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Join me today for a review if Timothe Davis’ Sometimes Ya Gotta Laugh and keep reading for a Q and A with our author.
The risky thing about agreeing to a blog tour, especially a review, is that you’re agreeing before you actually read the book. So you’re taking a leap of faith on the synopsis of a story that you’re going to enjoy the book. There’s always that little trickle of doubt when I start a book for a blog tour, “What if I don’t like it?”
When I read the synopsis for Sometimes Ya Gotta Laugh, I loved the premise:
When friendships are threatened, how far will you go to protect it?
Jordan Spencer is thirty-six and hasn’t had a relationship that’s lasted more than six months. He’s cool with that, though. He’s got space issues. And what difference does it make anyway? He has his two best friends Gabby and Chris for happy hours, clubs, and weekend hangouts. But Gabby is falling for a guy that Jordan doesn’t like and Chris-the-sex-machine is having a phallic crisis.
Jordan thought that their friendship would last forever. But with each day, they drift further apart. Without Gabby and Chris at his side, Jordan finds himself facing his own emotional loneliness. Should he fight for the friends who have become his family? Or has the season of their friendship passed?
Jordan Spencer will learn that in a world full of swingers, lies, and drag queens, even the best of friends occasionally lie to each other. Sometimes they cry for each other. But in the end, sometimes you just gotta laugh …
***
I’m calling myself out here. Due to my own preconceptions of what I thought the tone of the book would be before I had turned the first page, I had that anxious feeling of wondering if this would be the blog tour where I was less than pleased with the storyline. But, I kept reading, and I’m so glad I did. Once I got over what I thought Timothe Davis should be saying and read the book to understand the message he wanted to share, I really enjoyed it.
So, what did I like about Sometimes Ya Gotta Laugh? First, these characters are out of their twenties, well into their thirties. This is a time when certain friends become more like family to you than actual family, and that is the situation for Jordan, Chris, and Gabby. And like any family- formed or born into- this family has its troubles. I think what will resonate with readers is that feeling when you have very good friends- best friends- and you sense something off with them. You can’t put your finger on what it is, and for whatever reason, any attempts to get to the heart of the matter are awkward and inept and make things worse before they get better. Sometimes, it takes us a while to realize that we can’t go at it all alone, and our friends actually do want to help us- we just have to let them.
One of the other things I liked about the book was that I had a visceral reaction to one of the characters- thankfully, a character we as readers are supposed to despise. But it’s a credit to an author who can invoke that kind of reaction.
But what I liked most about Sometimes Ya Gotta Laugh is how much I could relate to it. It was almost like Davis was writing about aspects of some of my friends. The characters are diverse, reflecting the mosaic of characters many of us have in our own lives. And Jordan’s exploration of his own emotional distance and deciding that connection is good is something I can well identify with.
And now, read on for my Q and A with Timothe Davis:
TBF: Timothe, what have you learned about yourself through the writing process?
TD: I didn’t think I had the chutzpah to complete a book. A short story? Yes. But a full length novel? Never. I realized that I was more focused and goal-driven than I had ever thought.
Secondly, for me, the writing process called for quite a bit of humility. I’d write, share with a friend, and get some feedback. The feedback wasn’t always positive and that always stings. I’d have to sift through the feedback, decide what applied, and then share again. It’s not easy for an artist to say “this is my work; this is me” and then be told it’s subpar. But it’s part of the process of getting better. And I wanted and want to get better. So I asked for feedback.
Finally, Jordan – the main character – is the one that is most like me. In many ways, he is me. In putting my reactions and thoughts into the character, I was forced to ask myself questions about how I interact with my friends. Am I selfish? Where does my happiness come from? How do I treat them? Some of the writing was equal parts how does Jordan become a better person as well as how does Timothe become a better person.
TBF: What’s it like to participate in a blog tour?
TD: Tough question. The tour hasn’t started, and this will be my first. So I’m hard pressed to say what it feels like to participate. What I can say is that the preparatory steps have been more thought-provoking than I expected. Bloggers and reviewers send their questions, and I expected them all to be about the book. But any of them are about me. And some of the questions are quite complex, they peel-layers, and ask me to reflect on my personal journey. In that sense, it hasn’t been what I expected. On the other hand, “Sometimes” is about people on their personal journey. Hence, in a way, it makes sense that I’d be asked such questions. At this point I’d say, “Not what I expected. But I’m enjoying the process.”
TBF: What are your thoughts about social media and emerging authors?
TD: I’m going to answer out of both sides of my mouth now. LOL.
Personally, I’m horrible when it comes to social media. My friends tease me because my iPhone will show that I have 100 notifications at any given time on FB.
And I just started actively using my Twitter account about 3 months. Plus, most of my “tweeting” is about other people’s works (books and music), not my own.
Nevertheless, while I could (and should) get much better, I do believe that social media can be a great tool for an author to share his work, connect with other authors, and find more fans.
It’s important to remember that social media itself doesn’t guarantee more sales. But it could lead to more exposure, and we’d like to believe that more exposure will eventually lead to more sales. Unfortunately, it’s hard to draw a correlation between the two.
Thanks to Timothe for taking the time to answer these questions. And if you’re ready to read Sometimes Ya Gotta Laugh – and I recommend that you do- here’s what you need to know:
Sometimes Ya Gotta Laugh Tour Page
Author Bio:
Timothe Davis is a music-loving, martini-drinking, night owl. He spends his days confined within the walls of corporate America but (not so) secretly harbors dreams of writing best-sellers and getting books adapted to movies. Thank God he’s wise enough to have a 401K plan.
You can find him wandering around his loft most times of the night. His friends say his sarcasm belies a warm heart and he’s tried MATCH.com not once but twice.
“Sometimes Ya Gotta Laugh” is his first novel. It’s a fictional story of love, friendship, acceptance, and the journey we take to make ourselves better each day. He hopes that those who purchase it will enjoy reading it as much as he enjoyed writing it.
Connect with Timothe:
Twitter: @timothedavis
(Follow for updates not just of my books but books I’ve read and music I’m playing on my iTunes.)
Website: TimotheDavis.com
(Interviews of independent authors, musicians, and other artists.)
FB: Facebook.com/
(Occasionally updated with thoughts and insights.)
The book can be purchased via most online vendors including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books A Million or through: http://timothedavis.
- Tags: Blog Tour, contemporary adult, fiction