Melissa Senate

I'm the author of ten novels, including my debut, SEE JANE DATE (called "cheeky" by Newsweek magazine and made into a very cute TV movie), two for teens, and my latest, by Simon & Schuster's Gallery Books: THE LOVE GODDESS' COOKING SCHOOL, which More magazine named as one of 17 food-themed books to eat up!

An Italian cooking class, with special recipes that call for adding wishes and memories to every pot and pan, changes the lives of its new teacher–heartbroken Holly Maguire–and her four students: a twelve-year-old girl; a grieving woman; a serial dater, and a newly separated single father. (Click on Adult Fiction tab for link to bigger pic of cover and more info about the book.) 

Praise!

 THE LOVE GODDESS' COOKING SCHOOL is an original trade paperback published on October 26th by Simon and Schuster's Gallery Books. You can order your copy from Amazon or any online bookstore right this minute!

Also out now is my latest novel for adults, THE SECRET OF JOY, about 28-year-old New Yorker Rebecca Strand who discovers, via her father's deathbed confession, that she has a 26-year-old half-sister she never knew existed. Off she goes to a small coastal town in Maine to find her. She doesn't exactly receive the warmest welcome–except by the lovable, quirky locals…and a sexy carpenter named Theo. 

One of my favorite and most cherished reviews is by the New York Times bestselling author of SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTTT, Beth Hoffman:

"This is a wonderful story that encouraged me to take a deeper look at love, relationships, family, disappointment, and most importantly, forgiveness. With a smooth and enjoyable writing style, Melissa Senate whisked me into the lives of Rebecca and Joy, seemingly opposite half-sisters who didn't know the other existed until the death of their father. Though Rebecca is delighted to discover she has a sister, Joy is anything but. It is while Rebecca tries to kindle a relationship with her reluctant half-sister that she begins the process of self-examination, reflection, and ultimately discovery. The author handled this brilliantly. If you yearn for quality contemporary women's fiction that's loaded with wit, insight into the heart, and unusual charm, then this is your book!"

Read an excerpt at Simon & Schuster website! Order from Amazon and check out the rave reviews!! Order from Barnes & Noble or from Borders

Scroll down for my blog, which is updated often with random musings and book recommendations.  The comments are under attack by spam, so feel free to email me with any questions/comments at melissasenate at yahoo.com (use @ symbol and write as all one word–always trying to stay one step ahead of the spammers!)

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I've been a huge Sarah Strohmeyer fan since her "establishment-bashing" debut a decade ago with the first Bubbles Yablonsky novel. (If you haven't read her Bubbles series, you must!) I was lucky to get my hands on an advance review copy of Sarah's brand-new novel, KINDRED SPIRITS, and let me tell you: it's as beautiful as the title. First and foremost, it's a book about friendship–female friendship. About empowerment. About seeking the truth. About smart, complex, interesting, very real grown-up women. It's a special book through and through, and I LOVED it.

When life gives you lemons, call your best girlfriends and whip up some lemon martinis. Such is the mantra for the Ladies' Society for the Conservation of Martinis, which was established after one fateful PTA meeting, when four young mothers-Lynne, Mary Kay, Beth, and Carol- discovered they had more in common than they ever thought possible. Meeting once a month, the women would share laughs and secrets and toast to their blossoming friendship with a clink of their sacred martini glasses. The Society was their salvation, their refuge, but when life-shattering circumstances force the group to dissolve, their friendship is never quite the same…until two years later, when a tragic event puts the Society back in session.

When Lynne passes away suddenly, she leaves behind one simple request: that her old friends sort through her belongings. Reluctantly, the women reunite to rummage through her closets. There's nothing remarkable; no kinky sex toys, no embarrassing diary. But buried deep within Lynne's lingerie drawer is an envelope addressed to the Society. And inside they find a letter that reveals a shocking secret and a final wish that will send the women on a life-changing journey…proving that nothing is more powerful than the will of a true girlfriend and a good, strong martini.

HOT PRAISE: 

You can read more about KINDRED SPIRITS at http://www.sarahstrohmeyer.com/ or on FB and TWITTER where I’m just plain old sarah strohmeyer. OR email me the old fashioned way at writesarah@aol.com

Thank you, Sarah! Sarah's website has her Facebook and Twitter links, an excerpt of the novel, and martini recipes, so go visit! Happy Reading! And Happy Fourth!

I loved this novel. Loved, loved, loved. I read it last year, when it came out in hardcover, and now the THE ONE THAT I WANT by New York Times bestselling author Allison Winn Scotch is out in paperback. It's as magical as it is down to earth, beautifully written, with a particularly honest core that stayed with me long after the last page. To celebrate the paperback publication, I'm thrilled to have Allison back on the blog to talk about the book, the inspiration and what inspires her.

What if you woke up one day to all your dreams coming true…but those dreams were more like nightmares?

Tilly Farmer is thirty-two years old and has the perfect life she always dreamed of: married to her high school sweetheart, working as a school guidance counselor, trying for a baby. Perfect. But one sweltering afternoon at the local fair, everything changes. Tilly wanders into a fortune teller's tent and meets an old childhood friend, who offers her more than just a reading. "I'm giving you the gift of clarity," her friend says. "It's what I always thought you needed." And soon enough, Tilly starts seeing things: her alcoholic father relapsing, staggering out of a bar with his car keys in hand; her husband uprooting their happy, stable life, a packed U-Haul in their driveway. And even more disturbing, these visions start coming true. Suddenly Tilly's perfect life, so meticulously mapped out, seems to be crumbling around her. And as she furiously races to keep up with - and hopefully change - her destiny, she faces the question: Which life does she want? The one she's carefully nursed for decades, or the one she never considered possible? What if you could see into the future? Would you want to know what fate has in store?

Q: Is there any personal experience that provides a "behind-the-book" story? Any real-life person or event that inspired your writing it?

Well, while very little of the book is autobiographical, certainly, I could relate to the notion of the ways that Tilly is stuck, even without her consciously realizing that she’s stuck. For much of my twenties, I lingered far too long in relationships that were doomed – always clinging to the bow of the ship as we went down sinking. And always, always in hindsight, there were pretty clear signs that my then-boyfriend wasn’t right for me or that the relationship had a whole host of problems – but it was so much easier to turn a blind eye, to pretend that there weren’t catastrophic problems because then, at least for a little while, I could feel like my life was going perfectly, going as planned. And that’s really Tilly’s biggest flaw: she just wants the pieces to fall into place after spending so much of her life with them OUT of place. Certainly, a lot of women both feel this way and mirror these actions. A lot of times, it’s easier to pretend that all is well rather than acknowledge the fissures and face the pain that something you truly hoped for may not come true. Whether with a career, a friendship or a romantic relationship.

Also, there’s the idea that so much of our journey is pre-determined, and that whatever course we’re on is the course we’re fated to take, whether or not it makes us happy. My parents – and I love them to death – but my parents always thought that I’d be an investment banker, like my brother. And for a while, I went along with that – I did the requisite interviews, I took the required courses in college. But – oh my gosh – I just knew in my gut that I would have been miserable. And it took a lot of energy and effort to forcibly change my track: I had some difficult discussions with my parents, and I had some difficult discussions with myself, both then, and then a few years later when I had pursued my dream of acting and was debating whether or not to give that up as well. Changing your life – or your expectations – is HARD work, grueling, exhausting, and many times, it’s just much easier not too. Again, that’s Tilly’s dilemma: how hard is she willing to work to achieve real happiness. I think that sometimes, we say that we want to be happier, but we’re not willing to make the changes – very difficult changes – to get there. This is the exact situation that Tilly finds herself in. How much responsibility is she willing to assume for her destiny and her contentedness?

Q: Your title remains mysterious, even upon reading the book. Who or what finally, is the One That I Want?

I always thought that the title referred to living the life that she wanted, but definitely, it can be construed in a lot of different ways, which was entirely intentional. I suspect when people pick up the book, they assume that the one that she wants is romantic, and by the book’s end, they may view it in a broader scope. Is she living the life that she wants? Is the READER living the life that she wants?

Q: What inspires you to write the stories you do—about women in conflict?

To be honest, I just enjoy writing about women who aren’t living their lives to the fullest – taking their lives apart and putting them back together in a more whole fashion. Probably because some of this is therapy for me (ha!), and probably also because I think we’re all striving to live more complete, more contented lives, and it’s always nice to read about characters who find a way – even if their roads are bumpy and the outcomes never entirely perfect – who do just that. I have a lot of affection for my characters, and I have a lot of affection for the women in my real life who aim to be happy, fulfilled, better women day in and day out. That’s all, I think, we can ask of ourselves, and I hope that when readers are done with my books, that’s what they contemplate as well.

Big thanks to Allison Winn Scotch for stopping by today to talk about THE ONE THAT I WANT. To learn more about Allison and her novels (and you must check out her blog, which is a treasure trove for writers), visit her website.

Happy Reading!

A few weeks ago I was asked (for a writing blog) what fictional world I’d like to live in and why, and my immediate response was: “I’d like to live with the March sisters and wonderful Marmee.” As a tween, I was enchanted by Little Women and wanted to be Jo March. My own girl. Headstrong. Proud. Determined. Smart. Funny. Passionate. And: a writer. When Jo cuts off her hair to fund her mother’s trip to see their ill father, I was truly changed. Through Jo March, I learned you can be both selfless and true to yourself. I loved her, loved the book and film adaptions. And I love anything to do with Little Women. So when I heard about a new novel called THE LITTLE WOMEN LETTERS by Gabrielle Donnelly, I was intrigued and invited Gabrielle to share a bit about the book and herself on my blog. (The UK version, published by Penguin, has just been published. The U.S version is due out in early June–check out the US cover by visiting Gabrielle's website, hyperlinked below)

Introducing THE LITTLE WOMEN LETTERS by Gabrielle Donnelly

You loved Little Women.  Now discover Jo March’s descendants…

Little Women, Louisa May Alcott's treasured classic, has been loved by women throughout the ages, the world over.  This heart-rending tale about the Marches –a family that loses its wealth and gains much more: love and unity– touches readers as strongly as it did when it was first published in 1868, against the aftermath of the American Civil War.  Now, Gabrielle Donnelly reopens a door to the tale that you’ve read, and reread, and imagines what Jo March’s descendants –transplanted to modern day North London– would be like.

When Josephine March’s great-great-granddaughter stumbles across her ancestor’s letters, the Little Women shed a glorious light on a new generation of sisters. The Atwaters are a loving, sprawling mess of a family and Fee’s three daughters, Emma, Lulu and Sophie couldn’t be less alike if they tried. Emma is planning her wedding, Sophie is an up-and-coming actress, but Lulu – the cleverest of them all – is more than a little lost.  Grandma Jo’s letters had been gathering dust in the attic for decades, but when Lulu gets her hands on them, everything seems to change and different worlds begin to open up. And even though dark family secrets emerge, Jo’s words offer comfort and guidance across the centuries. Sometimes family is all that matters. And sisters are the closest friends you can find.

“Gabrielle Donnelly's The Little Women Letters radiates a rare warmth and charm that had me smiling from beginning to end. The characters absolutely live and the story is utterly compelling. I quite simply love Donnelly's voice!”

–Santa Montefiore, author of The French Gardener and The Mermaid Garden

My Q&A with Gabrielle Donnelly:

Q: Tell us about your novel

A: It's called THE LITTLE WOMEN LETTERS and it's a sort of modern take on Louisa May Alcott's much-loved classic LITTLE WOMEN.  The main story is of three sisters, young women in their twenties living in modern London, who happen to be the great-great-granddaughters of Jo March.  One of them finds a cache of letters that Grandma Jo had written to her own sisters when they were all young, so it's partly a modern novel and partly a behind the scenes look at LITTLE WOMEN and GOOD WIVES.

Q: What do you think women will most relate to about your book?

A: I hope they'll find it a good excuse to re-visit LITTLE WOMEN!  I have yet to meet a Western woman who did not adore that book, and this is an examination of how three of the March sisters might have turned out if they had been born a century and a quarter later and in big, cosmopolitan London instead of sleepy little Concord, Massachusetts.  It was a very interesting exercise for me to take the nineteenth-century characters and place them into modern society.  Inevitably the modern girls have many more opportunities than the older ones.  But they also face challenges that would never have occurred to the Marches … It's up to the reader to decide when and where she would rather have lived.

Q: What would most people be surprised to know about you?

A: I was born and brought up in London and although I have lived in Los Angeles for most of my adult life, I still sound as if I have never in my life travelled more than five miles from Hyde Park Corner.  I don't know why this is: I love America, my husband is American, I eat American food and even use American vocabulary - I fasten my bathrobe with a tie and throw my garbage into the trash can with the best of them - but for some reason the accent just won't take.  I occasionally try for the California drawl but all my friends fall around laughing and tell me I sound "cute."  Which is not what I'm aiming for.

Having an accent is surprisingly boring.  People feel compelled to comment on it, and while they usually do so nicely, there's really not much reaction I can provide beyond "Yes, you're right, I do sound different."  I actually trained myself to say "tom-ay-to" in order to avoid the inevitable "Gee, I love the way you said that," which is a completely sweet thing for anyone to say, but good lord after you've heard it a few dozen times …! And then met my New York agent for a business breakfast in a highly sophisticated New York hotel, where I ordered coffee … orange juice … and a cheese and tom-ay-to omelette … only to have the waitress sigh and murmur plaintively, "Darn, I was hoping you'd say tom-ah-to."

You can't win.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gabrielle Donnelly was born and brought up in London, where she worked as a journalist on women's magazines before moving to Los Angeles to specialize in show business journalism. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, and has been an ardent fan of Louisa May Alcott since she was a young girl. For more information, including where to buy, visit Gabrielle’s website.

*******

I can’t wait to read the novel, which is on its way to my mailbox and will hopefully arrive just in time for the long weekend.  Thanks to Gabrielle Donnelly for visiting the blog today. Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone!

My friend Elizabeth gave me one of her gorgeous handmade notebooks, and I use it to jot down ideas for my work-in-progress, ideas in general, and a list of titles of books I want to check out. The list is a combo of “Must-Read; Read To Find Out Why It’s A Critical Smash and/or Huge Best-Seller; and This Sounds Interesting. A couple of years ago, I took my pretty notebook to Borders and started collecting the ten or so books on my list —which included a debut novel called SOUVENIR by Therese Fowler. I took my books to the Borders café and settled in with a grande cappuccino.

I bought only one book that day: SOUVENIR. I’d read the prologue (and I am one of those readers and writers who LOVES prologues) and was gripped. Between the beautiful, evocative writing and the powerful, true, true, true heartfelt emotion, I was hooked. I took that book home, read it, loved it, and have been a big fan of Therese Fowler (and her story—her personal one, which you can find in her bio on her website (just click her name above)—ever since.

On Tuesday, May 3^rd, Therese’s new novel, EXPOSURE (Ballantine Books, hardcover), hits bookstores. It’s long been on my Must-Read list. EXPOSURE is not only a very timely novel about the consequences of teenaged “sexting,” but it’s a deeply personal novel inspired by the author’s son’s own experience—and arrest.

About the book: In Exposure, Therese Fowler has written her most gripping novel to date—a ripped-from-the-headlines story of ardent young love and a nightmarish legal maelstrom that threatens to destroy two families.

What others saying about EXPOSURE:

Complex, gripping, and rich with emotion, Fowler’s 21st-century Romeo and Juliet beautifully blends modern day drama with carefully drawn examinations of family, loyalty, honesty, and the power of love.” – Eleanor Brown, New York Times bestselling author of The Weird Sisters

“Provocative, timely, and compelling, Therese Fowler’s Exposure will leave book clubs talking for hours.” – Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Wednesday Sisters and The Four Ms. Bradwells

“Telling a page-turning story you can’t wait to pass on to your book club or your best friend, Therese Fowler brings the full force of her talent to bear on a gorgeous, heartrending story of young love and thwarted parental ambitions.” – Joshilyn Jackson New York Times bestselling author of Backseat Saints

“Headlines rarely reveal the truth. Exposure does. I truly couldn’t put it down.” – Randy Susan Meyers, author of The Murderer’s Daughters

Back to that “deeply personal novel inspired by the author’s son’s arrest.” Check out this recent article about the author and novel in USA TODAY:  Fowler gives 'Exposure' to dangers of teen sexting.

To celebrate the publication of EXPOSURE, I asked Therese Fowler to drop by the blog and tell us a bit about the new novel and herself:

Q: Tell us about your novel:
A: Exposure is a contemporary drama about young love, a sexting arrest, and the legal madness that follows. It has been called "a Romeo and Juliet story for modern times."

Q: What do you think women will most relate to about your book?
A: Mothers–and especially mothers of pre-teens, teens, and young adults–will understand the push and pull of trying to support and encourage children while also protect them from themselves. The very real dangers inherent in the use of modern technology will be especially relevant as well (as they still are to me, with three teens in the house!). Younger women and teen readers will appreciate how the story's young lovers see the world and long to live their own lives away from parental influence. I think they'll identify with both Amelia and Anthony and their views on what's appropriate for young people who are on the cusp of full adulthood.

Q: What would everyone be surprised to know about you, author of this sparkly new book?
A: That it was my own son's arrest for what's come to be known as a "sexting offense" that inspired this story. But what's so interesting to me is that even had we not lived through our particular version of this issue, this story would be exactly the kind of story I would want to write.

Did I tell you it was a Must Read? For more information about Therese Fowler, EXPOSURE and her previous two novels, you can find her online:

www.theresefowler.com

http://twitter.com/#!/ThereseFowler

http://www.facebook.com/theresefowlerbooks

Enjoy!

An FBI agent, tormented by a death he wasn't able to prevent, a crime he's never been able to solve and a love he's never forgotten, discovers that his true conflict resides not in his past, but in a…Past Life.

Chills. Welcome to THE HYPNOTIST, “the very definition of thriller,” now out in paperback, by the famed M.J. Rose. I’ve long been a fan of her exquisitely written, tightly plotted suspense novels—and her incredibly interesting history.

The international bestselling author of 11 novels, M.J. Rose self-published her first novel back in 1998—and Lip Service became the first self-published and first e-book to be chosen by the Literary Guild/Doubleday Book Club and the first e-book to go on to be published by a mainstream publishing house. The founding member and board member of International Thriller Writers and the founder of the first marketing company for authors: AuthorBuzz.com, M.J. Rose also runs two popular blogs; Buzz, Balls & Hype and Backstory.

To celebrate the paperback edition of THE HYPNOTIST, M.J. Rose is visiting the blog today to talk about the novel—and reveal some surprises:

Q: Tell us about THE HYPNOTIST:

A: An adventure, a love story, a clash of cultures, a spiritual quest. Haunted by a twenty-year old murder of a beautiful young painter, Lucian Glass keeps his demons at bay through his fascinating work as a Special Agent with the FBI's Art Crime Team. Currently investigating a crazed art collector who has begun destroying prized masterworks, Glass is thrust into a bizarre hostage negotiation that takes him undercover at the Phoenix Foundation—dedicated to the science of past life study—where, in order to maintain his cover, he agrees to submit to the treatment of a hypnotist.

Under hypnosis, Glass travels from ancient Greece to 19th century Persia, while the case takes him from New York to Paris and the movie capital of world. These journeys will change his very understanding of reality, lead him to question his own sanity and land him at the center of perhaps the most audacious art heist in history: the theft of a 1,500 year old sculpture from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

Q: What do you think readers will relate to most about your book?

A: The yearning to understand the mysteries that we see all the time but can't prove - the undeniable but elusive magic of deja va and feeling we know someone we've only just met. 

Q: What would everyone be surprised to know about you?

A: I was left back in 7th grade and am very dyslexic. 

What are others saying about THE HYPNOTIST?

"THE HYPNOTIST is the very definition of thriller: threats modern and ancient, winding around one of the world's great museums, with a cast of compelling individuals who move through gloriously exotic settings.  M. J. Rose tells a story built on the idea that saving love is indistinguishable from saving the world."  -Laurie R. King, New York Times bestselling author

"Riveting! MJ Rose is at the top of her game in this fast paced, literate and stylish tale set in the international world of art, archaeology and intrigue. THE HYPNOTIST is, dare I say, mesmerizing," -Jeffrey Deaver, New York Times bestselling author

And Publishers Weekly magazine gave it a starred review and called it a “Stunning page-turner.”

Thanks to M.J. Rose for visiting the blog! For more info about MJ and a wealth of information about the book and The Reincarnationist series, visit MJ Rose’s website: http://mjrose.com/content/books.asp

Visit her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/MJ-Rose/168238353223960

And follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MJRose

Thanks for visiting, M.J.!

Not only did I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Juliette Fay's debut novel, SHELTER ME, but it had a huge effect on me as a writer. From the first chapter, I said: Wait, you can do this? Your character can be that HONEST? That herself? And this other BIG thing that's going on, that can happen too? Seriously, there were a lot of those moments for me in SHELTER ME, and that beautiful novel made me understand that I could go much farther with the truth of my own characters than I had been willing to in the past. (So thank you for that, Juliette Fay!)

When I heard that her second novel, aptly titled DEEP DOWN TRUE, was being published (January 2011, Penguin), I read the description and immediately ordered it:

Newly divorced Dana Stellgarten has always been unfailingly nice—even to telemarketers—but now her temper is wearing thin. Money is tight, her kids are reeling from their dad’s departure, and her Goth teenage niece has just landed on her doorstep.  As she enters the slipstream of post-divorce romance and is befriended by the town queen bee, Dana finds that the tension between being true to yourself and being liked doesn’t end in middle school . . . and that sometimes it takes a real friend to help you embrace adulthood, in all its flawed complexity.

I asked Juliette if she'd stop by the blog and she kindly said yes:

Q: Tell us about Deep Down True:

At heart it’s a growing-up story. The main character, Dana, is a bit naïve and a little immature—caring too much about other people’s evaluations of her, paying attention to the superficial things rather than the truths beneath. When her husband leaves, and her kids start to struggle, she’s forced to face facts—about herself and the people around her, some of whom aren’t so good for her.

It’s also a story about leadership. Shakespeare said, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.” I think there’s a way in which parenthood thrusts the need for “greatness” upon us. We have to rise to the occasion of guiding these tender little beings through the vicissitudes of life—no small task! Dana is a follower, and has to figure out pretty quickly how to lead her family through tough times.

Q: What drew you to tell this story?

I’ve always been fascinated by middle school—both the real experience of the tween/teen years and by the middle school-ish behavior that adults can get into sometimes. I hated middle school, myself. It seemed like a dangerous experiment in zoo-keeping: “Let’s put all these pubescent, hormonal, insecure beings in one cage and see what happens.”

Q: What do you think women will relate most to about the novel?

My hope is that every woman will find something that resonates—how we define our self-worth, how we feel about our bodies and our brains, and if we have daughters, how they take their cues from us. How much our friendships with other women mean to us. How Motherhood can breed uncertainty in even the most self-assured, and pride in even the most self-doubting. And the agony and ecstasy of mid-life dating!

Q: What does the cover represent?

Oh, my gosh, we went through so many covers we could have clothed many naked books. At one point we had a photo of two kids whispering, and I wrote in a scene where Morgan and Grady whisper to each other, so readers wouldn’t rightfully ask why we’d chosen it if it never happened in the story. But then the sales reps didn’t like that cover, so we went back to square one. This cover is not “representational,” which means it’s not supposed to be a scene from the book. But it’s beautiful and inviting, and several readers have suggested it looks like a little spontaneous altar, a fitting symbol of Dana’s inner growth. I kept the whispering scene anyway. I just liked it.

Q: What would everyone be surprised to know about you?

My not-so-secret addiction is babies. I have this intense primal joy reaction just seeing some chubby little six-month-old giggling at his mom or sleeping in his dad’s arms. The youngest of my four kids is eight now, and there are no more newborns in my future, so I find my baby greed growing. When I hold one I get ridiculously happy and serene. I practically lactate.

Now that we've heard from Juliette, what are OTHERS saying about DEEP DOWN TRUE?:

“When I wasn’t inside the world of this book–because this is a book that you enter instead of merely read–I longed to be. I love it for its intensely human characters and for the way the author grants them their flaws as generously as she celebrates their daily decencies, their persistent hopefulness, their moments of personal grace.” –Marisa De Los Santos, New York Times bestselling author of Love Walked In and Belong to Me

"Heartwarming, funny, well-penned, unexpectedly suspenseful, this is a solid page-turner, right through to the touching end.” –Booklist

“Engrossing, touching, and immensely satisfying. The truth shines on every page. I’d almost be willing to go back to junior high if I could sit at Juliette Fay’s lunch table!” –Beth Harbison, New York Times bestselling author of Thin Rich Pretty

Want to know more about this very talented author and her novels? You can find her online:

Facebook: http://facebook.com/Juliette.Fay.author

Twitter: @juliettefay http://twitter.com/juliettefay

Website: http://juliettefay.com/

Newsletter: http://juliettefay.com/newsletter/

Thanks to Juliette for stopping by!

I have long been aware of bestselling, acclaimed, outspoken (and seriously beautiful) author Julianna Baggott, who also writes under the pen name Bridget Asher. I read her terrific debut, GIRL TALK, her essays and poetry, and subsequent novels under the names Julianna Baggott and Bridget Asher and I just love her voice. Smart, observant, sharp-funny, honest, and always touching. You start reading and you can't stop. From the moment I saw the cover of her new novel, THE PROVENCE CURE FOR THE BROKENHEARTED, which launches today, I fell in love. Is this not the prettiest cover? I immediately pre-ordered it months ago without having any idea what it was about, though that lovely title gives a big clue. 

I asked Bridget Asher (aka Julianna Bagott) to tell me a few things about THE PROVENCE CURE FOR THE BROKENHEARTED and herself…

Q: The title and cover of your new novel not only made me pre-order it, but make me want to get on a plane to Provence NOW. Tell us a little (or a lot) about the book:

"Grief is a love story told backwards." That's how the novel begins. Heidi was completely in love with her husband. Two years ago, she was shattered by his unexpected death. She's still not over him. Her eight-year-old son, Abbot, has started washing his hands — an obsessive-compulsive tic. When there's a kitchen fire in the old family house in Provence — the place where Heidi spent summers with her mother and sister, the house that her mother claims has had the power to cure broken hearts for generations — she's forced to go. She also brings her jaded 16-year-old niece, Charlotte, who's driving her parents crazy. Once there, things shift — for Abbot who tends an injured swallow, for Charlotte who's harboring a secret, and for Heidi herself who needs to come back to herself again. It's a foodie novel, a travel novel … It's a lot of things. (And, coming from the reigning queen of brilliant titles and sumptuous covers, I take this as a huge compliment!)

Q: What drew you to tell this story?

My husband and I have been together for over 18 years. I've recently started referring to myself as having been a child bride (not true but it takes a few years off). In fiction, we play out our darkest fears. That's where the first half comes from. We also play out our natural obsessions — I love French cooking and certain romantic aspects of French culture. Okay, okay, okay. I wanted research I could eat.  

Q: What do you think women will most relate to about the novel?:

It's about motherhood and sisterhood and daughterhood. It's about marriage, loss, and, moreover, the loss of the self. It's about opening back up to the world after shutting down to it. I think those things are universal.

How little I go out. I wouldn't use the word hermit — a little too dark. But I'm really home a lot. Days sometimes pass and then someone tells me the weather and I think: Oh, right. There's an outside. My husband is a stay at home dad and when I'm up against deadline, I'm at my desk. (And then we travel — the research trip to France was on a shoestring budget — and I fill up my sense with all that the world has to throw at me.)

Now that we've heard from the lovely author herself, how about what People magazine, Library Journal, and Kirkus have to say:

"Fans of Under the Tuscan Sun will adore this impossibly romantic read."
— People magazine

"Readers who enjoy … Lolly Winston's Good Grief and Jane Green's The Beach House or travel-induced transformation books like Frances Mayes's Under the Tuscan Sun and Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love will find common themes … and become quickly invested in the lives of the deftly drawn characters."
– Library Journal

"Unabashedly romantic … a real charmer about a Provencal house that casts spells over the lovelorn."
– Kirkus Reviews

About the author: Julianna Baggott is the author of seventeen books, most recently THE PROVENCE CURE FOR THE BROKENHEARTED under her pen name Bridget Asher, as well as THE PRETEND WIFE and MY HUSBAND’S SWEETHEARTS. She’s the bestselling author of GIRL TALK and, as N.E. Bode, THE ANYBODIES TRILOGY for younger readers. Her essays have appeared widely in such publications as The New York Times Modern Love column, Washington Post, NPR.org, and Real Simple. You can visit her blog at http://bridgetasher.blogspot.com/ and her website at www.juliannabaggott.com. 

You can find her on Facebook too.

Can't wait until THE PROVENCE CURE FOR THE BROKENHEARTED arrives today or tomorrow!

So this morning I lost an hour sleep, but it's forty-something degrees here in Maine and the birds are chirping and the little dog around the corner is barking, which means it's almost spring. Which means it's almost summer. (Spring in Maine means mud, so we like to skip straight to summer.)

I'm hard at work on my next novel, busily freelancing as a copywriter (I might have written the back cover or flap copy of the novel you're reading right now!), and learning both the beautiful Italian language and how not to kill flower boxes (I'm determined to have flowers blooming in my windows this summer). 

In fun news, if you haven't seen the very cute TV movie version of my debut novel, SEE JANE DATE, you can catch it on Lifetime on April 10th at 3pm. I loved how this was adapted and there are fun actors galore, from Charisma Carpenter and Holly Marie Combs to Zachary Levi and Joshua Malina and the heart-throb of my college days, Antonio Sabato Jr.

Thanks so much for visiting my website! I'm more often found on Facebook and Twitter (visit my Contacts page for links), so feel free to friend/follow me there. 

Happy Spring, everyone!

I've joined a great new group blog of female authors called THE GIRLFRIENDS BOOK CLUB. My post (all about that place where my ideas come from–and specifically for THE LOVE GODDESS' COOKING SCHOOL, which will be published in two mere months) is up today. Hope you'll check it out!

I'll be back soon with end of summer reading recommendations….