I met Angela at Mount Hermon a few months ago. Her warmth, humor and insights blessed me – both about writing craft AND living the writing life. She’s written an amazing number of books in a variety of genres (see why I like her?) I’m pleased to welcome her to my blog today as she announces the release of her latest contemporary novel, THE ELEVATOR (Steeple Hill). Furthermore, she has just signed paperwork that sets it well on its way to becoming a Lifetime TV movie! Be sure to read her suggestions of things to do in a elevator. 🙂

The Elevator

THREE WOMEN . . . ONE MAN . . . A GATHERING STORM

In the path of a devastating hurricane, three very different women find themselves trapped in the elevator of a high-rise office building. All three conceal shattering secrets —unaware that their secrets center on the same man.
The betrayed wife, eager to confront her faithless husband, with rage in her heart and a gun in her pocket . . .
The determined mistress, finally ready to tell her lover she wants marriage and a family . . .
The fugitive cleaning woman, tormented by the darkest secret of all . . .
As the storm rages ever closer, these three must unite to fight for their lives in the greatest test of courage — and faith —any woman could ever face.

Q: Where’d the idea come from?

A: Easy—the cover of Nick Hornby’s A Long Way Down. I had picked up that book for my book club to read, and I found myself staring at the cover, which featured the shoes of four different people against a background of sky. Then I naturally began to think about people trapped in a crucible . . . like an elevator. And though that’d be tense, what would make the situation worse? Maybe the arrival of a hurricane? Next thing I knew, I pretty much had the plot synopsis in my head. All that remained was working it out . . . and finding a way to keep a reader’s attention (a bit of a challenge when most of the book is set in an elevator!)

And now I’d like to offer you fifteen fun things to do the next time you’re caught in an elevator!

1. Grin at another passenger for a while, then announce, “I’m wearing new socks!”
2. Make race car noises when anyone gets on or off.
3. Whistle the first seven notes of “It’s a Small World” over and over and over . . .
4. Open your purse, peer inside, and ask, “Got enough air in there?”
5. Stand silent and motionless against the back, facing the wall, until everyone else gets off.
6. Greet everyone getting on with a warm handshake and ask them to call you Queen of the Universe.
7. Meow.
8. Start a sing-along. “Kum by yah” works well.
9. Say “DING!” at each floor.
10. Listen to the elevator walls with a stethoscope.
11. Push the buttons and pretend they give you a shock. Smile, and then go back for more.
12. Pretend you are a flight attendant and review emergency procedures and exits with the passengers (you’ll know all about these after reading THE ELEVATOR!).
13. Take pictures of everyone aboard with your cell phone—even if it doesn’t have a camera.
14. When there’s only one other person aboard, tap them on the shoulder and pretend it wasn’t you.
15. Hold a copy of THE ELEVATOR, read it, and keep moaning, “Why didn’t I take the escalator?”

Angela, thanks for visiting – and for giving us lots of ways to be weird in an elevator!

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