• art,  authors,  books,  fiction,  madison,  publishing,  The Curiosities

    THE CURIOSITIES is Here!

    The Curiosities hit bookstore shelves on February 5, 2019, and I’m so happy that this book is finally out in the world and in the hands of readers. Set in a fictional artists’ colony run out of a lakeside mansion in Madison, Wisconsin, it’s a novel about artists, inspiration, and how to reinvent your life with purpose and flair. And, because I’m sucker for stories about second chances, it’s also about finding hope and joy after loss and mistakes. Pick up your copy at your favorite independent bookseller or online here. Here’s what others have had to say about The Curiosities: “Featuring a cast of characters as varied as the…

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  • art,  books,  publishing

    Time for a Cover Reveal!

    I’m so excited to finally be able to share the cover for my second novel, THE CURIOSITIES–a story of artists, secrets, inspiration, and how to reinvent your life with purpose and flair, coming in February 2019 from William Morrow/HarperCollins, with the same publisher and editor I worked with for my first novel, VINTAGE.  My publisher, agent, and I considered many different concepts, and even a title change, before deciding on this cover, and I’m just thrilled with how the final version turned out. The setting for the novel is an artists’ colony run out of a lakeside mansion formerly owned by Betsy Barrett, a secondary character from my first novel,…

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  • books,  publishing

    Foreign editions of VINTAGE

    Foreign editions of VINTAGE have been published in Spain, Turkey, Germany, Poland, and France. A U.S. large print edition is also available. I think it’s fun to see how the publishers in different countries reimagined the cover. Although I adore the cover for the US version of VINTAGE, I also have a soft spot for the German version. It looks to me like a realistic depiction of a vintage shop, complete with baskets of treasures just waiting to be found.

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  • books,  debut author,  giveaway,  publishing,  writing

    A Glamorous Vintage Giveaway

    The launch day for VINTAGE is almost here! On Tuesday, March 25, it will hit bookstore shelves and  e-reader screens everywhere. ***Pops champagne and sprays it all over everyone*** To celebrate the launch of VINTAGE, I’m running a Glamorous Vintage Giveaway this week for anyone who purchases the book. If you pre-ordered it months ago, it still counts, assuming you still have your receipt or other proof of purchase. The prize is a package including the following goodies, as pictured blow: A vintage Louis Vuitton “Looping” handbag. This is a mint condition item from my personal collection, shown in the picture at right. Classic brown leather with iconic monogram. Suede interior. Includes the…

  • debut author,  fashion,  publishing,  vintage,  writing

    I’m a debutante at 34

    Lately, I’ve been dusting off my dancing shoes and picking out the perfect string of pearls. Why, you might ask? Because I learned this month that I’ve been selected as one of five authors to join the Class of 2014 at The Debutante Ball, a blog for debut authors, now in its eighth season. Of course, at thirty-four, I’m a little old to be a real debutante, of the white dress and perfect pedigree variety. But apparent it’s not that old to be making a debut of the literary kind. Laura Ingalls Wilder didn’t publish her first novel until she was sixty-five. The Debutante Ball, a group blog on all things…

  • books,  dogs,  literature,  madison,  pets,  publishing,  storytelling,  wisconsin,  writing

    Q&A with Author Erin Celello

    Today I’m thrilled to be featuring an interview with Madison author Erin Celello about her latest novel, Learning to Stay (NAL/Penguin 2013), which, as Erin describes it, explores “the question of what happens when one person in a marriage becomes someone fundamentally different.” In Learning to Stay, what triggers the change is a traumatic brain injury that the husband, Brad, suffers while serving in the Iraq war. The injury dramatically alters his personality, transforming him from a thoughtful and patient man into someone who requires much more care than his wife, Elise, can provide while also keeping up with the demands of her career as a lawyer.  I’m not yet finished with the book–so…

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  • agents,  publishing,  vintage,  writing

    Big Book News

    Waiting to announce a book deal reminds me of the initial weeks of pregnancy, when you’re waiting until a certain time to share your good news. Perhaps it’s out of caution–maybe it hasn’t been an easy road and you want to wait until something “official”– a doctor’s visit, maybe, or the end of the first trimester. All the while, you’re glowing, dizzy, maybe even nauseous. Well it’s official, as far as my books go! I’m thrilled to announce that my debut novel, Vintage, will be published by the William Morrow imprint of HarperCollins in 2014, to be followed by a second book in 2015. Here’s the official deal announcement, from Publishers…

  • agents,  blogging,  publishing,  writing

    Literary Matchmaking

    A lot of writers have compared the process of finding a literary agent to online dating. Sending out a query letter about your novel is like creating that perfect online profile–with just enough information to pique people’s interest and leave them wanting to find out more, but not so much information that you come across as desperate, egotistical, or just plain crazy. All the while, you’re waiting for someone to fall in love… with your writing. One blog, Cupid’s Literary Connection, takes the dating/querying analogy literally. Cupid, the mythical creature behind the blog, is an anonymous, agented author who has dedicated her entire web space to contests, agent and publisher…

  • blogging,  publishing,  writing

    Women on Writing

    I’m guest posting over at WOW! Women on Writing today, on their blog, The Muffin, about the process of searching for a literary agent and finding a publisher for a completed novel. See, it turns out that writing the novel is not the hardest part, though that certainly takes discipline. Getting the book out into the world is an even more difficult process… one that involves a lot (and I mean a lot) of patience. If you’ve never checked it out, WOW is a great resource for authors and bloggers to connect and to learn about the ins and outs of the writing world. They also have a quarterly flash…