When Words Count Retreat Part 1

Nestled in the Green Mountains of Vermont is a piece of paradise for writers called When Words Count Retreat. I was fortunate enough to win a 4-day, 3-night stay during their Christmas Sweepstakes. I spent the end of last week there, writing up a storm.

The Place:

Their web site calls the retreat a Home Away From Home. It really is! Everything about the place was comfortable, cozy, warm.

One of my writing partners, Cindy Faughnan, also won the sweepstakes and we chose to go at the same time. The house stood on a dirt road, among barns and fences (a former working farm), facing a huge expanse of fields and mountains. As a city girl, I was worried I’d feel isolated but I immediately felt welcome. We were greeted warmly by the fabulous Diana Mellar, the general manager, and  the amazing Chef Paul (more on him in an upcoming post dedicated to the food). I was thrilled to be assigned to the Emily Dickinson room!

Inviting and cozy, yes? There was a large dresser, a closet, and two nightstands with reading lamps. The walls were adorned with photos relating to Emily Dickinson. I do believe the photo above the desk was of her house. A book of her poetry was placed on the dresser.

The bed! Oh! The soft, comfortable, amazingly cozy bed! I never sleep well when I’m away from home, but here? I slept like a content baby!

On the first floor, past the kitchen is the Gertrude Stein Room where hash sessions were held in the evenings (more on that in a later post). And there was plenty of space to spread out to write during the day. The first day, I worked in my room, but after that Cindy and I worked in other parts of the house.

With a lovely view of the scenery, this looked like an inviting space to write. Unfortunately, I have light sensitivity issues so I chose to sit elsewhere. This is where I worked for much of my stay:

This was in the living room – adjoining the fabulous dining room (I can’t wait to talk about the food…!). This was truly a most amazing retreat – everything is taken care of for you so that you can devote all your time and energy and thought to writing. I arrived hoping to get a solid start on a brand new YA novel. I think I was shooting for a few thousand words during my 3-1/2 day stay. We arrived past 2 PM on our first day and I spent much of that afternoon getting situated and reading what I already had for my draft (not much). After that, I dove into writing. Day 1 word count: 3000+ words. Day 2 word count: 4000+ words! The morning of the day we left word count: 2000+. Seriously, it’s rare that I can write that many words in a day when starting a brand new draft. I completely lost myself in writing. I even forgot what day it was!

I woke up every morning around 5:30 (this is normal for me), and wrote (with breaks for breakfast, lunch, a walk, and dinner) from morning till 5:30 cocktail hour. That’s intense for me. The other writers seemed to feel the same – they were all productive and invigorated. There were five of us guests total and by some wonderful miracle, we were all children’s writers! Not only that, but we knew people in common.

I’ll be blogging about this retreat for the next few posts! There’s just too much to say about my wonderful experience there. Till then, check out their web site. I highly recommend checking them out if you’re looking to get away and write for a period of time. Next posts will include: The People, The Schedule, The Food, The Adventure!

Novel Writing Retreat at VCFA – Part 2

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A full week later and I’m still feeling the very positive effects of attending this fabulous retreat.  I loved making new friends and reconnecting with old ones. It was special to be able to room with my long time writing partner, Cindy Faughnan (who for ten years has been co-running this amazing retreat). I had a couple of first times during this weekend.

First, I had never heard of Sugar on Snow! Cindy mentioned it as the Farmer’s Market was setting up in the chapel next door to our dorms. For those of you who don’t know – it’s freshly tapped maple sap, cooked and poured onto fresh snow. I snagged new friend Catey who is from North Carolina and I assumed correctly she’d never heard of it either, and the two of us headed over to the booth before lunch! (Yes, dessert before lunch!) What a delicious and special treat! The snow was scooped onto wooden troughs, the cooked maple sap ladled onto snow, and then plastic forks were stuck into the “glops”. I took a fork and slid the concoction into my mouth. YUM! It was chewy like taffy and oh so sweet, and the snow was crunchy and cold. Catey and I helped ourselves to quite a few forkfuls (after an appropriate donation). I didn’t know until after that this treat is only available for a very short period of time when the maple sap starts to run.

The second first for me? I read my work out loud in public. Sure, I’ve read out loud to family and friends and during critique group meetings, but I’ve never read to a group of mostly strangers. Fortunately, the reading was scheduled on Saturday night – the second night of the retreat, so I had a chance to meet a lot of the other attendees and felt like I was in a supportive environment. Just before my turn to read, I wasn’t feeling too nervous (just the appropriate amount of nervous, I suppose), but when I walked to the podium, I made a conscious effort not to look up at the audience of 35. I read – and wow! What a heady experience to read my words out loud and to hear the reaction as I read (laughter in all the right places)! Even better was sitting down and being able to enjoy and listen to the other attendees read their work out loud – I was inspired and entranced by all the talent in the room!

And now for my main take-aways from the presentations – I’m being mindful of copyright, I hope, and just giving a brief line about the main thing I took away from each talk. Each presenter gave an hour long, riveting and inspiring talk.  I was so thrilled to hear what they had to share!

Julie Berry - “Mind the Gap” – What are the obstacles that block you from what you are and what you aspire to be. It’s an interesting way to look at my career path. I’m giving a lot of thought to this!

Cynthia Leitich Smith – World building is key, setting is the springboard for world building. Even realistic fiction needs world building. This made me think about my settings in my stories more critically. How well do I really know the world my character inhabits? How much detail is there and what details are crucial to my story?

Lauren Myracle – TELL YOUR STORY! She said a lot of wonderful things, but that was the big take-away for me. Tell the story you want to tell, the one you need to tell.

Andrea Tompa (editor at Candlewick Press) – Make sure the backstory serves the story. And one more thing, don’t focus on theme during the first draft – use revision to do that.

I also had a critique with Andrea Tompa and let me just say, OMG, she is truly brilliant and she made me look at my story in a whole new light. (This is a WIP I put away almost 5 years ago.) I can’t wait to get back to it!

I am so happy I went to this retreat! And I hope to go back again next year! Maybe I’ll see you there!

Novel Writing Retreat at VCFA – Part 1

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Novel Writing Retreat at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. This craft-focused weekend workshop is run by Cindy Faughnan (VCFA MFA grad and my writing partner) and author and writing teacher Sarah Aronson (also a VCFA MFA grad) – this one marking their 10th anniversary. This is a truly spectacular retreat and I hope to return again next year!

There were two tracks one could sign up for, the critique track and the writing track. Because I’m in the final polishing stage of my WIP, I signed up for the writing track – I had blocks of 1-1/2 hours between lectures to focus on my own writing. The critique track put attendees into groups of four – and they had blocks of time to meet and workshop their WIPs. (Crit track members were sent work ahead of time to read/review.) Each crit track attendee also received critiques from the author mentors and editor mentor. From what I heard from these attendees, the crit groups were amazing and supportive and inspired!

The mentors this year were:

Andrea Tompa (editor at Candlewick), author Lauren Myracle, and author Cynthia Leitich Smith. (Thank you to new friend Elly Swartz for the photo.) Each gave an amazing lecture.

Cynthia Leitich Smith (who is a good friend and former mentor) is the author of amazing books for kids, from picture books like Santa Knows (co-authored with her husband Greg Leitich Smith), to contemporary MG and YA books (like one of my favorites, Rain Is Not My Indian Name) to fabulous fantasy books like her Tantalize series. I just finished reading Eternal: Zachary’s Story, her graphic novel illustrated by Ming Doyle. Zachary is a guardian angel watching over Miranda, but when he shows himself to her in an effort to save her, he is demoted to human form. He is still committed to trying to save her soul, but Miranda has changed a LOT since he last saw her – she is no longer human but a vampire princess.  I’m going to start reading her Feral Nights series very soon!

Lauren Myracle is the awesome author of a slew of books that I’ve loved, from Peace, Love & Baby Ducks to Rhymes with Witches, and How To Be Bad (co-authored with Sarah Mlynowski and E. Lockhart). I also read Bliss, which was great, but it scared me (I could only read it during the daylight). I’m currently reading Shine and it is an incredible read so far about a hate crime that takes place in a small Southern town – sixteen year old Cat is determined to solve the mystery while her former best friend, Patrick, lies in a coma in the hospital. Wow…just WOW! She talked about her upcoming novel, a New Adult, that sounds fabulous and Hot! I can’t wait for it! (But I’ll have to as she is still currently writing it.)

Andrea Tompa is an editor at Candlewick. She edited Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri (illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson).  I have to admit, this is not my usual kind of book – a  MG “boy book” set in the inner-city about horses (yes, I was one of those odd girls who didn’t want a horse when she was little). But because Andrea’s talk was going to be about the editing process of this book, I decided to read it – and guess what? I loved it! I didn’t want t put it down and I had tears in my eyes when I finished it. When 12 year old Cole’s mother is fed up with his school truancy and getting into trouble, she packs him up and drives from Detroit to Philly and drops him off with the father he never knew. Cole is suddenly in the middle of a run-down horse stable smack in the city, where his dad and other Black Cowboys try to care for horses in ramshackle buildings. At first Cole is frightened of the horses and angry that his mom left him there – but he bonds with a horse named Boo, and the other cowboys (and his dad). When the city wants to shut them down and take back the land, Cole is spurred into fighting back to save the place and the horses.

I recommend all the books above, for sure! I promise another post about my experience and the inspirational take-aways I got from the talks. See you Tuesday!  Happy reading!

A Retreat of a Different Kind

I’ve posted here before about my lovely reading retreats with my dear friend, Lynn. I miss those tremendously. Since I’ve moved across the country, I still read regularly, but my energies have shifted back into writing mode. Not having family or close friends within “let’s have coffee” distance, I’ve had more time alone, and more time alone, for me, means more time spent with my stories.

Today I leave for a weekend Novel Writing Retreat held at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. I’ve long heard about this retreat because a dear friend and writing partner co-runs it. I’m thrilled to be finally attending. I promise to blog about the experience next week! I plan to dive into yet another revision of a YA novel I’ve been working on for the past three years. Wish me luck!

In the meantime, happy reading, and I look forward to catching up on reading your posts very soon!

Coffee Break Tuesday with Kimberly Sabatini

Please grab a cup of coffee (or tea if you prefer) and join me in welcoming author Kimberly Sabatini to Coffee Break Tuesday!  Kimberly is the author of the YA novel Touching the Surface.

Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini (Simon Pulse/2012)

Teen Elliot (her name this time) finds herself at the Obmil (afterlife) for the third time. This time she knows she must Delve truly and deeply to discover why she’s not able to move on – there might be consequences. Elliot learns the truth about her life on Earth as she struggles to figure out why her best friend no longer wants to be with her. She’s also torn between brothers Trevor and Oliver. In this unique story about the afterlife, readers will be mesmerized by Sabatini’s Obmil.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. In elementary school I decided that since everyone called me Kim or Kimmie–if I ever got published I would have Kimberly as my author name. My agent and editor got a kick out of that story when they asked what I wanted printed on my book. But wanting to be a writer and deciding to be a writer came at two different times in my life. The want came from the moment I could put a pencil to paper and funnel things out of my brain onto paper. It has always felt good to me, but in my high school years, I let insecurity get the better of me. It took way too long, but the decision to become a writer didn’t happen until June of 2007 when I attended my first SCBWI Conference. For two years prior (after the death of my dad) I dabbled with the idea, but that first conference, listening to the likes of Laurie Halse Anderson and KL Going cinched it for me. I decided it was time to make my dreams a reality.

What was the first book you wrote what was it about? (Not necessarily the first book you got published.)

Touching The Surface is my very first book and I feel very lucky that it made it all the way to the bookshelves.

Experience the afterlife in this lyrical, paranormal debut novel that will send your heart soaring.When Elliot finds herself dead for the third time, she knows she must have messed up, big-time. She doesn’t remember how she landed in the afterlife again, but she knows this is her last chance to get things right.

Elliot just wants to move on, but first she will be forced to face her past and delve into the painful memories she’d rather keep buried. Memories of people she’s hurt, people she’s betrayed…and people she’s killed.

As she pieces together the secrets and mistakes of her past, Elliot must find a way to earn the forgiveness of the person she’s hurt most, and reveal the truth about herself to the two boys she loves…even if it means losing them both forever.

What was your journey to publication like?

I began writing TOUCHING THE SURFACE immediately after that SCBWI conference in 2007 and I signed with my agent Michelle Wolfson of Wolfson Literary in December of 201. She then sold it to Anica Rissi at Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon & Schuster in February 2011. Along the way 33 agents passed on my book, but I’m very glad they did because Michelle is the PERFECT agent for me and she found me the most amazing editor I could have ever dreamed of.

What is your most recently published book or upcoming book? What is it about?

I’m currently revising my second YA novel THE OPPOSITE OF GRAVITY and I’m hoping to sell it when it’s ready. It’s a contemporary novel involving dance, the Broadway musical Wicked and the need to defy—what we know to be true–in order to find the truth.

How have you changed from when you first started out as a (pre-published) writer to now?

I no longer write alone. Now there is a cast of characters that sneak into my office to sit on my shoulder while I write. There’s an agent, an editor, a publishing house, reviewers and readers to name a few. And while I’m grateful for all the good stuff they’ve brought to my table, I still have to be careful to spend enough time alone in my own imaginary dream world, to capture the novel that needs to be written before it is revised.

Favorite book from childhood?

THE GIVER by Lois Lowry–It felt so good to realize that there was another person in the world who thought about the same kinds of things that I did.

A favorite book you recently read?

I am currently blown away by the talent of Laini Taylor in both THE DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE and DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT. I love these books! Her world building, character development and lyrical writing push me to be a better writer.

A bit of wisdom to share (about the creative process/journey):

I believe that the best thing you can do is envision positive things for yourself and your writing. Visualize success and then give yourself a lifetime to get to your destination. I decided that writing was something that I loved, with or without publication, so I could bide my time until I got good enough to catch up with my dream. I once read that when you tell the universe that you want things, the universe give you WANT. That made sense to me, and I changed the way I project my goals. Now I picture them the way I expect them to be instead of how I want them to be. And I dream big–most people never expected me to get this far and surprising them is an amazing feeling. I want to keep doing that for the rest of my life. )

For fun – something not a lot of people know about you:

My husband was stationed overseas in the military when we first got married, so I lived in Augsburg Germany for 4 years and got to travel all over, seeing places like Italy, England, Amsterdam, France, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Monaco and Egypt. It was pretty amazing. Now that my kids are getting a little older I can’t wait to take them to some of the places I loved.

Kimberly Sabatini is a former Special Education Teacher who is now a stay-at-home mom and a part-time dance instructor for three and four year olds. She lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with her husband and three boys. Kimberly writes Young Adult fiction and is represented by Michelle Wolfson of Wolfson Literary Agency. TOUCHING THE SURFACE is her debut novel. (Simon Pulse – Simon & Schuster, October 30, 2012)

For more about Kimberly, check out her web site, connect with her on Facebook, or  follow her on Twitter.

Books Vs E-Books

It’s a debate I’ve listened to and participated in for a few years now. I was strictly all pro-books for a long while. A couple of Christmases ago, my husband asked me if I wanted a Kindle. I said no. Did he listen? No. LOL But he had good reason. When we travel (and we do travel quite a bit), I’d pack 3 – 8 books (depending on the length of our trip) in our suitcase, making it VERY heavy. He gets that I need books to read, that I want books to read, and that no trip is complete without a small library for me. The Kindle (or any e-reader I’m sure) is wonderful for travel. Now I can download as many books as I want without worrying about running out while I’m traveling – and I can also buy books while I’m away. Plus, the house we have in CA is very small and I had to limit my book buying since I didn’t have a lot of storage.

The truth is, though, I still prefer books. I love the heft of them, the smell of them, and being able to flip pages. I have a large collection of bookmarks that I love to use. I pick a special bookmark for each book I read.  And I love to own books written by friends and I love getting books signed.  A friend recently shared with me what her nephew (?) said about having “trophy books”. Love that! That’s exactly how I feel about my books – I love to display my library proudly. Now that we’re moving into a bigger house and I’ll have my own writing studio with built-in bookshelves, I’ve been buying books like crazy. Shhhh.

I love having choices though. And if I read a book I end up loving on my Kindle, I buy the actual book to have in my library.

What’s your feeling about e-books vs books?

Coffee Break Tuesday with Kelly Ramsdell Fineman

Welcome back to Coffee Break Tuesday where I sit down with fabulous authors to talk about writing! Please grab a mug of coffee (or tea) and join  us. Today, I have the pleasure of chatting with Kelly Ramsdell Fineman. Her picture book At the Boardwalk is a fun romp with vivid sensory descriptions of strolling down the boardwalk.

At The Boardwalk by Kelly Ramsdell Fineman (illustrations by Mónica Armiño)

Welcome, Kelly! I’m so happy to have you here! When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

This is one of those “that depends” sort of answers. When I was a kid and a teen, I wrote all the time – poetry and prose – and I loved it, but I never figured I was “good enough” to be a writer. I made a conscious decision to be a writer in 2002, after I’d left work due to disability.

What was the first book you wrote? What was it about? (Not necessarily the first book you got published.)

The first book I wrote was a picture book, and it had just over 1,000 words in it. It was called Eric’s Missing Library Book. It was, as you might expect, about a boy named Eric, who couldn’t locate his library book.

What was your journey to publication like?

My journey was composed of small victories and lots and lots of in-between time. In 2005, I sold a poem entitled “Lawnmowers” to a small press called Blooming Tree Press. It was included in their 2006 anthology, Summer Shorts. I’ve placed other individual children’s poems in poetry books for children as well (not all of which are anthologies – one is an instructional text). Because I write poetry for the grown-up market as well as for children, I’ve had some success with a variety of journals as well.

All along, I was writing picture books and submitting them for consideration by publishers, garnering lots of nice comments and relationships along the way. Then a couple of years ago, I got an email from an editor at Tiger Tales Press. Turns out that the publisher had come across my blog somehow, and asked the editor to find out if I had any picture book manuscripts that might work for them. A long look at what they publish informed me that I did not, in fact, have a picture book already written that might be their cup of tea, but I did have a short poem called “At the Boardwalk” that might be expanded into a picture book. Lo and behold, I was right!

What is your most recently published book or upcoming book? What is it about?

My most recently published book is, in fact, At the Boardwalk, which is a picture book about the pleasures of a day spent on a boardwalk. I was exceedingly lucky that Tiger Tales selected the Spanish illustrator, Mónica Armiño, for the book – her use of light is spectacular, and she really captured the iconic imagery of an American boardwalk to perfection.

I also have poems in two recent anthologies: National Geographic’s Book of Animal Poetry, edited by J. Patrick Lewis, and Dare to Dream . . . Change the World, edited by Jill Corcoran.

How have you changed from when you first started out as a (pre-published) writer to now?

Most of my changes have been in my personal life, I suppose, which is not particularly interesting from a writerly perspective. Except maybe it is in a way – I found that when I was unhappy with my personal life, I was far more diligent about spending time writing, which offered an escape. Not just the escape of working in a fictional place, but the actual, physical escape of sitting and writing, whether at home or (usually) elsewhere. Now that I’ve got an exceedingly happy personal life, I’m not nearly as driven to run away from it, and it’s been an interesting challenge to develop a new writing schedule.

On a more writerly tack, when I first started, I was very excited about every single thing I wrote, and very emotionally invested in having other people like it, too. Waiting was awful. Rejections were like being thrown into the Pit of Despair. Nowadays, I am much more zen about the process. I’m accustomed to not receiving immediate feedback from editors, and I am well aware that a “no thanks” doesn’t mean “this sucks” or “you suck” or any such thing. It means, at heart, “thank you, but the answer is no.” There are lots of benign reasons for a “no”, after all. Could be they have a similar title out (or in the works already). Could be that the marketing folks don’t think the story will sell, or that someone has a lemur phobia and doesn’t want to handle any books that mention them. So while hearing a “no thanks” is not optimal, I no longer take it personally, which puts me in a much better place.

Favorite book from childhood?

I suck at picking favorites, but one of my very favorite children’s books was Mandy, by Julie Andrews Edwards, in large part because I owned my own copy.

A favorite book you recently read?

The Center of Everything, by Linda Urban. It’s gobsmackingly good, and I firmly believe it ought to win the Newbery. I’ve been lucky to read it in several different drafts, including the final. It comes out in March.

A bit of wisdom to share (about the creative process/journey):

It’s all good. Really and truly. The ups, the downs, the days when you can’t seem to focus enough to write a word, the days when hours have flown by and you realize you forgot to eat lunch or feed the cat, acceptances, rejections – all of it contributes to the journey, and all of it helps you become a better writer over time.

There will be fallow times, when you really can’t seem to get any writing done, but those are necessary to allow the soil of your imagination to regenerate. That’s when it’s time to fill the well – to experience the other things in life that nourish you, whether it’s reading or going somewhere (a trip, a museum) or doing something physical, or something new and different. After those fallow times, there are invariably fertile times, when the work really clicks. It’s okay to honor the cycle.

For fun – something not a lot of people know about you:

I was once on stage with Penn and Teller during one of their magic shows. Despite being right there and watching very closely, I couldn’t see how the trick was done.

Kelly Ramsdell Fineman is an author and award-winning poet. Her first picture book, At the Boardwalk, illustrated by Mónica Armiño, came out in March of 2012 from Tiger Tales Books. Other children’s poems have appeared in Dare to Dream . . . Change the World, ed. by Jill Corcoran (2012), National Geographic’s Book of Animal Poetry, ed. by J. Patrick Lewis (2012), Write Your Own Poetry by Laura Purdie Salas (2008), and Summer Shorts: A Short Story Collection, ed. by Madeline Smoot (2006) and in Highlights for Children magazine.

Kelly’s poems for adults has appeared in the anthologies Breaking Waves: An Anthology to Benefit the Gulf Coast, ed. by Tiffany Trent and Phyllis Irene Radford (2010), Mountain Magic: Spellbinding Tales of Appalachia, ed. by Brian J. Hatcher (2010), and in The Omnibus of Bill Shakes and the Magnificent Ionic Pentatetrameter, ed. by Matthew Delman (2012), as well as in journals.

For more about Kelly, check out her blog, find her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

Favorite Couples

In honor of Valentine’s Day (and my daughter’s birthday, Happy Birthday C!), I’m happy to once again share a list of my favorite couples from recent reads. Last year I shared a list that spanned back to when I first started reading YA/MG. You can see that (incomplete) list here. I’m always adding to it because I have a faulty memory. I’d like to add to the list today – mostly from books I read in the year since, but also to add favorites from past reads. Know that this remains an incomplete and continuously growing list!

Jacqueline and Lucas in Easy by Tammara Webber

(Berkeley Publishing/2012)

DJ Schwenk and Brian Nelson in Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

(Houghton Mifflin/2006)

Also, Off Season and Front and Center.

Samantha and Jase in My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

(Dial Books/2012)

Bitterblue and Saf in Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

(Simon & Schuster/2012)

Kat Bishop and Hale in The Heist Society books by Ally Carter

Perfect Scoundrels Book 3

(Disney Hyperion/2013)

Amy and Roger in Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan  Matson

(Simon & Schuster/2010)

Remy and Dana in Funny How Things Change by Melissa Wyatt

(FSG/2009)

Nastya and Josh in The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

(Atria Paperbacks/2012)

Oh, I’m sure I’ve left out some key couples here! And I’ll be kicking myself for neglecting to add them, but I promise to keep adding!

Your turn – who are your favorite couples from YA novels? I can’t wait to hear what you’ll share!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Fan Mail

One of the biggest thrills about being an author is receiving fan mail – a note from a complete stranger thanking me for something I wrote or praising something about one of my books. It’s an amazing feeling! I try to share my love when I read a book that touches me. These days it’s easy to contact an author, either via their web site or Facebook or Twitter.

In my last post, I raved about author Jojo Moyes and the two books of hers that I read (and LOVED): Me Before You and The Last Letter From Your Lover. I contacted her via her site to let her know how much I loved her books. I didn’t expect to hear back because she is a “Big Name Author” on tour, but guess what? I received a very gracious and warm email from her – apologizing for the delay in her response (yes, she’s touring). I am over the moon! A note from a new favorite author! Wonderful!

Have you read a book lately that you loved? Why not drop a note to the author and let her/him know? Just in time for Valentine’s Day! Spread the love! Happy reading!

In Love

Bob and I just bought a house – one we love! It has great character and warmth, originally built in the early 1800s and lovingly renovated less than a decade ago by the current owners. It has everything we could want – a great kitchen and garden for Bob (he’s the resident chef and “farmer”), plenty of room, and it sits right on a pond! And the best thing (for me)? I will be getting my very own writing studio – and I’ll be meeting with an architect this weekend to discuss. The space is currently a wood shop attached to the detached 2 car barn-garage. I am thrilled to be able to create the perfect space – a large writing area, a reading nook, and a small meditation space, all overlooking the pond. I promise before, during and after pictures!

All this to say that I apologize for the less than regular postings. But, I am still reading.

I must share a new author that I love – a writer of adult fiction, a writer talented in penning amazing stories with incredible characters – love stories that are honest, and true, and full of emotion.

Jojo Moyes is fast becoming a new favorite author and I’m already impatient for a new book by her. Her new release is

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (Viking/2012)

I wish I could do a proper write up of this novel, because I loved it so much. But as I’ve been pressed for time lately, I’m going to “cheat” and share the summary from Amazon.com:

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to lose her job or that knowing what’s coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he’s going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn’t know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they’re going to change the other for all time.

Because I loved this novel so much, I bought her previous novel and just now, just 5 minutes ago, finished it, amid tears of joy. Loved. It.

The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes (Penguin Books/2010)

I haven’t had time to write it up yet, but I so loved it that I was compelled to write this post immediately. So here again is the Amazon.com summary:

A Brief Encounter for our time, The Last Letter from Your Lover is a sophisticated, spellbinding double love story that spans decades and thrillingly evokes a bygone era. In 1960, Jennifer Stirling wakes in the hospital and remembers nothing—not the car accident that put her there, not her wealthy husband, not even her own name. Searching for clues, she finds an impassioned letter, signed simply “B,” from a man for whom she seemed willing to risk everything. In 2003, journalist Ellie Haworth stumbles upon the letter and becomes obsessed with learning the unknown lovers’ fate—hoping it will inspire her own happy ending. Remarkably moving, this is a novel for romantics of every age.

I normally save this space to blog about books for children and teens, but these two books are definitely worth sharing here. I’m going to go sit in the dark now and think more about this lovely book and the characters in it – the ones I wish were real and that I could meet.

PS – Oh dear. I just now looked up her web site so I could share a link and have discovered she’s written MANY books. I may  have to buy them all……!