Is your side hurting yet? It's June Jests here on my blog - and today author Elizabeth Fountain is my special guest.
Thanks for stopping by, Elizabeth! Why don't you start by telling us, what is your favorite style of comedy?
Wow, that’s a tough one. I like just about any style that’s done well. If I must pick, then I choose YOU, satire! Your ability to poke fun at the powerful and pompous evokes great delight in me.
Why do you like to incorporate humor into your stories?
I believe it is impossible – not nearly impossible, not slightly impossible, nor somewhat impossible, but terribly, completely, indubitably impossible to tell stories about human beings without humor. We must laugh in order to survive. Good thing we so often make hilarious fools of ourselves!
How do you incorporate humor into your novels? Do you ever draw inspiration from real life?
Humor pervades this life, if you want to call it “real,” which I’m not at all certain of. Look around you. Observe your fellow human beings at work and play. If you can do this intently for more than five minutes without seeing something to laugh at, well, then, do it for another five minutes. Trust me on this one. Listen to anyone you know sneeze. The human sneeze is ridiculously funny. (Guard yourself with facemasks if you must, for the human sneeze is also ridiculously juicy.) If you find yourself crafting a story without any humor, throw in a dog. Or a cat. Or even a possum. Animals know the wisdom of laughter.
Which of your characters cracks you up the most & why?
I love all my characters the same! Who told you I had a favorite? It’s a lie! (**Whispers: Okay, I think they’re not listening, so I’ll confess: Sergio Leone Eastwood, the villain in my first novel, An Alien’s Guide to World Domination, cracks me up every time he comes into a scene. The way he hikes up his pants to show his prowess, then promptly wets them as soon as an alien lord yells at him, I can’t help but chortle. Sure, he’s evil and all that, but come on! He wets his pants! Ya gotta love the guy, er, alien!**)
And now, how about some This or That?:
Brooklyn Nine-Nine or Big Bang Theory?
What or what? I haven’t had a television for almost four years. The only Brooklyn Nine I know of are the Dodgers, pre-1949, of course. Da Bums hit a few big bangs in their day!
Much Ado About Nothing or A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
How doth thou chooseth between the whip-smart beautiful sarcasm from Beatrice, and sweet, handsome, donkey-eared Bottom pining for Titania? Thou canst not, prithee.
Three Stooges or Laurel & Hardy?
Is my significant other listening? **waves** Three Stooges, honey! (Totally Laurel and Hardy, of course.)
Erma Bombeck or Dave Barry?
Is my mother listening? **waves** Erma Bombeck is awesome, Mom! (Totally Dave Barry, of course.)
Here's more details about Elizabeth's books:
An Alien’s Guide to World Domination (2013)
Louise Armstrong Holliday is the last person on Earth you’d expect to save the human race. But when she uncovers proof that her boss is an alien the color of lime Jell-O™ gone horribly wrong, and is at the center of a plot to destroy humanity, Louie decides to do exactly that. She begins a journey from her company’s suburban Seattle office park to the old cities and castles of Eastern Europe. Along the way, Louie is attacked by flying books, overly-sensitive bat-crow monsters, and her own self-doubts. She must learn the truth about her closest friend, stand up to her boss, confront her oldest enemy, and make peace with her Aunt Emma, who annoys her in the way only true family can. She also has to rely on Buddy, the little blind mini-Schnauzer who saves her life twice – and really is from Mars.
You, Jane (2014)
Jane Margaret Blake’s problem isn’t her drinking. Sure, she’s missing work, and forgetting she’s already fed her cat, who’s getting a little fat. But Jane’s real problem is the reason she drinks: she writes stories that come true and wreak havoc in her life.
In her “fables” animals, people, angels, and the Universe itself conspire to destroy Jane’s last chance to be with her old love, or, just maybe, to bring her into the arms of a new love. Years ago, a fable pushed Jane’s best friend Charlie into marrying another woman. Now another fable shoves Charlie’s little boy in front of an angry dog - or worse, a wicked spirit bent on getting Jane and Charlie to face the truths they’ve spent a lifetime avoiding.
As her drinking and writing spiral out of control, Jane must finally discover how to write her own happy ending.
For more from Elizabeth:
Buy link: https://lizfountain.wordpress.com/books-reviews/
Web site: http://lizfountain.wordpress.com
Thanks for stopping by, Elizabeth! Why don't you start by telling us, what is your favorite style of comedy?
Wow, that’s a tough one. I like just about any style that’s done well. If I must pick, then I choose YOU, satire! Your ability to poke fun at the powerful and pompous evokes great delight in me.
Why do you like to incorporate humor into your stories?
I believe it is impossible – not nearly impossible, not slightly impossible, nor somewhat impossible, but terribly, completely, indubitably impossible to tell stories about human beings without humor. We must laugh in order to survive. Good thing we so often make hilarious fools of ourselves!
How do you incorporate humor into your novels? Do you ever draw inspiration from real life?
Humor pervades this life, if you want to call it “real,” which I’m not at all certain of. Look around you. Observe your fellow human beings at work and play. If you can do this intently for more than five minutes without seeing something to laugh at, well, then, do it for another five minutes. Trust me on this one. Listen to anyone you know sneeze. The human sneeze is ridiculously funny. (Guard yourself with facemasks if you must, for the human sneeze is also ridiculously juicy.) If you find yourself crafting a story without any humor, throw in a dog. Or a cat. Or even a possum. Animals know the wisdom of laughter.
Which of your characters cracks you up the most & why?
I love all my characters the same! Who told you I had a favorite? It’s a lie! (**Whispers: Okay, I think they’re not listening, so I’ll confess: Sergio Leone Eastwood, the villain in my first novel, An Alien’s Guide to World Domination, cracks me up every time he comes into a scene. The way he hikes up his pants to show his prowess, then promptly wets them as soon as an alien lord yells at him, I can’t help but chortle. Sure, he’s evil and all that, but come on! He wets his pants! Ya gotta love the guy, er, alien!**)
And now, how about some This or That?:
Brooklyn Nine-Nine or Big Bang Theory?
What or what? I haven’t had a television for almost four years. The only Brooklyn Nine I know of are the Dodgers, pre-1949, of course. Da Bums hit a few big bangs in their day!
Much Ado About Nothing or A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
How doth thou chooseth between the whip-smart beautiful sarcasm from Beatrice, and sweet, handsome, donkey-eared Bottom pining for Titania? Thou canst not, prithee.
Three Stooges or Laurel & Hardy?
Is my significant other listening? **waves** Three Stooges, honey! (Totally Laurel and Hardy, of course.)
Erma Bombeck or Dave Barry?
Is my mother listening? **waves** Erma Bombeck is awesome, Mom! (Totally Dave Barry, of course.)
Here's more details about Elizabeth's books:
An Alien’s Guide to World Domination (2013)
Louise Armstrong Holliday is the last person on Earth you’d expect to save the human race. But when she uncovers proof that her boss is an alien the color of lime Jell-O™ gone horribly wrong, and is at the center of a plot to destroy humanity, Louie decides to do exactly that. She begins a journey from her company’s suburban Seattle office park to the old cities and castles of Eastern Europe. Along the way, Louie is attacked by flying books, overly-sensitive bat-crow monsters, and her own self-doubts. She must learn the truth about her closest friend, stand up to her boss, confront her oldest enemy, and make peace with her Aunt Emma, who annoys her in the way only true family can. She also has to rely on Buddy, the little blind mini-Schnauzer who saves her life twice – and really is from Mars.
You, Jane (2014)
Jane Margaret Blake’s problem isn’t her drinking. Sure, she’s missing work, and forgetting she’s already fed her cat, who’s getting a little fat. But Jane’s real problem is the reason she drinks: she writes stories that come true and wreak havoc in her life.
In her “fables” animals, people, angels, and the Universe itself conspire to destroy Jane’s last chance to be with her old love, or, just maybe, to bring her into the arms of a new love. Years ago, a fable pushed Jane’s best friend Charlie into marrying another woman. Now another fable shoves Charlie’s little boy in front of an angry dog - or worse, a wicked spirit bent on getting Jane and Charlie to face the truths they’ve spent a lifetime avoiding.
As her drinking and writing spiral out of control, Jane must finally discover how to write her own happy ending.
For more from Elizabeth:
Buy link: https://lizfountain.wordpress.com/books-reviews/
Web site: http://lizfountain.wordpress.com
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