Did you always dream of being a writer?
I remember writing short stories and poems as a little girl and
always told myself I would write a book someday, but I didn't really know what
that would be. After my husband and I met on a popular online dating website, I
started thinking back to the funny experiences I had with dating and stories
from friends. I started writing them down and my first novel, Click: An Online Love Story emerged.
How did your writing career develop?
After receiving a
plethora of rejections from literary agents and publishers, I decided to
self-publish my first book. I figured my
parents would buy a copy or two and could brag that their daughter "wrote
a book." It wasn't until I started receiving complimentary emails from
strangers who were eager for a sequel that I realized I could really be a
writer. Links is my fifth novel and
the first to be released by a traditional publisher.
Your newest novel is called Links, what is it about?
A light-hearted, second chance romance, Links explores what happens when nerdy girl Charlotte Windham
reconnects with her unrequited high school crush, star athlete Garrett
Stephens, years later. Have they grown
and changed? Are they able to forget and forgive the past? Is love possible?
What was your inspiration for the book?
As I was looking to write a new love story, I thought about the
types of love we encounter and recalled the unrequited high school crush, which
was as much a part of the teen years as football games, acne, proms and final
exams. I'm not too ashamed to admit I
had such a fierce crush on a boy, I willingly sat with him in the bathroom at
parties while he puked up wine coolers, just so I could spend time with him.
Thankfully, that soul-crushing time in my life is over, but I couldn't help but
wonder what would happen if I came upon that secret crush as a confident,
successful woman.
Can you tell us more about the main character(s)?
Charlotte
Windham was a typical ugly duckling in high school -- glasses and all. Highly
intelligent and immensely talented, she's become a breakout success with her
best-selling novel, The Crossing
Guard. In school, she harbored an
unrequited crush on Garrett Stephens, the teen heartthrob and star athlete
who's gone on to become a professional golfer and adult lothario suffering a
possible career-ending injury. The book explores what happens when these two former
classmates have a chance encounter in a Los Angeles restaurant, 15 years after
high school. With the upper hand, can Charlotte forgive Garrett for his past
ways, and for his more recent Don Juan lifestyle? Will she even want to? And,
can Garrett change his ways for a second chance with Charlotte, who may just be
the perfect fit for him?
Where and when do you write your stories?
I work in my home office at a HP desktop computer. I recently purchased a Varidesk so I can work
while standing. It's been said that sitting is the new smoking, so I try to
avoid prolonged hours on my behind. I
typically write in the morning through early afternoon when my kids are at
school. And, I like to write with the
television on in the background. When I
first started writing, I was obsessed with Law
& Order reruns and then NCIS. Now I'm hooked on reruns of Burn Notice. I guess there’s a part of me that likes to
see justice served.
What do you do and enjoy when you’re not writing?
When I'm not writing,
you can usually find me playing board games with my family, reading a romance
novel, cheering on the side lines of a youth soccer game, binge-watching a new
Netflix offering or baking.
If you could switch places with a characters from a book, who would it
be and why?
I would absolutely swap lives with Shelley Manning, the maneater
vixen from my Click trilogy of books.
The gorgeous blonde is confident brash, outrageous and wholly unapologetic for
her choices. I've always joked that when
I'm reborn in my next life, I'm coming back as a tall leggy blonde having
endured this one as a short brunette.
What books have influenced your life most?
I suppose the book with the most
impact is called e by Matthew
Beaumont, which tells the story of a fictitious ad agency vying for a big
account, with the story all told in emails. I thought that narrative
style would work really well for the story I wanted to tell about the online
dating world. It was a modern way of storytelling that fit the topic and
the times. The experience writing and publishing Click started me on this career path I'm so grateful for.
What are you working on at the moment?
I've just wrapped up a contemporary romance called Starfish, which examines the unlikely
relationship between a regular girl and a touring guitarist in a band. When it
comes to romance, you just can't pass up the idea of falling in love with a
rock star.
What do you enjoy most about writing?
I love creating something
that brings humor, hope and happiness into someone's life.
Pick three authors you want to have dinner with and tell us why.
· J.K. Rowling - my younger daughter and I are reading
the Harry Potter series together. This is my third time reading through these
amazing books and I would love to hear directly from her about her inspiration,
challenges and successes.
· Julie Andrews Edwards - she wrote my all-time favorite
children's book, Last of the Really Great
Whangdoodles. I bought a copy
a decade ago for my nephew and a few years ago he gave it back to me so I could
give it to my daughters when they were old enough. It’s a wonderful, fanciful story and I still
smile when I imagine the Whangdoodle who has a daisy on his sweet tooth.
· Mo
Willems - While his books seem so simple, they are filled with great heart and
humor. I would love to hear directly from him how he is able to capture so many
emotions with so little.
Imagine Links would be turned into a movie, who would you cast for the
main characters?
I would love to see
someone with the emotional range and depth of Maggie Gyllenhaal to play
Charlotte. I think she could make her come across as vulnerable, successful,
intelligent and passionate. For Garrett, we would need someone who is classically
handsome and oozes charm. Matt Bomer, who pulled that off perfectly on White Collar comes to mind. If he's not available, let's just say, I
would love to be at the casting call for that role.
You have also published other books,
can you tell us more about them?
I'm most known for the
Click trilogy comprised of Click: An Online
Love Story, Double Click and Right Click.
The series follows a young woman's search for love online in Los
Angeles with the entire series unfolding in emails between our heroine, her
friends and her hilarious dates. Fraught with BCC's, FWD's and inadvertent
Reply to All's, readers will cheer, laugh, cry and cringe following the email
exploits of Renee and friends. And ultimately, they will root for Renee to
"click" with the right man.
How do your own experiences influence your writing?
As I mentioned, Click was loosely based on my own online
dating experiences. Often times, I will create characters who are based on
people I know. For example, Shelley Manning, the aforementioned maneater has a hilarious
habit of giving nicknames to her “man du jour.” was inspired by a childhood
friend of mine who had a nickname for a guy in college that she admired from
across the dorm cafeteria. She called
him Maverick because he looked like Tom Cruise in Top Gun. Much like Shelley,
she is a self-confident, gorgeous, lovely gal and it wasn't long before they
met and dated for a spell.
Coffee or tea?
Believe it or not, I’ve never had a cup of coffee. I tried it once and didn’t like it, so I
never tried it again. I’m not a tea
drinker either. Sadly, I fell in love
with chocolate after the first taste, and haven’t stopped. My thighs can attest to that, believe
me. So, I suppose a hot chocolate with a
big dollop of whipped cream would be my go-to choice.
Paperback or e-reader? Both!
I resisted a Kindle for a long time but find it surprisingly easy to
use. And you can’t beat the
convenience. But I still love the feel
of a paper book in my hands.
Mountains or the sea? I live in a part of Los Angeles County
called Manhattan Beach, less than two miles from the ocean. I love walking along the strand, looking out
over the ocean, searching for dolphins and playing in the sand with my
girls.
Summer or winter? Summer, as
long as it isn't too warm. My favorite season is actually fall. I love being
able to wear a woolly hat and scarf along with sunglasses.
Salty or
sweet? Oooh…put them together and you’ve hit gold!
Social
Media Links
Website: www.lisabecker.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ClickAnOnlineLoveStory
Twitter: @lisawbecker
Instagram: lisawbecker
YouTube: https://youtu.be/BSwM4S3l9Pc
Select Buy
Links
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073YSDD6T/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1500234828&sr=8-2&keywords=lisa+becker
B&N: TBD
Links - Book Blurb
In
high school, Charlotte Windham was a typical student going through an awkward
phase -- glasses and all. She harbored a crush on Garrett Stephens, the teen
heartthrob everyone can’t help but fall for during that unfortunate ugly
duckling phase of one’s teen years. Flash
forward fifteen years later, and Charlotte and Garrett have a second chance
encounter at a Los Angeles restaurant. However, this time around, Charlotte has
leveled the playing field. She’s a bestselling novelist and no longer
“Glasses,” the humiliating nickname Garrett called her in high school. In
short, she’s a catch now and, thanks to corrective eye surgery, it’s not just
her eyes that see better…so does her heart! Garrett hasn’t fared poorly either,
transforming from teen heartbreaker to adult lothario. A now successful
professional golfer, he’s recently suffered a major setback in the form of a
possible career-ending injury. With
the upper hand, can Charlotte forgive Garrett for his past ways, and for his
more recent Don Juan lifestyle? Will she even want to? And, can Garrett change
his ways for a second chance with Charlotte, who may just be the perfect fit
for him?
About Lisa
Becker
Lisa Becker is a romance writer whose
previous novels include Click: An Online Love Story, Double
Click and Right Click. The books, about a young woman's
search for love online in Los Angeles, have been called, “a fast read that will
keep you entertained,” “a fun, quick read for fans of Sex and the City,” and
“hard to put down.” The first in the series was optioned for a major
motion picture.
Lisa’s writings about online dating
have been featured in Cupid’s Pulse, GalTime.com, Single Edition, The Perfect
Soulmate, Chick Lit Central and numerous other book blogs and websites.
As Lisa's grandmother used to say,
"For every chair, there's a rush." Lisa is now happily married to a
man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach with him and their two
daughters. So, if it happened for her, there’s hope for anyone!
Book Trailer
Social
Media Links
Website: www.lisabecker.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/ClickAnOnlineLoveStory
Twitter: @lisawbecker
Instagram: lisawbecker
YouTube: https://youtu.be/BSwM4S3l9Pc
Select Buy
Links
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073YSDD6T/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1500234828&sr=8-2&keywords=lisa+becker
Links Excerpt
I stand but hesitate when I see Tamika's disapproving
look. Fi notices as well. "It's okay, T. I got this," she says,
motioning for me to follow her back. When we get to her small office, she
closes the door and gestures for me to sit on a red vinyl chair, circa 1972.
She stands in front of me, leaning against the desk, and crosses her arms in
front of her chest. "Spill!"
"Where
should I start?"
"At
the beginning." She walks around to her chair behind the desk and pulls
out a yellow legal pad.
For
the next half hour, I go over my encounter with Garrett, from the moment we
bumped into each other and he didn't recognize me, to the embarrassment of being
called 'Glasses.'
Fi
takes notes furiously on her pad and grins, nods, and cringes at all the
appropriate times. When I finish, she puts her pen down and asks, "Do you
want the 'best friend experience' or the 'brilliant legal mind
experience'?"
I
can't help but laugh. "Are they mutually exclusive?"
"They
are," she says nodding.
"Okay.
I want the best friend experience."
She
rushes around from behind the desk, wraps her arms around me soothingly.
"I'm so sorry, hon. That sounds just awful. Let's go get margaritas
tomorrow and drown our sorrows in tequila and lime wedges."
"Thanks,
Fi. You're the best."
"Anytime,"
she says, rubbing my back. She pulls away and walks around to the back of her
desk. She sits down and puts the legal pad to the side. I can't help but notice
the writing scrawled across it.
"Just
for kicks, what would you have said if I had asked for the 'brilliant legal
mind experience'?"
"You
sure you want to know?" Her lips pull into a grim line. Honestly, I'm not
sure I do want to know, but curiosity
gets the better of me.
"Lay
it on me," I say.
"You
need to get laid. Not the kind of bland, missionary style sex you had with
Alex. You need hot heat, sweating up the sheets, crazy animal sex."
I
bust out laughing. "That's your
brilliant legal advice. Crazy animal sex?"
"Yes.
That's my brilliant legal advice," she says with complete seriousness.
"Listen, hon, it's been a year since that insecure jerk Keane dumped you.
I have no doubt it's been even longer since you've, well, you know." She
wags her eyebrows up and down. "Before that, you only seriously dated
Travis the cheater and Alex who, let's face it, despite being completely gonzo
for you, was a cold fish and a bore. It's time to stop comparing every man to this
fantasy of Garrett Stephens and just do it with him to get it out of your
system. He asked you out for Saturday night. Go! Enjoy!"
"I
don't compare every man to Garrett," I snap at her.
"Don't
you?" she asks, looking down at me sternly.
"I'm
offended you even suggested that." She looks at me, her sharp eyes boring
into me, like she can read my every thought and knows I'm full of it. I imagine
this is how she bears down on witnesses on the stand. I don't like being on the
receiving end of that look.
"Even
if that's true," I start and she nods her head, "and I'm not
conceding it is." I point my finger at her. "Even if he did mean to
ask me out, there's no way it's a
good idea. He's a total player. It would only be one night of fun and I don't
think I could get over that kind of hurt."
"Then
you need to get over it now. Sorry
for the tough love, hon, but you need to move past the fantasy of this man and
find someone passionate and amazing who is deserving to love you for all of the
great things you have to offer including your messed-up childhood and your
incredible success today."
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