1 Mar 2013

AUTHOR CATCH-UP: LISA BECKER.

Perhaps the biggest bookish surprise of last year for me was Click: An Online Love Story (see my review HERE). Not usually a fan of the letter/email format of writing as most of you know I was truly taken aback by just how much I enjoyed this debut novel by Lisa Becker.

Delighted to receive an email from Lisa about the sequel, Double Click, I'm honoured that she took the time to tell us how her own experience of online dating inspired Click and to tell us more about its follow-up.

I first met my husband while wearing my pajamas.  Really!  No, we weren't at some kinky singles party.  I was sitting comfortably in my apartment and he was hanging out in his.  But, I will never forget his email introduction via an online dating service, which invited me to check out his profile.  It was sweet, endearing and intriguing enough for me to log on to learn more about him.  After a week of emails, followed by a week of phone calls, we met for our first date - a traditional dinner and movie outing.  Even before I opened the door to greet him, I knew he was "the one."  Considering he lived 30 miles away, I'm not certain our paths would have typically crossed.  But after nearly 13 years together - including nearly 10 years of marriage (which in Los Angeles is apparently no small feat!) and two beautiful daughters, I have no doubt he is my soul mate. 

After my now-husband and I met online, I was recalling some of the hilarious experiences that I had during the whole online dating experience.  How could I forget the guy who started every story (no joke!) with “My buddies and I were out drinking one night.”   I decided to capture some of them in writing and, from there and based loosely on my own experiences, my novel Click: An Online Love Story emerged.  The entire story is told in emails between our heroine, Renee Greene, her three best friends and the gentlemen suitors she meets online.  The format felt like a modern way to tell the story that fit the topic, and allowed readers to develop an intimate relationship with the characters.

Clearly, I’m a big fan of online dating and find it to be a useful tool for young professionals who are busy working and finding it difficult to make the right connection at the gym, bar, coffee shop or grocery aisle.  I say, people today are “married” to their cell phones and laptops, so why not use that technology to really get married, right?


While Click doesn’t end with a wedding (sorry for the spoiler!), during Renee’s road to happiness, we find many advantages to online dating.  My five favorite are:
  • On Your Own Terms – Online dating provides a relaxed, anytime and on your own terms experience.  Share as little or as much information as you want.  Avoid people you are not interested in.  Communicate at your convenience.   But, don’t send a message at 2:30 am.  Nothing smacks more of desperation than an email from someone trolling the Internet for a date in the wee hours of the morning. 
  • Multi-Tasking Enabled – Flirt while filing your taxes.  Chat and trim your nails.  Meet a mate while making breakfast.  It’s a well-known fact that women are great multi-taskers.  Take full advantage of that skill.  As Shelley, the over-sexed character in Click says to the about-to-try-online-dating Renee, “A whole host of hot and horny single men that I can review, chat with, judge and mock – all while sitting in my office looking very busy.  Maybe I should give it a try myself.”
  • Trade the “Meat Market” for the “Meet Market” – Now you can avoid the “meat market” scene of bars and clubs and instead enjoy a “meet market” – an international bazaar (but let’s hope not too bizarre) of prospective mates.  The Internet allows you to make an online introduction to thousands if not millions of people around the world.  So, if you want to meet someone in Katmandu, well then, can do!
  • Save Time, Money and Energy – Let’s face it.  Dating isn’t cheap.   It takes time, money and, likely your most valuable and scarce resource, energy.   With the “try before you buy” environment of online dating, you don’t have to meet for a drink, grab a coffee or sit through a long dinner only to discover there’s no physical attraction, you have nothing in common, conversation is lacking, etc.     
  • Rejection Made Easy – In Click, Renee gets an email from someone halfway across the world looking to meet someone willing to move for him.  After sending a polite and diplomatic “thanks but no thanks” email message, she proclaims to her friend, “It’s so much easier to reject someone over that Internet than in real life.  Score one for online dating!”   While rejection is easier for both parties when done online, it’s important to remember that people still have feelings.
As I've said many times before, if it happened for me, there's hope for you.  So log on and take a chance.   To purchase Click, please click here.   To follow updates on Click and share your stories about online dating, visit the Click Facebook fan page.

Thanks for that Lisa. Now if you'd like to tell us a little more about Double Click and in particular, as my only 'criticism' of Click was that I'd loved to have heard more of Mark's story, without giving too much away, can you tell me if he'll feature in this?


Fans of the romantic hit Click: An Online Love Story will enjoy another voyeuristic dive into the lives of Renee, Shelley, Ashley, Mark and Ethan, as Double Click picks up with their lives six months later.  Are Renee and Ethan soul mates? Does Mark ever go on a date? Has Shelley run out of sexual conquests in Los Angeles? Will Ashley's judgmental nature sabotage her budding relationship?  Through a marriage proposal, wedding, new baby and unexpected love twist, Double Click answers these questions and more.  Readers will continue to cheer, laugh, cry and cringe following the email exploits of Renee and friends. 

As for Mark, While he is still a supporting character in the book, we do find out if he gets a "happily ever after."  In the first book he doesn't meet anyone because the real-life person who inspired his character - and got me to actually try online dating - never went on a date with anyone he met either. And although this friend is still single, I took reader feedback and made sure we find out what happens to Mark. I hope you will enjoy!

And one last thing ..... Do you have a publication date yet?

Yes, the expected date is April the 13th. More details will be posted on my Facebook as they became available.

- Lisa.



 Disclaimer: Removal of any part of this post without my express consent is considered copyright infringement. This post was created by and for Petty Witter @ Pen and Paper. If you are reading this post on any other site please contact the original blog owner/reviewer.

11 comments:

Kelly said...

Though I'm not usually drawn to romances, this sounds like such a fun premise!

Yvonne @ Fiction Books Reviews said...

Hi Tracy and Lisa,

It is always great to come across an author who can hold their own and come up with a guest post which is fun and inormative, without the interviewer needing to follow the staid 'question and answer' routine!

I am so pleased that internet dating worked out so well for you Lisa, however I have a friend, who finding herself alone and in her mid fifties, decided to take up the challenge of online dating. Some of the experiences she has had, you couldn't even make up, they are simply hilarious. Needless to say, she is still searching for 'Mr. Right'!!!

I am not sure that these are books that I would pick off the shelves in the bookshop, yet they do have a certain 'nosiness' appeal, which has me intrigued.

Great post Tracy and I hope that you both have a good weekend,

Yvonne

Lisa Becker said...

Thanks Tracy for the support of Click and Double Click. Yvonne, thanks for your thoughtful comment. I hope your friend finds someone she "clicks" with soon.
Best, Lisa Becker

Suko said...

What a fabulous guest post! I think more and more people are "meeting" online, and these books sound like a fun and informative way to learn more about meeting a significant other in this way. And truly, in a more general sense, there are countless social skills that may be honed online.

Shooting Stars Mag said...

Nice post. I do know a few people that have done online dating...one is married to the person and the other is doing quite well and will probably get engaged this year. So it really can help people. sounds like a fun story. I actually like books in letter format.

Melissa (Books and Things) said...

I'm surprised there isn't more books out there like this since on-line dating is in the mainstream now.

Tangled Cobweb said...

I really enjoyed reading this post and what a great idea to have some background information about online dating.

I admit I've rolled my eyes at online dating and have never really given much thought to the advantages of it, thanks for pointing them out.

Congratulations on your book, I hope it's a runaway hit for you Lisa.

Stephanie@Fairday's Blog said...

I have read about this book now on two blogs and both of you said that the book took you by surprise. I have to say I am intrigued. I love that the book was a hit and I have added it to my list. It sounds fun and different from the books I normally read. Thanks for sharing!

Lisa Becker said...

Wow! I'm totally blown away by all of the nice comments. Thanks for your enthusiasm about my post and book. You can check out the book trailer here at the link below. And it's only 99 cents on Kindle. What a bargain! Thanks again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IkehsEZxbs

The Bookworm said...

Click and Double Click sound very good! I can imagine online dating is an interesting thing, as easier in many ways. This kind of reminds me of the film, "Must Love Dogs", which is one of my favorites. Great post ladies!

Betty Manousos said...

what a marvellous guest post! thank you tracy and lisa.

sounds like a fun story!

i thoroughly enjoyed this post too.

xx