Michael Lee West:
Gone with a Handsomer Man
Book Club Discussion
Queenie D chats with author Michael Lee West about her latest novel, Gone with a Handsomer Man
Gone with a Handsomer Man interview with Michael Lee West
Tell
us about how Teeny came to be. She's such a unique, quirky character and I'm wishing she was my best friend! What/who was your inspiration for her?
Teeny
was inspired by a dream about red velvet cake. From the moment she started talking, I knew she was different from my other characters, but I can't explain why.
She's just herself, based on no "real" person, but she feels quite real to me...maybe too real. She has her own blog,
The World According to Teeny, and she posts near-daily "out-of-the-book" adventures.
Gone with a Handsomer Man interview with Michael Lee West
Why
does Dora like Teeny so much better than her stepson? Does she just hate the Jackson men or does she truly like Teeny?
Dora's
baby sister, Gloria, resembled Teeny--an ash-blonde with gappy teeth, big boobs, and curvy hips. Unfortunately, Glo passed away when her convertible rear-ended
a truck filled with giant pumpkins. Plus, Dora and Teeny were rabid film buffs.
Gone with a Handsomer Man interview with Michael Lee West
How did
Teeny's experience as her mother's daughter shape her adult years?
I
was thinking about this last night, actually, and I made a little video about it. I've written about
child abuse and alcoholism before, but Teeny was unsinkable. I'm exploring her inner bouyancy in the sequel (I'm revising it, so that's why this is on my mind).
Gone with a Handsomer Man interview with Michael Lee West
By the
same token, how did being raised by her aunt shape her as well?
She
was touched by Bluette's grace in a thousand ways. Bluette had an intuitive grasp of human nature. Teeny would have been totally different if she'd been raised
by Aunt Goldie (a professional clown who has a psychic daughter) or Aunt Pinky (lives on Chamor Island, GA, with wild horses and a son, Ira, who is making a
Talking Jesus doll). Now that Bluette is dead, she has become Teeny's moral compass.
Gone with a Handsomer Man interview with Michael Lee West
You
must be a cook of great talent yourself in order to be able to write about recipes and the love of food the way you do. Am I right? I'm a Foodie and I love
to cook, but my skills are rudimentary at best. What’s your background in cooking?
I
grew up with a wild tribe of southern Foodies where every meal is the best and is described in detail, with a few discursive side helpings. A recipe for stuffed
cabbage will turn into a sad tale of vegetable-sized tumors, etc.
Gone with a Handsomer Man interview with Michael Lee West
It
seemed like Teeny and Coop quickly jumped into a very serious relationship. Is this just because they are picking up where they left off as teenagers, but
as adults now?
Teeny
and Coop grew up in Bonaventure, Georgia. They've known each other forever. He imprinted on her. When Teeny was an itty girl, she went to the First Baptist
Easter egg hunt and got knocked down by a teenager in a bunny suit. Coop was just a year older than Teeny, but he helped her up, and just like that, Coop imprinted
on her brain as if she were a baby goose.
BCQ: Is it a recipe for disaster?
Michael Lee West: I'm taking the Fifth on this one.
Gone with a Handsomer Man interview with Michael Lee West
So, I
see that there are at least two more books slated for the "Teeny Templeton" series. Will she always be involved in some mysterious situation? Can you give
us a hint at what's in store for her?!
Yes!
I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum. Teeny returns to Georgia in the second book, A Teeny Bit of Trouble, after she witnesses the murder of her
ex-best friend. She'll also be dealing with the spoiler in the first book, which has been tremendous fun (for me, anyway). Teeny returns to Charleston for Book
3 ( Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini)--expect more murder, mayhem, love, sex, and red velvet cake.
BCQ: Can you tell us about your current writing projects?
Michael Lee West: I'm doing final revisions for A Teeny Bit of Trouble (spring 2012). Yellow Polka Dot Bikini is in the freezer, waiting
for me (I keep all first draft manuscripts in the freezer in case the house catches on fire). I've also written a vampire thriller under a pen name--Piper Maitland's
Acquainted With the Night will be a lead title for Berkley, Nov 29, 2011. It will also be available on Brilliance Audio. Night is the first in a
series, about a quest for an 8th century manuscript, forbidden love (of course! The best kind!), and a unique strain of vampires. Piper has a blog, too, but
it's much darker and more about the writing process.
Return from Gone with a Handsomer Man to Home
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TYPE OF BOOK: Fiction
NUMBER OF PAGES: 337
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2011
AUTHOR'S SITE: MichaelLeeWest.com
BOOK RATING:
DISCUSSION RATING:
Queenie D Says:
Teeny Templeton is my newest favorite Southern gal! Not only does she find herself in the midst of a crazy murder-mystery, she cooks her way through from
start to finish! She's a "real" woman -- she eats good food, she shops at thrift stores, and she throws peaches at her cheating, naked-tennis-playing
fiance! I loved that Teeny leads with her heart, and that gets her into a ton of trouble!
The sparkling cast of characters accompanying Teeny -- Coop, Red Butler, Ava, and Miss Dora -- each add their own "joie de vivre" to the plot. I was
surprised at how quickly Teeny and Coop fell into a relationship but it reminded me that when you meet the right person, you just know it so why wait?
Ava was a formidable competitor but I liked that she was extremely up front and honest about her intentions. Red Butler's affection for Teeny grew
as he got to know her. Some of my favorite moments happened in the kitchen during their one-on-one cooking sessions. Finally, Miss Dora, well, what
can I say about her other than WOW! She's comically unbelievable, but because the story is set in Charleston, I couldn't imagine her any other way.
This is a definite must-read for 2011!
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