Laurel Wreath’s Reflections

I had the wonderful opportunity of interviewing Vicki Courtney for Christian Women Online. I personally believe this is one of the most important interview I have conducted to date. Please Visit me here…

Tags: book review, Christian Women Online

I would like to introduce you to Allison Bottke. She is currently having a blog tour for her new book One Little Secret and she graciously agreed to stop by here. Allsion writes “women’s fiction with an attitude!” She published her first book in 2001 which was a collection of short stories titled God Allows U Turns. She is an author, speaker, and a woman who is living her dream. Her writings have coined the phrase “Boomer-lit.” What is that you ask? It is defined as a genre of chick-lit for the more mature woman.

I hate to admit it I am new to Allison writings, but I am blessed by her ministry and I loved reading her new book. Allison’s desire is to have women dream BIG! And with her new book One Little Secret she combines witty characters and big dreams that lead to wonderful twists that only God can make happen.The back of the book reads:

An invitation to record a CD with a hunky, young pop star?
It’s the stuff dreams are made of….right?
For Ursula Rhoades, a suburban wife and Mom,
One little Secret is about to change her whole life.

Allison answered a few questions for us today:

Laurel: I love the name Ursula, one of your main characters in One Little Secret. Can you tell me how you came about choosing that name?

Allison: I was seven years old when Ursula Andress made her screen debut as the first Bond girl in the film Dr. No. I don’t recall seeing her in that movie, but I do recall a year later when I was eight and she starred with Elvis Presley in the movie, Fun in Acapulco. I thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world and her name stuck with me. At the same time, Raquel Welch came on the scene, and her name, too, was unique. I vacillated between Ursula and Raquel when I pictured this character back in my debut novel, A Stitch in Time, (where Ursula was first introduced.)

Laurel: What kind of reader did you have in mind as you wrote One Little Secret?

Allison: Boomer babes like myself! Women who epitomize the baby boomer definition on my Boomer Babes Rock web site.

Laurel: What is the definition of a “Boomer Babe?”

Allison: Here’s the definition that appears on my web site. “A Boomer Babe was born between 1946 and 1964, we are women who are comfortable enough in our own skin to realize that the mid-life years can be some of the best and most exciting in our entire life. That the hubris of youth is behind us and the wisdom of the years has made us pretty darn attractive—both inside and out. We are Boomer Babes and we’re proud of it!”

Laurel: What type of research did you have to do in learning more about the music industry?

Allison: I’ve always been a big fan of the classic American standard love songs that singing icons such as Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra and Harry Belafonte made famous. I knew the songs I wanted to feature in Ursula and Nik’s recording sessions – they have been favorites of mine for many years. But I also conducted a lot of research online. As writers living in this century, we have an amazing gift…THE INTERNET. You can find just about anything you need online. For instance, I needed to know a great deal about the annual GRAMMY AWARDS, including what categories Nik and Cristoff would have been entered in, and who was nominated in previous years and such. I found everything I needed, including song lyrics, online.

Laurel: I like how you demonstrate through your character Ursula, that God can use a person even when their own life is not perfect. Have you ever felt life was spinning out of control, but then out of the blue God uses you in another persons life for His glory?

Allison: Wow, great question. Yes! This seems to happen often to me – I call these occurrences “Godincidences.” Times when we realize that whatever trial we are undergoing really isn’t all that major in the big scheme of things.

Laurel: Your Boomer Babes Rock! blog has gained more and more attention, tell me how the seven of you came together?

Allison: For years I’ve been known as the “God Allows U-Turns Poster Girl.” I’ve been blessed with that moniker and it’s always a joy to share with people how my life direction radically changed. Yet over the years, I found myself being drawn to the challenges my fellow baby boomer sisters were experiencing. In late 2006 I woke up one day with the idea to develop a web site separate from GodAllowsUTurns devoted to boomer women. We launched the new business, BoomerBabesRock on January 1st of 2007. A cornerstone of the outreach is a monthly electronic e-zine that we call a “Dream-Zine.” It’s called Boomer Babes with Brilliant Dreams and our goal is to empower and encourage baby boomer women to achieve the dreams of their heart. Our mission statement is: “Boomer Babes Rock, where fun, fashion, food, family, and faith merge to empower and inspire boomer women around the world!”

As for the blog portion of Boomer Babes Rock…I knew the six ladies I invited to participate on the blog. They are all extraordinary baby boomer women. I’d read their books, met most of them personally, and knew they had messages to share with readers. I wanted this daily blog to be more diverse than simply Musings by Me (smile). Each of our blog team have a specific day they blog. I sure hope your readers will check out their Profile pages on our blog and stop by often to read what they have to share.

Here is their blog posting schedule:

Monday = Dotsie Bregel, Founder of NABBW (National Assoc. of Baby Boomer Women)
Tuesday = Eva Marie Everson, Author and Speaker
Wednesday = Connie Pombo, Author & Speaker
Thursday = Keri Wyatt Kent, Author & Speaker
Friday = T. Suzanne Eller, Author & Speaker
Saturday = Allison Bottke, (moi!)
Sunday = A Day of Rest
Pinch Hitter = Cheryll Hutchings

Laurel: Okay, how did you come up with the story idea for One Little Secret?

Allison: The idea actually germinated from a television interview I saw with Meryl Streep well over a dozen years ago. I think maybe it was with Larry King. She said she would love to work on a film where she got to sing. I’ve heard her sing and she has a fabulous voice (Alas, Prairie Home Companion didn’t do her justice.) I’ve always wanted to work in films and from that interview I began to write a script for her…figured I’d create a role she couldn’t refuse. Nothing like starting at the top of the Hollywood food chain, eh? I mean, seriously, Meryl Streep? But the more I though about it, the more the ideas came. I called the screenplay, JUST A HOUSEWIFE, because as the lead character, she would be anything but.

When Bethany House asked me for another novel after A STITCH IN TIME, I remembered this screenplay gathering dust on my shelf and pitched them the idea. And voila! Just a Housewife became One Little Secret. As an FYI to your readers, because I still dream of Meryl Streep playing the lead of Ursula Rhoades, I’ve developed a Hollywood Casting Call Contest on my web site where folks can vote for their favorite actors and actresses to play Ursula and Nik and some of the other cast of characters from One Little Secret.

Laurel: Glad you mentioned that, because I was going to bring it up…what exactly is the Hollywood Casting Call Contest all about?

Allison: It’s a whimsical contest but if the book is actually ever adapted to a screenplay, I’m going to award the person who best guesses the actual movie cast with an all expense paid trip to Hollywood. Your readers can vote on who they think would make the best Ursula and Nik—from stars like Catherine Zeta Jones and Antonio Banderas. It’s a fun and funky contest, how about you stopping by and voting, okay? Check out the contest here: http://www.boomerbabesrock.com/bookcontests.html

Laurel: With this new book released and moving all at the same time I bet your head is spinning. What is next?

Allison: Whew! Getting through this move from MN to TX is the main thing right now, along with this Blog Tour. But I’m working on a new series of novels for boomer women! I’ve just been contracted by David C. Cook Publishers to write three new Boomer-Lit books in a series I’ve called THE VA VA VA BOOM series. All three books will introduce entrepreneurial boomer babes who own their own businesses. Additionally, each woman has a deep dark secret and a deep dream desire. The first book in the series will release in 2009.

Oh…but…I have a serious non-fiction book releasing this March from Harvest House Publishers. It’s called SETTING BOUNDARIES WITH YOUR ADULT CHILDREN – SIX STEPS TO HOPE AND HEALING. This book comes from my heart and was written to help parents in pain who have been enabling their adult children to gain SANITY and stop the craziness.

Laurel: Is there anything you’d like to share with my readers that I haven’t asked you about?

Allison: I guess one of the main things I’d like to ask is that your readers please pick up a copy of One Little Secret and read it—and then let me know what they thought of it. I really want to grow as a writer and obtaining reader feedback is vital for that to happen. Also vital is the word-of-mouth recommendations readers can make about books they enjoy. If your readers like One Little Secret, I pray they will share it with others—and encourage their local bookstores to carry my work. I’d also like to invite your readers to visit my web sites where they can sign up for our free monthly Dream-zine, see my Blog Tour schedule, and read the Writer’s Guidelines for the next volumes in the God Allows U-Turns series. Here are the web site URL’s: www.AllisonBottke.com , www.GodAllowsUTurns.com and www.BoomerBabesRock.com (you can just click on the links and it will take you right to the web sites).

However, more important than that is my final word of the day…and that is for your readers to take the risk and reach for their dreams! God has placed a desire in your heart—He has given you special gifts—and he wants you to use them. No matter how old we are—there is still time to discover God’s purpose for our life—and to make the choices that will change the story of our life.

Laurel: Thanks for taking the time to interview here at Laurel Wreath. I look forward to the times we connect in the future!

Allison: Thanks so much for having me!

I have to say I really enjoyed reading this book, in fact it kept me up late. I could not go to bed until I had it finished. This is the perfect book to whisk you away and make you dream big. Thank you so much Allison for helping me dream big. I would also like to mention that Allison is a regular contributor at Christian Women Online, she writes a monthly column titled Boomer Babes Rock. Be sure to visit her monthly and READ HER BOOK.