Guest Author: Elizabeth Leiknes

7 July 2009 Jackie LE Guests 28

Literary Escapism is excited to welcome author, Elizabeth Leiknes, and her new novel The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns.

Lucy Burns wants a normal life: friends, love, and a family of her own. And she could have it all if only she could break free from the job she hates.

That job? Facilitator to hell.

And her boss is a real devil.

After nineteen years of doing the Devil s dirty work, Lucy wants out, but it all seems hopeless until Teddy Nightingale, her easy listening music idol, gives her the answer: a little-known loophole.

If she succeeds, Lucy gets love, happiness, and everything she ever really wanted. But the consequences? They’re considerably worse than death. To make it through, Lucy must decide what is evil and what is good, what is right and what is wrong, and if, in the end, there’s ever any way to truly know.

Make sure you stick around because I’m getting to give away a copy of The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns.
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Why Squirrels Don’t Read

I’ve never understood people who avoid stories—whether movies or books—because certain stories make them feel “sad” or “scared.” Okay, I admit I’m sugarcoating. Those people (I like to refer to them as “flat-liners”) really annoy me. Why the hell are we on this planet, if not to truly experience life in all its sad, happy, miserable, beautiful glory? Why call ourselves human beings if we’re not going to do human things like laugh so hard we snort, cry so hard we snivel, or worry so deeply about something besides ourselves that we actually do something to inspire change? You wouldn’t see a squirrel with novel in hand (paw), misty-eyed and pensive, shaking his head in wonderment over an amazing story. (To be fair, some squirrels are probably smarter and more emotional than others.)

Here’s my point: The only escape a squirrel is concerned about is escape from the ravenous coyote down the path. We humans, on the other hand, need to find a healthy balance between being comforted and being afflicted.

When one of my students asks, “Why do we need to read, anyway, Mrs. Leiknes?” I always reply with the same bit of stolen wisdom: “Stories are meant to comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.” Here I’ve paraphrased the famous quote by newspaperman Finley Peter Dunne, who was talking about newspapers, but I believe that all art, particularly stories, are meant to do exactly what he said.

In all honesty, I admit to having chosen books or movies based on mood—sometimes I don’t have the emotional stamina to watch or read a deep, taxing story, but to completely disallow a good story into your life because it will somehow upset your perfect, anesthetized status seems like a missed opportunity to me.

When I began writing The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns, it was in response to the question, What would you do for love? Rather, what would you be capable of doing for love? I was pregnant with my first son Hardy, and I had experienced, for the first time in my life, an indescribable gut feeling that I could and would do anything to protect him. Hardy Leiknes was born on October 28, 2003, and a few weeks later, when the new-mother crying fits had subsided, the character of Lucy Burns was “born.” An extension of that gut feeling, she took residence in my mind with great authority and moxie. She was one part naughty and no parts nice, but the sum of all her parts somehow equaled . . . good. She gets your attention with her unconventional antics, but she keeps your attention with her unconventional charm.

So that’s my great hope, then—that Lucy Burns will both afflict you by inviting you to think about possible answers to difficult questions, but also comfort you when the answer that you decide upon makes you feel icky. But no matter what, I hope she makes you feel something, because you, dear reader, are not a squirrel.
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Thank you Elizabeth for visiting Literary Escapism.

Contest Time! We’re giving away a copy of The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns to a lucky commentator and it’s very easy to enter. All you have to do is answer one simple question:  If you could ask the devil for anything, and receive it, what would it be?

The contest is open to everyone, so everyone overseas can join in the fun as well.

As always, if you want more chances to win, you can post about today’s contest on your blog, social network, or anywhere you can. Digg it, stumble it, twit it, share it with the world. Wherever you share it, make sure you add a link to it along with your answer (in the same post). The more places you share it, the more entries you get.

For more entries, purchase any novel through LE’s Amazon store sometime during this contest and send a copy of the receipt VIA email for your purchase to: myjaxon AT gmail DOT com.  Each purchase is one entry and it has to be through the LE Link.

Join the Literary Escapism Facebook page and you’ll get an additional entry. Make sure you leave a comment so I know that’s why you’re joining. Only new readers to the group will be considered.

For an additional entry, subscribe to Literary Escapism’s newsletter in the sidebar. This is for new subscribers only.

I’ll determine the winner with help from the Research Randomizer. All entries must be in by midnight on July 14th.

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.

25 Comments

  1. Hmm, I’d have to say money. The kind of money Bill Gates has that can buy you (almost) anything you could possibly want.

  3. I’d ask for my dogs to both live until we all could pass over The Rainbow Bridge at the same time.

  4. World Peace, y’know just to mess with his head. The entire Jimmy Choo catalogue each year and the ability to wear them pain and stumble free. :) Shallow much, but who would argue with me in my killer heels. ;)

  5. The ability to get myself out of any sticky situation. That of course would include owing the Devil my soul!

  6. This probably sounds cheesy, but I like to think I wouldn’t ask for anything. First off, NOTHING is free, whatever I asked for would have a price.
    Mainly, however, if I had everything I wanted in life (a good job, money, etc) handed to me on a plate, it wouldn’t be the same.
    Money, to me, is SO much sweeter after I’ve earned it. I guess it’s the feeling of having earned something for MYSELF and the independance I gain from it. I can do that. I can take of myself.
    If I want something, I SHOULD have to earn it, and it will be all the sweeter.

    World peace would be cool, but that would require taking away free will and the ability to think for one’s self. I don’t think it could be done. Maybe an end to starvation? I suppose that could work. Or maybe, a really great powerful figure, who can find an end to all the things wrong with the world.

    God, it’s like I’m talking in circles! lol. Hopefully, it makes SOME sense. ;)

    -Melissa

  10. I wouldn’t trust the devil to deliver so there would be legal documents to draw up to cover any misinterpretation or variable available along with some kind of clause allowing me to withdraw my request and then I would choose something not life altering, something that allows life to go on just as before….except I would have an excellent singing voice and my kids wouldn’t yell at me for singing in the car anymore.

  11. I would ask the devil for a healing touch. But you can’t trust the devil… so what would he demand of me in return?!

    Thanks for the interview and the contest!

    Miranda

  12. Hmmm….I don’t think I’d ask for anything. Anything received from Hell’s head honcho will most certainly come with strings attached!

    Thanks for the contest!!

    Jen

  14. I’d ask for superpowers definitely, but I’d probably have to give him my soul or something and that would be bad.

  15. I’d ask for loads of cash like Bill Gates has – but I’m sure it would come with its own cost.

  19. Great interview! I think I would ask the devil for unlimited wealth, but would have to think long & hard about conditions to try and make sure he couldn’t trick me. Would of course make my life easier, but think of all the good you could do with unlimited money!

    Sent out a tweet about your contest, but not sure how to get the link. Twitter name is Alexia561

    Thanks!

  20. If it could be a request without strings attached, I would want to have good health – for everyone in my family.
    Margay

  21. What I would ask for would really be determined by what I had to do to get said request granted. If its a freebie I would ask for 5 Billion dollars, simply because everything I want I want to do it on my own . The only impediment to doing everything on my own is money so thats why I would ask for that. With said money I could start a business, build house of my dreams, go to school, provide for my family, have awesome insurance for when we get sick, etc..

  22. Whatever wish granted by a devil will probably have a very big catch, so I would try to ask him (somehow) to stay away from me.

  23. If i could ask the devil for anything would be all the secrets to why evil and good cant coexist in this day and age how it was determined what is good what is evila nd what is nessary and if ic ouldnt ask for that id ask for him to get nakied hey if ima ask for anything id like to see what makes him so beautiful since thats how most religions portray him

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