think isn’t going to hurt anyone, or what you believe will be easiest, then you will fail. You either won’t finish, or your work will not be inspired. Some of the greatest books about women have been written by men, and vice versa: She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb instantly comes to mind as does A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (there are many, many more).

This topic is vital to me because – after five books, four of which are humorous memoir – I am working on my first novel, which happens to have a female protagonist and would be classified as “chick lit.” I wonder what the reaction will be to this book, not only by publishers but also by critics and readers. The wonderful Meg Wolitzer recently wrote an essay for the New York Times Sunday Book Review titled “The Second Shelf: On the Rules of Literary Fiction for Men and Women,” which talks about and how men and women writers of this genre are often separated, with women relegated to “women’s fiction” while men’s novels are celebrated as events. It’s a fabulous discussion of gender and writing. As a gay male humorist, I can intimately relate to what Meg writes. But, yes, I think a man can be successful in chick-lit.

Why do you think Chick Lit fans relate to your books?
Largely, I think, because I write about universal topics that women readers can relate to intimately: Relationships, family, work, sex, loss, love. Largely, too, because most of my writing role models have been women: Nora Ephron, Anne LaMott, Dorothy Parker, and, of course, my idol, Erma Bombeck. I don’t finger point or preach in my books; I use humor to make readers laugh and learn. They eventually can see themselves mirrored in my words: Yes, we admit, we are not perfect, but we are trying our damndest. I think readers yearn to laugh in today’s world, and I’m thankful they look to my books for that.

Moreover, I have no edit button, I do not filter my emotions, and I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve. My goal is to make readers laugh and cry on the same page, experience a wide range of emotions, and women tend to be emotionally in tune with my humor, experiences and life. It’s an honor and blessing to have such a loyal following of female readers.

Imagine you had a time machine that would allow you to visit any author who ever lived. Who would you want to meet? At what point in their lifetime would you choose to meet them? And, why that person and that point in time?
Wow. Great question. I think I’d go back and talk to Erma Bombeck in the 1960s when she was first writing humor and everyone was telling her, as a woman, she would never make it as a writer. I’d tap into her wisdom and drive, her humor and poignancy, and I’d let that fuel me whenever I felt defeated.

On a side note, Writer’s Digest recently named me the #2 Writer, Dead or Alive, “We’d Love to Have Drinks With” … I was just behind Ernest Hemingway and just ahead of Hunter Thompson, two of my all-time favorite writers because they broke the rules in life and literature. After Erma, I think I’d go on a wild weekend spree with them to infuse myself with their wildness and vibrancy. And then, of course, I’d write about it.

What topic do you wish interviewers would ask you about, but don't?
What my overriding goal as a writer is. I’m often asked about my writing routine, my latest book, how I got started, but never what drives me, what made me start writing and what motivates me every day. And that is the fact that I want to reinvent the humorous memoir, which has sort of devolved these days into a disparate group of essays that are funny without necessarily serving any deeper purpose. My M.O. as a writer is to make you laugh and learn, cackle and question, guffaw and grow. I think humor is a great uniter of people, and when I can get readers laughing, I can teach them something, make them view the world differently, see themselves reflected in the mirror I provide via my book. I want the humor memoir to be both important and funny, to be inspirational and humorous, to inspire laughs and knowledge. And I feel I am succeeding in accomplishing that.

If you could send a letter to your younger self, what words of guidance, comfort, advice or other message would you put in it?
Be yourself. Follow your passion. Don’t be shackled by fear. Don’t let others define you. Love without shame. Laugh without restraint. It does get better.

I lived the first three decades of my life scared to be who I really was: I was scared to be a writer. I was frightened to come out. And that nearly cost me my life. I insulated myself in food (I have kept off 120 pounds for nearly 15 years now) and suffocated myself in fear. I worried about what everyone else thought: What will my parents think if I tell them I’m gay? What will they think about my writing? What if I don’t succeed? What if everyone hates me? I was paralyzed for no reason. And then I followed my heart, my passion, my faith, and my life changed: I finally became whole. We are all unique. We just need to celebrate that. And too few of us do.

My celebrity crush is:
Ryan Gosling. (Although I’d love to have drinks with Diablo Cody.)

What is the craziest thing you've ever done (that you're willing to publicly admit)?
Besides write about my partner, my family, my friends, and everyone I love? That’s actually hard to narrow down. Let’s see: I’ve streaked at a college football game. I came face-to-face with a shark while diving. I’ve dressed up as Hannah Montana, Miss Teen South Carolina, a toddler beauty queen and an ‘80s prom queen (as an adult male). I threw a glass of iced tea over my shoulder (a plastic glass which I thought was a much, much heavier real glass) during a job interview (and still got the job). I showed up very, very drunk to an early book signing and slurred my way through a reading (nerves, I learned, are much better to live with than four shots of tequila and an audience in front of your face). I ripped a hole in my pants, without knowing, and entered an important meeting with an ass cheek showing. Shall I go on?

I'd never be caught dead:
Wearing jean shorts, a mesh half-short and sporting a spiral perm while giving a foot massage to a stranger. For a more succinct answer, I’d never be caught dead without lip shimmer.

Special thanks to Wade for a fabulous interview and sharing his book with our readers. Thanks also to Gary for just being so wonderful!


How to win "At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream":
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: What author you would visit if you had a time machine of your own?
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 August 14th at midnight EST.

20 comments:

  1. I would visit Jane Austen! I love her books, especially Pride and Prejudice.

    I follow the blog

    I'm a member of CLC on facebook

    bjoneill@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Shakespeare!

    Blog follower, CLC FB member

    leonelescota AT gmail

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yikes! Though question.... I would probably visit Jack Kouruac. I have a feeling he'd be pretty interesting.

    I'm a blog follower and a follower on twitter and FB!

    Missamberljohnson at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you, Wade and Melissa! Wonderful interview!

    I would visit C.S. Lewis. He just blows my mind.

    follower :)

    marthalynn16 at gmail

    ReplyDelete
  5. I would visit Jane Porter; cause she is awesome and i love her books.
    I follow the blog/receive email.
    I am following CLC on facebook.
    sparkle40175(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I would visit JRR Tolkien.

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jane Austen

    I follow the blog.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I would visit Mark Twain.
    I follow on GFC
    tweet: https://twitter.com/MaureenCE/status/233957682472706048
    mce1011 AT aol DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  9. 1. Please tell us: What author you would visit if you had a time machine of your own?
    Roald Dahl! I know he still has some magnificent ideas up his sleeves.
    2. I'm already a GFC follower as Lilian Cheng
    3. Shared on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ctoybox1/status/234114307170893824
    4. Joined Chick Lit Central on Facebook as Lilian Cheng.

    lilianxchengATgmail.com
    Lilian @ A Novel Toybox

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh man. Jules Verne. I live in land-locked Kansas and when I read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, I fell in love with the ocean, even though there isn't a coast for thousands of miles. His descriptions transported me completely from the plains of Kansas to sea filled with the most beautiful and exotic fish!

    dawndennis66611 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm a follower and I pinned on Pinterest!

    http://pinterest.com/pin/118712140148658665/

    ReplyDelete
  12. EB White~Charlotte's Web is my favorite from childhood!
    I follow the Blog
    I am a member of CLC group on Facebook
    Goodreads Friend
    Pinterest Pinned:)
    Cyndee Thomas
    cyndee dot thomas0 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Jane Austen!

    sendsusanmail AT gmail DOT com

    I follow CLC blog, Facebook, and twitter.

    I tweeted this contest @susieqlaw on twitter.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sounds like a fun read. THanks for the giveaway.
    -I would visit Agatha Christie
    -GFC follower
    -Networked Blogs follower
    -Facebook fan
    mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball both wrote books, I'd visit both of them. I'm such a huge fan of Desi and hate that we existed in different times.

    miss_kris_11(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Very tough question-- I don't even know who I would visit-- if I could I would visit J.K. Rowling even though she is still alive.


    I'm a CLC follower.

    abrown546ATgmailDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
  17. C.S Lewis

    I follow CLC blog & on FB

    ReplyDelete
  18. Follow on twitter at rhondareads.Lomazowr@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. Charles Dickens!!

    Follw every which way I can -- email, GFC, twitter, FB.

    wordywon@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  20. Random.org chose from all entries that included contact information and chose Erica (wordywon)! Congrats!

    Thanks for participating, as always!

    ReplyDelete