CONGRATULATIONS!
Megan and Cresta are the winners of the Dancing Naked in Dixie Giveaway!
I have sent emails out to the winners and want to thank everyone else for participating! Your support means the world and I wish you the best of luck in upcoming giveaways :)
To the winners: please respond to my email with your address by Friday to claim your prize. If I don’t have your address by then I will have to give the book to a new winner.
Lauren Clark has been sweet enough to provide me with two copies of her latest novel, Dancing Naked in Dixie, to share with two Trees and Ink readers! This book is a fantastic read–perfect for upcoming summer vacations! You can find my review, and more information about the book, here.
To enter, leave a comment with your name, email address, and the one place you have always wanted to visit. That’s it!
For extra entries (1 per), you can subscribe to the blog, follow @TreesandInk on Twitter, and like the Trees and Ink page on Facebook. Just include any extra entries in your comment so that they will be counted (all of your entries can be listed in one comment).
Official Rules:
Good luck!
Dancing Naked in Dixie is a fun, engaging read that has a lot of heart. For full disclosure, I consider Lauren Clark to be a friend of mind. Given that fact, you can imagine my nervousness before I read her first book, Stay Tuned. I hadn’t read any of her writing before and was worried I wouldn’t like it. Given my commitment to honestly on Trees and Ink, I knew that lying about my reaction was completely out. I’m sure, then, that you can appreciate my joy–and, let’s be honest, my relief–when I found Stay Tuned to be a wonderful read! (You can find my review of it here). When Lauren announced the release of Dancing Naked in Dixie I couldn’t wait to crack it open.
My anticipation was not in vain. Dancing Naked in Dixie is a well-written, charming novel that had me literally laughing out loud. The story is about Julia Sullivan, a travel writer from New York City whose glamorous trip to Bali is replaced with a ticket to Eufaula, Alabama. When forced with the decision between writing about a small southern town, which she would rather dance naked than visit, and forfeiting her job, Julia boards the plane to Atlanta and her life changes forever. In Eufaula she finds a different world, one that is both confusing and intriguing but captures her heart nonetheless.
First and foremost, the title and cover are fantastic. Dancing Naked in Dixie is not a title that people will quickly forget, and the cover design and formatting throughout the book are spot on.
Like the cover and title, the characterization of the South is wonderful. I’ve only driven through Alabama, but from my time living in South Carolina I can definitely imagine all of the little details that Clark has included. From “bless your heart!” to the passive-aggressiveness of southern belles, these details really paint a great picture of the South. So, too, does Clark’s depiction of the town of Eufaula. The descriptions of the town and its many historic buildings are detailed, but not so detailed that they are difficult to read; Clark aptly creates a world that is rooted in fact while leaving the reader’s imagination a bit of room to play.
I was also very happy with the protagonist. She is the kind of woman whom I want to be friends with, which makes it so much easier to root for her when those aforementioned passive-aggressive southern belles go into attack mode. Other than simply liking Julia’s character, I love that readers see her change. There were two moments, in particular, where I made a mental note that her paradigm was shifting. She begins to see the world in a new way, and it’s exciting to watch.
I wholeheartedly recommend Dancing Naked in Dixie to anyone who is looking for a fun, light, but heartfelt read. Make sure to put this one in your beach bag before taking off on vacation! In fact, Lauren has been kind enough to furnish two copies of her book for two lucky Trees and Ink readers! The details of the giveaway will be posted a little later :)
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Congratulations to Alysia and Melissa, our Stay Tuned Giveaway winners!
Emails have been sent to the winners. To claim your prize, please send your address to treesandink AT yahoo DOT com by 11:59 pm EST on Wednesday, December 21, 2011. If you do not respond by that time, I will have to choose another winner and you will forfeit the prize, so please get back to me quickly!
To everyone else who participated, thank you so much for your support! Be on the lookout for other great reviews and giveaways!
Lauren Clark has graciously given me 2 copies of her debut novel, Stay Tuned, to share! I reviewed this book earlier and am really excited to send it to two lucky readers.
So, to enter, leave a comment with your name, email address, and favorite thing about live television. That’s it!
For extra entries (1 per), you can subscribe to the blog, follow @TreesandInk on Twitter, and like the Trees and Ink page on Facebook. Just include any extra entries in your comment so that they will be counted.
Official Rules:
Good luck!
Melissa Moore is a busy woman. Producing the six and ten o’clock news for WSGA, adapting to her daughter being away at college, and trying to salvage her relationship with her husband are difficult enough, but things really get hectic when anchor Alyssa punches her co-anchor and boyfriend, Tim, right in the face while cameras are rolling. Melissa is suddenly thrust into the spotlight and must take on even more during her already busy day, but can she balance her new life with her old responsibilities?
Lauren Clark’s Stay Tuned is a fun novel that revolves around Melissa’s daily dramas. From a husband who communicates through Post-Its to a new co-anchor who could schmooze a used car dealer into buying a junker, Melissa is faced with her fair share of difficulties as she strives to learn more about who she is and what she wants out of life.
Cover: Bright, fun, and well-balanced, the cover is well-designed and accurately represents the tone of the novel. I also love the title, which ties in with the book without being too obvious.
Plot: Clark’s book is a page turner. I finished it in one day, which is almost unheard of for me. It seemed as though the book was over before it had begun–and not because it is short. The plot moves quickly, but not too quickly for readers to keep up. It’s a great representation of the atmosphere that Melissa works in, and I think it contributes to the characterization.
Characterization: Melissa is a producer, a mother, a wife, and a best friend. Though she has all of these monikers, she is still a woman who is looking for something to make her happy, fulfilled. I couldn’t help but see Melissa as a kind of Liz Lemon, corralling her anchors and trying to keep her show from falling apart. Once she steps up to fill in for Alyssa, though, the story takes a unique turn.
What I love the most about Melissa is that she is a character that women can relate to. I have been through relationship troubles, identity crises, and professional turning points that, though they may not be as visible or dramatic as those that Melissa must deal with, have made me contemplate similar questions. What do I want to do with my career? What do I want out of my relationship? Is it time to have a child? Do I even want a child? All of these questions, and more, will create a bond between readers and the protagonist.
My grandfather mentioned that women live by different rules in today’s society than they did fifty years ago. Now, women are in charge of their lives and have to make these difficult decisions. Parenthood, being a homemaker, and submission to a husband are not all expected anymore. With the freedom to live the lives we choose, us women must make these difficult decisions. Though they can seem overwhelming at times, these decisions are of pivotal importance to our happiness, and Clark illustrates the ways in which they can affect our lives perfectly.
I recommend Stay Tuned to anyone who is looking for a page turning read. Though you will get through the book quickly, the story and its characters will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
