The Hand of Fate

Do you believe in fate? Some days I do and some days I don't. The subject has been on my mind a lot lately and now comes Hand of Fate by Girlfriend Cyber Circuit writer April Henry and Lis Wiehl.

About the book

When the host of a popular radio talk show is murdered, the suspects almost outnumber his millions of listeners.

Outspoken radio talk show host Jim Fate dies he opens a package and releases poisonous gas while his polarizing show, "The Hand of Fate," is on air. 

In the ensuing panic, police evacuate downtown Portland. Soon the triple threat of  FBI Special Agent Nicole Hedges, crime reporter Cassidy Shaw and Federal Prosecutor Allison Pierce begin piecing together the madness, motive, and the mystery that lie behind Fate’s murder.

While Lis has worked with Bill O’Reilly for years (often serving as the voice of reason or his liberal foil, depending on your point of view), the character is NO WAY based on O’Reilly. 

This is the second in the Triple Threat mystery series, which has been optioned for TV.  The first, Face of Betrayal,  was on the New York Times bestseller list for four weeks!  And in April 2011, readers can look for Heart of Ice, which traces the path of a destruction left by a sociopath - and based on a real-life case Lis prosecuted.

About the authors

April Henry grew up in a little town in Southern Oregon where the main industries were timber and pears. When she was was 12, she sent Roald Dahl a short story she had written about a six-foot-tall frog named Herman who loved peanut butter.  He not only wrote her back - he showed it to the editor of an international children’s author, who asked to publish it.

Since then, April has written nearly a dozen mysteries and thrillers for adults and teens, with seven more on the way.  Look for her young adult thriller - Girl, Stolen - in October 2010.

Lis Wiehl is a former federal prosecutor who is now a legal analyst for FOX-TV.

What the critics are saying

"Exciting... readers will identify with these very real women as they try to uncover Fate's killer, and each battles a personal demon—Allison her fear of miscarriage, Nic her fear of her daughter's criminal father, and Cassidy her prescription drug addiction.”

--Publishers Weekly

"The second book by Wiehl and Henry featuring the Triple Threat Club ratchets up the excitement and suspense to another level. Realistic characters with authentic dilemmas will appeal to a wide array of mystery lovers."

--Romantic Times, four stars

Win a $25 gift card!

Sign up for Ellen Meister's mailing list and you could win a $25 gift card!

Ellen Meister has an exciting new book coming out next year and she wants to keep you abreast of the news. So she has a special offer ...  sign up for her mailing list now and you will  automatically be entered in a drawing for a $25 amazon.com gift card. 

Just click here, fill out the form, and remember to click through when you get the confirmation email. That's it. Ellen only sends out a few updates a year, so you won't be bombarded. Besides, I think you'll want to hear about her breakthrough novel, THE OTHER LIFE (Putnam/2011), which is already getting great early buzz.

Pitched as "Jodi Picoult meets THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE," THE OTHER LIFE tells the story of a suburban mom expecting her second child who discovers that she might be able to slip through a portal to the life she would have had if she never got married. When a routine sonogram reveals unexpected problems, her grief lures her to escape to the life that might have been ...  in which she discovers that she stayed with her neurotic ex-boyfriend, and that her mother, who committed suicide several years before, is very much alive.

"Gripping! A truly fascinating story of love, loss, and a magical place in between." 
-Beth Harbison, New York Times bestselling author of HOPE IN A JAR

"Intriguing, stimulating, original, unpredictable, frightening, utterly engaging--THE OTHER LIFE reminded me why I love to read. Ellen Meister is a writer with a limitless future." 

-Michael Palmer, New York Times bestselling author of THE SECOND OPINION and THE LAST SURGEON

"In her riveting breakthrough novel, THE OTHER LIFE, gifted storyteller Ellen Meister doesn't just peek in on a young mother who straddles between love and doubt, she blows it open with a story of one who straddles two parallel universes, each with its own perilous decisions. It is a brave and honest exploration of the precarious limits of motherhood that will make readers wonder if Meister followed them with a probe and felt their racing hearts and hopes. If you have ever second guessed the biggest decisions of your life (and who hasn't), THE OTHER LIFE is a captivating homage to the question, does love conquer all?" 

-Saralee Rosenberg, author of DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD and FATE AND MS. FORTUNE

"Ellen Meister makes a big leap toward the literary in THE OTHER LIFE, a book where "What if" becomes the most powerful question in the world. This is the thinking woman's beach read, a love story to the modern family, written with a deep and lovely understanding of mothers and daughters and the sacrifices they'll make for each other." 
-Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of THE GIRL WHO STOPPED SWIMMING

"THE OTHER LIFE is a provocative and unique tale of the road not taken. Ellen Meister puts a magical, masterful spin on one of my favorite questions: "What if?" What if you took both roads? You won't want to miss this one!" 

-Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author of THE GIRL WHO CHASED THE MOON 

"I loved this emotional powerhouse of a novel that asks a daring "what if." and manages to be as charming and funny as it is thoughtful and moving. Brava, Ellen Meister!" 
-Melissa Senate, author of SEE JANE DATE and THE SECRET OF JOY

Welcome Jenny Gardiner!

Pet lovers, this one is for you! My friend Jenny Gardiner the author of the novel Sleeping With Ward Cleaver, is here to talk about her latest, a memoir, Winging It. I admire anyone who can write interestingly about their relationship with their animals. I love my cat to death and he certainly is a character, but a memoir about us would be boring as hell! Simon & Schuster describes Winging It as:

"A hilarious and poignant cautionary tale about two very different types of creatures, thrown together by fate, who learn to make the best of a challenging situation -- feather by feather.

Like many new bird owners, Jenny and Scott Gardiner hoped for a smart, talkative, friendly companion. Instead, as they took on the unexpected task of raising a curmudgeonly wild African gray parrot and a newborn, they learned an important lesson: parrothood is way harder than parenthood."

Jenny and I met 2 years ago at the VA Festival of the Book, from which I just returned. This year, I got to spend some time with Jenny and Girlfriend Sheila Curran (in the middle)!

Read our Girlfriends Q&A below and hear Jenny talk about Winging It here. Here's video of Gracie talking up a storm.

Q: What's been your biggest surprised about getting published?

A: I guess how easy it is to overlook the celebration of the achievement by dint of having to slog through the necessities of it all--the legwork of marketing and publicity, for instance. Part of that comes from the fact that you work SO hard to get to this publication date, but the publication date isn't like, say, Christmas morning, with huge amounts of immediate fanfare. The publication date is sort of like the bullseye around which many rings of activity have surrounded it. So there's not this "pop the champagne corks!" kind of moment that happens in and of itself. That said, I am sure there are those moments, and I hope to be able to enjoy them at some point--I mean the "I made the New York Times list!" moments. Or "My book was reviewed in People Magazine!" I guess those are more like "Holy shit!" moments, though LOL. Does that make sense?

And also I guess I'm surprised still whenever people see me as something more than I am simply because I've published books. I know it's well-intended, but I'm just me, the same person I've always been. So for someone I've know for years to view me as something differently simply because I've published a book sometimes throws me off a little.

Q: Is writing your main job? If not, what do you do for your real source of income and how does it impact your writing?

A: I've been so very fortunate to have been a stay-at-home mom, and by extension a stay-at-home writer. Although last fall I helped open and run a retail operation for about six months, working full-time. Mostly until now I've been able to rely upon my husband's income to help me establish myself as a writer. Alas, with our second child bound for college in a few months, I have to figure out how I can earn a large salary, so the brainstorming is underway. I've thought perhaps selling a kidney could be a useful source of income, but that is really something you donate anyhow. Then I thought, "Hmmm, maybe I can be a surrogate for someone!" But at my age, that's looking less and less likely LOL. It's a bit of a curse having been out of the working world for so long, though--there aren't a lot of decent-paying jobs out there as it is, let alone for a SAHM who's trying to get back into the working world. A lament for all parents who have given up careers to raise kids at home, something that is a real privilege in this day and age. I'd sure love to get two more published books under my belt and then I think I could manage to justify staying home as a full-time writer.

When I was working full-time, though, it affected my writing a lot. I don't know how people can have day jobs, kids and writing careers without imploding. It's a lot on one's plate!


Q: If you could ask any author (living or dead) any question what would it be?

A: I actually asked it, of Pat Conroy, who is a literary hero of mine and in whose company I was able to spend a lovely weekend during the Pulpwood Queens Girlfriends Weekend in January.
When you consider the brutality under which he and his siblings were raised (refer to his famous memoir, The Great Santini), it was remarkable to hear him speak about the family taking such care of his father in his latter years, ensuring that he died well. I was terribly curious to know how they could have even wanted to bother to reconcile themselves with a man who treated them so brutally. 

He told me that after The Great Santini was published, his father spent the rest of his life trying to prove he wasn't that sort of man, and so became more the man he ought to have been. I found that very fascinating.


Q: What's the main thing you hope people take away from your book?

A: I think my book speaks to the importance of commitment and of not quitting. It's something I feel strongly about and I guess I think peripherally you can also take away the importance of not getting yourself into something that might be just too much to deal with, of not impulsively committing yourself to something you're not prepared to undertake. In our case that was with a parrot, who could live to be 90. But that could apply to marriage, parenthood, career choices, all sorts of things.

Q: Art or entertainment? Is one more valid or important than the other?

A: Certainly not. What is art for one is entertainment for another, and vice versa. I guess this goes to the whole 'literary" versus "commercial" debate in fiction, with one side occasionally debasing the other or whatever. I think just writing something that others will enjoy is the point of it--whether it is high art or Captain Underpants, well, I mean someone out there will appreciate it. And if it motivates someone who otherwise might not to then pick up a book, then right on.

Q: What comes most naturally for you to write, dialogue? plot? character? And what's hardest?

A: I really love to write dialogue, especially when easy, snappy dialogue comes to me. I'd say the plotting sort of can bog me down at times. Probably because I am a seat-of-the-pants writer, and prefer for things to just sort of flow as I go. I like to develop quirky characters, and have a lot of fun throwing them into situations that might exasperate them.

Kicking off Women's History Month with Hank Phillippi Ryan

Happy March! We have tulip shoots peeking out from the mulch and I've seen a flock of robins so I'm all excited about spring. Also excited about going to the Virginia Festival of the Book and meeting lots of authors that I've only spoken with online! Of course, March is also Women's History Month, which we authors tend to like to celebrate by honoring women writers.

So herewith I present to you my Girlfriends Cyber Circuit pal Hank Phillippi Ryan, author of DRIVE TIME.

Award-winning investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan is on the air at Boston's NBC affiliate. Her work has resulted in new laws, people sent to prison, homes removed from foreclosure, and millions of dollars in restitution. Along with her 26 EMMYs, Hank’s won dozens of other journalism honors. She's been a radio reporter, a legislative aide in the United States Senate and an editorial assistant at Rolling Stone Magazine working with Hunter S. Thompson.

Her first mystery, the best-selling PRIME TIME, won the Agatha for Best First Novel. It was also was a double RITA nominee for Best First Book and Best Romantic Suspense Novel, and a Reviewers' Choice Award Winner. FACE TIME and the new AIR TIME are IMBA bestsellers. DRIVE TIME, February 2010 from MIRA Books, just earned a starred review from Library Journal. Hank is on the national board of Mystery Writers of America.

Her website is http://www.HankPhillippiRyan.com.

A little about DRIVE TIME

Investigative reporter Charlotte McNally is an expert at keeping things confidential, but suddenly everyone has a secret, and it turns out it may be possible to know too much. Charlie's latest TV scoop--an expose of a dangerous recalled car scam complete with stakeouts, high-speed chases and hidden-camera footage--is ratings gold. But soon that leads her to a brand new and diabolical scheme (incredibly timely!) that could put every driver in danger.

Charlie's personal and professional lives are on a collision course, too. Her fiancé is privy to information about threats at an elite private school that have suddenly turned deadly.

Charlie has never counted on happy endings. But now, just as she's finally starting to believe in second chances, she realizes revenge, extortion and murder might leave her alone again. Or even dead. Emmy and Agatha award winning reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan proves that when everyone has a secret, the real mystery is knowing when to tell.

Now on to the Q&A:



Q: Tell us about your book.

A: DRIVE TIME is about secrets. TV reporter Charlie McNally’s working on a story about a dangerous scheme that could absolutely happen…and let me just say, if you own a car, or rent a car, you’ll never look at your vehicle the same way after reading DRIVE TIME. In fact, after writing the book, I now get a bit creeped out when I go into a parking garage. That’s all I‘ll say.

Charlie’s also drawn into another frightening situation—this one at the prep school where her fiancé is an English professor. When Charlie learns a secret that might put her step-daughter-to-be in danger, and might also be an blockbuster investigative story—how does she balance her loyalty to her husband-to-be—with her need to protect the public?

So this is a tough one for Charlie. And she must make many life-changing decisions. Just when she begins to think she might be able to have it all—a terrific career and a new husband and a new life--revenge, extortion and murder may bring it all to a crashing halt.

DRIVE TIME just got a fabulous starred review from Library Journal. Just a snippet of the rave: “Placing Ryan in the same league as Lisa Scottoline…her latest book catapults the reader into the fast lane and doesn't relent until the story careens to a stop. New readers will speed to get her earlier books, and diehard fans will hope for another installment.”

And dear Robert B. Parker’s quote is on the cover—he says “I loved DRIVE TIME!”


Q: Growing up, did you ever think you’d be an investigative reporter?

A: Definitely—not. You know, I have a funny juxtaposition of desire to be in the spotlight—and sheer terror of being in the spotlight. I love my job in TV—and have to go live and unrehearsed al the time. Confession: I’m still terrified every time. I want to be perfect, and when you’re on live, you can’t possibly be. That’s one reason why I love investigative reporting—there’s more time to work, and dig, and polish, and produce, It’s like making a little movie, and I can make it as perfect as possible.

Anyway, my sisters and I used to create musical shows when we were all young, and perform for our parents in our back yard. I did acting in high school and college. I wanted to be a DJ on the radio for a long time! But I thought I would be an English teacher, or a lawyer for the Mine Workers union, or for awhile, a political activist.

(My mother, though, says she always knew I would be a television reporter—but I think that was just her way of rationalizing that all I did as a pre-teen and teenager was read books and watch TV.)

I knew from my first Nancy Drew that I loved mysteries. Nancy was my first best friend—I was a geeky unpopular kid, and it was such a relief to go home and hang out with Nancy. She was smart, and made it be okay to be smart. She was confident and inquisitive and resourceful. I loved that. But being a TV reporter was not in my sights. Little did I know!


Q: How did you get started in that type of journalism?

A: I got into TV by chance. I had worked as a radio reporter (hired because, as I informed the radio station, they didn’t have any women working at the station! Hey. It was the seventies.) But after a few years working in Washington DC (on Capitol Hill as a legislative aide and then for Rolling Stone Magazine,) Rolling Stone closed its Washington office and I needed a new job.

I went back home to Indianapolis, and applied for a job as a TV reporter. It was 1975. I had covered politics in Washington, and the news director of the station figured he could teach me to be a TV reporter. (This was incredibly risky—I had never taken journalism and didn’t know one thing about TV. But I wasn’t afraid and I knew I could do it.)

Problem was, I should have been afraid! I quickly learned I had no idea what I was doing. I went home every night for the first two weeks, sobbing. Because I thought I would never understand it. Soon after—it hit me--oh, I get it! And I have adored it ever since. I took a chance, and found my calling.

I started as the political reporter (and was also the movie reviewer, of all things! At age 26.) At various times I’ve been the medical reporter, a weekend anchor, and an on the road feature reporter. When I came to Boston, I was the funny feature reporter--cat shows, sports features, poems, and anything quirky or funny. They used to call me “something out of nothing productions,” because I could find a story in anything.

But starting in 1988, I covered the presidential election, doing long elaborate think pieces. It was terrific. And then I told my news director I didn’t want to be the funny one anymore. I wanted to be the serious one. And from that day on, I've been the investigative reporter.

And I love it every day.

Q: Reading about all the things you’ve done as a reporter... like being chased by criminals, confronting corrupt politicians, etc, is almost like reading a novel. Have any of these experiences found their way into your books?

A: There’s a huge been-there-done-that element to the books—I’ve wired myself with hidden cameras, confronted corrupt politicians, chased down criminals…been in disguise, been stalked, and threatened and had many a door slammed in my face. I’ve had people confess to murder, and others, from prison, insist they were innocent. So when that happens to Charlie, it’s fair to imagine me. Although the plots are completely from my imagination, those are real-life experiences!

Q: How did the character of Charlotte ‘Charlie’ McNally come about?

I have NO idea. She was born when I got a weird spam in my email. It was what looked like lines from a play by Shakespeare. I thought--why would someone send a spam like that? And it crossed my mind--maybe it's a secret message.

I still get goose bumps telling you about it. And I knew, after all those years of wanting to write a mystery, that was my plot. And that turned out to be the Agatha-winning PRIME TIME. But Charlie? Well, I knew I had a good story, but who would tell it? A television reporter, of course. And she just instantly popped into my head. Named, fully formed. I knew her perfectly.

The other characters were more difficult to get to know. But now, Charlie surprises me a lot! And I love when that happens.

Q: Is she anything like you? Has she ever done anything you wouldn’t do to get your story?

A: When my husband talks about Charlie, he calls her “you.” As in—when “you” are held at gunpoint, when you track down the bad guys, when you solve the mystery… and I have to remind him, “Sweetheart, it’s fiction. It didn’t really happen.”

But a couple of things: I’ve been a TV reporter for more than 30 years. (Yes, really.) And so it would be silly, in writing a mystery about TV, not to use my own experiences. Think about it—as a TV reporter, you can never be wrong! Never be one minute late. Never choose the wrong word or miscalculate. You can never have a bad hair day, because it’ll be seen by millions of people! It’s high-stakes and high-stress—literally, people’s lives at stake--and I really wanted to convey that in the books.

And everything that TV people do and say in the books is authentic and genuine. (Of course, Charlie can say things I can’t say, and reveal things I can’t reveal.) We’re both devoted journalists, and over-focused on our jobs.

But Charlotte McNally is different, too. She’s single—I’m happily married. She’s ten years younger than I am, and so is facing different choices and dilemmas. She’s braver than I am, certainly. Funnier. And a much better driver.

Q: You’ve got four books under your belt, you’ve won an Agatha, and been compared to Lisa Scottoline. Will there come a time when you say goodbye to journalism to focus full time on your fiction?

A: Ain't that the question! I still smile in delight every time I see my Agatha teapot. And when the starred review in Library Journal for DRIVE TIME compared me to Lisa Scottoline, well, I burst into tears. But I still love my job in TV. So--you could ask me that question every day, and every day I'd have a different answer. And I guess the bottom line is: who knows?

Q: Any plans to write a non Charlotte McNally novel?

A: Yup. Absolutely. It's in the works. You heard it here first.

Month of a Lifetime!

So much going on this month. Black History Month, of course, (Lori Tharps has some excellent suggestions about how to celebrate). I have a guest blog post at The Divining Wand. Please check it out.

Sade's new CD will be released!

Valentine's Day!

My niece Candace's 21st birthday!

What would have been my late mother's 63rd birthday!

And February 21st, which is not only the world premier of "Sins of the Mother," but is also the anniversary of my mother's death and the late great Nina Simone's birthday.

If that wasn't enough to keep me excited, several Girlfriends Cyber Circuit authors are touring this month! First up is Judi Fennell, with a great contest to promote her book Catch of a Lifetime!


About Judi:

Judi Fennell has had her nose in a book and her head in some celestial realm all her life, including those early years when her mom would exhort her to “get outside!” instead of watching Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie on television. So she did--right into Dad’s hammock with her Nancy Drew books.

These days she’s more likely to have her nose in her laptop and her head (and the rest of her body) at her favorite bookstore, but she’s still reading, whether it be her latest manuscript or friends’ books.

A three-time finalist in online contests, Judi has enjoyed the reader feedback she’s received and would love to hear what you think about her Mer series. Check out her website at www.JudiFennell.com for excerpts, reviews and fun pictures from reader and writer conferences, and the chance to “dive in” to her stories.

Contest

To celebrate the release of each of her books, Judi Fennell and the Atlantis Inn and the Hibiscus House bed and breakfasts are raffling off three romantic beach getaway weekends. All information is on Judi's website.

Now on to our Q&A:

Tell us about your latest release and the inspiration behind it.

Catch of a Lifetime is the third book in my Mer series, this time about middle sister and Human-loving, Angel Tritone. She's determined to convince her brother Rod (hero of Book 2, Wild Blue Under) that she's perfect for the Director position of the Mer-Human Coalition he's establishing to help curb the pollution and global warming issues facing the entire planet. Things don't go quite as planned when she has to outrun a shark and ends up on Logan Hardington's fishing boat and is seen by his six-year-old son, Michael.

Logan Hardington, who ran away from the circus as a teenager, wants Normal in his life. But when a surprise son he never knew about shows up, Normal starts falling by the wayside. Then a beautiful naked woman shows up on his boat and it's all he can do to keep Normal part of his vocabulary. But when she proves to be a mermaid and his son goes missing, Logan realizes that Angel definitely is not the catch of a lifetime.

Or is she?

Which do you most like writing--dialogue, action, or description? 

I write mostly dialogue first then go back and layer the rest in. I can hear the characters talking, so that's the easiest for me. It directs the scene for me, so once I have that down/know it, I know the rest of the scene.

Do you think about writing series or do you prefer stand alone titles? 

I think in series, mainoy because I like reading them. I like getting to know the author's world and meet the characters before their stories. As a writer, it's nice to use the world you've created - you don't have to go back and create a whole new world and world rules, just some new scenes and build on what you'd already created. It's nice for the readers to become invested in your series, too. I have people emailing me, asking about Mariana and Pearl's stories - stories that aren't contracted yet, but are definitely in the "churning in my brain" stages.

What's next for you? 

I've turned in book one in my next series, pitched as "I Dream of Jeannie meets Indiana Jones." And it was a blast to write! I Dream of Genies hits the shelves January 2011, followed by Genie Knows Best, and Leave It to Genie.

Welcome Wendy Nelson Tokunaga!

Feeling a little stressed or overwhelmed? The holidays will do that, won't they? Myself, I'm not doing much shopping or any traveling, so I'm not feeling really stressed. I am feeling a little...sad though. This time of year can be hard when you've had losses. I know I'm thinking of my mom, my grandfather, my Uncle Charles (who passed away this fall), and my cat Hazel who died 2 weeks ago. I'm also thinking of friendships that seems frayed right now.

And after Season 3 of "The Wire" (I'm behind, I know) just about sent me to bed for a week (talk about frayed friendships!) and "Everybody's Fine" made me cry all weekend, I don't want any more serious or sad fiction for a while.

As always, one of my girlfriends to the rescue! This time it's Wendy Nelson Tokunaga. Her second novel Love in Translation is out and it looks like just the kind of fun, light-hearted read I could use right now.

About the Book:
After receiving a puzzling phone call and a box full of mysteries, 33-year-old fledgling singer Celeste Duncan is off to Japan to search for a long, lost relative who could hold the key to the identity of the father she never knew. This overwhelming place where nothing is quite as it seems changes Celeste in ways she never expected, leading her to ask: What is the true meaning of family? And what does it mean to discover your own voice?

My Q&A with Wendy (she gives inspiration to aspiring authors!):

Q: What inspired Love in Translation? 

A: Many things. LOVE IN TRANSLATION is my cockeyed valentine to Japan, which is a place I’ve both loved and loathed, a place that has fueled both fascination and frustration. And it is also a place that has had a huge impact on my life and writing. I also wanted to explore what it means to be a gaijin (foreigner) in Japan and the benefits and downsides of that status and what happens when a gaijin sings in Japanese. I also am fascinated by the concept of the homestay, (something I never experienced), and how that would impact someone as an adult who grew up in foster homes and who never experienced a real family. 

Q: If you weren’t writing, what would you be doing instead?

A: I’d be singing. Before I started writing fiction I wrote songs, sang lead and played bass guitar in my own bands. Later on I got into singing Japanese karaoke. And further down the road I took voice lessons from a great Japanese jazz singer. I learned so much from her and was able to take my singing to a whole new level. I began to sing jazz standards with my husband accompanying me on keyboards. We play low-key venues once in a while but usually we just practice for fun at home.

Q: Who do you picture in your mind when you write?

A: I guess I picture the character, but not usually in a specific physical sense. I imagine his or her persona in some tangible way, which acts as a reference point to keep me going.

Q: What's been your biggest surprise about getting published?

A: I don’t know if it would be categorized as a surprise, but I think that something completely unexpected has been the experience of getting published at a time when everyone and their dog is predicting the imminent death of the book and the publishing industry as we know it. I find myself half the time scoffing at such news and the other half worrying about it.

Q: Is writing your main job? If not, what do you do for your real source of income and how does it impact your writing?

A: Writing is my main job, but I also do manuscript consulting to help novelists and memoirists get their books in shape to send out to agents or to help revise them when they’ve received nothing but rejections. This dovetails nicely with my own writing and I really enjoy reading other writers’ works and helping them make their stories the best that they can be.

Q: If you could ask any author (living or dead) any question what would it be?

A: I’d love to ask Mark Twain if he could meet me for dinner and share a good bottle of wine so I could soak up all his wit and knowledge. And I have read that he was quite the cat lover so I think that would make it even more fun.

Q: What's the main thing you hope people take away from Love in Translation?

A: That opening up to new experiences and even different cultures can enhance your life and make you discover things you never knew about yourself.

Q: Art or entertainment? Is one more valid or important than the other?

A: Both can be equally important. But definitions of “art” and “entertainment” are so subjective. I guess as writers we hope that our works fit into a nice combination of the two.

Welcome Melissa Senate!

I'm excited about Melissa Senate's latest The Secret of Joy for what will be obvious reasons for anyone who's read my book Children of the Waters. Half-sisters who find each other! In addition, I'm excited because Melissa has been a real joy to me, filling me in on what happens when your book is made into a TV movie. So I'm thrilled to let you all know about what promises to be a good book written by a good person. Definitely on my holiday book-buying list! (Maybe even as a little sumthin sumthin just for me.)

Check out what Melissa says is the inspiration for the book:

"Several years ago, I received an email out of the blue that said: I think you might be my half-sister. I was. Am. It took me a long time to decide to take that little (huge) nugget and write a novel to help me figure out the answer to some burning questions, such as: if you haven’t seen or heard from your biological father, or any member of his family, since you were little (or, in Joy’s case, never at all), is his child from another relationship really your sibling? Or just a stranger? Does the word father or sister or brother mean anything without back up? I had a ton of questions and set out to uncover how I felt through a fictional character, but it’s interesting to me that I flipped everything on its head in the writing of the story. Nothing but the basic questions that are proposed in the novel are autobiographical. Just the questions! And I surprised myself quite a few times during the writing of this story with how I felt about certain things. Amazing how writing fiction can teach you so much about yourself."

Introducing THE SECRET OF JOY (Simon & Schuster trade paperback, $15.00) by Melissa Senate, the “warm, winning” new novel from the bestselling author of See Jane Date and Love You To Death.

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Joy-Melissa-Senate/dp/1439107173/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258292510&sr=8-1

What would you do if you discovered you had a half-sister you never knew existed?

28-year-old New Yorker Rebecca Strand is shocked when her dying father confesses a devastating secret: he had affair when Rebecca was a toddler—and a baby he turned his back on at birth. Now, his wish is that the daughter he abandoned, Joy Joyhawk, read the unsent letters he wrote to her every year on her birthday. Determined to fulfill her father’s wish, Rebecca drives to a small town in Maine—against the advice of her lawyer boyfriend who’s sure Joy will be a “disappointing, trashy opportunist” and demand half her father’s fortune. But when hopeful Rebecca knocks on her half-sister’s door, Joy—a separated mother who conducts weekend singles tours out of her orange mini-bus—wants nothing to do with Rebecca or the letters her father wrote to her. Determined to forge some kind of relationship with Joy, Rebecca sticks around, finding unexpected support from Joy’s best clients—the Divorced Ladies Club of Wiscasset—and a sexy carpenter named Theo . . . .

The Secret of Joy is a Simon & Schuster Book Club Pick! For more information, check out the Reading Group Guide:

http://books.simonandschuster.com/Secret-of-Joy/Melissa-Senate/9781439107171/reading_group_guide

Praise:

"The Secret of Joy by Melissa Senate opened my heart, made me laugh, cry, and smile all at the same time. A don't-miss read!" –New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips

"The Secret of Joy is a warm hug of a book. Insightful, wise, and romantic, it's as inviting as the small-town life it depicts." –Claire LaZebnik

"A wonderfully heartfelt story about hope, possibilities and the yearning for real connections. Senate's latest will take you on a much needed vacation, while sneaking vital life lessons in when you're not looking." –Caprice Crane

Author’s Bio:

Melissa Senate lives on the coast of Maine with her son and their menagerie of pets. She’s the author of eight novels (seven women’s fiction and one young adult) with two on the way. Visit her website (http://www.melissasenate.com) for more information and she’d love if you became her friend Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/MelissaSenate) and followed her on Twitter (http://twitter.com/melissasenate).

Welcome Jessica Brody!

I'm looking forward to reading Jessica Brody's new book Love Under Cover. I'm lucky: I'll even get a signed copy because Jessica will be reading at the Tattered Cover tonight. If you like FREE BOOKS, check out Free Book Friday, Jessica's site where authors giveaway free books.

About Love Under Cover

In her job, she’s an expert on men…

In her own relationship, she doesn’t have a clue.

Boyfriend behaving badly? Suspect your husband of straying? Jennifer Hunter can supply the ultimate test. She runs a company which specializes in conducting fidelity inspections for those who suspect their loved ones are capable of infidelity.

An expert on men, Jennifer can usually tell if they're single, married or lying... Unfortunately, her new boyfriend, Jamie, is one of the few men that she's never been able to 'read.' Has she finally found the perfect man or is he too good to be true?

A captivating new novel from the bestselling author of The Fidelity Files.

Available November 10, wherever books are sold.

Praise:

Currently in development as a TV series by the executive producer of Crash!

"With a complicated, sympathetic protagonist, worthy stakes and a clever twist on the standard chick lit narrative, Brody will pull readers in from the first page." – Publisher’s Weekly

"Those who enjoyed Brody's debut will be eager to catch up with Jennifer, but newcomers will be intrigued, too...an honest, witty portrayal of modern love." - Booklist

“With her usual smart, deft, and witty prose, Brody delves deep into the psychology of a woman who tests the fidelity of strangers for a living but struggles with commitment in her own life." - Joanne Rendell, author of Crossing Washington Square and The Professors’ Wives’ Club







About the Author:
Jessica Brody graduated from Smith College in Massachusetts with degrees in economics and French. In 2005, she left her job at MGM Studios in Los Angeles to become a full-time freelance writer and producer. Jessica currently lives in Los Angeles, where she is working on her next novel. Visit Jessica's website at: www.JessicaBrody.com

A Q&A with Jessica:

What was your inspiration behind Love Under Cover?

As soon as I finished writing my first novel, The Fidelity Files¸ I knew that Jennifer’s journey wasn’t over yet. Although she had seemed to find her happy ending there was so much more fun stuff I had in mind for another book. Setting Jennifer up with an entire agency of fidelity inspectors was definitely the first and foremost on my mind for the next instalment.

Plus, I really wanted to explore what a fidelity inspector would be like in a committed relationship. After everything she’s seen—all the cheating, dishonesty, and betrayal—would she really be capable of settling down herself? So that’s what I set out to focus on in this book.

What is the most memorable first line you've ever read in a novel?

There’s a very powerful young adult novel called The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams that I read last year. It’s about a fifteen year old girl who grew up on a polygamist compound and it opens with this: “If I was going to kill the Prophet,” I say, not even keeping my voice low, “I’d do it in Africa.” I read that line and didn’t put the book down until the end. I knew from that line that it was going to be a heart pounding read. And it was.

Which scene (or scenes) in your novel did you love writing? Why?

I love writing any of the scenes with Jennifer’s friends. They’re all fun in their own way. Zoë  has a terrible road rage problem and she has a habit of talking on the phone while driving so those conversations with Jen and Zoë on the phone are always really entertaining for me. I get to channel my inner turrets patient. Sophie is totally neurotic. I love going over the top with her. 

And John is the flamboyant gay boy from West Hollywood who is always quick with his sarcasm and wit. Sometimes I don’t know where his remarks come from. I must be channelling my inner gay man because I’ll write something that he says and think, “That’s really funny. Where the hell did that come from?”

Which 'craft' book has inspired or helped you the most throughout your writing career?

SAVE THE CAT, by Blake Snyder. It changed my life. People tell me my books read like movies. Well, that's probably because SAVE THE CAT is actually a book for screenwriting. But I've found it translates exceptionally well to novels. A well-told story is a well-told story, regardless of the medium and a fast-moving story keeps the pages turning. Blake Snyder lays out a simple (yet effective) step-by-step beat sheet of how to tell any story and I'll never write another book without it! He's very well-respected in the industry and I know many writers (screenwriters and novelists alike) that utilize his books. Plus, the book is extremely funny and entertaining to read!

Since becoming a writer, what’s the most glamorous thing you’ve ever done?

When my first book, The Fidelity Files, came out in France last year, my French publisher actually flew me out to Paris to promote it! It was a dream come true! I speak French almost fluently so I was able to conduct all my interviews in French, which was both nerve wrecking and exciting at the same time. Paris has always held a special place in my heart. I was a French major in college and I lived in Paris my junior abroad. Plus, I spent a month in Paris in 2005 finishing the novel so it was all very magical and kismet to be back there to see it in French book stores!

Welcome Marilyn Brant!

The Girlfriends Cyber Circuit is on fire lately! I noticed According to Jane by my fellow GCC-er Marilyn Brant was doing well on Amazon before it was even released at the end of September, and there's already over 35 reader reviews. Good on you, Marilyn. I haven't read the book yet, but the synopsis makes me think of my own first novel. In According to Jane, the main character gets dating advice from the spirit of Jane Austen. Sound familiar, Orange Mint and Honey readers? (For those who haven't read OMAH, the main character gets advice from the spirit of Nina Simone.) So this is another one (sigh, such a terrible problem) to add to my to-read pile.

If you like romantic women's fiction, you should check this one out too. Here's the synopsis:

It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett's teacher is assigning Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. From nowhere comes a quiet "tsk" of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who's teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten. Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author's ghost has taken up residence in Ellie's mind, and seems determined to stay there. Jane's wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the hell of adolescence and beyond, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own. Years and boyfriends come and go--sometimes a little too quickly, sometimes not nearly fast enough. But Jane's counsel is constant, and on the subject of Sam, quite insistent. Stay away, Jane demands. He is your Mr. Wickham. Still, everyone has something to learn about love--perhaps even Jane herself. And lately, the voice in Ellie's head is being drowned out by another, urging her to look beyond everything she thought she knew and seek out her very own, very unexpected, happy ending. . .

Read a sample chapter and check out this Q&A and get to know more about new author, Marilyn Brant:

Q: Tell us about your latest release and the inspiration behind it.

A: My debut novel, According to Jane, is the story of a modern woman who--for almost two decades--has the ghost of Jane Austen in her head giving her dating advice. I first read Pride & Prejudice as a high-school freshman. Like my heroine Ellie, I raced through the novel way ahead of the reading assignments. I loved both the story and Austen’s writing style immediately. Her books changed the way I perceived the behavior of everyone around me, and I spent the rest of freshman year trying to figure out which Austen character each of my friends and family members most resembled! Also like Ellie, I had a few (okay, a lot) of less-than-wonderful boyfriends, and I would have loved to have been given romantic advice from the author I most respected and the one who’d written one of my all-time favorite love stories.

Q: Which scene in this novel did you love writing? Why?

A: One scene I had a lot of fun with was the bar scene in the first chapter where my main character runs into her ex-high-school boyfriend for the first time in four years. It was a situation I had never experienced personally, but I could imagine the comical possibilities so clearly and feel and the frustration of my heroine as if I’d been the one standing there, facing the jerk and his latest girlfriend, while Jane Austen ranted about how “insufferable” he was.


Q: If you could ask one author (in all of history) for one piece of advice, who would you ask and what you would want to know from them?

A: Oooh, getting to be like my main character here! If I could have asked Jane Austen for advice before I was married, it would have definitely revolved around which type of man was the right one for me. (She would intuitively know the answer, I’m sure.) However, even without Jane’s help, I was fortunate to find “my Darcy.” Now, I would ask her for her thoughts on the crafting of a perfect novel. What were the qualities she felt a great piece of fiction should possess? What was she consciously trying to achieve with her novels?

Q: What is your author fantasy?

A: I’m secretly, unrelentingly ambitious, even when I have no right to be. Of course I want to hit the NYT bestseller list and get a movie deal. Also, I’d like an Oprah invitation and a few RITAs. However, these are not quite enough to satisfy every daydream I’ve ever had. I’d greatly enjoy winning an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, a Tony and an Olympic gold medal (in both ice skating and gymnastics). The fact that I’m pathetic on skates and terrified of the uneven bars is, in no way, a deterrent from these unrealistic fantasies. My simple ability to *imagine* them, makes them almost real. Furthermore, I like shiny things (although I don’t like to dust them), so I hereby promise that if I win ANY heavy golden statuettes--ever--I will dust faithfully. Especially that Grammy award. Really.

Q: What’s next for you?

A: I get to visit a number of book clubs that chose my debut novel, According to Jane, as their monthly book pick--wildly fun!--while also starting the production/promotion process all over again for my next women’s fiction project. That second book is done, but we’re still working on finding the right title. It’s a modern fairytale about three suburban moms who shake up their marriages and their lives when one woman asks her friends a somewhat shocking question… That comes out in October 2010.

Welcome Hank Phillipi Ryan!

I'm going to Vancouver to visit the set of "Sins of the Mother," the LMN movie based on Orange Mint and Honey! (Stay tuned for pictures and stories.) Thinking about what to take with me to read. Do you ever get a taste for a certain kind of book? Right now I have a taste for light-hearted, something fun. Air Time by Hank Phillipi Ryan just might be next up on the menu.

Air Time Summary

Star reporter Charlotte (Charlie) McNally enters the glamorous and high-stakes world of high fashion . . . and soon discovers when the purses are fake, the danger is real.

To break her latest big-money blockbuster, Charlotte must go undercover—but what if the bad guys recognize her? This savvy TV journalist must face more than her fear of flying when her inside scoop on designer duplicates suddenly turns deadly.

Carrying a hidden camera and dressing to deceive, Charlie finds she's not the only one disguising her identity. Nothing—and no one—is what they seem. And that means nothing—and no one—can be trusted. In her high-risk job and in her suddenly steamy love life, how can she tell the real thing?

Charlie is forced to make some life-changing—and life and death—decisions. With only a split-second to act and with her own life in the balance, Charlie knows if she chooses wrong it will be the last decision she ever makes.

Real-life investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan devises a scheme so timely and innovative you'll wonder why someone hasn't tried it. AIR TIME takes you behind the scenes of TV news—and reveals what can happen when a savvy, sexy journalist turns from hard-working reporter into becoming a killer's target.

“Sassy, fast-paced and appealing. First-class entertainment.” **Sue Grafton

“I love this series!” **Suzanne Brockmann

“AIR TIME is a fun, fast read with a heroine who's sexy, stylish, and smart. I loved it." **Nancy Pickard

I'm especially interested because Hank is a reporter herself. According to her bio: Award-winning investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan is currently on the air at Boston's NBC affiliate, where she's broken big stories for the past 22 years. Her stories have resulted in new laws, people sent to prison, homes removed from foreclosure, and millions of dollars in refunds and restitution for consumers.

Hank was kind enough to answer some questions for readers of The Pajama Gardener. Here's our chat:

Q: Charlotte (Charlie) McNally is an investigative TV reporter, and so are you! What qualities do you share with Charlie, and how are you different?

A: When my husband talks about Charlie, he calls her “you.” As in—when “you” are held at gunpoint, when you track down the bad guys, when you solve the mystery . . . and I have to remind him, “Sweetheart, it’s fiction. It didn’t really happen.”

But a couple of things: I’ve been a TV reporter for more than 30 years. (Yes, really.) And so it would be silly, in writing a mystery about TV, not to use my own experiences. Think about it—as a TV reporter, you can never be wrong! Never be one minute late. Never choose the wrong word or miscalculate. You can never have a bad hair day, because it’ll be seen by millions of people! It’s high-stakes and high-stress—literally, people’s lives at stake—and I really wanted to convey that in the books.

And everything that TV people do and say in the books is authentic and genuine. (Of course, Charlie can say things I can’t say, and reveal things I can’t reveal.) We’re both devoted journalists, and over-focused on our jobs.

But Charlotte McNally is different, too. She’s single—I’m happily married. She’s ten years younger than I am, and so is facing different choices and dilemmas. She’s braver than I am, certainly. Funnier. And a much better driver.

Q: Charlie has some exciting adventures in your mystery series—going undercover, confronting some really bad guys. Tell us about some of your adventures as an investigative reporter.

A: There’s a huge been-there-done-that element to the books—I’ve wired myself with hidden cameras, confronted corrupt politicians, chased down criminals . . . been in disguise, been stalked, and threatened and had many a door slammed in my face. I’ve had people confess to murder, and others, from prison, insist they were innocent. So when that happens to Charlie, it’s fair to imagine me. Although the plots are completely from my imagination, those are real-life experiences.

Q: Your job sounds very demanding. How (and when) do you find the time to write? Do you ever take a vacation, and, if so, what do you do with your time off?

A: Short answer—no. I don’t take vacations anymore. We used to! We love Nevis, a tiny island n the Caribbean with empty white beaches and nothing to do. We love to go to western Massachusetts, to Tanglewood, to go to plays and the symphony and museums. We love to go to Cape Cod, to Truro, to sit on the beach with pals and read, then go out to wonderful dinners. All in the past. Now, I write. And Jonathan lounges in the back yard. Luckily, we have a lovely yard, with a pool and beautiful gardens.

Q: Charlie is afraid of flying, and the airlines are constantly losing her luggage. When you write in Charlie’s voice about these dilemmas, you sound like you’re writing from experience. Is this true?

A: Sigh. Yes. I am a luggage-loss magnet. If they can lose my bags, they will. It’s almost funny. Almost. As for fear of flying, yes, I am afraid. (Although not as much has I used to be. I’ve worked very hard and tried a lot of things to get over it.) I was once covering a very bad plane crash, in a major airport, and was in a room with a lot of the bleeding and upset survivors of the crash. I often wonder if that bad energy someone affected me.

Q: Since you write about what you do, do you ever have ethical dilemmas of your profession that cause conflicts between Hank, the author, and Hank, the journalist?

A: Ah, no. The closest I’ve come to an ethical dilemmas trying to make sure that no one is the books is a representation of a real person. I’m careful about that. There’s no real Franklin. Or Josh. Or Penny. (Is there a real Charlie? Well, that’s possible . . .)

Sounds like Air Time would give you a nice break whether you were on vacation or curled up in bed!

Welcome Joanne Rendell!

I'm introducing authors all over the place! Got interviews up at my other blog, and over here I'm pleased to tour the Girlfriends of the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit. This week, please welcome Joanne Rendell, author of several novels, including Crossing Washington Square.

1. New readers want to know about your book! In 2-3 sentences, can you tell us the basic premise?

Crossing Washington Square is a story of two very different women and their very different love of books. Rachel Grey and Diana Monroe are both literature professors in the old boys club of Manhattan University. While this should create a kinship between them, they are very much at odds and when a brilliant and handsome professor from Harvard comes to town and sets his sights on both women, sparks really fly!

2. What was the inspiration behind your latest novel?

The idea for Crossing Washington Square evolved over a few years. As someone who has lived the academic life (I have a PhD in literature and now I’m married to a professor at NYU), I’ve always loved books about the university – novels like Michael Chabon’s Wonder Boys, Richard Russo’s The Straight Man, Zadie Smith’s On Beauty, and Francine Prose’s Blue Angel. But what I noticed about such campus fiction was the lack of female professors in leading roles. Even the female authors like Francine Prose's and Zadie Smith’s novels focus on male professors. Furthermore, most of these male professors are disillusioned drunks who quite often sleep with their students! I wanted to write a novel with women professors taking the lead and I wanted these women to be strong and smart and interesting – instead of drunk, despondent, and preoccupied with questionable sexual liaisons!

3. Who’s your favorite character and why?

That’s a tough one! My knee jerk response is to say Professor Rachel Grey because, out of the two female leads, I identify most with her. Rachel teaches chick lit in her classes and has to defend her work and the genre to her stuffy colleagues who think only the classics and literary fiction should be studied. As a grad student, I would be reading classical literature and poetry by day, but then secretly read popular women’s fiction at night (Bridget Jones’ Diary, I have to say, is one of my all time favorite books!). Rachel is also flawed and emotional, yet good and honest and brave. I like that about her. Every time I revisit the book, however, I like Professor Diana Monroe more too. She’s super smart and has great poise and grace as a teacher. She’'s the kind of uber-professor that every academic secretly wants to be. She’s also pretty darn scary in her austerity and brilliance. But she has a vulnerability too and her life started out pretty tough and therefore, every time I revisit the book, I like her more.

4. What is one of the nicest compliments that you have ever received about your book(s)?

One of the nicest compliments I've gotten for Crossing Washington Square (so far… I hope there are more to come!) was from Lawrence Grossberg who is a distinguished professor at The University of North Carolina. He is a very big deal in the world of academia and I was so excited that he not only read it, but also said the book “admirably reveals the hypocrisy of an academic culture that claims to want to understand people and the world they live in, but refuses to take seriously the forms of culture that matter to them.” The book is not just for “high fallutin” professors, of course! But it was exciting for me that a distinguished professor liked it.

5. What’s next for you?

I'm working on final edits for my third novel (which was bought by Penguin last fall). The novel tells the story of a woman who thinks she might be related to the nineteenth century writer, Mary Shelley. On her journey to seek the truth and to discover if there really is a link between her own family and the creator of Frankenstein, Clara unearths surprising facts about people much closer to home – including some shocking secrets about the ambitious scientist she is engaged to. The book is told in alternating points of view between Clara and the young Mary Shelley who is preparing to write Frankenstein.

Girlfriends Cyber Circuit, Novel Spaces and Writer Unboxed

My gal pals with the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit are touring me. Please check out the many interesting questions they threw at me.

I'm guest blogging on Novel Spaces today about writing and knowing when to listen to your critique group and when to listen to yourself.

Writer Unboxed ran Part I of an interview with me last Friday. Part II is up tomorrow.

Welcome Samantha Wilde

So, as y'all know my new novel is out and I'll be doing a tour of the Girlfriends Cyber Circuit the week of July 20th. In the meantime, allow me to introduce you to another GCCer, a new member, Samantha Wilde. Samantha is the author of THIS LITTLE MOMMY STAYED HOME, which was released the same day as my book. I'm excited about her book because she got a blurb from one of my favorite authors: Elinor Lipman, who says: “Here’s a talent: when a narrator’s doldrums make a reader laugh out loud. Samantha Wilde’s inkwell must be filled with truth-serum because this brave and funny book gets the postpartum peaks and valleys so very, winningly right.”

Any mommy writers or mommy bloggers out there? You might get a kick out of this one!

THIS LITTLE MOMMY STAYED HOME introduces Joy McGuire who has gone from being skinny and able to speak in complete sentences to someone who hasn’t changed her sweatpants in weeks. But now with a new baby to care for, she feels like a woman on the brink and as she scrambles to recapture the person she used to be she takes another look at the woman she is: a stay-at-home mom in love with her son, if a bit addled about everything else. As a new mom herself, Wilde, a graduate of Yale Divinity School, wrote THIS LITTLE MOMMY STAYED HOME after the birth of her son when she was experiencing the ups and downs of new motherhood. According to Samantha, “I wrote the book because I couldn’t not write it. I took my lap top to my bed during my son’s naps and wrote and wrote. I wrote the book I wanted to read. The book takes a hard look at the effects of new motherhood on a woman and on a marriage through the eyes of one stressed but insightful woman. It’s a story that will keep mothers going when they think they can’t go any further.”

Check out what Samantha has to say about writing, and balancing kids and her writing life:

Q: When deadlines hit, what happens in your house?

A: I get more tired. The toilet bowl has to wait until late at night to be cleaned. I “stay-at-home” with my kids, so that’s my real job. If anything suffers during deadlines, it’s the house, which is not so tidy to begin with. No, that’s not true. It’s me who suffers. I won’t nap, and I’ll stay up later. I’ll forego a shower or a walk. So I guess I’m saying that I get stinky and fat. That doesn’t sound very good, does it?

Q: Um, I don't have kids and that sounds like my house! If you weren't writing, what would you be doing instead?

A: I’d teach yoga, which I do once a week anyway. And be with my kids more, though it hardly seems possible. Or maybe I’d just be lying in bed reading and eating chocolate. That would be nice. But then you didn’t mean if I wasn’t writing AND was wealthy, did you?

Q: Which scene (or scenes) in your novel did you love writing? Why?

A: I loved writing the fights between Joy and her husband. It was more fun than fighting and used up all my crankiness. Actually, I enjoyed writing most of it. Joy is so sassy and funny, I looked forward to what she might say or do.

Q: What would you change about your life if you became the next Sophie Kinsella?

A: Oooh, good one. That’s such a good one. I’d do what I’m doing on a bigger scale. I’d have more children. I’ve always wanted more children. I’d adopt some children. I’d have more friends for dinner, and more dates with my husband, and spend more time with family. I’d use the money for our children’s education and I’d buy as many books as I wanted. And it wouldn’t be bad to have a kitchen from this century. Or a house with a entry way for dirty shoes!

Q: Any tried and true tricks for beating procrastination?

A: Who has time to procrastinate? Have some young kids. You will not have the privilege of indulging it.

Q: What has brought you the greatest joy since you were published, and what has caused you the greatest angst?

A: Publicity has been difficult. I find self-promotion challenging on many levels. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I know I need to do something. My greatest joy? Probably realizing that my happiness has nothing to do with my book. I know that’s counterintuitive, but here’s the thing. When you long to be a published writer your whole life, you imagine when it happens, something will change—fireworks, lottery-style money, fame, etc. Getting the book published has put my dreams into perspective. I feel so blessed to have the book out there, but I am also relieved to find that my life is rich enough to sustain the possibility that it is—simply—a book. My treasure is in my children and my family. Strange kind of joy, isn’t it?

No, it makes total sense to me! One of the things I've also learned. If you make publishing your whole life, you will be sorely disappointed.