I want to be Lisa Kleypas when I grow up. Yeah, I know that’s not an original wish, but the woman is beautiful both on the inside and the outside, has legions of adoring fans, and, according to bloggers who’ve lunched with her, totally knows how to order wine.
(And look at this: according to the marketing campaign enumerated on the ARC of Blue-Eyed Devil, the first print run for the paperback edition of Sugar Daddy is 1.2 million copies. Holy @#$%! I hereby coin a new publication milestone: the Lisa Kleypas call, for when an author gets news that her print run will be 1,000,000+. Sooo, J.K Rowling, how did you feel when you received the Lisa Kleypas call?)
I have irrefutable evidence that Ms Kleypas’s destiny and mine are inextricably linked. How so you ask? Well, I won my copies of Sugar Daddy and Blue-Eyed Devil right here on this blog. Blue-Eyed Devil releases the same day as my debut Private Arrangements. And Sybil is hosting a book club for Sugar Daddy right after my guest stint, again on the day Private Arrangements hits the shelves. Okay so it was to coincide with Blue-Eyed Devil’s release but it’s destiny I tell you.
It so happens I have read Sugar Daddy. And I had a blast reading it. It was during some of my most desperate hours, with a deadline hanging over my head like a guillotine — and I said screw it and kept on reading. So herewith, seven reasons you should also read Sugar Daddy:
1. Liberty Jones, the heroine. She is the kind of friend and sister you would love more than life itself.
2. The voice. Ms. Kleypas has a great contemporary voice. I didn’t expect it, but I was entirely carried away by it.
3. The vivid writing. “The late afternoon sun was as round and white as a paper plate tacked to the sky.” “Her skin was webbed and furrowed, constantly shifting to accommodate her animated expressions.” “No dirt on earth sticks to you like East Texas red clay. The wind blows it over you and it tastes sweet in your mouth. As the clay lurks under a foot of light tan topsoil, it expands and shrinks so drastically that in the driest months Martian-colored cracks run across the ground.”
4. The trailer park. I admit I had my doubts about a story in which a significant portion is set in a trailer park. But it would turn out to be the setting I most enjoyed. Ms Kleypas made the community of Bluebonnet Ranch Mobile Home Estates — and by extension the nowhere town of Welcome, Texas — come alive.
5. Diana Jones, Liberty’s mother. In the hands of a less-skilled writer, she might come across as foolish and brittle. But depicted by Ms Kleypas’s astute and deeply humane pen, she is a complex and fully developed character and engaged all my sympathies.
6. Hardy Cates, especially in the Welcome years. There have been lots of heroes from the wrong side of the tracks. But young Hardy is something else. From the moment you meet him you know that there is something different and special about him, that he had the grits and brains and the drive to rise to the sky, and charm many a pair of pants off along his way. And there is absolutely nothing emo about him. Hooray!
7. Ms Kleypas herself. The best reading experience, for me, is a kind of communion between the author and the reader, whereby two possibly very 
different sets of outlooks and opinions and experiences somehow meld into a single beautiful whole. And Ms Kleypas is the kind of author who does far better than coming half way to meet you. She brings such warmth and compassion to the story that it becomes easy for a reader (me) to let go of her cynicism and lose herself in the story, which is all any reader (me) wants.
I could easily come up with more reasons, but I will keep it at the mystical and elegant seven. And here’s to the inaugural success of the TGTBTU Book Club. Long may it prosper and bring great rejoicing to bloglandia. (And may I be the next guest if it works out!)
CONTEST!
Comment on any of today’s four Sherry Thomas guest posts with whatever crazy thing you’ve done for love, or give us another reason to read La Lisa, and you could win an ARC of Sherry’s 29 July 08 Bantam release, Delicious, and a Private Arrangements t-shirt! (Two prizes, one winner.)
Remember, only one entry per IP address is eligible for the prize, but you can comment as often as you wish. Winners will be chosen from comments entered between now and midnight tonight, 24 March, according to the blog’s timestamp (U.S. Central).
Good luck!
Texas done right? I’m there.
Craziest thing I’ve done for love: Not told. (And I still haven’t.)
Sherry – I’d have to add one more to the top seven. And that would be Lisa’s ability to write a southern man. Autocratic, well mannered, and delicious. I totally fell for both Hardy and Gage, and am thrilled that Hardy is going to get his HEA. Heck, I even loved Churchill. Lisa just captures the wonder that is a southern man.
I’m reading Private Arrangements right now and am enjoying it tremendously. Congratulations on your debut.
Oh, craziest thing I’ve done for love? Get a tattoo.
I have to agree, Sugar Daddy is one cool cookie. I really enjoyed Lisa Kleypas’ historicals, but my first keeper by her is this one. IIRC, it was Houston Sugar Daddy plays in, no? Anyway, I practically could taste and feel the flair of this city, and combined with her obvious love for she made me want to immediately order a flight to the land of cowboys. This woman should be employed by “America Advertising” *g*. Btw. am I the only one who had the impression that Sugar Daddy is so NOT a chick lit book? I know chick lit books, most often I don’t like them, and the romance angle tends to come with a “don’t enjoy it too much and life sucks” twist (Marian Keyes anyone?). For me it was a straight contemporary romance … but then, what do I know, I can’t even determine what urban fantasy is exactly *cough*.
Btw. Syb, this is later, so thanks 🙂
I love Lisa Kleypas and her historicals. I haven’t read “Sugar Daddy” yet, but I’m sure I love her contemporaries as well.
Sherry is doing an excellent job of pimping Ms Kleypas. But… are these romances? Someone? Bueller?
Emphatically yes, they are romances.
Ah, great to know! Thanks, Gwen! *scribbling in already endless TBB list*
*grumbling* I may thank you, my wallet just wails *grumbling*
I would call it…drum roll…Women’s Romance!
It has some women’s fiction elements. And it’s in first person. But if it’s not a romance in its core, I’ll eat mine page by page.
Sherry, I just recently read Sugar Daddy and loved it. It did take a while for people to convice me to read it. I was worried about Kleypas transitioning from historical to contemporary. That was silly of me because the book was outstanding. By-the-way, if I hadn’t already just read Sugar Daddy, I would have definitely read it after reading your list. I am sure it will inspire others.
The craziest thing that I have done for love would have to be . . . hmmm good question, haha. Well this probably doesn’t seem very crazy, but my answer would have to be driving 18hrs to pick up a dog. Have I mentioned that this dog I picked up gets REALLY car sick? By the time we reached our destination the dog got sick in the back of the car (even after taking the Dramamine I gave him like the vet suggested) numerous times. Halfway through our trip I went to the restroom at a gas station and by the time I got back to the car the dog had stepped in his mess and then proceeded to roll around and climb all over my car. WHAT A MESS!
Even though the trip was a messy disaster, I would do it again in a heart beat.
I love Lisa Kleypas’ books but I was not sure if I would enjoy a contemporary story written by her. It turned out that it was one of my favorite books of the year. The heroes in her historicals have been so fascinating it was enjoyable to see her write such a strong heroine.
I would have to say another reason for reading Sugar Daddy would have to be for Churchill. He was an anchor of sorts for Liberty. But he had his own complexity and secrets that added wonderful depth to Liberty’s story.
BED is much a romance than Sugar Daddy and I would say Sugar Daddy was a romance. The down side to both is the first pov but that could be my blech on the whole first pov 🙂
But I went into SD thinking I would HATE it and enjoyed it muchly and was shocked when BED topped it. And really no poking me with sharp objects that is nothing I haven’t told LisaK herself. Trust me.
Loved this. I WANT WANT WANT to read BED!!! Ahh – esp based on your comment, Sybil! I also read SD b/c… well Lisa Kleypas wrote it. In fact, I had to convince myself to read it. Loved it.