“Is that a broadsword on your belt, or are you just glad to
see me?”
 |
| Melodie Campbell |
What happens when you take a modern-day college prof from
sunny Arizona and throw her back into medieval times? A whole lot of laughs!
At least, that’s the way I designed Rowena Through the
Wall, the comic time travel novel that Midwest Book Review described as
“Hot and Hilarious!”
I’m a former comedy writer who loves to write humorous
fiction. Here’s how I do it: I call it the law of the ‘worst thing’. Take a situation, and ask ‘what’s the
worst thing that could happen now’?
Or the most embarrassing thing?
Example: A seventeen year
old girl moves to a new town and is the new girl. First day of school, very nervous, she drives her mother’s
car into the school parking lot.
What’s the most embarrassing thing that could happen? She hits another car in the lot with
everyone watching. And the worst
thing? It’s the prize car of the
most popular boy in school.
Whammo. Instant disaster. Later, she’s driving home on a country
road, and her car breaks down. Who
comes by in the next car, and stops to help? The same guy.
He can’t believe it’s her.
She wants to die of embarrassment.
They never stand a chance as a couple, right?
Move it to an adult romance novel. The new girl at the advertising agency drives into the
company parking lot on the very first day and hits the gorgeous eligible
bachelor’s new car…you get the drift.
In Rowena Through the Wall, I followed the ‘worst
thing’ rule to the maximum. What’s
the worst thing that could happen to Rowena when she walks through that wall
into medieval times? Or the
wackiest? Rowena goes through lots
of ‘worst things’ until she finally gets the man she wants in the last
chapter. But even then, I couldn’t
resist a twist on the last page.
After all, there is a sequel coming.
ROWENA THROUGH THE WALL (No. 2 on Amazon.ca bestseller list, Aug 2011! (fantasy,futuristic)
When Rowena falls through her classroom wall into a medieval
world, she doesn’t count on being kidnapped – not once, but twice, dammit.
Unwanted husbands keep piling up; not only that, she has eighteen-year-old
Kendra to look out for, and a war to prevent. Good thing she can go back through the wall when she needs
to…or can she?
Short Excerpt: Chapter
16
“How did you do that?” Kendra gasped.
“Do
what?”
“I
just saw you walk right through that wall!”
“Oh
that….” I said, brushing myself off.
“Look sweetie, not to change the subject, but I don’t have a whole lot
of time-”
“And
who is that?”
Kendra gaped at Logan, who stood at
least a foot taller than her. He,
in turn, gazed down at her as if he had just discovered the meaning of life,
the universe and everything that might possibly be in it.
“Damn,”
I mumbled. “Kendra – Logan, Logan
– Kendra. Now that we’re all
introduced, I really have to hustle.”
Kendra’s
eyes widened. “Is he for real?”
“Yes,
yes, he’s real,” I said, lowering my voice. “ Kendra, I have to whip home for
my vet bag. It would be easier
without him along. Can you keep
him here? I’ll only be 20 minutes.”
“Sure,
but how?” She could hardly take
her eyes off him.
“I
don’t know…flirt with him or something.
But don’t let him leave this classroom. Got it?”
She
gulped. “Okay.”
I
ran to the desk and grabbed my car keys.
Just as I reached the exit, I heard Kendra say, “So…is that a broadsword
on your belt or are you just glad to see me?”
Melodie Campbell’s comic novel Rowena Through the Wall
(Imajin Books) is available at Amazon, Smashwords, Indigo/Chapters, B&N
View trailer and
read opening scene at
Follow Melodie’s comic blog at www.funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.com
Melodie Campbell got her start as a comedy writer, so it’s
no surprise that editors have called her work ‘wacky’ and ‘laugh out loud
funny’. She has over 200
publications, including 100 humour columns, 30 short stories and one novel (two
more coming in 2012). She has
received six awards for fiction, and is the General Manager of Crime Writers of
Canada.
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