March 13, 2009

Linda Gerber Has Too Many Choices


Linda Gerber is the author of DEATH BY BIKINI and DEATH BY LATTE as well as two S.A.S.S. books. She's lived in all sorts of countries which is major cool, especially since she uses it in her writing. Linda is extremely nice and definitely an author worth getting to know.

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Too Many Choices

When the lovely Livi asked me if I would like to participate in her birthday celebration, the conversation went something like, what do you want me to write about? I don't know, what do you to write about? I don't know. Brilliance at its best. She gave me a list of possible topics, but them I was like, ooh, fun! Which one do I choose?

I suck tremendously at making decisions. Seriously. Ask me to choose between A and B and maybe we're OK, but ask me to choose between A,B and an infinte number of other choices and we're in trouble.

This indecision creeps in at the stupidest moments and renders me useless. For instance, while I was on my deadline push recently, the kids TIVO'ed the shows we usually watch together and now I have too many choices now that we finally sit down to watch something. What do you wanna watch, Lost, Heroes, The Mentalist or Lie To Me? Ooh. I don't know. What do you want to watch? I don't know. What do you- so we get stuck with American Idol. Which is not such a great show for someone with an affliction like mine. Especially when it looks like the judges can't make up their minds, either. Who should we select for the wildcard, the talented girl we just gave a second shot to, the guy with the golden pipes or the cute little country-singing blonde? I don't know, who do you want to select? I don't know. Oh, I can't decide! Let's just go with the annoying, emotional chick no one likes. And somehow in their confusion, they came up with a top 13 instead of a top 12. Sounds like something I would do.

I've put off making travel arrangements before because I couldn't decide which airline to choose. I am not kidding. But there are so many in the Sky Team!

I've put off buying presents because I couldn't decide which of my awesome ideas to go with. I don't care. It's the 24th! Just get them all! (My kids like this solution...)

I've even put off naming a character because I couldn't decide on the name. (This is not a good thing because to me, a character doesn't become 'real' until he or she has a name. They just kind of wander around the manuscript doing things that I'll probably have to go back and edit out.)

What about you? Do you ever have a hard time making decisions? Does it throw you into a holding pattern like it does me? Do you have any secrets to share about effective decision making? Can you narrow these questions down to one? Not me. I can't decide.


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And yet, she sounds more decisive than me. I must admit I just bought airline tickets without much trouble because one airline was about two hundred dollars cheaper. (Yay for British Airways!) And that really is how our conversation about this guest blog went.

Linda is giving away an ARC of DEATH BY DENIM plus some swag. Obey my rules or don't get entered to win. (You might also want to stop by her blog or MySpace for Freebie Friday.)

33 comments:

  1. Haha what a funny interview! I like how when you gave her a list of topics to choose from she ends up talking about how she can't choose a topic for the interview. I am just as indecisive! (Well, except for the airline tickets) Everytime I think I finally decided on something, then I go.. "Oh, wait.." and look at my other choice and it becomes this endless cycle of looking back and forth between choices, haha.

    I also linked to it:
    http://flyingsolooooo.blogspot.com/2009/03/book-giveaway-links-for-march.html

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  2. Ah I am the same too! The most indecisive girl in the world I am! Do you know it takes me about half an hour to decide what I want to eat in the food court? I would run from restaurant to restaurant and compare the price, quality, and types of food. My friend nearly killed me, haha.

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  3. I can't make up my mind either. As soon as I do, I then think but on the other hand . . . Argh I read Death by Bikini and Death by Latte
    Fun reads, that's for sure!

    florida982002[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  4. Ha, Michelle. That's because I still couldn't decide what to write about. : )

    Hi, Diana! Yeah, I'm no good at a food court, either! I need one restaurant. Even then... so many choices!

    I'm glad I'm not alone, Kaye! And I second-guess myself all the time!

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  5. Definitely not alone, Linda! I'm a Libra so come by indecision naturally, I guess... I spend WAY too much time weighing options! Don't ever put me on a jury, I tell you. I'll never be able to make up my mind!

    Your "Death By" books are great! I encourage everyone to pick up copies!

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  6. That sounds like me and my boyfriend. Our indecision is always about what to have for dinner :P I enjoyed Death by Latte, so I'm crossing my fingers for Denim!

    bacarleton at gmail . com

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  7. Linda, I'm very similar - I inherited it directly from my mom and her mother so you might want to warn your daughter(s) if you have any...;) Many congrats on all of your success!

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  8. One of the things I hate most is making decisions - and that is why I ought to find some decisive friends. But sadly I happen to befriend all the indecisive ones...but we still manage to find ourselves in all kinds of mischief :)

    One of these days though...I'll find a decisive person and keep them.

    Or perhaps a Magic 8 ball.

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  9. I used to be really bad at making decisions, but I think I've gotten a bit better. I'm somewhat of a picky eater, but I used to be way worse and it stressed me out so much to go to restaurants where I hadn't been before. What if they didn't have what I liked? What if it were too expensive? What was I going to eat?!?! ... Sometimes stuff like that still bothers me. If we go out for ice cream and there's a lot of choices I like, I wonder if I should get my usual or if I should experiment. But if I experiment will I not like it as much and then regret wasting my money on it? So yes, sometimes I still get stressed about silly little decisions. But generally I'm much better than I used to be. I try and tell myself that in the end it doesn't really matter what flavour of ice cream I had last week. As for the big decisions? (e.g. Do I keep looking for a job? Do I go to grad school?) Well, those ones are tougher to figure out... but I'm trying! =)

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  10. Great post. I have trouble making decisions a lot. I will think about it and think about it and consider all my choices and still decide nothing until I am at the deadline and they I ususally end up just picking one and spend days after trying to decide if I made the right choice.

    I follow your blog.

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  11. P.S. Liviana, I gave you the "I <3 your blog" award here

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  12. I really enjoyed this guest post about indecision. I completely agree on having a hard time with character names...this one always trips me, perhaps that's why my novel is still unfinished!

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  13. I have an entirely too indecisive husband, so I have to make all of the decisions!
    I'm a follower!
    sweet.me.lissa818@gmail.com

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  14. Aw, Shannon... thank you!!!

    Agreed, Brooke. Going out to dinner is the worst unless you know in advance where you want to go!

    Leigh, yes, sadly both daughters already share my indecision. At least we can all relate to each other!

    Hehe, the magic 8 ball works for me, Epic. : )

    Yeah, it's those big ones that count, Asherz. Good luck!!!

    Hi, Donna! Yes, I think that's why I work well under pressure because sometimes it takes a deadline like that to compel me to make the decision.

    It's tough, isn't it, Serena? Sometimes the characters practically name themselves, others... not so much. Good luck - you can do it!

    Ha! If all else fails, follow. Nice strategy, Melissa. : )

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  15. I always have to have names for characters if I want to write...otherwise, it is like they don't really exist and it tends to just confuse me.

    No need to enter me in the contest. Loved the guest blog though. :)

    -Lauren

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  16. I'm absolutely horrendous at making decisions too! Like in the cafe line at lunch, it takes me forever to decide what to get, a nd then I'll buy something on impulse and not enjoy it after all. =(

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  17. For me, the cereal aisle in the grocery store is the absolute worst when it comes to being indecisive. So many choices, and when you're standing there you feel like you've got an entire week's worth of ruined breakfasts peering over your shoulder, egging you on. AAAH! So I definitely feel your pain :).

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  18. That's hilarious! I'm not so great with decision either. But if someone asked me I would just go with what I really want.

    PS--I would've gone with Lost! It was hecka good. :D

    readingkeepsyousane@gmail.com

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  19. We're like that as well - I tell hubby just make a decision already!

    Fun interview - sounds like a fun book.

    msboatgal at aol dot com

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  20. I usually know how I feel and what I want. So, I can make decisions most of the time. :P But your idea of buying all the presents is awesome!!! :)

    bunnybx at gmail . com

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  21. i am pretty bad at decision making but it doesn't seem like i am as bad as you. dinner plans with my best friend often go like this
    me:what do you want
    friends:i don't care what do you want
    me:i really dont care you choose
    friends:no i chose last time you choose
    me: ok fine lets just eat where we ate yesterday
    friends: and order the same things
    ok

    i am a follower

    and I blogged about it here
    http://kissmybook.blogspot.com/2009/02/contests-galore.html

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  22. Omg me too!! I thought I was the only one, and I started to get worried. I always make my sister help me choose things like what to wear, buy, and etc. I don't know what I would have done without her.


    Love to enter contest!
    +1 Link to the contest
    +1 Follow your blog

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  23. I don't like too many choices! Maybe that's why I didn't do so well in tests with multiple answers :P

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  24. I didn't know indecision was so common! And Erika Lynn, my friends and I have similar conversations when trying to decide where to eat except one of the few things we know is we don't want to eat the same place we ate the night before.

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  25. Sometimes I'm so indecisive, sometimes when I have to I can make up my mind really fast. But I hardly regret because I'm never careless on making decisions : )

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  26. You're not alone!! I'm so bad at amking decisions...my standard answer is always "I don't know" everyone is teasing me for that!

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  27. Oh, I forgot! I'm also a follower, and my e-mail address is

    sosarora _ 11 @ hotmail . com

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  28. oh i knowwwwww, it's so hard to decide though i've got the "near" perfect solution, my husband, i narrow it down to 100 and then ask him to choose and kind of wear him down with a "choose, choose" chant and he finally picks something up. but it's a near perfect cause sometimes he can't choose either, like yesterday we were getting an earing for his mom and we couldn't decide what so after hours of looking at them all, the clerk went crazy and said why not buy a necklace we were so stuck that when we came out we had bought a brooch (really i am not joking) and it was 3 times as higher as what we had orginally decided on!! well atleast the clerk got his revenge!:)

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  29. Blogged: http://bunnymoney9.blogspot.com/2009/03/woohoo.html

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  30. I suck at making decisions too. I think I'm a self-sabatoger. I'm a follower.

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  31. I plain hate making decisions. I try to avoid it. Loved the interview.

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  32. Happy birthday?

    Elie

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  33. Cool interview! I also have a hard time making decisions. Especially if they both have such positive outcomes! Thanks!

    countrystars95@yahoo.com

    I follow!

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