GLORY OVER EVERYTHING, by author, KATHLEEN GRISSOM ~ debuted April 4th!

A novel of family and long-buried secrets along the treacherous Underground Railroad.

The author of the New York Times bestseller and beloved book club favorite The Kitchen House continues the story of Jamie Pyke, son of both a slave and master of Tall Oaks, whose deadly secret compels him to take a treacherous journey through the Underground Railroad.

Published in 2010, The Kitchen House became a grassroots bestseller. Fans connected so deeply to the book’s characters that the author, Kathleen Grissom, found herself being asked over and over “what happens next?” The wait is finally over.

This new, stand-alone novel opens in 1830, and Jamie, who fled from the Virginian plantation he once called home, is passing in Philadelphia society as a wealthy white silversmith. After many years of striving, Jamie has achieved acclaim and security, only to discover that his aristocratic lover Caroline is pregnant. Before he can reveal his real identity to her, he learns that his beloved servant Pan has been captured and sold into slavery in the South. Pan’s father, to whom Jamie owes a great debt, pleads for Jamie’s help, and Jamie agrees, knowing the journey will take him perilously close to Tall Oaks and the ruthless slave hunter who is still searching for him. Meanwhile, Caroline’s father learns and exposes Jamie’s secret, and Jamie loses his home, his business, and finally Caroline.

Heartbroken and with nothing to lose, Jamie embarks on a trip to a North Carolina plantation where Pan is being held with a former Tall Oaks slave named Sukey, who is intent on getting Pan to the Underground Railroad. Soon the three of them are running through the Great Dismal Swamp, the notoriously deadly hiding place for escaped slaves. Though they have help from those in the Underground Railroad, not all of them will make it out alive. 

Normally I do a Q & A here with the author. Unfortunately for me, my blog was down for about a month as I switched my website, and since I wasn't sure when it would be up and running again, I didn't contact Kathleen until last week. I knew she'd be swamped with this debut and her state-to-state book tour. I was exhausted just reading her schedule for the next month!

Kathleen apologized that she wouldn't have time before she left to do the Q & A's, kind as always. This author has been nothing but kind to me from the time I told her how much I loved her first book, THE KITCHEN HOUSE. If you haven't read that book, go order it right now. Go ahead, I'll sit and wait. Done? Okay.

As awesome as her first novel was, Kathleen had to take the bull by the horns and do what she could to get her book into as many readers hands as possible. There is a great Wall Street Journal article about how she made that happen (I posted part of it below), and her work and perseverance paid off big-time. All because Kathleen put her heart and soul into the book, and didn't stop until she did everything she could to get it out to the world. I hope writers find the article below inspiring. And for readers, an author's job is so much more than writing the book.

Initially, Kathleen's next novel was going to be about Crow Mary. After the amazing feedback for THE KITCHEN HOUSE, Kathleen set aside Crow Mary, and picked up Jamie's story from her first novel. His story is now told in this novel, GLORY OVER EVERYTHING (along with a few other characters from her first book.)

I had the pleasure of reading this book ahead of time, when we were on a trip in February. We visited plantations in the south, and they really reiterated the setting I was reading in Kathleen's book.

I hope you enjoy her latest novel and her first book (since you ordered both, right?)

Kathleen Grissom:

http://kathleengrissom.com/

thekitchenhousebook@yahoo.com

Below is an excerpt from the Wall Street Journal article in 2012:

By STEFANIE COHEN, AUGUST, 2012

It's a breakout hit—two and a half years after it was published.

Kathleen Grissom's debut novel, "The Kitchen House," about life on a Southern plantation, was barely noticed when published by Touchstone, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, in February 2010. With an initial print run of 11,500 copies, the book didn't get traction right away. Bookstores naturally began pulling it from display tables and putting it back in the fiction section, where it seemed destined to languish.

In an era when digital buzz is considered crucial to launching books overnight, it was old-fashioned book-club word-of-mouth that prevailed. Ms. Grissom, who lives near Lynchburg, Va. and used to raise cashmere goats on a farm near there, says she had no grand design when she began to write the novel, which has been compared with "The Help." It features an Irish indentured servant who bonds with slaves in the kitchen house. But when it came to marketing her work, she left nothing to chance.

She sent advance copies to influential book bloggers, asking for a review. If she didn't hear back, she'd bug them again. Eventually, bloggers began to read it and review it—positively. Book clubs, which pay attention to such sites, started contacting Ms. Grissom via her website. She often offered to speak to the club personally, sometimes driving there on her own dime, or to call in to talk to the groups. She estimates that she has spoken to as many as 50 book clubs over two years. She would also arrange for the nearby bookstore to have enough copies to accommodate the members. Word of mouth spread.

"Almost every book club has one or two members who are in another book club, or they have a mother in Chicago or a sister in California, who are also in a book club," she says.

In an era when digital buzz is considered crucial to launching books overnight, it was old-fashioned book-club word-of-mouth that prevailed. The book is in its 21st printing, with 254,000 copies in print and 152,000 e-books sold, the publisher says. It has hit some best seller lists, and in July, giant retailers like Target and Costco began selling it; sales jumped 25%. (Remember, this was 2012 - and her sales have skyrocketed even more since then!)

SHELTERBELTS, by author Candace Simar

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A moving, disturbing, and hilarious story of postwar rural America.

A Scandinavian community experiences trials and small triumphs in this novel set in post–World War II Minnesota. Capable Tia Fiskum, unlike many other young people in Tolga Township, longs to one day take over her family’s farm.

Her dreams are shattered, though, when the man she loves, Clyde Hanson, marries a town girl, Vera, who’s repulsed by farm life and dreams of running away to California. Meanwhile, Frieda Carlson, the young German wife of a war veteran, struggles with her English and the provincialism of her Norwegian neighbors. When Tia’s brother Norman returns from the army, everyone assumes that he’ll take over the farm that Tia covets. But his alcoholism and wanderlust instead drive Tia to shield Norman from scandal—particularly from Tillie, the eavesdropping town gossip.

It was Norman who planted the shelterbelts, rows of trees that form a windbreak, around the town. Just as some of those trees have fallen while others have remained upright, some of the residents of Tolga Township fall to tragedy while others draw upon reserves of strength from unlikely sources—even the supernatural: when Nels Carlson claims a miraculous recovery from arthritis, the town’s good Lutherans fear that he’s become a fanatic.

This latest novel by Simar (Blooming Prairie, 2012, etc.) is an engrossing portrayal of Norwegian farmers whose passive aggression tamps down their real passions. Each chapter is written from a different point of view, some in first person and some in third, and through them, Simar weaves a tale of longing, jealousy, rage, lies, and joy. Although the characters often back-stab one another, they also come together with genuine warmth when one of them is in trouble.

Characters that could have been clichéd are instead made fresh by Simar’s revelations of their fears and hopes. The humor is appropriately subtle and sarcastic, and the descriptions (“Gunda Olson unfolded from the kitchen chair like a rusty pocket knife”) are delightful!

Some Q & A with Candace:

Tell us a little bit about yourself, and how you started writing.

I am the descendent of Scandinavian immigrants and was raised on a dairy farm in western MN in an area populated mostly by Scandinavians.  Because of these roots, I am most interested in Scandinavian history and culture, especially with early immigrants to Minnesota.

What are some things you enjoy when not writing?

I love a good book and I watch way too much TV, especially old movies set during World War II. 

Do you have a ‘day job’ as well?

I’ve been a nurse all my life.  For the past eleven years I have had my own business of being a professional guardian/conservator for vulnerable adults.

Where do you get your ideas?

The ideas come easily.  It’s the getting-them-on-paper that is the challenge.

Is there a particular author or book that influenced or inspired your writing or decision to write?

I grew up reading the historical novels of Janice Holt Giles.  I still love them.  I also was inspired by Lauraine Snelling’s Red River of the North Series and Wilhelm Moberg’s trilogy about Swedish immigrants.

Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

To begin with, I began pitching Abercrombie Trail to publishers and agents before it was ready.  Big mistake.  Eight years and twelve rewrites (yes 12!) I found a publisher. 

If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you’d change?

I would work with a professional editor to make it as good as it could have been before I started pitching it.  I wrote a grant to work with Patricia Weaver Francisco to edit SHELTERBELTS.  She is an author and professor of writing at Hamline University.  Patricia taught me many things during our time together, and SHELTERBELTS is a better book because of her insights.  SHELTERBELTS is my best writing.  I owe this to Patricia.

How do you market your work?

My marketing plan includes doing a lot of public speaking where I share my research and writing with civic and Scandinavian groups.  It’s a lot of work, but also a great adventure.  My husband is retired and so we travel together. It’s been a real joy at this stage of our lives.

What are you working on now?

Currently I am finishing a YA novel set during the 1862 Dakota Conflict in the area of Fort Abercrombie, Dakota Territory.

Is anything in your book based on real life experiences?

When my first novel, ABERCROMBIE TRAIL, was released in 2009, a reader sent me a letter telling me about his great grandfather who came home from school in Milford, MN, to discover his entire family massacred by the Sioux.  As the oldest of three school aged children, this ancestor guided his younger brother and sister to refuge at Fort Ridgely.  The story stuck with me, and I have used the idea of children forced to travel across open prairie to find refuge at Fort Abercrombie.  It also includes a few of my family’s early immigration experiences.

My latest book, SHELTERBELTS, is set in the small Scandinavian farm community where I grew up.  Family members and neighbors show up, though hidden in fictional characters.  My parents married in 1944, at the close of World War 2, and I loved delving into that time period and discovering what their life might have been like.

Do you have a favorite chapter or scene?

Rural relationships can be sticky.  In SHELTERBELTS, I loved the part where Tia must learn to get along with Clyde Hanson’s new wife, even though Tia had hoped Clyde would marry her someday.  In a rural area, people have to get along.  Farmers don’t move away from their land and so neighbors are forever. 

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

It’s more than just grinding words on the page.  My advice is to study the craft of writing by attending every workshop possible, joining a writing group, reading books and magazines about writing, and being open to a life-long journey learning how to write.  Too many writers settle for what they already know how to do, without stretching to fine tune their skills.  The market is flooded with mediocre books.  It’s worth the effort to create something worth reading.

What are the downfalls of your writing career? The best parts?

Life intrudes on my writing time.  It’s hard to find that balance that allows family time, hobbies, marketing and writing.  The best part of my writing career has been connecting with readers across the country.  I never dared to dream this might happen!

Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?

Thank you for reading my work.  Often as the words fall onto the page, I wonder if anyone else will “get” what I’m writing about, smile at my humor or relate to my characters.  Nothing makes me happier than discovering someone who does.  

Thanks so much, Candace, for sharing some of your writing life with us!

     

IN ANOTHER LIFE, by author, JULIE CHRISTINE JOHNSON ~ debuted February 2nd!

It is January 1208 and in a village on the border between Provence and Languedoc, a monk whispers a benediction over the body of a slain papal emissary. The Cathars—followers of a heretical faith—are blamed for the assassination. The Pope declares a holy war and Languedoc is forever changed.

Eight hundred years later, historian Lia Carrer returns to southern France to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. Instead of finding solace in Languedoc’s quiet hills and medieval ruins, the woman trying to heal risks love, and loss, again.

Reincarnation is familiar ground for Lia—an expert in the mystical beliefs of the ancient Cathar faith—but to reconcile the truth of that long-ago assassination, the logical researcher must accept religious fantasy as historical fact. Three lost souls enter her life, each holding a key to the murder that launched a religious crusade in the heart of Europe.

In Another Life is set amidst the medieval intrigue of thirteenth century Languedoc and Paris, intertwined with Lia's modern quest to uncover the truth of an ancient murder and free a man haunted by ghosts from his past.

What readers are saying . . .

“Delicate and haunting, romantic and mystical, IN ANOTHER LIFE is a novel with an extraordinary sense of place. Fans swept away by Diana Gabaldon’s 18th-century Scotland will want to explore Julie Christine Johnson’s 13th-century Languedoc.”

— Greer Macallister, author of The Magician's Lie

“In this lovely novel, Johnson shows us the redemptive power of love and second chances through the ages. Evocative of Outlander, In Another Life is a thrilling combination of romance, adventure, and history.”

— Margaret Dilloway, author of Sisters Of Heart And Snow and How To Be An American Housewife

“Johnson’s heartbroken researcher wends through the lush landscape and historical religious intrigue of southern France seeking the distraction of arcane fact-but instead, like the reader, is transformed by the moving echo of emotional truth. An imaginative, unforgettable tale.”

— Kathryn Craft, author of The Art Of Falling and The Far End Of Happy

  

About the Author

Julie Christine Johnson’s short stories and essays have appeared in several journals, including Mud Season Review; Cirque: A Literary Journal of the North Pacific Rim; Cobalt, and the anthologies Stories for Sendai; Up, Do: Flash Fiction by Women Writers; and Three Minus One: Stories of Love and Loss. She holds undergraduate degrees in French and Psychology and a Master’s in International Affairs.

Her second novel, The Crows Of Beara, a finalist in the Siskiyou Prize for New Environmental Literature, has sold to Ashland Creek Press for publication in fall 2017. In this work of women's fiction, a struggling American PR executive and an enigmatic Irish artist face off over the development of a copper mine in rural Ireland, finding love and redemption amid the rugged, mystical land.

A runner, hiker, and wine geek, Julie makes her home on the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State with her husband. In Another Life is her first novel.

Some Q & A with Julie:

1.             Tell us a little bit about yourself, and how you started writing.

I grew up in the rainshadow of the Olympic Mountains, on a slice of paradise that is Washington state’s northwest corner: the Olympic Peninsula. Thirty-five years after my parents’ divorce started an avalanche of life changes and I left in middle school, I returned with my husband to write full-time, surrounded by the mountains and water which shaped me.

 In between, wanderlust carried me across the country and around the world. But it wasn’t until reaching Seattle in the late 2000s that I began writing. I took a workshop at Seattle’s superlative Richard Hugo House in the Fall of 2010, then another. I wrote a short story, it was accepted for publication, so I wrote another. And another. In July of 2012, I wrote the first words to In Another Life and I kept going until it was done.

2.             What are some things you enjoy when not writing?

I’m outdoors as much as possible: I run, hike, bike, swim. I attended culinary school and I’m a certified wine educator; a love for cooking, good food and wine, carries through in how I relax and share time with others.

3.             Do you have a ‘day job’ as well?

When my husband and I moved to the Olympic Peninsula in 2013, we downsized and simplified our lives enough that I was able to plan about eighteen months of writing without an income. I left a job I adored: wine buyer for a natural foods retailer in Seattle, but I never looked back. Seventeen months after making the decision to try my luck as a novelist, I signed with an agent and was offered a publishing contract for In Another Life on the same day. Now I work longer, harder than I have at any traditional day job. There are times when I look back wistfully at a steady paycheck, health benefits, days off, vacation, a workplace outside my home, colleagues, the water cooler chats . . . but only in fleeting moments. I feel incredibly fortunate to be a full-time writer.

4.             Where do you get your ideas?

Everywhere! A snippet of overheard conversation, a news headline, a place I’ve traveled, stories overheard, a line of poetry, something someone says I wish I could forget, but can’t, so it becomes a story.

5.             Is there a particular author or book that influenced or inspired your writing or decision to write?

I read Louise Fitzhugh’s Harriet the Spy when I was six and decided then and there that I would become a writer. It just took me thirty-five more years to get started. But Pricilla Long’s The Writer’s Portable Mentor was what finally pushed me into a regular writing practice, and that led me to believing I could write a novel.

6.             Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

This is where I ‘fess my Cinderella story. But it’s proof that not every writer has a long and terrible road ahead. I ended September 2014 with a draft of In Another Life that I felt was ready to query. I’d spent the summer researching literary agents, compiling a spreadsheet, and months and months of drafting and redrafting my query letter. Before I sent out any query letters, however, I decided to give in-person pitching a go. I attended the Whidbey Island Writers’ Conference in October, and there I met the two women who would, a few weeks later, become my agent (Shannon Hassan of Marsal Lyon Literary, and the editor of In Another Life, (Anna Michels, Sourcebooks).

7.             If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you’d change?

I started writing In Another Life without a plan. I had the beginning, but no idea how I’d get to a middle, much less to the end. Before I was two-thirds of the way through a first draft, I had 137,000 words, scenes written out of order. At that point, I stopped where I was and began revising from the beginning. By the time I had something resembling a first draft, I’d written 170,000+ words.

Although I am a pantser by nature, I’ve learned how to channel my energy into discovering my characters and themes before I begin writing the story. What I learn about and develop in my characters guides the narrative arc. In later drafts, as I close in on the story, I work loosely with Michael Hague’s excellent Six Stage Plot Structure to give me a sense of how my protagonist’s journey progresses from beginning to end.

  

8.             How do you market your work?

I’ve worked over several years to build relationships with writers and readers via my blog (ChalktheSun.org), Goodreads, and Twitter, long before I knew I’d be a novelist. It was less about marketing or even building an author platform than it was about sharing my writing, my voice, playing with different styles, challenging myself with regular, focused writing through blog posts and book reviews. When I began publishing stories and essays, social media became a way to reach out: if people connected with my voice and the things I had to share, perhaps they’d go on to connect with my work.

Now that I have an actual novel to promote, having a focused presence on reader blogs, doing author events, reaching out to book clubs for in-person or virtual discussions, attending conferences, networking with other writers, reaching out to libraries, pitching to book festivals, keeping up with my blog, my website, seeking targeted advertising opportunities, and still submitting work for publication—there are so many ways to market and promote one’s work, and I’m still learning what’s most effective. I want to spend my time and energy connecting with readers who will stay with me for the long haul, rather than seeking sales for my books.

9.             What are you working on now?

Last September my second novel, The Crow of Beara, sold to Ashland Creek Press, with a publication date of September 2017. Right now, I’m working with my editor, Midge Raymond, on revisions. Crows is set in contemporary Ireland with an element of magical realism woven through. My agent is reading my third novel, tentatively titled Tui, set in contemporary New Zealand; it’s the first time I’ve featured a young child as a main character. So, I’ll soon have those revisions to sort through. And I’m researching a possible sequel to In Another Life.

10.          Is anything in your book based on real life experiences?

The historical basis of In Another Life is taken straight from French history: Pierre de Castelnau was murdered near St. Gilles in January of 1208 and his murder launched the Cathar Crusade. I wanted to weave in threads of history to make the tapestry of fantasy that much more vivid. Lia, the protagonist, and I share a terror of small, confined spaces and a passion for wine. The roads Lia travels throughout Languedoc, the streets she wanders in Paris, even her Paris hotel—the very room where she stays—are places I’ve haunted during my travels in France.

11.          Do you have a favorite chapter or scene?

Ooh, I have to be careful with spoilers! I love the midwinter meal at Rose and Domenec Hivert’s. Everything—the food, the wine, the love and fellowship present around the table—makes me feel warm and peaceful and captures the very essence of France’s joie de vivre. Then there is the frisson of heartstrings Lia is feeling for the man sitting beside her. . .

12.          Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Read. Read widely and deeply. Every day. Write every day. Get into the habit so that writing becomes as natural and necessary as breathing. Seek out mentors! Writers are incredibly generous with their time and we get so excited when we find writing we love. We shout it from the rooftops. I’m astonished at the love and support I’ve received from other writers, and this is from someone who has a hard time reaching out and asking for help. 

13.          What are the downfalls of your writing career? The best parts?

Many writers are introverted souls like me. To borrow Amy Nathan’s phrase, I’m a “friendly introvert”.  That works fine when you are huddled in your office or working in a café with earbuds shutting out the world. But to find readers, no matter how you publish, you must be prepared to open yourself to the world. It’s something that is both the best and the worst of being an author, because it can fill you with energy and it can zap you, in the same day, in the same moment.

The best parts of writing are the writing itself‑—falling in love with your characters, the a-ha moments of finding your way into the plot, the sheer joy of losing yourself on the page, day in, day out—and the community, virtual and real, of writers and readers who come together out of a shared passion for storytelling.

14.          Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?

Thank you. Thank you for reading, for supporting writers by buying our books or requesting them from the library, by sharing our work with your friends and family, for writing reviews. Storytelling, as a reader and as a writer, has saved my life and I know it’s brought so many out of their darkness into the light of hope and belief. Whether you read to escape or to learn, to explore or to find comfort, the simple act of reading means that the world goes on, one page at a time.

I’m very serious about this sequel to In Another Life; I’ve got my ideas, but I’d treasure knowing which characters you’d love to see again.

Thank you Jill, for sharing In Another Life with your readers! 

Website:         juliechristinejohnson.com

Facebook:     facebook.com/juliechristinejohnson

Twitter:           @JulieChristineJ

Goodreads:   goodreads.com/author/show/14132699.Julie_Christine_Johnson

  

Publicity Contact:    Suzy Missirlian  Suzy4PR@gmail.com

Thank you, Julie, for taking the time to share a bit about your book and writing life!

NO ORDINARY LIFE, by author, SUZANNE REDFEARN ~ debuts February 2nd!

Suzanne Redfearn delivers another gripping page-turner in her latest novel, a story about a young mother's fight to protect her children from the dangerous world of Hollywood.   

Faye Martin never expected her husband to abandon her and her three children . . . or that she'd have to struggle every day to make ends meet. So when her four-year-old daughter is discovered through a YouTube video and offered a starring role on a television series, it seems like her prayers have been answered. But when the reality of their new life settles in, Faye realizes that fame and fortune don't come without a price. And in a world where everyone is an actor and every move is scrutinized by millions, it's impossible to know whom to trust, and Faye finds herself utterly alone in her struggle to save her family. 

Emotionally riveting and insightful, No Ordinary Life is an unforgettable novel about the preciousness of childhood and the difficult choices a mother needs to make in order to protect this fragile time in her children's lives.

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing – February 2, 2016

What readers are saying . . .

“Suzanne Redfearn's NO ORDINARY LIFE is a gripping exploration of a mother's love and the lengths she'll go to protect her children. Redfearn honestly captures one family's meteoric rise and heartbreaking undoing. Compulsively readable, this poignant story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned.”  

—   Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Weight of Silence

“Once again, Suzanne Redfearn delivers a fast-paced, compelling story of family, frustration, and the unexpected consequences of a mother's choice. NO ORDINARY LIFE provides a dazzling look inside the entertainment industry, illustrating both the lure and lunacy of child stardom.”

—   Lori Nelson Spielman, #1 international bestselling author of The Life List

About the Author

Suzanne Redfearn is the author of Hush Little Baby, which was chosen as a Target Recommends selection and Target’s Emerging Authors program. She graduated summa cum laude from California Polytechnic University and, prior to becoming an author, was an architect. She is an avid surfer, golfer, skier, and Angels fan. She lives with her husband and children in Southern California. No Ordinary Life is her second novel.

Website:        suzanneredfearn.com

Facebook:      facebook.com/SuzanneRedFearnAuthor/

Twitter:          @SuzanneRedfearn

Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/6922565.Suzanne_Redfearn

  

Publicity Contact: 

Suzy Missirlian

Twitter: @Suzy4PR

Some Q & A with Suzanne:

Tell us a little bit about yourself, and how you started writing.

Before becoming an author, I was an architect. I designed small commercial projects, restaurants, and houses. When I started writing my first story, I had never written anything longer than an architectural thesis. My first novel started as a bucket list endeavor. I had an idea and I started to write. Seven months later I had a novel. It was really bad. I didn't know where to put commas. I didn't understand sentence structure. I used the same words again and again. But amazingly, the characters and story were there, somehow this other world had been created in which it felt like real things were happening to real people and evoking real emotions. I was hooked. That first novel got me my first agent and my third agent, but it was my fifth novel that finally made it into the world.

What are some things you enjoy when not writing?

I am a dabbler, which means I like to dabble in a lot of things. I ski, surf, SUP, golf, play tennis, do yoga, kick box, hike, paint, read, hang out with my dog, do Sudoku, and garden. Mostly I like being with my family. My favorite thing in the world is when we are together sitting on the couch watching really bad reality television while playing Scrabble.

Do you have a “day job” as well?

When I first started writing, I was still practicing architecture and was a full-time mom. Now my kids are off at college and I am no longer doing the architecture, so my focus is entirely on writing.

Where do you get your ideas?

I love and hate this question because it baffles me. I am always certain I’ve had the last good idea I’m ever going to have, when bam something happens and suddenly I’m racing away on a new concept. The idea for No Ordinary Life took less than an hour to come up with. I knew I needed to write a story about a mother protecting her children because that was the “brand” my publisher wanted me to pursue. I was at the grocery store and saw a tabloid with Zac Efron on the cover and the headline, “Zac Efron Enters Rehab Again!!!” and I knew I had the story I wanted to write, the story about a mom protecting her child from the dangerous world of Hollywood. It always feels a bit like inspiration is a gift, a zap from the universe that I don't control. Not every idea that strikes is golden, and I’ve had a few false starts, but so far, the writing gods have been kind, and somehow, whenever I need a jolt for what to write next, I get one, then I hang on tight and let it take me for a ride.

Is there a particular author or book that influenced or inspired your writing or decision to write?

As I mentioned, writing for me started out as a bucket list endeavor. I didn’t set out to be an author. Unlike most authors, I didn’t grow up dreaming of being the next Ernest Hemingway or Beatrix Potter. That being said, the first book I read that truly showed me the power of words was Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. I read it as a teenager and it altered my course in both life and reading. She wrote with such conviction and purpose, and the story left an indelible mark. My stories are not meant to be philosophical or political, but I do like the idea of writing with purpose and trying to weave deeper ideas into the subcontext. It’s why I include questions at the end, to encourage contemplation and discourse after the story is done.

Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

That would take way too many pages, so I will sum it up: dozens of rejection letters from agents; three agents along the way; dozens of rejection letters from publishers; five novels written; one contingency sale based on my ability to edit the story to the publisher’s liking; one very small advance; a dozen more compromises on the story; Hush Little Baby published!!!! It was a difficult journey that required perseverance above all else.

If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you’d change?

You need to be extraordinarily humble when you start out. There are a million talented authors out there. It is very competitive and a publisher is taking a risk on publishing a new author. I am grateful to have made it through the gauntlet and for Hush Little Baby making it into the world. It was my fifth novel, but in retrospect, it was the right one for my debut, so it turned out to be a good thing that I hit the obstacles I did. Over the years, I became a better writer. I learned my craft and got better. The only regret I have is quitting, which I did for about a year. It’s easy to give up when you face so much rejection. Even now, there are moments when I lose faith and when I need to remind myself to keep on keeping on. Nothing I write will ever be perfect and it will never reach the expectations I had for it when it was just a germ of an idea with infinite possibility. It’s easy to see the flaws, but that’s where forgiveness comes in, being proud of what it is, accepting good enough, and letting go.

How do you market your work?

Social media is huge. Facebook and Twitter and doing blog interviews like this one. Authors are reliant now more than ever on the network of readers who interact on the Internet to spread the word about new authors and books. My other trick is to try to say yes to every opportunity that comes my way, no matter how uncomfortable. Like Jim Carrey in that movie Yes Man, I pretend “no” is not an option. I find that inevitably something good comes out of showing up. When Hush Little Baby first came out I was terrified of talking in front of people, but I kept saying yes whenever I was asked, and now I actually look forward to it.

What are you working on now?

I love the new story I am writing. It is another mother protecting her children idea, but this one has a Thelma and Louise twist—two moms on the run from the law and their husbands with their kids. It’s a mess at the moment, the characters confused about who they are and the timeline completely muddled, but the plot is coming together and it’s turning into a wild ride.

Is anything in your book based on real life experiences?

No Ordinary Life is almost entirely based on real life events. I read every autobiography I could find by former child actors. I also did an enormous amount of research on celebrity and how it affects people. So while No Ordinary Life is fiction and is not any one person’s story, it is every bit based on reality.

Do you have a favorite chapter or scene?

I love the airport scene. As a mom, it was the scene that affected me the most. I was once in a Bed, Bath and Beyond when my daughter had a meltdown because I wouldn’t buy her a toy she desperately wanted. For twenty minutes I stood there while she screamed and had a tantrum with people walking by with either sympathetic expressions or judgmental frowns. It was the worst feeling, and to imagine something like that happening while dozens of photographers documented it, knowing it was going to be plastered in every tabloid and shown on every celebrity gossip show in the world made my heart split in two with sympathy for Faye. It was the pinnacle moment in the story that illustrated how out of control Faye’s life had become.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Write, write, write. Get the words on the page. I think so many writers stymie themselves by trying to make it perfect, when what they need to do is not worry about the perfection, but instead worry about what it is they want to say. They need to get the story out and then they can go back and clean it up. And if, when they finish, it turns out to be lousy, so what? Move on to the next story. I have half a dozen novels that are unpublished. Each one led me to the next. Each one made me a better writer. Hush Little Baby wasn’t necessarily my best story, but it was the one that got published. The more you write, the more chance you have for success. 

What are the downfalls of your writing career? The best parts?

In the beginning, it was all about downfalls. There was so much rejection that it was hard to believe there would be any career at all. And now that I'm published, I feel like the difficulty is getting a foothold. It’s tough to get noticed in the enormous sea of writers and books. I’ve also taken some missteps in terms of figuring out my brand. Aside from the first four novels that did not make it into the world, I have written three others that either did not fit my genre or my brand. I don’t regret writing these other stories. I believe that, when inspiration strikes, you need to hold on tight and see where it leads. That being said, it’s not the most efficient way to launch a career. The best part of this journey is the connection I feel when readers get what I wrote, when I read a review or talk to a reader and think, Yes, exactly. I’m so glad you felt that or understood what I was trying to say. It’s also the satisfaction of knowing I did it. Writing a novel is no easy task. It requires hard work and perseverance that hurts the brain and taxes the will, and finishing is immensely gratifying. I always hope that what I wrote will find its way into the world for others to enjoy, but even if it doesn’t, there’s incredible satisfaction in knowing I did it.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?

Thank you. Sink or swim, that’s the fate of a debut author, and if you flounder, you don’t usually get a second chance. An incredible group of passionate readers embraced, championed, and made Hush Little Baby a success. So thank you for taking a chance on an unknown author and for all your support. I love being on this journey and I am only here because of you. 

Thank you, Suzanne, for taking the time to share a bit about your book and writing life!

PLATINUM DOLL, by author ANNE GIRARD ~ debuts January 26th!

Set against the dazzling backdrop of Golden Age Hollywood, Platinum Doll tells the enchanting story of Jean Harlow, one of the most iconic stars in the history of film.

It's the Roaring Twenties and seventeen-year-old Harlean Carpenter McGrew has run off to Beverly Hills. She's chasing a dream—to escape her small, Midwestern life and see her name in lights. In California, Harlean has everything a girl could want—a rich husband, glamorous parties, socialite friends—except an outlet for her talent. But everything changes when a dare pushes her to embrace her true ambition—to be an actress on the silver screen.

With her timeless beauty and striking shade of platinum-blond hair, Harlean becomes Jean Harlow. And as she's thrust into the limelight, Jean learns that this new world of opportunity comes with its own set of burdens. Torn between her family and her passion to perform, Jean is forced to confront the difficult truth—that fame comes at a price, if only she's willing to pay it.

Featuring a glittering cast of ingénues and Hollywood titans—Clara Bow, Clark Gable, Laurel and Hardy, Howard Hughes—Platinum Doll introduces us to the star who would shine brighter than them all.

Publisher: MIRA Books – Debuts January 26, 2016

What readers are saying . . .

“A fascinating, page-turning, behind-the-scenes look at what it took to be a celebrity in early Hollywood.”

—   Lynn Cullen, bestselling author of Mrs. Poe and Twain’s End

“An engrossing look at a Hollywood icon. I couldn’t put it down.”

—   Karleen Koen, New York Times bestselling author of Through A Glass Darkly

"Platinum Doll will entrance readers as Harlow entranced the world."

— Heather Webb, author of Rodin's Lover

About the Author

Diane Haeger, who currently writes under the pen name Anne Girard (Madame Picasso), holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from UCLA. A chance meeting with the famed author Irving Stone 25 years ago sharply focused her ambition to tell great stories from history, and write them only after detailed research and extensive travel to the place her character lived. That determination has provided a fascinating journey that has taken her from the halls of Chenonceaux, to a private interview with one of Pablo Picasso's last surviving friends, and most recently an invitation inside Jean Harlow's home.

Since the publication of her acclaimed first novel, Courtesan, in 1993, a novel that remains in print today, her work has been translated into 18 different languages, bringing her international success and award-winning status.

Platinum Doll, a novel about Jean Harlow, is her 15^th book. She lives in Southern California with her husband and family.

Some Q & A with Anne:

Tell us a little bit about yourself, and how you started writing.

I’ve been writing for 25 years. I sold my first novel, Courtesan, in 1993 and have been telling true love stories from history ever since. I always wrote growing up, and my bachelor’s degree is in English literature, but I never thought I could actually make a career of it early on. What started me writing professionally was finding the amazing true story of Diane de Poitiers and the young prince she captivated for more than a quarter century during the French Renaissance. When I realized, at the time, that the story was not well known in America, I became driven to be the one to tell it. After four years, here and in France, researching and writing, I’m proud to say I sold it to Simon & Schuster. That book really was a great labor of love.

What are some things you enjoy when not writing?

My family and I travel quite a lot, which we really embrace, so it really has become a hobby. Both of my children grew up going everywhere with us to research my books; France, Spain, Italy, England and Scotland. It’s only now that they are grown they are looking back at all the places they have been and wishing they had complained less, and that they could remember more! I also enjoy cooking—usually French recipes, and of course number one is, I love to read!

Where do you get your ideas?

I do a lot of reading and searching for historical characters in my leisure time. I am most attracted to misunderstood characters in history, or their misunderstood relationships. I guess I think of myself as a bit of a champion for them, and it’s not only a challenge—but a privilege—to me not only to bring their stories hopefully to a new audience, but in some cases to make people think about the way they have previously perceived them.

Is there a particular author or book that influenced or inspired your writing or decision to write?

I love this question! Yes, there are two. First, many years ago, when I had just begun writing Courtesan, and I really had no idea at all about how to do that, or sell it, assuming I even finished, I was privileged to meet the iconic author Irving Stone, who wrote the classic The Agony and the Ecstasy, about the artist Michelangelo. The advice he gave me about how to bring characters from history to life, and how to go about researching them to make them authentic, has stayed with me. The second is the author Karleen Koen. Her historical novel Through A Glass Darkly, while not based on real characters, was so realistic and compelling that when I was beginning, I really idolized her and was even more driven to try my best to tell a story that was as sweeping and memorable.

Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

The biggest challenge for me, I think, was being an unknown, and writing the story of my heart, which was a novel that did not have an obvious path toward publication. My editor at the time told me after she bought it that she had not wanted to buy it, since it was set in the French Renaissance, and she didn’t think that was a sellable setting for a novel, but after she’d read it she ‘had to buy it’. Not a ringing endorsement to a new author’s ears, believe me! I’m happy to say, however, that after 22 years, Courtesan is still in print, has been translated into several languages and, of my 14, it is the one readers most often say they remember.

Is anything in your new book, Platinum Doll, based on real life experiences?

Not my life, but yes, the book is based on the life of Hollywood icon Jean Harlow. It’s about her as a young girl first arriving in Hollywood full of idealistic hope, her fragile teenage marriage at the time, the choices she makes regarding that, and what happens as she first finds fame as the original blonde bombshell. Hers is a story that I don’t think a lot of readers know, or would even guess at. I also loved discovering that Jean Harlow was an idol for a future famous blonde… Marilyn Monroe who, when she was starting out in Hollywood, wanted to be just like her.

Do you have a favorite chapter or scene?

I do love the scene where Harlow is first discovered at a Hollywood studio. It is a true story and, unbelievably, she really was sitting waiting for a friend to finish an audition when several casting agents approached her, not the other way around. She was actually wary of the movie industry after her mother—the first Jean Harlow—had tried and failed to become a star herself. But Harlow was just naïve and fresh-faced enough to make her natural sex appeal less threatening to female moviegoers and a draw for men. She was also funny, smart and very charismatic on film. But she paid a high price for her swift rise to fame.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

My favorite piece of advice, the one I got from an author when I was starting out, was in regard to the first draft. Many new writers get stuck on trying so hard to make it perfect that they give up and never even finish, or even see a second draft. I never forgot what I was told: The purpose of the first draft is not to get it right—it’s to get it written. You can’t edit or improve something that isn’t there on the page. I still love that and think of it often!

What are the downfalls of your writing career? The best parts?

I would have to say that one downfall (or perhaps a more accurate word for it in my case is “challenge”) is that, for a historical novelist, it is not a 9 to 5 job. There is the endless research, writing, editing, more editing and then the marketing. If I could just learn how to do without sleep, I think I’d be pretty good at juggling it all! As to the best parts, there is the idea of doing something that I love, and which I am passionate about. Trying to bring those historical characters to life for a new audience, and hopefully to bring some empathy for parts of their lives that might have been misunderstood, is infinitely rewarding.

Is there anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?  

I am so privileged, and humbled, to have so many of you who kindly followed my earlier Diane Haeger novels, give the books under my Anne Girard pen name a read, and tell me about it. I love hearing from everyone, and it’s always a thrill to know that a reader took the time to reach out, either via email or social media. I hope you will all have a look at Platinum Doll and let me know what you think!

Website:            dianehaeger.com

Facebook:        facebook.com/annegirardauthor

Twitter:              @annegirard1

Goodreads:      goodreads.com/author/Anne_Girard

Publicity:
Suzy Missirlian ~ @Suzy4PR

Thank you, Anne, for taking the time to share a bit about your book and writing life!