Showing posts with label Tales from the Laundry Pile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tales from the Laundry Pile. Show all posts

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Guest Post: Kathleen Kole


Welcome back for another stop on the CLP Blog Tour for Kathleen Kole's novel Tales from the Laundry Pile. I reviewed the enjoyable novel on Monday (the review is here if you missed it) and today Kathleen is here with a fabulous guest post. As I mentioned in my review, I was looking forward to seeing what characters from previous novels would pop up in this one so I wanted to know if the cameos were always a planned thing or if the characters just demanded more attention. I loved this post and I hope you do, too! 

Cameos... The Who, What, Where, When and How

Who:
When I wrote my first novel, I must admit I didn’t have the thought of allowing my characters to have cameos in later books.  I was writing that story, so that was where my thoughts centered.

What:
It was in my second novel, Dollars to Donuts, that the idea of allowing my characters to have cameos began to blossom.  I had become very fond of them and it seemed only right to allow them to flit in here and there in following Boxwood Hills based novels, adding their charms where applicable.

Where:
In my next book, Favorable Conditions, the first cameos came to light.  The story was a perfect fit for a certain vivacious twosome to story-hop, as well as a few other characters my readers would recognize (no spoilers!).

When:
All of that being said, I can assure you I chose who comes and goes in each novel.  My characters are “very good listeners” and do what they’re told! Haha!

How:
As for how I choose who, what and/or where a character might make a cameo, that depends completely on the story at hand.  As each new novel is created and the Boxwood Hills universe expands, former characters and their lives and personalities just fit in where they would naturally be.  Sounds odd, I’ll admit, but hopefully that makes sense.

So, there we have it.  The who, what, where, when and how my characters find their way into each other’s stories.  The Boxwood Hills universe is alive and well in my thoughts and nothing brings me more joy than to continue to write new tales and introduce my readers to more and more of the residents and their stories.

That being said, I sincerely hope Claire’s story in Tales from the Laundry Pile is embraced with as much kindness and openheartedness as have my other three.  I am blessed beyond measure to have such fantastic, loyal readers.

Thank you, Kaley, for allowing me the privilege of writing this guest post and thank you for doing me the honor of being a part of the blog tour.  Your support throughout my journey has been stellar and means more than words can say.
xxx


Blogger note: *blushes* 

Monday, July 8, 2013

CLP Blog Tour: Tales from the Laundry Pile


I couldn't be happier to be kicking off the CLP Blog Tour for Kathleen Kole's novel Tales from the Laundry Pile. I've read and enjoyed all of Kole's previous novels and I'm happy to say that I really liked her latest as well!

Here's the synopsis:
Claire Jamieson has moved back home to Boxwood Hills... And, she's not alone. Trailing behind her overworked laundry basket is her husband and their energetic twin boys.
Claire had always thought that once she'd left the nest, she'd never return. Now that she has, she's wondering what type of bird that makes her... Cuckoo?
When she has a moment to pause and catch her breath, she'll let you know.
I was really looking forward to the fact that this book would be set in Boxwood Hills because I was sure characters from previous novels would make appearances. Happily, I was right! Claire becomes good friends with Jessica (from Dollars to Donuts) and Thomas (who, I believe, appears in a couple of books) plays a hilarious role in the story. I couldn't wait for Thomas and Josephine (Claire's mom) to meet because I knew the result would be amusing. I also loved all the scenes with Thomas and Claire's twin boys. He's such a rough-around-the-edges character that it was sweet and funny to read as he interacted with four and a half year old boys.

I felt like I was constantly giggling throughout this novel. There were so many scenes that were ridiculous (in a good way) and had me laughing out loud. That being said...the novel was all fun and games. Claire had a lot of issues to work through that all stem from needing to be perfect and have everything in order. She has an incredibly judgemental mother in law (ugh, that woman drove me up the wall. I wished I could give her a talking to on behalf of Claire.) and her own mother appears to be flighty and unconcerned about appearances and consequences. Claire had a great support system though. Jake seems like a fabulous husband and father and Jessica turned out to be an amazing friend. I have to say, though, that it was sometimes hard to read about how uptight Claire was in the beginning. Maybe it's because I just couldn't understand how she'd demand perfection when she has twin boys. This was a minor issue though and I really liked reading about how Claire changed herself for the better.

Tales from the Laundry Pile was a really enjoyable read. It's not my favourite of Kathleen Kole's (that honour goes to Favorable Conditions) but I still liked reading it. Check back on Thursday when Kathleen stops by with a great guest post!

Happy reading :)