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Archive for September, 2014

LIVE CHAT – Heather Mackey and Lisa Von Drasek

Thursday, September 11th, 2014

Live Chat with Heather Mackey, DREAMWOOD

(09/11/2014)

4:45

Nora - EarlyWord:

We will begin our live online chat with Heather Mackey, author of the middle grade novel, Dreamwood, in about 15 minutes.

Thursday September 11, 2014 4:45 Nora - EarlyWord

4:45

Nora - EarlyWord:

Meanwhile, here’s the cover of the book, published by Penguin/ Putnam Juvenile in June …

Thursday September 11, 2014 4:45 Nora - EarlyWord

4:45	Nora - EarlyWord Thursday September 11, 2014 4:45

4:47

Nora - EarlyWord:

Reviews have been strong. This one from Kirkus does a good job of outlining the story elements:

An original fantasy for middle-grade readers plaits together science, the supernatural and deep ecology.

Lucy Darrington, 12 1/2, is a spunky girl who has escaped the stultifying atmosphere of a San Francisco finishing school to reunite with her beloved father, a scientist whose livelihood as a ghost clearer has diminished with the spreading, turn-of-the-20th-century popularity of electricity. Lucy arrives at the fictional city of Pentland—in an alternate Pacific Northwest where American settlements are embedded within lands still owned by indigenous peoples—only to find her father gone from his rooming house. Is his disappearance related to Rust, which is killing off kodok trees, source of income for many settlers and First Peoples? How does mythical, elusive dreamwood fit into the picture? Determined to find her father, Lucy embarks on a series of adventures, most of which include Pete Knightly, a slightly older boy whose parents were housing Lucy’s father. The latter part of the book takes them deep into the Devil’s Thumb peninsula, where gripping, even terrifying, moments are seasoned with humor and a slowly blossoming friendship. The carefully plotted twists and turns will keep readers absorbed to the end.

A stunning debut with equal parts originality and heart. (Fantasy. 8-13)

Thursday September 11, 2014 4:47 Nora - EarlyWord

4:52

Nora - EarlyWord:

I see chat participants gathering!

You can send your questions through at any time. They'll go into a queue, and we'll submit as many of them as we can to Heather before the end of the chat.

Thursday September 11, 2014 4:52 Nora - EarlyWord

5:01

Nora - EarlyWord:

The magic hour has struck and we're ready to begin our chat.

Our moderator is Lisa Von Drasek, head of the Children’s Literature Research Collections at the University of Minnesota Libraries (and EarlyWord kids Correspondent).

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:01 Nora - EarlyWord

5:01

lisa von drasek:

Hello, Everybody!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:01 lisa von drasek

5:02

[Comment From Sally, Mich.Sally, Mich.: ]

Hi, Lisa -- love these chats!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:02 Sally, Mich.

5:03

[Comment From Michelle K.Michelle K.: ]

Hi, Everyone! Looking forward to the chat. Love the book!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:03 Michelle K.

5:03

Heather Mackey:

Hi everyone! Thrilled to be here with you!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:03 Heather Mackey

5:03

[Comment From Kathy C.Kathy C.: ]

Hi Heather. Love how the book helped me look at today in new ways.

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:03 Kathy C.

5:03

[Comment From Linda.P.Linda.P.: ]

I've been reading it to kids. They love the fantasy elements.

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:03 Linda.P.

5:04

lisa von drasek:

Heather, first things first..... tell me a little bit about yourself

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:04 lisa von drasek

5:04

Heather Mackey:

Thank you Kathy! Big reason alternative past is so interesting :)

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:04 Heather Mackey

5:04

[Comment From MelissaMelissa: ]

Hope you're ready for tons of Q's!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:04 Melissa

5:05

Heather Mackey:

Hi Lisa, so I live in Berkeley, Mom, 2 wonderful kids. Um... have an MFA from University of Arizona, Grew up in the Southwest. Studied Greek and Latin and French -- typing as fast as I can!!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:05 Heather Mackey

5:06

lisa von drasek:

Can you say a little something about your own reading?
As a kid?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:06 lisa von drasek

5:06

[Comment From MelissaMelissa: ]

An MFA? As in visual arts? If so, how/ why did you tansition to writing?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:06 Melissa

5:06

Heather Mackey:

Sure I was a huge reader as a kid. Loved fantasy adventure. If I could LIVE in Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising, I'd be there

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:06 Heather Mackey

5:07

lisa von drasek:

Melissa wanted to know about your MFA....

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:07 lisa von drasek

5:07

Heather Mackey:

Melissa, in creative writing. Always knew I wanted to write - was a journalist, but not so clearr on the fiction thing

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:07 Heather Mackey

5:08

Heather Mackey:

My husband was getting an MFA in writing and I thought, maybe I should do that. We are a writing household! He runs National Novel Writing Month

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:08 Heather Mackey

5:08

[Comment From MelissaMelissa: ]

What changed?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:08 Melissa

5:09

lisa von drasek:

Can you say a few words about your writing life? do you write everyday?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:09 lisa von drasek

5:09

Heather Mackey:

An MFA was useful in learning how to finish stories and look at my work objectively. I learned how to give and accept critique

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:09 Heather Mackey

5:09

Heather Mackey:

Lisa, I try to write every day. I am a grump if I don't.

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:09 Heather Mackey

5:10

Heather Mackey:

I try even if it's just a couple sentences -

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:10 Heather Mackey

5:10

lisa von drasek:

As you recall, my job is as the curator of a children's literature manuscript collection. I hope that you are saving your drafts for our researchers...

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:10 lisa von drasek

5:11

Heather Mackey:

So I am - of course a lot is electronic. But I do a lot of brainstorming or "noodling" on paper. I dug out my very first noodles for you!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:11 Heather Mackey

5:11

lisa von drasek:

May we see it please?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:11 lisa von drasek

5:11	Heather Mackey The very first Dreamwood notes! Thursday September 11, 2014 5:11

5:11

lisa von drasek:

ooohhh!!!!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:11 lisa von drasek

5:11

[Comment From Kathy C.Kathy C.: ]

What made you interested in the 20th C. technology? Did you do research on it?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:11 Kathy C.

5:12

Heather Mackey:

So I was at day job, and found this wonderful reference book on place names, I started noting them down because I had an idea for story, and you see Pentland there...

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:12 Heather Mackey

5:12

Heather Mackey:

Kathy, I was interested in history of science. And I work in tech, so always fascinating to see the evolution

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:12 Heather Mackey

5:13

lisa von drasek:

I see the date 3-21-01 is that right?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:13 lisa von drasek

5:13

Heather Mackey:

Oh yeah we are talking ancient history!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:13 Heather Mackey

5:14

lisa von drasek:

so how long from beginning to publication? was that surprising?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:14 lisa von drasek

5:15

[Comment From Sally, Mich.Sally, Mich.: ]

Lisa -- is technology making curation more difficult these days? Is there less to curate?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:15 Sally, Mich.

lisa von drasek:

Sally , makes it a little crazy. I am now receiving manuscripts on thumb drives with track changes.

lisa von drasek

5:15

Heather Mackey:

Lisa, I was working on other things, just playing around with an idea I thought would be fun for myself. No big intentions. I sold the MS in 2007, and from there had a very long road to publication - 2 different editors, multiple agonizing revisions

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:15 Heather Mackey

5:15

lisa von drasek:

How many drafts did you go through?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:15 lisa von drasek

5:17

Heather Mackey:

It was about 3 MAJOR rewrites, then multiple drafts

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:17 Heather Mackey

5:18

lisa von drasek:

I was wandering about Lucy and Pete's survival wilderness survival skills. Do you camp? Have you eaten wild foods?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:18 lisa von drasek

5:18

[Comment From MelissaMelissa: ]

How did the 2 different editors affect things? Did they have different ideas?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:18 Melissa

5:19

Heather Mackey:

I have been weirdly fascinated by wilderness survival narratives. Growing up in the Southwest, I know how to make a solar still - in case I'm stranded!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:19 Heather Mackey

5:20

lisa von drasek:

fYI A solar still is a simple way of distilling water, using the heat of the Sun to drive evaporation from humid soil, and ambient air to cool a condenser film.

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:20 lisa von drasek

5:20

[Comment From Kathy CKathy C: ]

Solar still! i want to camp with you!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:20 Kathy C

5:20

[Comment From Susan, OhioSusan, Ohio: ]

Loved Lucy’s character – I'm always on the lookout for imaginative, strong female characters. did you model her on anyone?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:20 Susan, Ohio

5:20

Heather Mackey:

Melissa, they had very different ideas! A major reason it took so long. So my first editor got laid off midway, and my second editor Ari Lewin loved the book but had a very different approach

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:20 Heather Mackey

5:21

[Comment From MelissaMelissa: ]

Wasn't that confusing?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:21 Melissa

5:21

Heather Mackey:

Thanks Susan! Lucy has some of my qualities in her (probably all her worst ones). But she also is close to my daughter.

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:21 Heather Mackey

5:22

Heather Mackey:

Melissa, so this is a bit New Agey, but I had to do some visualization exercises to make myself believe I could do it!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:22 Heather Mackey

5:22

lisa von drasek:

And I believe I was promised a pet picture...

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:22 lisa von drasek

5:23

Heather Mackey:

Of course Lisa! I cannot leave my phone around without coming back to find it full of pictures of our dog. Kids usually like to pose him under a lot of covers. But here's one where you can see him

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:23 Heather Mackey

5:23	Heather Mackey Buster Thursday September 11, 2014 5:23

5:24

lisa von drasek:

oohh , now I am happy

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:24 lisa von drasek

5:24

[Comment From MelissaMelissa: ]

I'm so curious about how editing works. Did the second editor just start over with the original MS?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:24 Melissa

5:25

Heather Mackey:

Great question Melissa. She looked at my 3rd draft, and we started from a story level. So I did a major overhaul. Her kind words to me were "You just don't have a story." Oops. So I worked on story, then another draft on character. Then another draft on everything else that wasn't working :)

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:25 Heather Mackey

5:26

lisa von drasek:

To the peanut gallery... if you have read the book... towards the end I was dreading then I was so, so happy and satisfied with the ending. Any thoughts about that?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:26 lisa von drasek

5:26

[Comment From MelissaMelissa: ]

I can see why you needed the visualization!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:26 Melissa

5:26

Heather Mackey:

Melissa, I am big on that! Seriously

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:26 Heather Mackey

5:27

lisa von drasek:

Heather...What are you reading and loving right now?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:27 lisa von drasek

5:27

[Comment From Peanut GalleryPeanut Gallery: ]

I am totally with you, Lisa.

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:27 Peanut Gallery

lisa von drasek:

Quite the drama, huh?

lisa von drasek

5:29

Heather Mackey:

Ah, I'm reading a ton of books! I read a mix of adult, YA, middle grade. I just finished re-reading Donna Tartt's The Secret History, finishing E Lockhart's We Were Liars, looking forward to Rick Yancey's The Infinite Sea. And kids and I can't wait for R Riordan's Blood of Olympus

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:29 Heather Mackey

5:29

lisa von drasek:

Who do you consider the perfect reader for Dreamwood?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:29 lisa von drasek

5:29

[Comment From Kathy C.Kathy C.: ]

How do you feel about the term Steampunk?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:29 Kathy C.

5:30

[Comment From Kathy C.Kathy C.: ]

As I said, love the reflections of today -- technology, but also environmental issue. Did you want to get a message across?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:30 Kathy C.

5:31

Heather Mackey:

Lisa, I've hear from girls and boys - so ideal is not a gender, but maybe an attitude: curious, involved readers

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:31 Heather Mackey

5:31

lisa von drasek:

I am thinking it hit the sweet spot of middle grade...what do you think?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:31 lisa von drasek

5:32

Heather Mackey:

Kathy, steampunk can mean a lot of different things. There are a couple elements - the instruments and the alternative tech. ...

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:32 Heather Mackey

5:33

Heather Mackey:

And to answer Kathy's second question - I didn't want to write some militantly environmental book. But of course I hope people think about our place in the natural world, so the story is an avenue to that

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:33 Heather Mackey

5:34

Heather Mackey:

Question for you all - would you describe it as steampunk??

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:34 Heather Mackey

5:34

lisa von drasek:

I see that the story would be a great start for science related discussions.

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:34 lisa von drasek

5:35

lisa von drasek:

Heather, I assumed that all of the science in the novel is fact based, yes?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:35 lisa von drasek

5:35

[Comment From MelissaMelissa: ]

Back to the editor telling you it didn't have a story -- you sure bounced back from that -- wish someone had told that to the author of THE NIGHT CIRCUS -- all atmosphere and no plot!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:35 Melissa

5:35

Heather Mackey:

Lisa, I hope so! I think there are a lot of ways to talk about science from it

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:35 Heather Mackey

5:36

Heather Mackey:

I have to admit Lisa, I did make up some ghost physics!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:36 Heather Mackey

5:36

lisa von drasek:

Can you give an example of some of the research that informed the plot?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:36 lisa von drasek

5:37

lisa von drasek:

You also created an imaginary American Indian people. Can you say something about that?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:37 lisa von drasek

5:37

[Comment From Kathy C.Kathy C.: ]

I don't think I'd really call it Steampunk. Ir's just the trendy term of the moment.

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:37 Kathy C.

5:38

Heather Mackey:

Oh boy... I researched geography of Pacific Northwest. Read a LOT about timber, timber industry, meaning of trees. GREAT book called The Golden Spruce about a culturally important tree - true story. Made up my own scientific names. Researched energy studies.

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:38 Heather Mackey

5:40

lisa von drasek:

The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness, and Greed 2006
by John Vaillant

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:40 lisa von drasek

5:41

Heather Mackey:

So Lisa, I could not imagine this time or region without reference to indigenous peoples/culture. And I grew up surrounded by several American Indian cultures. Next door to the Tohono O'odham Nation. Always been interested in the idea of what would US look like if there had been a different outcome to the "Indian Wars" of late 19th C. Especially relating to coastal peoples, who didn't retain large territory

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:41 Heather Mackey

5:42	Nora - EarlyWord Thursday September 11, 2014 5:42

5:43

lisa von drasek:

I was thinking about how Lucy grows in her own emotional life and judgement. Was this part of your plan from when you started writing this novel?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:43 lisa von drasek

5:43

lisa von drasek:

thanks Nora

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:43 lisa von drasek

5:43

Heather Mackey:

Dispossession of the American Indian by Janet McDonnell interesting here. And of course Howard Zinn. Empire of the SummerMoon by SC Gwynne. Not necessarily kids books, but hopefully something to think about. What if you had to pay tolls to cross Indian lands. Or what if Am Indians controlled NW timber?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:43 Heather Mackey

5:45

Heather Mackey:

Lisa, I do credit Ari Lewin my editor with such great advice re: Lucy's emotional growth. If that's there it's because she pushed me to it

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:45 Heather Mackey

5:45

[Comment From Michelle K.Michelle K.: ]

Tell me more about the research! Did you find any great libraries (and librarians)?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:45 Michelle K.

5:46

Heather Mackey:

Michelle, I used some of my own books, which I've been collecting as well as online sources. As you can probably tell from this chat I've got way more material than made it into the book!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:46 Heather Mackey

5:47

lisa von drasek:

huh. which brings me to ask....will there be another book set in this world?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:47 lisa von drasek

5:47

Heather Mackey:

Lisa, no plans at the moment. Though I'm happy to imagine that Lucy gets off the train and onto another fabulous story!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:47 Heather Mackey

5:49

lisa von drasek:

We are in the final few minutes... Peanut gallery...last call!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:49 lisa von drasek

5:49

lisa von drasek:

Heather, librarians often want to know if you are available for school or library visits?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:49 lisa von drasek

5:49

[Comment From MelissaMelissa: ]

What are your thoughts on today's technology? Are people too in to their device?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:49 Melissa

5:50

Heather Mackey:

Lisa, so I am doing some school visits - day trips from Berkeley. And am open to skype.

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:50 Heather Mackey

5:50

lisa von drasek:

how would teachers and librarians contact you? Do you have a website?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:50 lisa von drasek

5:51

Heather Mackey:

Melissa, it's something I struggle with. I personally LOVE gadgets. But I recognize they're addictive and not the best for my concentration, or even my mood. It is harder to read long, or difficult as a result

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:51 Heather Mackey

5:51

lisa von drasek:

oh so do you have a game or site that you can't pull yourself away from?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:51 lisa von drasek

5:51

Heather Mackey:

Sure, my website is www.heathermackey.com. I am on Twitter, etc. And there is a contact form there.

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:51 Heather Mackey

5:52

[Comment From MelissaMelissa: ]

Do you have online exchanges with kids? What are their concerns about technology?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:52 Melissa

5:52

Heather Mackey:

Lisa, I've gotten stuck on a few things. It's mainly incessantly checking email or social media!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:52 Heather Mackey

5:53

lisa von drasek:

what is the craziest question that you have gotten about Dreamwood?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:53 lisa von drasek

5:53

Heather Mackey:

Melissa, I haven't had many online exchanges with kids - website comments, emails. My kids are constantly on Instagram - so until I can take a good selfie, I think I'm hampered there ;)

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:53 Heather Mackey

5:54

[Comment From Peanut GalleryPeanut Gallery: ]

Would love to know what kinds of questions kids ask.

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:54 Peanut Gallery

5:54

Heather Mackey:

Lisa, I have been asked why I didn't just blow off my editor - to me that was crazy!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:54 Heather Mackey

5:55

lisa von drasek:

who wanted big changes?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:55 lisa von drasek

5:55

[Comment From Kathy C.Kathy C.: ]

Gotta run, but wanted to thank you SO much for taking my questions! Makes me like the book even more.

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:55 Kathy C.

5:55

Heather Mackey:

Peanut Gallery, so good to see you ;) My son has asked about more battle

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:55 Heather Mackey

5:55

Heather Mackey:

Kathy, thanks so much! Wonderful questions

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:55 Heather Mackey

5:56

Heather Mackey:

Lisa, yes. When I would tell people what was going on, I'd often here that.

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:56 Heather Mackey

5:56

lisa von drasek:

Heather, here is a chance for a final word. Is there anything you want to share that we haven't touched on yet?

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:56 lisa von drasek

5:58

[Comment From MelissaMelissa: ]

Love the bit about blowing off the editor! you're both great -- thanks so much!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:58 Melissa

5:58

Heather Mackey:

Hmm... I do want to say I've been touched by kids' astute readings. I was joking with someone about how I wrote a book with a "bad" tree. And this girl said, "that tree is more complicated than that"

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:58 Heather Mackey

5:58

Heather Mackey:

Thanks Melissa, appreciate all your questions!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:58 Heather Mackey

5:58

[Comment From Peanut GalleryPeanut Gallery: ]

LOVE that!

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:58 Peanut Gallery

5:59

Heather Mackey:

Peanut Gallery, isn't that great! I could have hugged her

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:59 Heather Mackey

5:59

Nora - EarlyWord:

Thanks, Heather and Lisa for a fun discussion.

And thanks to the Penguin Young Readers program members for joining us today.

Thursday September 11, 2014 5:59 Nora - EarlyWord

6:00

[Comment From Linda P.Linda P.: ]

Bye and thanks!

Thursday September 11, 2014 6:00 Linda P.

6:00

Heather Mackey:

Thanks all of you!

Thursday September 11, 2014 6:00 Heather Mackey

6:00

Nora - EarlyWord:

Our next chat, is with Kristin Levine, author of Paper Cowboy.

If you’re not part of the program, you can sign up here -- http://penguinyrauthors.ear...

Thursday September 11, 2014 6:00 Nora - EarlyWord

6:01

lisa von drasek:

Thank you everyone. Looking forward to the next one.

Thursday September 11, 2014 6:01 lisa von drasek

Posted in EarlyWord Sponsor | Comments Off on LIVE CHAT – Heather Mackey and Lisa Von Drasek

RED TENT Lifetime Movie Coming in December

Thursday, September 11th, 2014

Fans have waited a long time for a movie adaptation of the 1997 novel, The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, which has been in development at Lifetime since 2011. The new issue of Entertainment Weekly, (9/19) features a first look at a still from the movie (not online yet) and announces that the two-part miniseries will air on that channel Dec. 7 and 8.

The book had slow word-of-mouth growth, finally hitting best seller lists four years after publication, in 2001. Independent booksellers, who were recognized as key to that success, made it the “Booksense Book of the Year 2001”

When the series got the green light in May, Deadline saw it as part of a trend, “following the blockbuster success of The Bible miniseries on Lifetime sibling History.” But if the series sticks to the spirit of the book, it is unlikely to be simply “a tableau of great biblical moments” as the NYT called the Roma Downey and Mark Burnett series.

Diamant’s novel is not just a retelling of the Old Testament story of Leah and Rachel, two of four sisters who married Jacob. Its in-depth examination of women’s lives in that period, and of the power of female relationships, has kept it an enduring reading group favorite. Read an excerpt on OverDrive.

Minnie Driver plays Leah; Iain Glen, Jacob; Morena Baccarin (Homeland), Leah’s sister, Rachel and Debra Winger, Jacob’s mother Rebecca.

Lifetime Network Red Tent Promo from NITROUS Ltd on Vimeo.

Tie-ins (for tie-ins to all upcoming movies and TV see our catalog on Edelweiss):

The Red Tent
Anita Diamant
Macmillan/Picador: November 4, 2014
9781250066619, 1250066611
Trade Paperback
$16.00 USD / $17.50 CAD

Mass Market
9781250067999, 1250067995
$9.99 USD / $11.99 CAD

Anita Diamant’s next book, her fifth novel and twelfth book,The Boston Girl, (S&S/Scribner; S&S Audio) will be published December 9, 2014.

Posted in Books & TV, Fiction | Comments Off on RED TENT Lifetime Movie Coming in December

Live Chat with Debut Author
Julie Lawson Timmer

Wednesday, September 10th, 2014

Live Chat with Julie Lawson Timmer, FIVE DAYS LEFT

(09/10/2014)

3:47

Nora - EarlyWord:

We will begin our live online chat with Julie Lawson Timmer, author of FIVE DAYS LEFT in about 15 minutes.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 3:47 Nora - EarlyWord

3:49

Nora - EarlyWord:

Meanwhile, here’s the cover of the book, just published by Amy Einhorn Books (a division of Penguin/Putnam) yesterday.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 3:49 Nora - EarlyWord

3:49	Nora - EarlyWord Wednesday September 10, 2014 3:49

3:50

Nora - EarlyWord:

Julie a special video for First Flights participants:

Wednesday September 10, 2014 3:50 Nora - EarlyWord

3:50	Nora - EarlyWordNora - EarlyWord Wednesday September 10, 2014 3:50

3:54

Nora - EarlyWord:

I see chat some participants gathering!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 3:54 Nora - EarlyWord

3:54

Nora - EarlyWord:

You can send your questions through at any time. They'll go into a queue, and we'll submit as many of them as we can to Julie before the end of the chat.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 3:54 Nora - EarlyWord

4:00

Nora - EarlyWord:

Julie has joined us -- say hi to the group, Julie.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:00 Nora - EarlyWord

4:01

Julie Timmer:

Hi everyone! Thrilled to be here.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:01 Julie Timmer

4:01

Nora - EarlyWord:

If any of you out there want to say hi, now's the time. Otherwise, i'll just start asking questions.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:01 Nora - EarlyWord

4:01

[Comment From DominiqueDominique: ]

Hi Julie!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:01 Dominique

4:01

Julie Timmer:

Hi Dominique!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:01 Julie Timmer

4:02

Nora - EarlyWord:

Julie, your novel is about a woman named Mara, who has Huntington’s disease (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). She is planning to spare her family the devastation of having to deal with her slow decline by committing suicide. That’s her five days left.

In addition, there is another character, Scott, who has his own five-day countdown. She and Scott are connected through an online forum. What made you decide to include that character?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:02 Nora - EarlyWord

4:02

[Comment From LilyLily: ]

Hi Julie! Loved the book.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:02 Lily

4:03

[Comment From GuestGuest: ]

Hi, Julie. Hi, Nora.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:03 Guest

4:03

Julie Timmer:

Just a note - Lou Gehrigs is ALS

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:03 Julie Timmer

4:03

Julie Timmer:

Hi Lily! Thanks!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:03 Julie Timmer

4:03

Julie Timmer:

I added Scott because I wanted Mara to have an online community ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:03 Julie Timmer

4:04

Julie Timmer:

... and when I conceived of the online group, Scott's character sort of "appeared" to me and I loved him.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:04 Julie Timmer

4:04

[Comment From RebeccaRebecca: ]

I am the "guest" who said hi.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:04 Rebecca

4:04

[Comment From MishyFishMishyFish: ]

Hi from a fellow Michignite (NOT gander)

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:04 MishyFish

4:04

Julie Timmer:

Hi Rebecca!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:04 Julie Timmer

4:04

Julie Timmer:

Hi Mishy!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:04 Julie Timmer

4:05

Julie Timmer:

Michignite is a good name. Sounds powerful. :)

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:05 Julie Timmer

4:05

Nora - EarlyWord:

Tell us more about you're wanting to develop an online community for our character.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:05 Nora - EarlyWord

4:05

Julie Timmer:

I'm actually a member of an online group myself ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:05 Julie Timmer

4:05

Julie Timmer:

And have been for several years.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:05 Julie Timmer

4:05

Julie Timmer:

And it's really amazing how we consider each other to be "friends" although we haven't met or exchanged names ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:05 Julie Timmer

4:06

Julie Timmer:

I am so intrigued by online relationships, and wanted to explore that in a book...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:06 Julie Timmer

4:06

Julie Timmer:

... and an online group is a good place to HIDE that you have HD.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:06 Julie Timmer

4:06

[Comment From DominiqueDominique: ]

do you use this group for therapy as well as to vent about life in general?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:06 Dominique

4:06

Julie Timmer:

Not really therapy -- more venting, trading work/family balance tips, etc

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:06 Julie Timmer

4:07

Julie Timmer:

Yesterday we discussed (in our group) car buying, housing and racial profiling.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:07 Julie Timmer

4:07

Julie Timmer:

We get off topic a lot!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:07 Julie Timmer

4:08

Julie Timmer:

It's intriguing to me that some of us in the online group might be presenting a different "self" than exists IRL (in real life).

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:08 Julie Timmer

4:08

Nora - EarlyWord:

Here's a question we got in advance:

You said your character is a tribute to your friend who died of cancer and that she handled it with immense grace. One of the things I loved about Mara’s character was that she didn’t handle her disease with grace. She felt very human and believable.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:08 Nora - EarlyWord

4:08

Julie Timmer:

Thanks for the comment about liking Mara ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:08 Julie Timmer

4:08

Julie Timmer:

I didn't want her to be too peaceful about her fate ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:08 Julie Timmer

4:09

Julie Timmer:

... because I sure wouldn't be, if that were my fate. I'd be livid.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:09 Julie Timmer

4:09

[Comment From TracyTracy: ]

Julie and I emailed a few weeks ago (Hi Julie!) about Laurie, Scott's wife. She was pretty strong in her feelings about not adopting Little Man, only to change her mind later. I'd come to respect her decision, and I worried for their marriage if she did it just to please him! Julie, do you mind sharing some of what you told me about why she did that? I found her an extremely interesting character.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:09 Tracy

4:09

Julie Timmer:

Hi Tracy!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:09 Julie Timmer

4:10

Julie Timmer:

I thought Laurie would never feel truly peaceful, knowing Scott was so miserable ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:10 Julie Timmer

4:10

Julie Timmer:

I'm a stepmom and often make decisions that I feel are best for my husband and his kids, even if I have to catch up emotionally later ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:10 Julie Timmer

4:10

Julie Timmer:

In my head, I know I should agree to what he wants. I thought Laurie would have the same feelings ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:10 Julie Timmer

4:11

Julie Timmer:

... about wanting her husband to be happy, and feel complete, even if she would have to catch up emotionally later. Sometimes we do this for ppl we love.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:11 Julie Timmer

4:11

[Comment From DominiqueDominique: ]

did you initially mean for scott and mara to only meet online or for them to become friends in real life?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:11 Dominique

4:12

Julie Timmer:

Dominique - in an early draft, they did meet online ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:12 Julie Timmer

4:12

Julie Timmer:

But Amy (my editor) believed--and I agreed--that the reality of online groups is that most of the members don't meet ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:12 Julie Timmer

4:12

Julie Timmer:

... and that it would paint a more realistic picture if they never met, and Scott couldn't locate her later

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:12 Julie Timmer

4:13

Julie Timmer:

In my online group, members drop off sometimes and we have no idea why

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:13 Julie Timmer

4:13

[Comment From Rebecca (Narrator)Rebecca (Narrator): ]

(Just in case any more Rebeccas show up.)

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:13 Rebecca (Narrator)

4:13

Julie Timmer:

Hi Rebecca! LOVED your reading of the book!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:13 Julie Timmer

4:13

[Comment From DominiqueDominique: ]

that makes sense. thank you! if they did meet makes it more realistic!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:13 Dominique

4:13

Nora - EarlyWord:

Hi Rebecca -- you probably know the book as well as anyone does!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:13 Nora - EarlyWord

4:14

[Comment From Jennifer W.Jennifer W.: ]

Hi Julie-I can't decide: was Mara brave & noble hiding from her husband how progressive her disease had become & making the decision to end her life on her own or was it a selfish decision that wasn't hers alone to make?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:14 Jennifer W.

4:14

[Comment From Rebecca (Narrator)Rebecca (Narrator): ]

Thanks, Julie! That means a lot. I hoped I got the tone. (I just went with how I felt it.)

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:14 Rebecca (Narrator)

4:14

Julie Timmer:

Jennifer W - such a great question. Not sure there's an answer!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:14 Julie Timmer

4:14

Julie Timmer:

Rebecca - you and Kirby both nailed it. Sooooo good.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:14 Julie Timmer

4:15

Julie Timmer:

Rebecca - I particularly liked how you did Neerja. I loved her even more after hearing you read.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:15 Julie Timmer

4:15

[Comment From Rebecca (Narrator)Rebecca (Narrator): ]

Narrators do have an intense relationship with the books we do, Nora. And Julie, I can't wait to hear it. Kirby is one of my favorites and always so hooked in.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:15 Rebecca (Narrator)

4:15

[Comment From Kirby (The Narrator that is not Rebecca)Kirby (The Narrator that is not Rebecca): ]

Thanks, Julie.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:15 Kirby (The Narrator that is not Rebecca)

4:15

Julie Timmer:

Kirby - so glad you're here!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:15 Julie Timmer

4:15

[Comment From Rebecca (Narrator)Rebecca (Narrator): ]

I love Neerja, too!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:15 Rebecca (Narrator)

4:15

Nora - EarlyWord:

You touched on the editing process earlier. What was that like? Did you go back and forth often? Did the book change substantially?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:15 Nora - EarlyWord

4:16

Julie Timmer:

Editing: I sold the book on a Tuesday night ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:16 Julie Timmer

4:16

Julie Timmer:

... and by Thurs AM, I had a 7-page, single spaced letter from Amy re: changes!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:16 Julie Timmer

4:16

Julie Timmer:

The general plot didn't change but I added characters, etc.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:16 Julie Timmer

4:16

Nora - EarlyWord:

Wow! And some people say editors don't really edit anymore!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:16 Nora - EarlyWord

4:17

Julie Timmer:

I've heard Amy Einhorn is "the last real editor in NYC." Not sure if she's the last, but she definitely edits!!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:17 Julie Timmer

4:17

Julie Timmer:

Kirby - I want to say how much I loved how you read. Thanks so much to both of you. Terrific!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:17 Julie Timmer

4:17

Nora - EarlyWord:

Did you know her reputation in advance?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:17 Nora - EarlyWord

4:18

Julie Timmer:

I did know Amy's rep in advance and was thrilled when she was interested in the book.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:18 Julie Timmer

4:18

Julie Timmer:

For weeks after it sold, my husband and I would shriek, "AMY EINHORN!" at each other at random times.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:18 Julie Timmer

4:18

[Comment From KirbyKirby: ]

Thanks. Was it hard to accept editing suggestions? Do you have to let part of your ego go?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:18 Kirby

4:18

Julie Timmer:

Kirby - as a lawyer, I've had my writing ripped to shreds for 2 decades!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:18 Julie Timmer

4:19

[Comment From MishyFishMishyFish: ]

What made you want to write a novel?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:19 MishyFish

4:19

Julie Timmer:

So for me, it wasn't hard to hear when something didn't work. I've been hearing that for years.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:19 Julie Timmer

4:19

Julie Timmer:

Mishy - I've always wanted to write a novel ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:19 Julie Timmer

4:19

Julie Timmer:

... and decided I didn't want to look back one day and regret that I'd never tried it.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:19 Julie Timmer

4:20

Julie Timmer:

So I made a promise to myself that I'd have a draft done by my next birthday, 3 mos away.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:20 Julie Timmer

4:20

Nora - EarlyWord:

How did you go about starting the novel? Did you join a writing group?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:20 Nora - EarlyWord

4:20

Julie Timmer:

On the way to my bday dinner w/ my family, we stopped at Kinko's to print off the draft.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:20 Julie Timmer

4:20

Julie Timmer:

Nora - no writing group for me ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:20 Julie Timmer

4:20

[Comment From Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby)Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby): ]

Wow! That's incredibe.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:20 Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby)

4:20

Julie Timmer:

I wrote FDL from 4-6am each morning

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:20 Julie Timmer

4:21

Julie Timmer:

... and no one else is up at that time!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:21 Julie Timmer

4:21

Nora - EarlyWord:

How did you go about finding an agent (and, did you know that needed to be the first step?)

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:21 Nora - EarlyWord

4:21

Julie Timmer:

Agent finding: lots of queries. LOTS. As in, over 100.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:21 Julie Timmer

4:22

Julie Timmer:

I used a great site called Query Tracker that lists agents

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:22 Julie Timmer

4:22

Nora - EarlyWord:

Sounds like the lesson is not to give up!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:22 Nora - EarlyWord

4:22

[Comment From KirbyKirby: ]

How were you able to tap into Scott so well? You really captured the feelings and insecurities of a young husband/father. And I know you are niether.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:22 Kirby

4:22

Julie Timmer:

Nora - yes! I thought the lesson to my kids would be that I tried, and failed, but failed graciously. No bitterness, no blaming others ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:22 Julie Timmer

4:22

[Comment From Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby)Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby): ]

This is incredibly inspiring.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:22 Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby)

4:22

Julie Timmer:

When I finally got an agent, I couldn't believe it.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:22 Julie Timmer

4:23

Julie Timmer:

Thanks Rebecca Who Is Not Kirby!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:23 Julie Timmer

4:23

Nora - EarlyWord:

There's so many important issues to discuss in your book. One I am particularly fascinated with is that kids have a stronger bond to their biological parents.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:23 Nora - EarlyWord

4:23

Julie Timmer:

Nora - yes. This is a tough one for me b/c I'm a mom and a stepmom ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:23 Julie Timmer

4:23

Julie Timmer:

I'm not an adoptive mom and I realize there's a difference...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:23 Julie Timmer

4:24

Julie Timmer:

I'm not sure if I agree w/ Mara's assessment ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:24 Julie Timmer

4:24

Julie Timmer:

... but I think she was rationalizing, as she needed to do.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:24 Julie Timmer

4:24

Julie Timmer:

Kirby - the launch party was last night ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:24 Julie Timmer

4:25

Julie Timmer:

... and the biggest laugh was when I told them that when you came across ;) in the book, you said, "Winking smiling face." They loved that!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:25 Julie Timmer

4:25

Julie Timmer:

So you have many fans in Ann Arbor!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:25 Julie Timmer

4:25

[Comment From Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby)Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby): ]

In the end, Little Man ending up with Scott and Laurie is a counterpoint to that idea, yes?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:25 Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby)

4:25

Julie Timmer:

Rebecca - yes, it sure is.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:25 Julie Timmer

4:25

[Comment From KirbyKirby: ]

;)

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:25 Kirby

4:25

[Comment From Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby)Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby): ]

Kirby's good for a laugh, even in absentia.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:25 Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby)

4:26

Julie Timmer:

Haha.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:26 Julie Timmer

4:26

Nora - EarlyWord:

Did writing the novel help you deal with the death of your friend?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:26 Nora - EarlyWord

4:26

Julie Timmer:

Nora - you know what? It did NOT...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:26 Julie Timmer

4:26

Nora - EarlyWord:

I suspected that!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:26 Nora - EarlyWord

4:26

Julie Timmer:

I am just as enraged as I was back then. About her, and about another friend who, at the same time, was diagnosed w/ ALS.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:26 Julie Timmer

4:27

Nora - EarlyWord:

How did you go about picking HD as the disease for your character?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:27 Nora - EarlyWord

4:27

Julie Timmer:

Nora - b/c of those friends of mine, I didn't want to write about cancer or ALS ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:27 Julie Timmer

4:28

Julie Timmer:

... so I Googled something stupid like, "Incurable, fatal diseases that aren't cancer or ALS." And got an answer: HD. Which I knew nothing about.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:28 Julie Timmer

4:28

[Comment From TracyTracy: ]

I'm curious about the choice for Mara and her family to be Indian. Was there a deliberate message there, or just an interest in a diverse protagonist and family.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:28 Tracy

4:28

Julie Timmer:

Tracy - it's weird, but when I started writing notes about Mara, she just appeared to me as Indian ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:28 Julie Timmer

4:29

Julie Timmer:

... and I saw her being adopted from there, and going over to adopt her own baby ....

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:29 Julie Timmer

4:29

Julie Timmer:

I couldn't have changed her culture if I'd wanted to.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:29 Julie Timmer

4:29

[Comment From Jennifer W.Jennifer W.: ]

Did anything about Scott or Mara surprise you?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:29 Jennifer W.

4:29

Julie Timmer:

Jennifer W - interesting question! ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:29 Julie Timmer

4:29

Julie Timmer:

I guess Mara's being Indian surprised me, now that I think of it. It just happened.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:29 Julie Timmer

4:30

Julie Timmer:

And Scott appeared as a middle school teacher, which was surprising I think. I thought at first he'd be a lawyer.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:30 Julie Timmer

4:30

Julie Timmer:

But I guess he had more sense than that. Winking smiling face.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:30 Julie Timmer

4:31

[Comment From KirbyKirby: ]

haha!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:31 Kirby

4:31

Nora - EarlyWord:

The book has sold into several other countries. Did you pop a champagne cork for each (hope you had caviar when you heard about the Russian).

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:31 Nora - EarlyWord

4:31

Julie Timmer:

Nora - no, but I should have!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:31 Julie Timmer

4:31

Julie Timmer:

It's not too late, I guess.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:31 Julie Timmer

4:32

Nora - EarlyWord:

I'm fascinated by different cover treatments. the U.K. cove is quite different (coming up) ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:32 Nora - EarlyWord

4:32

Julie Timmer:

Nora - true about different covers.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:32 Julie Timmer

4:32	Nora - EarlyWord Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:32

4:32

Julie Timmer:

In the UK, they love those "call out phrases" - here, it's "Is it enough time to say goodbye?"

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:32 Julie Timmer

4:32

Julie Timmer:

All the books have those, and authors have little say.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:32 Julie Timmer

4:33

Nora - EarlyWord:

Makes it a bit more sentimental.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:33 Nora - EarlyWord

4:33

Julie Timmer:

But I like that UK cover. Love little Lakshmi.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:33 Julie Timmer

4:33

Julie Timmer:

Nora - yes, but I feel bad for Scott!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:33 Julie Timmer

4:33

Nora - EarlyWord:

What does the blue ribbon on the U.S. cover symbolize?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:33 Nora - EarlyWord

4:34

[Comment From DominiqueDominique: ]

the UK cover is so moving!!!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:34 Dominique

4:34

Julie Timmer:

HD has a blue ribbon

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:34 Julie Timmer

4:34

Julie Timmer:

I like it too, Dominique!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:34 Julie Timmer

4:34

Nora - EarlyWord:

Speaking of the U.K. cover -- you and your family were featured in the Daily Mail!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:34 Nora - EarlyWord

4:34

Julie Timmer:

US cover - I see the blue ribbon as an artistic rendering of a DNA coil. Fitting, since HD is a stutter in DNA.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:34 Julie Timmer

4:34

Julie Timmer:

Nora - that was a fun thing for the kids, to see themselves in the paper.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:34 Julie Timmer

4:35

Nora - EarlyWord:

Gives you creed as a celebrity!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:35 Nora - EarlyWord

4:35

Julie Timmer:

Ha, Nora - not sure about that!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:35 Julie Timmer

4:35

Nora - EarlyWord:

I see that the Penguin Field reps picked it – what does that mean?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:35 Nora - EarlyWord

4:35

Julie Timmer:

Nora - what an honor to have the field reps pick it!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:35 Julie Timmer

4:36

Julie Timmer:

It means it'll get some nice placement in stores.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:36 Julie Timmer

4:36

[Comment From Reads Books for a LivingReads Books for a Living: ]

I read that Daily Mail piece -- I thought you gave great step parenting advice!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:36 Reads Books for a Living

4:37

Julie Timmer:

Reads Books - thank you!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:37 Julie Timmer

4:37

Julie Timmer:

We have made plenty of mistakes, too

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:37 Julie Timmer

4:37

Julie Timmer:

But hopefully more good decisions than bad.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:37 Julie Timmer

4:37

Julie Timmer:

Maybe the kids will write an article one day ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:37 Julie Timmer

4:38

Nora - EarlyWord:

I want to go back to Kirby's comment about how you created the relationship between Curtis & Scott. Love how you incorporated sports; made it seem very real.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:38 Nora - EarlyWord

4:39

Julie Timmer:

Thanks, Nora. I live with some bleed-maize-and-blue Michigan fans ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:39 Julie Timmer

4:39

Julie Timmer:

... and they had PLENTY to say about those sections of the book!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:39 Julie Timmer

4:39

Nora - EarlyWord:

I know the type!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:39 Nora - EarlyWord

4:39

Julie Timmer:

Talking about my husband and son here.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:39 Julie Timmer

4:39

Nora - EarlyWord:

Did you share the book with your family as you wrote it?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:39 Nora - EarlyWord

4:39

Julie Timmer:

I actually had a friend's husband try to convince me to send Bray to Michigan State instead of MIchigan ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:39 Julie Timmer

4:40

Julie Timmer:

Nora - I did not.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:40 Julie Timmer

4:40

Julie Timmer:

My poor husband - I'd ask him all these questions about the characters and the plot but wouldn't let him read it.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:40 Julie Timmer

4:41

Nora - EarlyWord:

What strength of character!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:41 Nora - EarlyWord

4:41

[Comment From Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby)Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby): ]

Have you practiced family law? Is that part of your connection to the foster/guardianship story?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:41 Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby)

4:41

Julie Timmer:

When I was finished, I had him read it, but not while I was writing

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:41 Julie Timmer

4:41

Julie Timmer:

We call my husband The Plot Doctor b/c he's so good at advising about character motivation, plot, etc

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:41 Julie Timmer

4:41

Julie Timmer:

... whether he's read the book or not.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:41 Julie Timmer

4:42

[Comment From Reads Books for a LivingReads Books for a Living: ]

How does it feel to read reviews of the book?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:42 Reads Books for a Living

4:42

Julie Timmer:

Reads Books - it's been so nice to see some of the reviews.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:42 Julie Timmer

4:43

Julie Timmer:

But I avoid many -- not sure I want to hear ALL of the opinions at this point ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:43 Julie Timmer

4:43

Julie Timmer:

Some of them can be snarky.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:43 Julie Timmer

4:43

Nora - EarlyWord:

Rebecca -- my apologies -- I tried to post your last comment, but it disappeared. Please try it again.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:43 Nora - EarlyWord

4:43

Nora - EarlyWord:

You mentioned in your bio that you are at work on another book. Guess you really have the writing bug!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:43 Nora - EarlyWord

4:43

Julie Timmer:

Nora - I appear to!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:43 Julie Timmer

4:44

Julie Timmer:

But 4am isn't as attractive anymore!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:44 Julie Timmer

4:44

Julie Timmer:

I'm trying to figure out how to write at more "normal" times.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:44 Julie Timmer

4:44

[Comment From Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby)Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby): ]

Have you practiced family law? Is that your connection to the guardianship story?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:44 Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby)

4:44

Julie Timmer:

I want to say that in our family, we talk about Rebecca and Kirby as though they're family members. We are big fans!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:44 Julie Timmer

4:45

Julie Timmer:

Rebecca - no, I was a litigator and am now in house, so a lot of contracts etc

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:45 Julie Timmer

4:45

[Comment From Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby)Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby): ]

Blushy smiley face.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:45 Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby)

4:45

Nora - EarlyWord:

I like how you incorporated today's technology into the book. Many of the authors in this program set their books in an earlier period because they wanted to avoid that – thinking it’s difficult to create tension when someone can just Google something, or get an instant response to an email.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:45 Nora - EarlyWord

4:45

Julie Timmer:

I had to call some family lawyer pals for advice on those sections

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:45 Julie Timmer

4:45

Julie Timmer:

Rebecca - ha!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:45 Julie Timmer

4:45

Julie Timmer:

Nora - tech is such a part of my life ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:45 Julie Timmer

4:46

Julie Timmer:

I text my kids, I communicate w/ my husband via Outlook calendar, we are all on FB and Twitter etc

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:46 Julie Timmer

4:46

[Comment From KirbyKirby: ]

What an honor!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:46 Kirby

4:47

Julie Timmer:

Nora - couldn't imagine my life w/o tech, and since I write contemporary stories, I can't avoid it (and don't want to).

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:47 Julie Timmer

4:47

Nora - EarlyWord:

Since we've heard so much about the audio, you can listen to a sample here -- http://www.booksontape.com/...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:47 Nora - EarlyWord

4:47

Julie Timmer:

Oh, yes -- listen to Rebecca and Kirby!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:47 Julie Timmer

4:48

Nora - EarlyWord:

Are you now using social media to promote the book (I mean, besides here)?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:48 Nora - EarlyWord

4:48

Julie Timmer:

Like Neerja (who I love more now b/c of Rebecca), I love Scott more now b/c of Kirby.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:48 Julie Timmer

4:48

Julie Timmer:

Nora - I'm not much into promoting my book...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:48 Julie Timmer

4:49

Julie Timmer:

... but I chat w/ ppl on Twitter, etc and have made great friends that way ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:49 Julie Timmer

4:49

Julie Timmer:

... I leave the selling up to my publisher though ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:49 Julie Timmer

4:49

Julie Timmer:

I get a little cringe-y thinking about the "Buy my book!" tweets. Can't do it.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:49 Julie Timmer

4:50

Nora - EarlyWord:

We should tell people, however, that you are willing to talk with reading groups via SKYPE.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:50 Nora - EarlyWord

4:51

Julie Timmer:

Oh, absolutely, Nora. Love talking to people, just not yelling at them via Twitter. :)

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:51 Julie Timmer

4:51

Julie Timmer:

I'd be thrilled to chat to book groups via Skype or phone.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:51 Julie Timmer

4:51

Julie Timmer:

And ppl can contact me via my website to line that up. www.julielawsontimmer.com

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:51 Julie Timmer

4:52

[Comment From Boston LibrarianBoston Librarian: ]

Are you doing any touring for the book?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:52 Boston Librarian

4:52

Julie Timmer:

Boston - a little ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:52 Julie Timmer

4:52

Julie Timmer:

My editor doesn't "tour" debut authors but ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:52 Julie Timmer

4:52

Julie Timmer:

... if bookstores or other groups request, my publisher will send me

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:52 Julie Timmer

4:53

Nora - EarlyWord:

How did it feel to say good bye to your characters? Was that difficult?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:53 Nora - EarlyWord

4:53

Julie Timmer:

... I'm going to a few more stores in Michigan (maybe about 5) and one in LA

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:53 Julie Timmer

4:53

Julie Timmer:

Nora - yes, it was tough to stop thinking about Scott and Mara all the time. And Tom and Harry.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:53 Julie Timmer

4:53

[Comment From MishyFishMishyFish: ]

Michigan has some great indies. Which ones will you be going to?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:53 MishyFish

4:53

Julie Timmer:

Also, initially, flightpath, who's a minor character, was going to be bigger ...

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:53 Julie Timmer

4:54

Julie Timmer:

Mishy - Nicola's last night; Literati; Saturn; Horizon. Hopefully more. Love indies.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:54 Julie Timmer

4:54

Nora - EarlyWord:

And don't forget Bray -- loved that guy!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:54 Nora - EarlyWord

4:54

Julie Timmer:

I really did love Bray.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:54 Julie Timmer

4:54

Julie Timmer:

Such a great guy.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:54 Julie Timmer

4:54

Julie Timmer:

Another character Kirby totally brought to life.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:54 Julie Timmer

4:54

[Comment From MishyFishMishyFish: ]

Hope to catch you at one of those stores!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:54 MishyFish

4:54

[Comment From Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby)Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby): ]

Perhaps we can all meet in person in LA?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:54 Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby)

4:55

Julie Timmer:

Mishy - would love it!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:55 Julie Timmer

4:55

[Comment From Jennifer W.Jennifer W.: ]

Was it a hard to resist the impulse to write Mara's daughter into the last scene, maybe finding, reading or reacting the letter and just leave it as a letter left behind?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:55 Jennifer W.

4:55

Julie Timmer:

Rebecca - would love to! 9/18

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:55 Julie Timmer

4:55

Julie Timmer:

Jen W - I didn't think about that. Guess I knew it'd be too tough on such a young girl.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:55 Julie Timmer

4:56

Nora - EarlyWord:

So sorry to say, our time is almost over. Any final questions for Julie?

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:56 Nora - EarlyWord

4:56

Julie Timmer:

Thanks sooooo much for having me!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:56 Julie Timmer

4:56

Julie Timmer:

So nice to chat with all of you today.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:56 Julie Timmer

4:57

Julie Timmer:

(will still answer - just wanted to get that in while I could)

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:57 Julie Timmer

4:57

[Comment From KirbyKirby: ]

Great job! I look forward to many more great books from you!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:57 Kirby

4:57

[Comment From Jennifer W.Jennifer W.: ]

Thanks for taking out the time to answer our questions; thanks as always, Nora, for hosting. Best of luck with the book, Julie.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:57 Jennifer W.

4:57

Julie Timmer:

Kirby - thanks! I'll write 'em and you two read 'em!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:57 Julie Timmer

4:57

[Comment From DominiqueDominique: ]

thank you for such an amazing book, Julie!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:57 Dominique

4:57

Julie Timmer:

Thanks for the great questions, and for taking the time to chat w/ me.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:57 Julie Timmer

4:57

[Comment From Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby)Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby): ]

Yes! Looking forward to what comes next, and congratulations on this one! I'll try to make it on 9/18. :)

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:57 Rebecca (The Narrator that is not Kirby)

4:57

[Comment From LilyLily: ]

This is a great book for book groups. So much to discuss!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:57 Lily

4:58

Julie Timmer:

Thanks Lily!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:58 Julie Timmer

4:58

Nora - EarlyWord:

By the way, Julie, Dominique has told everyone in the known universe that they have to read your book.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:58 Nora - EarlyWord

4:58

Julie Timmer:

Reb - the event is 9/19, actually. Sorry.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:58 Julie Timmer

4:58

Julie Timmer:

Dominique is THE marketing guru

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:58 Julie Timmer

4:58

Julie Timmer:

She's awesome

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:58 Julie Timmer

4:59

Nora - EarlyWord:

That's it for today's chat. Thanks, everyone, for joining. And thanks, especially to you, Julie.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:59 Nora - EarlyWord

4:59

Julie Timmer:

Thanks Nora, and everyone else!

Wednesday September 10, 2014 4:59 Julie Timmer

5:00

Nora - EarlyWord:

First Flights members -- our next book is Unbecoming by Rebecca Scherm. You will be getting it shortly.

And if you are not a member, you can sign up on EarlyWord.

Wednesday September 10, 2014 5:00 Nora - EarlyWord

Posted in EarlyWord Sponsor | Comments Off on Live Chat with Debut Author
Julie Lawson Timmer

Keith Richards, Grandpa, Children’s Book Author

Wednesday, September 10th, 2014

Yes, it’s true. He was interviewed about both roles on the Today Show:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

His new book, the children’s title, Gus & Me: The Story of My Granddad and My First Guitar which came out yesterday, is now at #8 on Amazon’s sales rankings.

Gus & Me: The Story of My Granddad and My First Guitar

Theodora Richards, Keith Richards

Hachette/ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Posted in 2014 -- Fall, Childrens and YA | Comments Off on Keith Richards, Grandpa, Children’s Book Author

Readers Advisory: THE MINIATURIST

Wednesday, September 10th, 2014

As we reported earlier, Cuyahoga Public Library’s Wendy Bartlett increased her orders for The Miniaturist, by Jessie Burton, (HarperCollins/Ecco; HarperLuxe) after it received an enthusiastic review in the locally influential Cleveland Plain Dealer,

After reading it herself, she reported to staff:

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. Oh, wait. Similar plot, different book. Instead of the 20th century England of Rebecca, we’re in the 17th century Amsterdam of The Miniaturist. If your readers like a strong sense of place and a highly readable book, they’ll love this one.

I read The Miniaturist in two sittings, even though I figured out the family secrets in the first 100 pages (Jessie Burton could take some pointers on suspense from DuMaurier). However, the pacing is unusually strong for a historical novel, the mystery surrounding The Miniaturist holds up throughout, and you really do feel like you’re in 17th century Amsterdam, which is no small feat.

Holds are building, and I think this one will continue to have strong word of mouth, so it will behoove you to give it a look.

Happy Reading!

If you can’t get your hands on a copy, you can read a sample via OverDrive.

It is an August LibraryReads pick, gets an A-, in Entertainment Weekly. The author was profiled in The Wall Street Journal.

Check your holds; they are heavy in some areas.

Posted in Fiction, Historical | Comments Off on Readers Advisory: THE MINIATURIST

First Trailer for OLIVE KITTERIDGE

Wednesday, September 10th, 2014

It’s brief, but here it is:

Three clips are also available.

The 4-hour series, which was a hit with critics at the Venice Film Festival, will begin airing on HBO on Sunday, Nov. 2.

Tie-in:

Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout
Random House Trade Paperbacks, 10/28/14

Posted in Books & TV, Fiction, Literary | Comments Off on First Trailer for OLIVE KITTERIDGE

STILL ALICE Gets Raves

Wednesday, September 10th, 2014

Oscar predictions are in rolling in for Julianne Moore’s starring role in the film adaptation of Still Alice by Lisa Genova (S&S/Gallery, 2009). Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival this week, Moore is lauded for her understated portrayal of a woman dealing with early onset Alzheimers.

Variety praises the directors for refusing “to milk the family’s situation for easy tears. Instead, the idea is to put us inside Alice’s head. We experience disorientation as she would, suggested by a shallow depth of field where things shown out of focus appear to be just beyond her comprehension.”

The Hollywood Reporter acknowledges that some might be put off by the subject, but that “word of mouth should provide the strongest incentive for audiences leery of the topic.”

Also starring in the film are Alec Baldwin as Alice’s husband with Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth and Hunter Parrish as their three grown children.

No clips are available yet and a theatrical release has not yet been announced.

The book, originally self-published through iUniverse, was picked up by Simon and Schuster and went on to a long run on the New York Times trade paperback best seller list. Genova, a neuroscientist, has published two novels since, both dealing with brain disorders. Left Neglected is about the results of a brain injury and Love Anthony, about autism,. Her next book, Inside the O’Briens, (S&S/Gallery” S&S Audio, 4/7/14) is about a man dealing with Huntington’s Disease.

Posted in Books & Movies, Fiction | 1 Comment »

Booker Shortlist

Tuesday, September 9th, 2014

The Man Booker shortlist was announced today. This is the first year that authors from the U.S. qualify. Far from dominating the shortlist, as some had feared, only two made the transition, Joshua Ferris and Karen Fowler.

Three are British (Howard Jacobson, Ali Smith, and Calcutta-born Neel Mukherjee) and one is Australian (Richard Flanagan).

The list is male-dominated, with only two women, Ali Smith and Karen Fowler (hello, Bailey’s Women’s Prize For Fiction, there is still a need for you).

Shortlist

To Rise Again at a Decent Hour, Joshua Ferris (Hachette/Little,Brown, 5/13/14)

The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Richard Flanagan (RH/Knopf. 8/12/14)

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler (Penguin/Putnam/Marian Wood; 5/30/13; also in trade pbk)

J, Howard Jacobson, (RH/Crown/Hogarth, 10/14/14, moved up from 3/10/15)

The Lives of Others, Neel Mukherjee (Norton; 9780393247909; recently acquired to be released, 10/1/14)

How to be Both, Ali Smith (RH/Pantheon; 12/2/14)

One of the big surprises is that David Mitchell’s The Bone Clocks, called by Ursula K Le Guin, “600 pages of metafictional shenanigans in relentlessly brilliant prose” and leading odds in U.K betting, did not move to the short list.

Longlist Only

The Blazing World, Siri Hustvedt (S&S; 3/11/14; Thorndike)

The Wake, Paul Kingsnorth (Unbound) — published via the crowd-funded site Unbound; available as an ebook on Axis 360

The Bone Clocks, David Mitchell (Random House, 9/2/14; Recorded Books)

Us, David Nicholls (Harper, 10/8/14; HarperAudio)

The Dog, Joseph O’Neill (RH/)Pantheon, 10/9/14; RH Audio)

Orfeo, Richard Powers (Norton, 1/20/14; Thorndike; Recorded Books)

History of the Rain, Niall Williams (Macmillan/Bloomsbury, 5/6/14)

Posted in Awards | 1 Comment »

PAPER TOWNS Gets Director

Tuesday, September 9th, 2014

The film adaptation of John Green’s Paper Towns already has a release date, July 31, 2015. Now it has a director, as Green announced on Twitter last week.

It will be Jake Schrieber’s second feature film, after Robot & Frank.

Nat Wolff, who had the supporting role of Isaac in The Fault in Our Stars, will play Paper Town‘s lead, Quentin “Q” Jacobsen. Green will act as executive producer. Love interest Margo has not yet been cast.

Posted in Books & Movies, Childrens and YA | Comments Off on PAPER TOWNS Gets Director

Holds Alert: WHAT IF?

Monday, September 8th, 2014

There is a little geek in all of us. I was a liberal arts major who did the happy dance when that last required physics class was over, but Randall Munroe’s What if? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions (HMH; Blackstone Audio; 9/2/14) is so laugh aloud funny, I almost did a spit take with my coffee while reading it this morning.

The book is a collection of the most popular answers to crazy science questions posed by readers of Munroe’s XKCD webcomic, with additional new “out of the box” questions.

For example “What would happen if the Earth and all terrestrial objects suddenly stopped spinning, but the atmosphere retained its velocity?”

Munroe’s answer begins, “Nearly everyone would die. Then things would get interesting,” and leads us through the science of the situation in cartoon format, interrupted occasionally by a wise-cracking stick figure.

Published as an adult book What if? is the very definition of the crossover. I can imagine an 8th grade teacher posing one of these questions a day, using them to lead humorously engaging discussions that help to develop critical thinking.

Check your holds; you will probably find you need more copies.

Note: Cory Doctorow is also a fan and notes on BoingBoing that What If? is available as an audiobook, “which is a weird idea, given how much the explanations rely on Munroe’s charming diagrams. But the book is read by Wil Wheaton, who is, for my money, the best audiobook narrator working today, and it was produced by Blackstone audio and recorded at Skyboat in Los Angeles, who do outstanding work, and they all labored mightily with Munroe to turn the diagrams into spoken word (and there’s an accompanying PDF, which also helps).”

Posted in 2014 -- Fall, Nonfiction, Science | Comments Off on Holds Alert: WHAT IF?

Kate DiCamillo on Reading Aloud to Teens

Monday, September 8th, 2014

Is reading aloud only for little kids?

No, says the new Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Kate DiCamillo. Older kids deserve to be read to as well.

In the following conversation, Kate and Lisa Von Drasek, head of the Children’s Literature Research Collections at the University of Minnesota Libraries (and EarlyWord kids Correspondent), give tips on choosing titles and demonstrate the joy of reading aloud.

Posted in Childrens and YA | Comments Off on Kate DiCamillo on Reading Aloud to Teens

DOWNTON ABBEY TRAILER, Season 5

Saturday, September 6th, 2014

Eat your hearts out, Americans — season 5 of Downton Abbey begins in the U.K. in a few weeks, but won’t hit these shores until January 4.

The first full trailer was released last week.

And this tasty clip appeared yesterday:

Meanwhile, colonists will have to content themselves with the tie-ins:

A Year in the Life of Downton Abbey: Seasonal Celebrations, Traditions, and Recipes
Jessica Fellowes, Julian Fellowes
Macmillan/St. Martin’s: October 28, 2014
9781250065384, 1250065380
Hardback / With dust jacket
$29.99 USD / $34.50 CAD

Downton Abbey: Rules for Household Staff
by “Carson” (the show’s head butler )
Macmillan/St. Martin’s Griffin: November 25, 2014
9781250066329, 1250066328
Hardback / Paper over boards
$14.99 USD / $17.50 CAD

Posted in Books & TV | Comments Off on DOWNTON ABBEY TRAILER, Season 5

Get Ready — Titles You Need to Know, The Week of Sept. 8

Friday, September 5th, 2014

Among the usual suspects next week, J.D. Robb’s Festive in Death (Penguin/Putnam; Brilliance; Wheeler), a Christmas-themed story featuring detective Eve Dallas, leads in number of holds and copies ordered by libraries. OverDrive Sample

A distant second is Robert B. Parker’s Blind Spot by Reed Farrel Coleman, (Penguin/Putnam; RH Audio; Thorndike) the first in a four-book deal by the Edgar nominee with Parker’s estate. The books feature Parker’s other detective (not the more popular Spenser), Jesse Stone. Coleman is the second author to write Stone novels, Michael Brandman wrote three previous titles. The publisher claims that the Coleman ” takes Jesse Stone back to his introspective roots—restoring some of the contemplative melancholy that first made the Jesse Stone series a hit” but Booklist says this book is more Coleman than Parker and that’s a good thing. OverDrive Sample

Close on Parker’s heels is The King’s Curse by Philippa Gregory, which concludes the Cousins’ War series, the basis for the Starz miniseries The White Queen. The producer hinted in January that it might be followed by a sequel, based on The White Princess. OverDrive Sample

The books mentioned here, plus several other notable titles arriving next week, with ordering information and alternative formats, are listed on our donwloadable spreadsheet, New Title Radar, Week of Sept 8, 2014

Literary Hits

The Children Act, Ian McEwan, (RH/Doubleday/Nan A. Talese; Recorded Books: Wheeler), OverDrive Sample

There’s already a great deal of critical attention for the latest by the author of Atonement. It’s a People “Best Book of the Week” and #3 on Entertainment Weekly “Must List,” reviewed by Mona Simpson in the L.A. Times and by Ron Charles in the Washington Post. The author also has a full round of publicity coming, including interviews on the upcoming NPR Weekend Edition Saturday.

It is also a LibraryReads pick:

“Judge Fiona Maye is at a difficult point in her marriage. Taking refuge in addressing other people’s problems in family court, Fiona extends herself more than usual, meeting a boy whose future is in her hands. McEwan is a masterful observer of human distress. With a simple story and flawed, genuine characters, this novel is poignant and insightful.” — Jennifer Alexander, St. Louis County Library, St. Louis, MO

The Dog, Joseph O’Neill, (RH/Pantheon; RH Audio), OverDrive Sample

After his 2008 literary breakthrough, Netherland. Like that book, this one is also on the Book long list (although the odds are not in its favor. It is currently 12:1). It us the cover of the upcoming New York Times Book Review, “With a consummate elegance, The Dog turns in on itself in imitation of the dreadful circling and futility of consciousness itself. Its subplots go nowhere, as in life. But, unlike life, its wit and brio keep us temporarily more alive than we usually allow ourselves to be.”

In the daily NYT, however, Michiko Kakutani has no patience for it, saying the novel “remains parked inside its sullen narrator’s head — which, we soon realize, is a suffocating place to be.”

Entertainment Weekly gives it an A-.

The author is scheduled to appear on the upcoming NPR Weekend Edition Saturday.

LibraryReads Picks

In addition to The Dog, three more September LibraryReads picks arrive next week.

Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel, (RH/Knopf; RH Audio; Thorndike, Dec. 10), OverDrive Sample

“An actor playing King Lear dies onstage just before a cataclysmic event changes the future of everyone on Earth. What will be valued and what will be discarded? Will art have a place in a world that has lost so much? What will make life worth living? These are just some of the issues explored in this beautifully written dystopian novel. Recommended for fans of David Mitchell, John Scalzi and Kate Atkinson.” — Janet Lockhart, Wake County Public Libraries, Cary, NC

The New York Times plans to profile the author next week.

The Distance: A Thriller, Helen Giltrow, (RH/Doubleday; RH Audio), OverDrive Sample

“Imagine a modern-day Robin Hood who deals not in money, but identity. Karla, the protagonist of The Distance, is a tech guru with a conscience, and the security of several nations dependent on her. This nuanced book kept me on the edge of my seat. I cannot wait until the next one comes out.” — Cathy Scheib, Indianapolis Public Library, Indianapolis, IN

The Witch with No Name, Kim Harrison, (Harper Voyager), OverDrive Sample

“In this book, Harrison ends her long-running Hollows series, featuring witch Rachel Morgan, vampire Ivy, and pixy Jenks. Rachel’s come a long way; now, she and her friends attempt the impossible and face their toughest battle yet. Harrison skillfully wraps up many plot points, leaving readers sad that the series is over but satisfied by its ending. Fans will surely cheer Rachel on and shed a tear or two.” — Ilene Lefkowitz, Denville Public Library, Denville, NJ

Potential Sleeper Hit

Neverhome, Laird Hunt, (Hachette/ Little Brown; Blackstone Audio), OverDrive Sample

A hit on GalleyChat, this is also one of three “Sleeper Hit” predictions in USA Today‘s roundup of bookseller’s predictions for the fall. Wendy Bartlett, head of collection development at Cuyahoga P.L, Ohio, recently recommended it to staff, buying extra copies for browsing:

You simply must read this slim and brilliant novel–but read slowly and savor. It’s a subtle story, but a very powerful one that will linger long after you’ve read it. To describe the plot as one in which a woman disguises herself as a Civil War soldier and goes to war is to do it a great disservice. This book is so much more.

With a nod to Gilman’s Yellow Wallpaper, a touch of both Middlesex and Cold Mountain, Neverhome is a pitch perfect symphony—or maybe jazz rendition—about identity, war, and fate. And it’s gorgeously written. Book discussion and prize winner heaven right here.

Media Hits

Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World, Kirsten Gillibrand, (RH/Ballantine; RH Audio), OverDrive Sample

Listening to the advice in her book’s title, the U.S senator from New York raised her voice this week about sexism in Washington (inspiring a great bit by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show). Gillibrand will appear on Stewart’s show on Tuesday, as well as on several other shows:

NBC Today Show – 9/9
NPR Diane Rehm – 9/10
MSNBC Morning Joe
PBS Charlie Rose – 9/10

The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, Geoffrey C. Ward, Ken Burns, (RH/Knopf)

The companion book to the PBS series which begins 9/14.

Burns is scheduled for appearances on:

NPR All Things Considered – 9/10
NPR Diane Rehm – 9/11
Comedy Central The Daily Show with Jon Stewart – 9/15

Posted in 2014 -- Fall, New Title Radar | Comments Off on Get Ready — Titles You Need to Know, The Week of Sept. 8

Diminishing Book Coverage

Friday, September 5th, 2014

Just as we welcomed USA Today‘s annual fall books forecast, with Bob Minzesheimer’s roundup of bookseller predictions of which ones will be hits, we learned that, after 17 years on the newspaper’s book beat, Minzesheimer is one of the victims of a new round of layoffs. This follows on the heels of the loss last year of Deirdre Donahue and Carol Memmot to early retirement packages.

At that time, USA Today made the following statement to Publishers Weekly;

“While we’re sorry to lose Deirdre and Carol, USA Today‘s commitment to books coverage remains unwavering. Later this year we’ll celebrate the 20th anniversary of our famous book list with a host of new coverage, both print and online. Books editor Jocelyn McClurg and reviewer Bob Minzesheimer remain committed to books coverage and, with senior editors, will be actively recruiting new book reviews both inside the staff and outside.”

Bob tweeted the following yesterday:

On day my kids begin high school, I’m among 25 staffers laid off at USA Today. I’ll keep reading & writing. New email:bookbobminz@yahoo.com

Follow him on Twitter: @bookbobminz

As a form of protest, click as many times as you can on Bob’s Booksellers pick potential hits for fall

Posted in Publishing Business, Review Sources | Comments Off on Diminishing Book Coverage

Who IS Elena Ferrante?

Thursday, September 4th, 2014

The new issue of Entertainment Weekly challenges readers with the question, “Do YOU Know Elena Ferrante?” (story not online yet).

If you don’t, you’re in good company. It turns out the author of this “rare interview” with Ferrante (Vogue also has one this month) hadn’t heard of her either until this summer, although “the Italian author’s urgent, blistering fiction has made her something of a cult sensation here in America.”

Attesting to that cult status, the New Yorker‘s redoubtable critic James Wood profiled Ferrante last year calling her “one of Italy’s best-known least-known contemporary writers … Compared with Ferrante, Thomas Pynchon is a publicity profligate.” Just last week, the New York Times Magazine asked three authors to address the question, “Who is Elena Ferrante?”

Entertainment Weekly goes on to call her Neapolitan series of novels, the third of which, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, was just released, “an intoxicatingly furious portrait of enmeshed friends Lila and Elena, Bright and passionate girls from a raucous neighborhood in world-class Naples. Ferrante writes with such aggression and unnerving psychological insight about the messy complexity of female friendship that the real world can drop away when you’re reading her,”

In the U.S., Ferrante is published by Europa Editions.

The Neapolitan series:

#1 My Brilliant Friend, 2012 — OverDrive Sample

#2 The Story of a New Name, 2013 — OverDrive Sample

#3 Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, 9/2/14 — OverDrive Sample

Other titles available in the U.S, (all also from Europa Editions):

The Days of Abandonment, 2005 — OverDrive Sample

Troubling Love, 2008 — OverDrive Sample

The Lost Daughter, 2008 — OverDrive Sample

Posted in 2014 -- Fall, Fiction, Literary | 1 Comment »