Please join us in welcoming author Libby Malin! She’s here to talk about her latest release, Fire Me.
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In Fire Me, the protagonist, Anne Wyatt, tries to earn her boss’ negative vibes so that he’ll choose her for a lay-off, with its generous severance package, by the end of the day. She already has another job lined up and had been prepared to hand in her resignation anyway, so what could go wrong with this perfectly delicious plan?
Well, plenty, not least of which is her own discovery that maybe the plans she’d made for her personal and professional future need to be reevaluated as she learns a lot more than she bargained for about love and life.
Fire Me is a full-blown, no holds barred comic romp using everything in the humor tool box—slapstick, wry dialogue, some crazy characters and an underlying comedic premise (trying to get fired) designed to elicit at least a secret smile from the reader as she cracks open the pages. Finding those funny moments is a challenge, though, for writers!
Depending on your source, a famous playwright or actor was reported to have said on his deathbed: Dying is easy, comedy is hard.
For this writer of a comedic novel, let me say: yes, yes, yea—comedy is hard! Writing physical humor, in particular, is a challenge as you strive to find the right rhythm for activities that, if seen on a screen or a stage, would have an immediate laugh-producing effect. Writing can slow that effect down, so timing is a critical part of the humor-writing process.
For me, it was important to keep up a good pace throughout the novel. It takes place in one day, but a lot of backstory has to be included in that day so that the reader knows who Anne and Ken are and how their pasts color their current choices.
One device I used to create a feeling of time passing quickly was “time stamping” various scenes. So the action in the book begins at “7:02 a.m.” and ends around “8:25 a.m.” the next day with a continuous tick-tock that I hoped enhanced the sense that Anne was racing to find the right “fire me” strategies throughout her crazy day.
Near the end of the book, I used shorter time-stamped passages to indicate the pace was reaching desperation stage and thus the antics were getting wilder.
Only the readers can say if I was successful—and it’s been indescribably gratifying to see so many reviewers mention they laughed out loud while reading the book. After writing, rewriting, revising, polishing, and tweaking Fire Me about a zillion times, it became hard for me to tell if it would, in fact, trigger a giggle!
Thanks to everyone who has told me it does! For more information about Fire Me and my other books, check out my website at www.LibbysBooks.com
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Fire Me is available now from Sourcebooks Casablanca. If you’d like to win* a copy, leave a comment on this post before 11:59 p.m., Wednesday May 6th and we’ll toss your name in the hat.
*contest open to residents in the US and Canada only.
This looks like a really fun read! Would love a chance to win it.
Margay
Love a book that can make me laugh. This sounds right up my alley. Have a great day.
I work in the business world and love the irony of trying to be included in a layoff. Please include me in your contest.
Regards, Ruth
Thanks for hosting me on the blog today! I hope folks do enjoy the book. It was fun, but challenging, to write.
I love the premise of your book! It is a new, fun and fresh idea. Please include me in your contest.
I’ve been hearing alot about this one, count me in!
Beyond wishing I could compete for a lucrative severance package (today the wish is particularly strong) I think the premise of the book sounds intriguing and would love the opportunity to add it to my book shelf.
Today’s economy certainly makes my protagonist’s goal a fantasy, but I hope it’s one folks can relate to — anyone who’s had a bad boss or a frustrating one.
Fire Me sounds like an absolute must read!
I’d love to read this. I think it would be hard to write a book that happens in 1 day!
mj.coward[at]gmail.com
It definitely was a challenge, as I said, but a fun one. I had to figure out how much backstory to incorporate and keep the action moving forward, too.
omg, is it weird that this sounds like something my co-worker and I would pull? I think I’m going to have to buy a copy for the both of us, lol
This sounds like a great story, Libby 🙂
This looks like it could be a fun read. Put my name down too 🙂
This looks like loads of fun. I love comic contemporaries.
I love the sound of this book. Count me in.
I love romantic comedies and would love to have a chance to win this one.
Pat L.
Welcome, Libby. Fire Me sounds good. Looking forward to checking it out.
Diana
I’m in Australia so I can’t enter the competition.
2 questions:
Is this book a romance too?
And second, is it just this competition I can’t enter or are all Book Binge comps now only for US and Canada residents? (The question sounds abrupt but I don’t mean it to – I’m just curious and I can’t think of any better words right now!)
thx
Libby, thank you so much for guest blogging with us today and stopping in to answer questions!
Kaetrin,
This is a publisher sponsored contest, which is why it’s limited to the US and Canada. Although we reserve the right to restrict shipping, for the most part all future contests will be open to international readers.
Thanks for that Holly. That makes sense.