There’s a special guest here today, the talented author, Ellen Cardona. And she’s here to tell us about her novel…

Brownie Fix

~*~*~*~ The Blurb ~*~*~*~

Chocolate. Love. Sex. Really, what else could a woman want in life? For Persey, the heroine ofBrownie Fix, her days are fun-filled until what is normally one of life’s most fulfilling experiences, the birth of her son, leads her straight into a dark state of postpartum depression.

Wandering in her own postpartum hell, Persey meets people that are absurd, like the swinging neighbors who want a little more than a cup of sugar and a group of mothers who become whipped up in worship to a climactic furor. On top of the madness, she keeps seeing a yellow-toothed old man who acts like he wants to breastfeed from her. Or is it her imagination? Add the voices in her head that become louder and louder, and it’s little wonder that Persey reaches for brownie mix to soothe her insanity.

Buckling under the pressure and lack of sleep from motherhood, Persey experiences the five stages of grief that lead her to uncover a buried secret, and gradually she begins to heal with the help of her family, friends, and, of course, brownies.

~*~*~*~ An Interview with Ellen ~*~*~*~

Where did the story idea come from/how did it come about?

Brownie Fix is about my own struggles with postpartum depression, but the characters and the plot are exaggerated. If I wrote a story about myself, it would be dreadfully boring. What is real is the raw emotion that comes into the story. Those emotions are mine.

One thing you want the reader to walk away with after reading this book.

Hope. I want the readers to know that there’s hope when the walls of depression or whatever else they’re struggling with start closing around them. When they find themselves in that dreadful hole, I want them to know that they can start climbing out, just like my character, Persey, did and just like I did.

Why did you choose your genre?

When I started writing Brownie Fix, I had no idea that there was a genre called Chick Lit., but that’s what Brownie Fix falls into . . . or I really like to think that Brownie Fix is a reality TV show that gives you a first hand look into someone’s private struggle. Brownie Fix is for women and deals with some heavy topics, like eating disorders and postpartum depression, but the humor lightens up those dark places.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging about writing?

Yes. Sitting down and actually starting is hard sometimes because I know that I have to devote large chunks of time when I write because that’s how I write. I’ll usually procrastinate in about every way I can think of . . . organize my desk, clean out my closet, clean out my daughter’s closet. I guess it’s a way for me to organize the clutter before I go diving into my manuscript, which usually is filled with clutter. Once I get started, I’m hooked and develop a rhythm and time frame to get my work done.

What advice would you give to writers just starting out?

Don’t give up and don’t let criticism get you down. Start a blog or keep a journal to write down your thoughts. Keep writing because the muse does not exist and novels do not write themselves. You have to do it.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

Yes, sometimes I do suffer from writer’s block, and I usually make a batch of brownies to help it out.

What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?

Believe it or not, but the majority of my writing is done in the morning with my not so little dog in my lap. On a serious note, I like to have The Chicago Manual of Style on my desk when I start editing. My old publisher told me about this book, and it helps when you get into a tangle about when to use dashes or when to use capitalization. Really, you have to find out what works for you. Of course, brownies are my fall back plan if I get into a jam.

Thanks for stopping by, Ellen. And readers, keep going to learn more about Ellen Cardona and Brownie Fix including the stops on her blog tour. Never fear–the next stop is here… tomorrow. Come back by and see what I have to say about Brownie Fix. Until then…

~*~*~* More About Ellen ~*~*~*~

~*~*~*~ Author Bio ~*~*~*~

Ellen Cardona wrote Brownie Fix to help deal with the postpartum depression she experienced after one of her pregnancies. Through her writing, she found that postpartum depression was real but conquerable, especially when one has the help of some dark chocolate and even darker humor.

When Ellen is not writing, she teaches literature to college freshmen and attempts to help them understand the writing process, though they think she’s crazy because of her love for literature and writing.

Ellen graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a PhD in Humanities with a specialization in Literature. Even though she has published several academic works on Ezra Pound, she could not ignore her true passion as a fiction writer.

Ellen lives in Richardson, Texas and continues to learn daily from her husband and two children. In good times and bad, she still enjoys her brownies.

~*~*~*~ Connect with Ellen ~*~*~*~
Website (AND TO DOWNLOAD THE FIRST CHAPTER FREE!): http://www.ellencardona.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EllenCardona
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ellencardona <http://twitter.com/#%21/ellencardona> <http://twitter.com/#%21/ellencardona>
Blog: http://ellencardona.com/blog/

Email: ellen (at)ellencardona(dot)com

~*~*~*~ Buy the Book ~*~*~*~

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005IC38EU/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=ellencardonac-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B005IC38EU&adid=1AR1GXZZAECEWZJEMZMT&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fellencardona.com%2F

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/brownie-fix-ellen-cardona/1105068099?ean=2940013043732&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-plecO0ACyhE-_-2%3a2940013043732&

Paperback at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Brownie-Fix-Ellen-Cardona/dp/1466221518/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1341330305&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=ellen+cardona