by Timothy Rutt
Altadena novelist Lisa Weseman's debut novel is a romance -- but what kind of romance? Romance readers know the "cover code" -- white covers tend to be innocent, pink covers signal titillating, and red covers tend to be hot, heavy, graphic, and anatomical. So is "The Name of the Game" white, red, or fifty shades of grey?
"It would probably be pink," Weseman says. "It's behind closed doors, spicy -- there is sex that happens in it, but it's not described in detail, it's more a comedic sense."
"The Name of the Game' is a romantic comedy about a woman who's a flight attendant and is brought together with her "nerdy-but-sexy" neighbor in her apartment building. But in addition to sharing the same address, they share the same name: Kyle McKinney. Mistaken identity and mix-ups ensue.
Weseman said that she was inspired to write the story after attending the wedding where the bride and groom shared the same name.
Weseman, who owns a small TV/film/website production company with her husband, is also a filmmaker, whose short film SOLO is a science fiction drama set in the world of experimental aviation.
In addition, Weseman has written more than fifty articles on relationships and romance, as well as a dating advice column, which provided raw material for the novel.
She also drew on her short-lived post-college experience as a flight attendant to develop her lead character in "The Name of the Game".
People think being a flight attendant is "frivolous and silly, but it is actually a stressful job," Weseman said, especially after 9/11. Keeping passengers safe is "a big responsibility."
The book has been long-gestating, Weseman said. She began writing it ten years ago -- the early version was much sexier, less comedic -- and then she just "put it in a box under the bed," she said. "I picked it up a year ago. In those ten years, I've become a better writer. There are two different types of writers -- 'pantsers,' who write by the seat of their pants, and 'plotters.' I pantsed ten years ago, but now I'm a plotter."
She also found that writing a novel to completion ended up as a growth experience for her. "I thought of myself as a creative person, but didn’t think of myself as a disciplined person, but I had to become one -- especially with editing ... That's kind of been a nice discovery."
"The Name of the Game" is published by Crimson Romance, a new ebook imprint from F+W Media, Inc. It's available through Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com, iBookstore, and other ebook retailers. A print-on-demand version will be available later in the year.
Coming out as an ebook -- rather than through a traditional romance publisher -- offers several advantages, Weseman said. Traditional romance publlishers are looking for a formula, down to a certain number of pages and a certain "look" for their covers, Weseman said. As an ebook, guys are more likely to read it because they won't be caught carrying a romance book, she said. "Because this is a romantic comedy, i think a lot of people will pick it up who wouldn't pick it up at a grocery store," she said.
She credits her husband for being supportive through the writing process: "He was one of the inspirations for the work ethic," Weseman said. "Sometimes creative work is easy, sometimes it's hard, either way you have to do it."
The couple moved to Altadena from Shadow Hills two and a half years ago, and can't imagine leaving. "It's more more rural, off the beaten path," Weseman said. "We have dogs. We love it here."
