Monday, November 5, 2012

Alicia Long and Jayne Jones take on Washington, D.C, plus a giveway!


Introduction and interview by Tracey Meyers

**Giveaway is now closed**

I've been to Washington, D.C. twice.  Once when I was in high school and once as an adult.  As one might expect, they were two different experiences.  As a teenager, my main focus was to see the historic landmarks and prominent museums in the area.  As an adult, though I still wanted to visit the landmarks and museums, I also took an interest in those that worked for the federal government.  Anytime I was introduced to anyone who worked for the government, my eyes and ears perked-up.  Suddenly, I started asking lots and lots of questions about the inner-workings of our government.  It's this fascination with our government that compelled me to learn more about the book Capitol Hell (reviewed here), and its authors Alicia Long and Jayne Jones.

From left to right: Alicia Long and Jayne Jones

Aside from having spent time working on Capitol Hill, Alicia and Jayne both possess Juris Doctorates and continue to stay involved in serving the public.  Jayne currently resides in St. Paul, MN and dreams of one day being on Wheel of Fortune.  Alicia is a resident of Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia and hopes to one day pull the rip-cord during a sky dive jump.

So pack your bags and get ready for a crazy trip to Capitol Hell!

You can find Alicia and Jayne at their website, Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks to Kelsey McBride PR for giving away a copy of Capitol Hell to one of our lucky readers in the US.

What inspired you to write Capitol Hell?
Our own experiences!! We both spent so much time on the Hill and couldn't believe the madness we witnessed. Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. After we left and began reminiscing, we decided our stories were too good not to share so we got to writing!

How did you decide which experiences of your time in Washington, D.C. to use for Capitol Hell and which ones to leave out?
Great Question! We definitely had a plethora of stories to work with, and when you combined our own stories with those we heard from others, it did become difficult to narrow it down. But, at the end of the day, we chose the stories we felt would work best with the current story line. The good news is though, we still have plenty of stories left to share, so more may be in store of Allison and Janet.

What do you feel sets Capitol Hell apart from other books written about politics?
So many books about politics are serious and focus on towing the party line, tearing down an opponent, or fixing any of the number of problems our Nation faces on a day to day basis. Capitol Hell doesn't do any of that. The point of our book was to point out the absurdity of what happens behind closed doors. Everyone knows that politics can be cut throat and nasty, but do people really know how ridiculous and funny it can be too?

Which of the characters in Capitol Hell are you most invested in?
Alicia: Allison! She comes a long way from South Dakota to Capitol Hill in the book, and I would like to see her achieve more and come into her own.

Jayne: All of them! Each of the characters has such distinct personalities and traits you find only in Hill staffers, it really was a treat to create each character. Capitol Hell is only complete and witty because of all of the characters' flaws, misadventures and stirring of the office pot!

What is the biggest challenge you face when writing?
Alicia: The biggest challenge is finding the TIME to write. With a full-time job and some semblance of a social life, it can be difficult to carve out some quality time to write. Most of my writing takes place at night or on the weekends, after the work day/week is done.

Jayne: I really enjoyed the writing process and challenge. I found it to be relaxing and rewarding. I think as writers many don't realize the amount of work post-writing and post-publication. Certainly, an incredible ride but writing is the easy part. The marketing, public relations, and literally barnstorming I think is the challenge for many creative nonbusiness minded like authors.

Three things I wish I knew about writing a book that I didn't going into writing my first book that I applied to writing my second book:
  Alicia: The editing process is grueling. It is a necessary evil, but I don't think Jayne or I anticipated how much time it would take. I think I would try to spend more time editing during the drafting process.

Jayne: Technically, we haven't started book two yet! Knock on wood! We are hopeful and now I think we both have realized the amount of work post-manuscript. I think to be successful you must be willing to dedicate a large portion of your personal time to selling and marketing your book. If you don't your book sits on shelves and not in readers' hands. You have to be willing to give your energy and dedication to scheduling book signings and a tricky part, promoting yourself.

Three of my writing rituals include:
Alicia: Rituals!?!? You give us too much credit for being organized. If I had to pick, I'd say finding a quiet place, grabbing something good to drink, and relying on my trusty laptop to do the rest.

Special thanks to Alicia and Jayne for a fun chat and Kelsey McBride PR for sharing the book with our readers.

How to win Capitol Hell:
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: Which president (dead or alive) would you want to have a conversation with and what is one thing you'd ask?
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. Follow us on Twitter and/or Pinterest.
6. 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 November 11th at midnight EST.


21 comments:

Kritters Ramblings said...

I would love to talk to Washington and ask him about his thoughts on what our country is like right now.

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

Dolly said...

Oooo, this sounds like such a good book!

I'm torn between chosing Kennedy & Clinton (modern, known womanizers while in office), and asking them, "How could you be so stupid?? have such personal hubris to imperil your legacy??"

I'm a FB/GFC stalker

jcsites2002 at hotmail dot com

rubynreba said...

I'd like to talk to Lincoln and ask him who he would vote for in the presidential election!

GFC Follower

Facebook fan

pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

Literary Chanteuse said...

I think I'd love to talk to George Washington. It would be interesting to hear about being the president of a new nation.

-blog follower
-tweeted
-CLC member on fb
-follower on pinterest & twitter

Margaret
singitm(at)hotmail(dot)com

Jessica said...

1. I wouldn't really want to have a conversation with any president but if I have to choose I guess I'd choose Bill Clinton. I have no idea what we'd talk about.
2. I'm a follower of this blog through GFC.
3. I posted this on twitter.
https://twitter.com/xxpaperhearts/status/265554553750036481
4. I'm a member of Chick Lit Central on facebook.
5. I follow through twitter and pinterest. twitter= xxpaperhearts

Thanks!
-Jessica M
walkingcorpse11@hotmail.com

susieqlaw said...

I would love to talk to Abraham Lincoln about his life and ask him whether he kept I journal that I could read.

sendsusanmail AT gmail dotcom

I follow the CLC blog, facebook, and twitter.

I tweeted the content @susieqlaw

Nova said...

Sparkle40175@hotmail.com
Follow CLC blog by email.
Follow CLC on facebook.
I would LOVE to talk to Abraham Lincoln. I would ask him what events in his life shaped him to be forward thinking in how he felt about the world in his times and ending slavery.

Linda Kish said...

Kennedy...Did you or didn't you? And, why would you? He had that perfect (or so we thought) beautiful family. Then maybe we could talk politics...Cuba would be interesting.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

I am a GFC follower

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Maureen said...

I would pick Lincoln and ask him if he ever thought about how he would go forward if the south had won.
I follow on GFC
I follow on twitter - @MaureenCE
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/MaureenCE/status/266145601585049601
mce1011 AT aol DOT com

DD said...

I would love to talk to Dwight D. Eisenhower. Being a Kansas gal, it would be mind blowing, I'm sure to compare Kansas then and now.

dawndennis66611 at yahoo dot com

Jilleen said...

Oh my goodness what a great question and giveaway! I think I would have to say Gerald Ford. My grandfather was one of his advisors and would love to ask him questions about my grandfather (and he was from Michigan!).

I am a fan on FB
Follow via GFC and email
Follower on Twitter and interest

Thanks again for the great giveaway!

Jill at Seaside Book Nook

seasidebooknook at yahoo

Jeryl M. said...

I would like to talk to George Washington and find out what it was like to be the first President.

I am a subscriber.

I am a Facebook fan.

I am a Twitter follower.

I am a Pinterest follower.

jeryl.marcus@gmail.com

Unknown said...

I'd love to talk to Jefferson. I don't know what I'd ask, but it would be fascinating to talk to him!

I follow the blog
I'm a member of CLC on Facebook
I follow on twitter

bjoneill@hotmail.com

Mrs Mommy Booknerd said...

Abraham Lincoln

Mrsmommybooknerdsbookreviews at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

I would love to interview President George Washington, since he was the first POTUS and he had to make up the "job description."
writeoncindy@yahoo
cindy roesel

Movie Passenger said...

I would love to talk with Jefferson and ask him about the contradictions between his ideals and his actions.

I'm a Facebook follower.

Encgolsen@gmail.com

Erica said...

Abraham Lincoln. Love to ask him about how he had the drive to educate himself and achieve all that he did.

I am a FB, GFC, email, twitter follower!

wordywon at gmail dot com

Melissa said...

Thanks to everyone for participating and telling us which President you'd chat with. Lots of Lincoln fans here.

Thanks to Alicia and Jayne for chatting with us and Kelsey McBride PR for sharing the book with our winner.

Random.org chose from all entries that had contact information.

Congrats to susieqlaw!

Book Publicity Services said...

Capitol Hell is a great book! I highly recommend it.

Qualitycoders said...

This articl ei smind blowing. when I read this article, I enjoyed.

book publicity