Thursday, May 2, 2013

Tiffany Hawk gives us a "View from the Top," plus a book giveaway

Introduction by Kathryn Hamilton

**Giveaway is now closed**

Today we welcome debut author Tiffany Hawk to CLC as she celebrates her high flying novel and shares her dream soundtrack with us. The old adage is that you should "write what you know" and many authors use this as the catalyst for their first writing endeavour. Tiffany Hawk spent five years as a flight attendant and then ventured into travel writing (which she still continues to do and has written literally hundreds of articles in numerous publications). She uses her experiences as a flight attendant as her inspiration and the backdrop for Love Me Anyway (reviewed here, publishing on May 7th), which is already receiving boundless praise for its riveting, heartfelt story. Tiffany seems to be destined to be a jetsetter as she married an Air Force pilot, with whom she has a little boy, and finds herself travelling all over based on his assignments. You can connect with this warm, endearing author at her website, Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, we have one copy of Love Me Anyway for a lucky reader in the US or Canada.

(Please note that this post contains potential spoilers for the novel.)

Tiffany Hawk's Soundtrack for Love Me Anyway

Oh, this is such a fun assignment! Music is so central to how we see and feel our lives, so I love the idea of making a soundtrack for Love Me Anyway. You even inspired me to create a playlist for my iPod. Listening to it makes me a bit misty, though, both for the characters I’ve now sent out into the world and also for the real-life era of my life that inspired the book.

Most of these songs center on the affair between Emily and Tien because all of the characters are so affected by it. First there are the two lovers who desperately want to do what is right but can’t let each other go. Then, of course, there is Tien’s wife Linh who is also a sympathetic character, and Emily’s friend KC is nearly undone by the whole thing herself. After helping instigate the relationship, she begins to side with Tien’s children, whose pain she knows too well. Her own father abandoned her and her mother for another woman, so now, as she tries to put her own family back together, she has to watch Emily tear someone else’s apart.

“Hunter” by Dido
This is a powerful song about a woman who feels suffocated by a controlling relationship. There is hope and energy in the song that gives the impression she will soon make her escape. At the outset of the book, Emily is very much stuck in a bad marriage to her high school sweetheart, Carl. She wants to experience so much more than of the world, and when his aggression turns violent, she finally has the courage to set herself free.

Although Emily is a fictional character, I do have enough in common with her that every time I hear this song, I feel empowered and free and thank god for getting my own second chance at life.

“So Far Away” by Carole King
There is such a quiet longing in this song, a longing for connection that anyone who lives on the road feels at times. It beautifully captures, I think, all of the characters, and the flight attendant life in general. It reminds me of a flight attendant sitting alone in one more anonymous three-star hotel room and thinking of the people who have come in and out of her life. It’s also the only song on here that is actually mentioned in the book. While KC and the rest of their crew are throwing back shots of vodka, Emily and Tien quietly dance to this song. They feel the beginnings of an easy but innocent friendship and are oblivious to where that will ultimately lead them.

“Tonight and the Rest of My Life” by Nina Gordon
I heard this song in the grocery store the other day and knew I had to include it. There is something so magical and otherworldly about its sound, and it just captures that intoxicating feeling of taking a chance on something, of feeling alive and doing something dangerously thrilling for one night, even if you don’t know what will happen next. Emily would have felt all of that when she turned up at Tien’s door, ready to feel everything life had to offer – the lust and love and pain and disaster that would inevitably follow.

“I’m no Angel” by Dido
Both Emily and KC might identify with this title in scenes where they’re questioning their actions, but I’m including this one because it has two lines that just speak to what almost all flight attendants are thinking:

I know I'm not perfect but I can smile
and I hope that you see this heart behind my tired eyes

Flight attendants are human. Their jobs are unimaginably exhausting these days, so next time you’re flying, be kind!

“Do What You Have to Do” by Sarah McLachlan
This is one of the most haunting songs imaginable. You can just feel her yearning to be with this man, her inner turmoil, her need to do what she has to even if she knows it’s not right or healthy or smart. This song is for anyone who has ever wanted someone they couldn’t have.

Special thanks to Tiffany for sharing her book's movie soundtrack with us and St. Martin's Press for sharing Love Me Anyway with our readers.

How to win Love Me Anyway:
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.)

1. Please tell us: What is your favorite airplane scene from any movie?
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/Canada only.  Giveaway ends May 7th at midnight EST.

23 comments:

Kritters Ramblings said...

My fav airport scene is from Meet the Parents where he won't let go of his suitcase because it has the engagement ring and he starts saying "bomb bomb bomb"

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Amy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Amy said...

I am a fan on Facebook, twitter. Amyasb@comcast.net

Snakes on a plane

Sounds like a great book.

PoCoKat said...

Pretty much every scene in Airplane.

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Nova said...

I love the scene in Casablanca when Humphrey Bogart puts Ingrid Bergman on the plane to leave the country just as the Nazis arrive!
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Jennifer Huelsebusch said...

Planes, trains and automobiles

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JROSEN60 said...

1. Bradley Cooper & Julia Roberts in Valentines Day - if this question said TV, I would definitely say FRIENDS when Rachel gets off the plane!
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Bonnie K. said...

I consider the movie, Airplane, a classic. :P There's so many funny scenes.

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Sue G. said...

1. I love the movie airplane. My favorite part is when they say "And stop calling me Shirley!" My mom's name is Shirley and this was a running joke while we were growing up.

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EFC Chrissy said...

My favorite movie airport scene...hmmmm...that's a tough one. I can't think of any off the top of my head. The first airport scene that came to my mind was the one from Friends when Rachel is going to London.

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Jennifer L. said...

The only airplane scene I can think of is the one from Casablanca. It's such a memorable scene.
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pascale said...

best airplane scene from a movie: valentines day. So moving, so tricky, made me cry.

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ps: this book sounds so great.

Tiffany Drew said...

Air Force One: "Get off my plane!" Such a fun line, we use it a lot in this house :)

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Anonymous said...

My favorite airplane scene is on Home Alone when the mom realizes the son is not with them.

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bn100 said...

the one from Meet the Parents

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Jessica said...

1. I really can't think of a scene from a movie that takes place in an airport. I wish I could!
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Anonymous said...

This book sounds like it could rip your heart and little bit but I love the soundtrack picks so I'm intrigued.

For the airplane scene I'd have to say Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore in The Wedding Singer.

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Brent Taylor said...

I LOVE the airplane scene from BRIDESMAIDS. Melissa McCarthy is hilarious.

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Cher B said...

This book looks like so much fun- thanks for the chance to win! As other posters have commented, the scene from the Wedding Singer with Adam Sandler, the wonderful Drew Barrymore and Billy Idol can't be beat for laughs and gooey romance!

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Hailey Fish said...

My favorite airport scene is when the mom from Home Alone realizes her son isn't in the airport with her and her family.

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Mrs Mommy Booknerd said...

I agree with Kritter, Meet the Parents...bomb, bomb, bomb!

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Lisamarie said...

The only airplane scene I can think of is from Home Alone

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Jeryl M. said...

I like the movie airplane.

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I follow on GFC.