Guest Author: Lisa Campbell

Today, Literary Escapism is excited to welcome Lisa Campbell, author of Superstitions Desire, the second novel in the Amoveo series.

From the outside Kerry Smithson appeared to have it all, beauty, brains, money, and fame. However, inside Kerry harbored a crippling secret. Blinding pain and mind numbing visions had become a way of life, which she suffered in silence. She’d become adept at avoiding even the lightest of touches, no matter what the cost. However, her world is turned upside down from the moment she encounters the disarmingly handsome Dante. Little does she know that Dante harbors a secret of his own. One that would change the course of their lives and intertwine their fates, forever.

Make sure you stick around to the end. We’ll be giving away an ebook of Superstitions Desire – to one lucky winner.
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Schizophrenia and the Writer; or What’s that pervert doing behind the tree?
by Lisa M. Campbell

E.L. Doctorow once said, “Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.” As a reader, I never understood. Now, as a writer, I agree with part of that quote, as I tend to live inside my head more often than not. I’m just not certain the way I go about the writing process is socially acceptable.

Merriam-Webster dictionary describes schizophrenia as “a psychotic disorder characterized by loss of contact with the environment, by noticeable deterioration in the level of functioning in everyday life.”

In the beginning, I had a problem with Doctorow’s assertion until I dissected this statement and realized his quote wasn’t too far off the mark. After all, those of us who write fiction, and romance in particular, spend a lot of time shaping characters, situations, and places in our imagination, agonizing over their fictional lives for days, months and sometimes years.

Now, before you shake your head in complete denial, check your concentration level the next time you study a couple sharing a passionate kiss. Ask yourself this question. Were you a bit more interested in cataloging hand and lip placement for the upcoming first kiss scene in your manuscript, rather than giving the couple a passing glance? Uh-huh, thought so. Now that I have your attention, ask yourself another question. Do you find yourself falling off chairs, or skulking around corners to eavesdrop on private conversations for the sake of character development? What interests you more, the topic of the discussion, or the emotions behind it? If you have answered at least one of these questions, you, my fellow writer, are completely uninvolved within your external environment. Mmm-hmm… shocking, is it not?

A solitary person, I shy away from such behaviors in my un-writing life, and yet, I have no problem indulging in these dubious traits for the sake of my story. Therefore, I can safely assume this is writer’s schizophrenia taking over. Now what, you may ask? Well, the next step should be admitting there is a problem, and finding a solution to correct the behavior before you wind up in an arraignment hearing.

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to pin down such inappropriate actions if you’re unaware of them. Enlisting the aid of family and friends is a proactive first step, though I have to admit my own husband isn’t always useful in certain circumstances. He’s a great help positioning himself between my subjects and me when he sees I’m sidling closer to a group, notepad at the ready, to record outbursts and the like. However, he’s more than eager to parse a few love scenes when I want to confirm positions or pacing. In this instance, he supports my schizophrenia one hundred percent—and in the end that is all any of us wants; one special someone who understands, accepts, and supports the schizophrenic side of a writer’s life.

www.lisamcampbell.net
Buy Superstitions Desire Here
www.heetr.com

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Thank you Lisa!

Contest Time! Lisa has graciously offered to give away an ebook of either Superstition’s Desire – to one lucky winner. All you have to do is answer this question: Have you ever thought you’ve seen a character in real life and had to do a double take?  Who would you love to catch walking down the street?

As always, there’s more ways of getting your name in the hat:

  • +1 for each place you 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.
  • +1 to any review you comment on, however, comments must be meaningful. Just give me the title of the review and I’ll be able to figure it out from there.
  • +1 Join the Literary Escapism Facebook page and/or follow LE on Twitter
  • +1 subscribe to Literary Escapism – either via a reader or email (see the RSS button at the bottom of the sidebar)
  • +10 Purchase any print 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 worth ten entries, but it has to be through the LE Amazon Link.

The winner agrees to post a review of the novel someplace. Whether it is on their own blog, Amazon, GoodReads, LibraryThing or wherever, it doesn’t matter. Just help get the word out.

The contest will stay open until April 20th, at which time I’ll determine the winner with help from the Research Randomizer and the List Randomizer.

I have not been contacting winners, so you will need to check back to see if you’ve won.

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.

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