Who Might Try Out These Books

If you go for a bit of quirky and a dash of magic realism with a heaping serving of easy-breezy friendship-romance, these might be your cup of tea. (I always feel squidgy describing the books; if you've read them and have a better summary, I definitely welcome your take!)

The "Wilfair" books are not really YA but NA, rather -- new adult.

There are three 20 year olds at the center of the story, and an 18 year old, and two 10 year olds, and a couple of 45 year olds, and a 24 year old, a 23 year old, and, soon, a couple of people in their 60s and younger teens.

The Lady in Sequins, if she's real, is probably about 90. Or 200? She's very elusive, that maybe-fake hotel ghost.

Some of the themes -- coughsexyhuggingcough -- are appropriate to 20 year olds, but keeping semi-classy is one of my main goals. I may classy-down later, if it suits the story, but so far innuendo, flirting, light suggestion, and appropriate physical contact are keeping things at about where I want them.

"Appropriate physical contact" sounds cold. It isn't cold touching, in the books, I hope. Opposite.

A teacher told me she shared the books with her 8th grade girls. And two readers have shared the books with their moms. I'd like that to remain something people can do -- share the books and not be too blushy-in-the-face over certain bits.

Maybe a little blushy.

Wilfair Magpie Box

Now that I've shared the Wilfair Character Poster, complete with its toothy, horned monsters, here's another thing I use while writing the books: a magpie box.

I was inspired by choreographer Twyla Tharp, who is said to drag things, like a magpie might do, into a pile. Those things? Any object or item that might inspire her next project.

So what's in Wilfair's magpie box? Postcards and quotes and magazine ads and the random physical object. Anything, in short, that has the potential to jumpstart ideas or make me think about the stories in a new way.

Yep, there's a cup. Cups show up at the end of "Redwoodian," so naturally my magpie box needed one. There's also a postcard of a bridge way in the back of the box. Future hint.

Update: I realized that my magpie box lacked a pinecone. Situation remedied. See photo #2.

Wilfair Character Poster

There are a number of characters in the "Wilfair" books and some to come. With that in mind, I ran by the sticker store at LA's own famous Farmers Market -- that's where Sutton Von Hunt works -- and bought some monster/animal/monkey/fish stickers so I could group characters together, the better to track where the new people fit.

The top photo is a bit small on purpose; I didn't want it to spoil surprises, since there are people on the poster who have not yet been mentioned. It's also a bit creased; you can see how much I drag that thing around.

The bottom photo features a close-up of the characters you likely know, if you've read the books. It was hard choosing what monster for what character.

And once again, I know I'm not doing much to dispel that quirky rep I seem to have gained. :) What? Stickers are cool. Everyone knows that.

Oh, and I realize that Fair and Sutton are the smaller monsters in the line-up. It isn't a guy-girl thing; I just wanted both Sutton and Monty to be the monsters with horns. Mrs. Finley is, in fact, much larger than Mr. Finley on the poster. She's a giraffe, which suits her big personality.

Small Inspirations

A famous sci-fi author visited my college writing class and revealed something I never forgot: He got an idea for a book series by reading the back of a can of household cleanser.

Since then I've looked for inspirations in small places rather than large. Here are a few things that have played a part in inspiring the "Wilfair" series.

-- That moment in the 2005 "Pride & Prejudice" when Bingley furtively touches the back of Jane's dress. I'd look up the exact time but I think it comes about ten minutes into the film, at a party. It lasts for all of a second. It fills my head with glitter.

-- The middle part of Pete Yorn's "Life on a Chain." The chorus goes "I was waiting over here for life to begin. I was looking for the new thing and you were the sunshine in my frontline. I was alone and you were just around the corner from me."

-- The smell of tar and methane around the corner of Wilshire and Fairfax in Los Angeles.

--  "Something" by the Beatles. George Harrison, my favorite Beatle, makes me think of Gomery. Gomery looks quite different, in my mind, but when I see photos of George Harrison from the late '60s I sometimes think of a fictional motel employee. Maybe it is in how the musician stands or his love of corduroy. George Harrison's hands, too, playing guitar. Please. :)

-- The way an orange hangs heavily on a branch.

-- This kiss from "The General." I'm a huge silent film fan and the moment Buster Keaton plants one on his ladyfriend, while they're trying to stop a runaway train, made me think a lot about runaway trains, couples, and how sometimes you need to stop, despite the imminent danger, and plant one, hard.

This kiss is pretty hot for 1926.

Well, film kiss, I should say. People in 1926 kissed just like we do today.

The Princess and the Castle

If someone called the WILFAIR series a princess-castle story, I wouldn't object. Putting a modern, urban spin on the traditional princess-castle story has very much intrigued me.

I adore those old stories, or most of them. But I wanted to write about a princess who is in charge of her castle. She isn't just a figurehead. And even though she doesn't own her power yet, I wanted her to find a way to embrace her strength and talents.

And hotels, especially the very large and historic ones, are definitely city castles. Like a castle, a hotel is a busy little world unto itself, self-contained and complete with all needs. And hotels are castles anyone can stay at, too, which I love. It's that come-one-come-all spirit that infuses a hotel with immediate dramatic potential.

So:

Princess=Fair Finley
Castle=Wilfair Hotel
Kingdom=Finley family's nine California hotels

In the end, the princess of the WILFAIR books knows she has to get her key-wrap together. Thank goodness she is getting closer to the blacksmith and candlemaker next door. They won't be responsible for her owning her power -- that's totally her journey -- but their friendships will lend support and maybe a little sparkle to her day-to-day castle-managing duties.

Dates

These aren't especially important to the plot but in case you're wondering...

WILFAIR opens on the afternoon of Thursday, Dec. 2.

When REDWOODIAN wraps it is the very early morning hours of Sunday, Dec. 5.

Fair Finley's 20th birthday is on Sunday, Dec. 12.

The year? The one we're currently in. Ish. :)

Ten Things

I like mystery but not obscurification. I hate even typing that word. Who doesn't?

So here are a few things to know about the Wilfair books.

1. They're often called quirky. This isn't the first label I'd apply to the books but lots of people do. That is a-ok by me and a nice compliment. I'm actually a rather practical person who isn't given to quirky in my daily life -- at least I don't think. I like for all the ones in my wallet to face in a single direction, is what I'm saying. (Though I did carry a lunchbox as a purse for a bit. Quirky?)

2. The books form a continuing storyline. Each book will have a rise and fall, as books should, but questions will remain and larger arcs will continue. I'll eventually wrap up. There are 11 hotels and motels mentioned, and I'd love to write something for each. I may, however, tie things up much sooner, if it feels right. I also might write later novellas, if people would like, to check in with Fair and Co. I enjoy writing about these characters very much.

3. The books are talky. Certainly Redwoodian is, and the next book, Stay Awhile, is looking to be its equal. When I first wrote Wilfair I curbed my dialogue-y tendencies (although it is still pretty dialogue-heavy) because I tried to think about what a traditional book looked like. But I freakin' flip over how people communicate and what they're saying and what they're not saying. It's my sweet spot, and since I'm writing this series out of love, it is my intention to never stray too far from it. (There's my advice, regardless of pursuit: Never stray too far from your sweet spot.)

4. The books are short. Well. Sort of. Wilfair and Redwoodian clock in around mid-60k for word count; I'm hoping to keep future book(s) at about the same length. Or shorter, even. That length feels right for these stories. (Early May update: Halfway through writing Stay Awhile and a bulk of the ending is written, meaning I'm basically tackling the third fourth now. It is looking like it might end up in the 70s, not the 60s, so what I typed here earlier, about wanting to stay in the 60s, is kind of null and void. I'm hoping to keep it to the 70s, in fact. It has to end in a particular spot. Anywho. Stopping talking now.) (Early December update: Stay Awhile is longer than that!)

5. The ebooks will always be affordable. "Affordable" means different things to different people, of course. Right now the first two books are $1.99. I may raise the price down the road, but not by much. Print versions would be more, of course, just due to the materials. But I personally adore affordable and hope you do, too. I bet we have that in common.

6. I love talking to readers. Feel free to ping me, whether you liked the books or you want to know when Fair's going to grow up. (I worry about Fair growing up, too, but she's getting there.)

7. I'm working on putting the books into print. I'm going through Wilfair now on a typo and minor tweak search in advance of its second edition. I'm hoping print versions can happen in 2013. I also might stick the first chapter of Redwoodian at the end of Wilfair as a preview. Good idea? Let me know.

8. The swearing is light. What constitutes "really bad words" is up to the ear of the beholder. I'm modelling the books on what I like. While I speak freely and sometimes colorfully with friends and in private, I'm not a huge fan of swearing near strangers. Old-fashioned? Maybe. Still, there are a few "craps" and "hells" now and then. The characters (mostly) comport themselves in a courteous fashion. Not Sutton, so much. She says what she likes.

9. The romance is light. So far. The characters involved tell me they have other plans.

10. I can't stand when an author pretends her characters are in the driver's seat. And yet I just did. Fair and Gomery have been driving the first third of Stay Awhile. And I can't seem to wrestle the steering wheel away.

What's in a Setting: Wilfair's Neighborhood

I flat-out, hands-down, forever-and-ever love The Wilfair's real neighborhood.

It's in the middle of Los Angeles. That adds a lot of excitement, yes, but I chose this setting for the Wilfair series for four reasons.

1. I wanted to set a magical hotel at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue and I wanted to name it Wilfair. I wanted to set a magical motel on that very same corner and name it Fairwil. (Okay, that's two reasons.)

2. One of the world's most famous and picturesque fossil sites is walking distance. It's the La Brea Tar Pits, or simply the tar pits to the locals.

3. One of the world's most famous and treasure-filled art museums is walking distance. It's the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, or LACMA to the locals.

4. One of the world's most famous and beloved public markets is walking distance. It's called the Original Farmers Market, or FM to the locals. (That's what my friends and I call it, anyway, when we're in a rush to get to all the good food.)

I'm prone to hyperbole, I admit it, but I think calling those three locations world-famous is on the money. So a magical hotel and motel seemed a natural fit for the area.

And when Fair and her friends/enemies want to leave their hotel and motel and go out, they've got three amazing, cinematic places to hang, no car required. (Yep, the hotel heiress has a driver, and the motel guys have a van, but they prefer to go on foot in LA's most walkable area.)

I love you, tar pits, LACMA, and FM.

The Stuff of Wilfair

I'm not a stuff person, generally, but I like stories that include particular items and revisit those items for different reasons. Call them a tale's physical hallmarks.

So when I wrote Wilfair and Redwoodian I included a few things I could revisit. Like a snood. A four-color pen. Tar. Dips.

I've compiled those items for both books but the lists will definitely contain spoilers if you haven't read one or both. If you don't intend to read the books, click away. If you have read the books, click away.

The Stuff of Wilfair

The Stuff of Redwoodian

Two Wilfair Themes

People want to kiss in the books and some odd things happen, too -- that's all important -- but if you don't have nice and you don't have elbow grease, you don't have much in this world.


















Cr: Larry Buchanan Design (gorgeous work)

About the Wilfair Series

A (possibly) magical motel, a (potentially) haunted hotel, and the young (and infatuated) competitors running each are at the heart of Wilfair.

Hotel heiress Fair Finley is a week shy of her twentieth birthday, eats frosting for breakfast, and dresses like long-gone film goddesses. She isn't yet the seasoned leader her hotel magnate parents want her to be, due to the fact she's prone to pleasing people who often don't deserve to be pleased.

Fair's first problem? She inherited The Wilfair Hotel long before she was ready to oversee it. But her major headache? The famous Los Angeles landmark she owns famously lacks a swimming pool. The motel next door has one, but the handsome cousins who own the property won't let the young executive steal it; they're rather fond of Fair, she thinks, maybe, possibly, sort of, and she's a little mad at, and mad about, them. And stealing 24,500 gallons of water from someone you like is complicated, messy, and nearly impossible.

Further flying up Fair’s ointment? A hotel ghost that suddenly isn’t acting like itself, friendly movie stars with memorable forearms, and physical places showing up where they shouldn’t be.

The title is inspired by a real Los Angeles intersection. Here's a map.

Wilfair, in Long

The stories are about:

• love
• cheese dip
• memorable forearms
• places changing places with other places
• living practically on top of someone you like but can't have
• getting over your stuff
• movie stars
• weird hotels
• glamorous ghosts
• turning enemyship into friendship
• turning friendship into something more

The books are not expensive because I know readers are taking a chance. I adore chances. And I adore hot cider, made with real apples, so I'm determined the Wilfair books cost about what a well-made warm beverage costs, be it a cider, toddy, or cocoa (whipped cream and fancy sugar sprinkles included). Here's more on my Hot Cider Guide to Pricing an Indie Ebook.

Thank you!
Alysia