Teaser Tuesday: Tapestry Of Fortunes by Elizabeth Berg

"My best friend Penny's grave has a simple headstone: light gray granite inscribed with her name, the date of her birth, and the date of her death, which was four months ago. Below that, as agreed, are these words: Say it. Penny believed that people didn't often enough admit to what they really felt, and she thought that made for a lot of problems." p. 5, TAPESTRY OF FORTUNES by Elizabeth Berg

-- 

Love this passage. 

Love this cover. 

Love Elizabeth Berg. She can do no wrong for me. Reading her books is like talking with a good friend. I always feel better for it. I just got her book in the mail yesterday and now that the house is sort of clean, I've made a cup of tea and can commence reading. 

What are you reading today? 

About the book (from Elizabeth Berg's Website):

A motivational speaker who isn't great about taking her own advice finally does. After a catastrophic event, she moves out of her large, well-appointed house into a house she shares with three other women. After she receives a postcard from a man she never quite got over and last saw many years ago, she decides to take a driving trip to visit him. The other housemates come along, each for her own reason, each with her own agenda. So it's a book about destiny, fate, memory, chance, possibility....

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Monday Morning Inspiration: John Irving on "the beginning process"

I love Irving's acknowledgement about the excitement of approaching the blank page as he begins a new work. I think that might be a universal feeling among writers. In the beginning, there are no mistakes and it's all possibility.

Wordless Wednesday

"You lookin' at me?" 

Those in the Girl Scout "know" will recognize these items as swaps. Two years ago, I had no idea about the whole Girl Scout Swap industry. (Word to the wise - if you Google 'Girl Scout Swap' you might get some racier sites than you wanted. Just sayin.)

My girls attended an event this weekend and this was just a bit of their loot. I like the last idea - a pet cloud. I want a pet cloud. Also, I've come to realize that there are two categories of Girl Scout moms. Those who own a glue gun and those who don't. I don't. I'm not a crafty sort unless cutting crusts off sandwiches counts.

Teaser Tuesday: What A Mother Knows by Leslie Lehr

"Michelle had always feared that something would happen as soon as they were out of her sight. Nikki would fall off the swingset onto cement, or Tyler would be struck in the head by a baseball." - p. 25, WHAT A MOTHER KNOWS, out May 7, 2013 from Leslie Lehr

From the book jacket: How Far Will a Mother Go to Find Her Daughter?


Michelle Mason can't remember that day, that drive, that horrible crash that killed the young man in her car. All she knows is she's being held responsible, and her daughter is missing.

Despite a shaky marriage, a threatening lawsuit, and troubling flashbacks pressing in on her, Michelle throws herself into searching. Her daughter in the one person who might know what really happened that day, but the deeper Michelle digs, the more she questions the innocence of those closest to her, even herself. As her search hurtles toward a shattering revelation, Michelle must face the biggest challenge of her life.

-- 

I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of WHAT A MOTHER KNOWS and found it honest and compelling. It features an examination of that universal quality most mothers have for their children - that we are always their fiercest protector and will go to great lengths to help our children.

Read more about this book and the author at Leslie Lehr's website! 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Cover Reveal for Sure Signs of Crazy: Part Deux

A funny thing happened on the way to publication. My cover has gone through a make-over. 

My original lovely cover for my forthcoming middle-grade novel was this one. I liked it very much. I still like it very much. But...

there's a new cover in town. A bolder, brighter WOW of a cover. And I don't just like this new cover. I love it. I love it so much I bought an orange purse. No kidding. 

So you are the first to see this reveal. What do you think?

On a lack of blogging

Good Friday Morning!

I haven't been around the bloggy part of the world in a long while. I miss it. I miss the interaction with my virtual friends. I miss reading the book reviews. I miss the supportive blog writing community. But as I tell all aspiring writers, time management is your friend and you have to pare back many things you once did if you are to make time for writing.

I've been writing full tilt boogie for the past year. The pace and deadlines are exciting and remind me of my days as a speechwriter when my job depended on the ability to write something compelling and creative in less than 48 hours. Fortunately, while writing a novel, I'm not at risk of having a binder or a paperclip thrown in my general direction or under the threat of "shall I call your boss to rewrite this?" if the work wasn't up to snuff. I've had that happen. So far, no editor has thrown anything at my head for a misspelled word,but that might be owing to the fact that we are states apart.

Today I have the luxury of not having anything that must be done. It's good to have days like this. I get to go eat Thai food with a wonderful friend. Plan fun summer activities for my girls. And just READ while my lazy dog sleeps on the floor next to me. Sublime. I'm currently reading THE DINNER by Herman Koch. What's interesting about this novel is that so many of my friends have already read it. When I mentioned I was starting to read it this week, they all give me a sort of sideways look and say "Hmmm. I won't say anything now. We'll talk about that when you're done." I've gotten this exact response 4 times! What?! It's like they've dated this guy once and just want me to form my own opinion before letting me know he picks his nose. Anyway, I'm enjoying the book so far, but the odd looks and reactions are making me turn the pages quickly.

Apropos of nothing, I noted that April is National Poetry Month. I like what author David Lubar just tweeted about it.

David Lubar ‏@davidlubar1h

April is both National Poetry Month and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. I'm going to celebrate by not reading poetry to animals.

Ha!

To celebrate National Poetry Month, I discovered Book Spine Poetry in which a reader stacks a bunch of book spines in order to form a poem. There's a truly spectacular, laugh out loud, collection of Book Spine Poetry found at 100 Scope Notes

And I'm delighted that my forthcoming novel is included among these photos.

Happy Reading, friends!

In which a bunch of authors embarrass themselves by sharing childhood photos

3rd grade me

I'm lucky enough to be one of the authors featured on the Lucky 13s Blog. Today, we are featuring a collection of colorful photos from our childhood. And really, they aren't all that embarrassing.

So click on over to The Lucky 13 Blog and take a look at a bunch of future authors with big hair, Barbies, polyester pant suits.and more!

Wordless Wednesday: Valentine Art

A little creation of stickers and marker from my girl. I love the heart tourists! 

Next Big Thing Blog Hop

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop is a chance for authors around the world to tell you what they’re working on. The author answers 10 questions about their next book, and tags the person who first tagged them, plus one or more additional authors.   

I was excited when fellow writing colleagues, James Iver Mattson and Barbara Brauner tagged me  to participate in this blog hop. I've gotten to know these writers through the Lucky 13's Blog. 

I like how James described the Next Big Thing series:

"It’s like the plate spinner on the old Ed Sullivan show, or maybe a Ponzi scheme." 

James and Barbara are the authors of the upcoming OH MY GODMOTHER; The Glitter Trap, the first book in a four book series! The story centers on a 12-year-old girl who becomes a reluctant fairy godmother. Read James and Barbara's Next Big Thing post here. Also, look for their book here on Goodreads.

Thank you again, James Iver Mattson and Barbara Brauner, for allowing me to join this party! 

What is your working title of your book (or story)?

SURE SIGNS OF CRAZY

Anyone can show you a book cover, but can everyone
show you a book cover made of cake?

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The idea was first given to me by a reader of my first novel, JANEOLOGY. In that novel (a legal thriller about a woman on trial for killing her son) a man struggles to come to terms with his new life. His daughter, Sarah, is his primary concern. A kind reader wrote to me one day asking about Sarah and wondering what would become of her. As it turns out, I wondered a lot about that, too. I'm so grateful that a reader took the time to write to me. 

 What genre does your book fall under?

Fiction for middle grade and young adult readers.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Can we talk about how much fun it is to imagine one's book as a movie? I picture a young Ellen Page (JUNO) for Sarah, or some actress with her spunk. Emma Watson would also be an interesting choice! And I like Mark Ruffalo for Sarah’s dad, Tom Nelson. Sarah's crush is a character named Finn Reynolds and I think someone like Andrew Garfield or Jake Gyllenhaal would be interesting choices.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Twelve-year-old Sarah writes letters to her hero, To Kill a Mockingbird's Atticus Finch, for help understanding her mentally ill mother, her first real crush, and life in her small Texas town, all in the course of one momentous summer.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

My book will be published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers this coming July.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Around a year and half. I wrote the first draft during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), which is a 30-day novel in a month challenge.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I hope this novel could appear on the bookshelf with other wonderful, contemporary coming- of-age stories like Sharon Creech’s WALK TWO MOONS or Kate DiCamillo’s BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

A few things. As I mentioned earlier, the genesis of this idea came from my curiosity about the characters in my first novel. I kept wondering where they would be in ten years, how they would change and respond to life. Second, Harper Lee’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, which is one of my all-time favorite novels, was a huge inspiration for so many reasons. Last, my sixth grade English teacher, who continues to inspire me to this day.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

I hope readers will be drawn to Sarah’s special brand of honesty and moxie and her love of words. She frequently discovers new favorite words throughout the book (and will be Tweeting her new favorite words at @NEWFAVEWORD  this summer.) 

Now, I'm so thrilled to tag the talented fellow Little Brown author Henry Clark (who really and truly is the next big thing) and introduce you to his fine book WHAT WE FOUND IN THE SOFA AND HOW IT CHANGED THE WORLD which comes out this July. 

Who could resist this premise? 

The story of how one crayon launches a wonderfully wacky quest to defeat a diabolical billionaire! 

Lucky for me, I was able to read an early copy of this middle-grade adventure and cannot recommend it enough. (My 9-year-old has stolen my copy and I want it back!)

(Tag, you're it, Henry.) I invite you all to go read his Next Big Thing Blog post and learn all about his book and writing. And also, he has photos of Doritos, which he somehow secretly knows are one of my favorite writing rewards. 

Friday Reads

I can't stop raving about this book to everyone I know! Check out author Maria Semple's website to learn more.