The Divining Wand

While many of our authors are preparing for their latest releases — followed by book tours of signings/speakings –, others are hard at work — writing. Ad Hudler (Man of the House, All This Belongs to Me, Househusband) is happily busy with the latter as he reports: “I’m hot on the tails of a humorous memoir right now….words are just SPILLING out of me!!”

When naming her 5 favorite books of all time Jenny Gardiner revealed: “Lately I’ve really enjoyed reading Ad Hudler– his novel Househusband is so very well-written and so very insightful, I just enjoyed that read.”

The New York Post claims: “Hudler’s newest novel is ‘”Required Reading.” And the Omaha World-Herald: “Hudler is a master storyteller.”

Who is Ad Hudler? Well, according to his “official” bio:

Ad Hudler is a novelist, essayist, stay-at-home dad and small-space landscaper who frequently gets into trouble for the things he writes and says.

Aha, it’s time now to reveal the the real Ad:

Q: How would you describe your life in 8 words?
A: Angst-ridden stay-at-home dad writing books

Q: What is your motto or maxim?
A: If you want excellence (over mediocrity) you must actively pursue it. Excellence doesn’t find you – you find it. … (Sounds like one of those horrible inspiration posters, doesn’t it?)

Q: How would you describe perfect happiness?
A: An inner peace that comes from two things: Knowing that you have nothing to fear and knowing that you no longer have to pretend anything. You can truly be who you are and know that everyone around you won’t care.

Q: What’s your greatest fear?
A: That something horrible will happen to my daughter or wife.

Q: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be
A: Honestly, right where I am: In my house, overlooking the bay, surrounded by big leafy oaks and tropical foliage.

Q: With whom in history do you most identify?
A: Theodore Roosevelt. He didn’t like who he was as a young man, so he went on a tear to reinvent himself. NOTE TO READER: Watch for my coming memoir! It’s all about this.

Q: Which living person do you most admire?
A: My wife. Seriously. She is one of the finest people I’ve ever met: diplomatic, kind, loving, and driven.

Q: What are your most overused words or phrases?
A: “Bite me!” “Mitchell! I am NOT a piece of furniture.” (to the cat)

Q: If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?
A: I’d like to know how to play the guitar and harmonica. I’d also like to be fluent in Spanish. Oh … and I’d like to learn silent-suffering. Not very good at that.

Q: What is your greatest achievement?
A: My tiramisu! … Seriously, I know it sounds cliché, but … my daughter. She’s just a swell human being.

Q: What’s your greatest flaw
A: Holy crap, where do I start? I’m impatient, I’m judgmental, I blow my nose into dirty socks.

Q: What’s your best quality?
A: I’m a helluva good cook. And I can fill a room with energy like you’ve never seen. I also am very good at picking excellent produce, especially perfectly ripe mangoes.

Q: What do you regret most
A: Nope. Not going there. Way too many things to mention, and they’re big ones.
But I do regret breaking into my piggy bank as a child and using the money to go buy a blow-up swimming pool. I then buried the piggy bank in the back yard. (It’s under the mulberry tree, Mom.)

Q: If you could be any person or thing, who or what would it be?
A: My cat. Oh, he has such a marvelous life. Eat, sleep, lay in the sun. But, hmmm, cats can’t read, so maybe it wouldn’t be so nice after all!

Q: What trait is most noticeable about you?
A: My baldness and my size: I’m 6.3, 230 pounds.

Q: Who is your favorite fictional hero?
A: Holden Caulfield

Q: Who is your favorite fictional villain?
A: Holden Caulfield

Q: If you could meet any athlete, who would it be and what would you say to him or her?
A: Ummmm, I’m not sure I know of any athletes. Hmmmm. Joe Namath? Is he still alive? Dorothy Hamel?

Q: What is your biggest pet peeve?
A: They’re all related to driving: Driving slow in the left-hand lane. And driving while talking on the cell phone. I will honk at you and wave my finger if I see you doing the latter.

Q: What is your favorite occupation, when you’re not writing?
A: Reading, of course. And cooking. Museums of any kind. And laughing and drinking gin-and-tonics with good friends AFTER 5 o’clock.

Q: What’s your fantasy profession?
A: Well, I like being a writer, but I’d also like to do what my character, Linc Menner, did in “Househusband”: I’d like to be the go-to landscaper for the rich and famous of Hollywood. Seriously. I think it would be a hoot.

Q: What 3 personal qualities are most important to you?
A: My refusal to lower my standards. My fierceness. My work ethic.

Q: If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be?
A: Tiramisu. Just kidding….uhhh….I think a Vietnamese dish called bun, which is rice noodles and grilled meats and bean sprouts and fresh cilantro and some hot chilis with lime and fish sauce. Very hearty but also refreshing, and lots of tastes and textures.

Q: What are your 5 favorite songs?
A: Oh, Lord, I have terrible taste in music. I’m a child of the late seventies and eighties – need I say more? Let me just admit right here and now that any time I hear Debbie Boone sing “You Light up My Life,” I turn up the radio. And I’ll kick your ass if you make fun of me for it!

Q: What are your 5 favorite books of all time?
A: You can see my complete list on the author page of my website: AdHudler.com… but here are five: Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul, Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner, How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellen. And, honestly, the Bible. I may not agree with everything in it, but it’s filled with great stories and awesome characters.

What delightful, charming and laugh-out-loud fun. For much more of Ad, follow him on Twitter, become a friend on Facebook, and read his blog, Ad Libbing!

Book Giveaway: The Divining Wand will be giving away two copies of The Opposite of Me in a random drawing. Simply leave a comment on this post — by the deadline of tonight, March 10, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. EST — and you’ll be entered in the contest. The winners will be announced in tomorrow’s post.

Two years ago Jenny Gardiner debuted with the wickedly funny Sleeping with Ward Cleaver a “romantic” novel for those married awhile and, on Tuesday, March 16, 2010, she returns with her second book, Winging It: Twenty Years of Caring for a Vengeful Parrot Determined to Kill Me. Described as, “A hilarious and poignant cautionary tale about two very different types of creatures, thrown together by fate, who learn to make the best of a challenging situation — feather by feather,” Winging It will be presented/reviewed by The Divining Wand on Monday, March 15, 2010. However, as is tradition, let’s get to know this author from her official bio:

“Jenny Gardiner is the author of the novel Sleeping with Ward Cleaver. Her writing has appeared in Ladies Home Journal, the Washington Post, and NPR’s Day to Day, and she has a column of humorous slice-of-life essays that runs in the Charlottesville, VA Daily Progress. Jenny lives in central Virginia with her husband, three kids, two dogs, one cat, and, of course, a gregarious parrot.”

And now here is Jenny revealed:

Q: How would you describe your life in 8 words?
A: How’s this: Three kids, two dogs, cat, parrot and husband

Q: What is your motto or maxim?
A: I actually do have a motto. I make my kids crazy with it. I am always telling them “It’ll all come out in the wash.” Not to be confused with my maxim, which is “Peace, love, togetherness. Yadda yadda yadda.”

Q: How would you describe perfect happiness?
A: Everyone’s getting along, no bills to be paid.

Q: What’s your greatest fear?
A: Believe it or not, my greatest fear growing up was tsunamis. Yes, a child of middle American, not a shoreline within a ten-hour drive. Now, I don’t know. That’s hard to pinpoint. But probably external forces so out of my control so
something I try to not think about. If I watched the news, I’d be scared of my own shadow, so I do avoid the news.

Q: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be?
A: Without doubt, I would be stretched out on catamaran soaking in the sun with family and friends in the British Virgin Islands. Close second would be anywhere in Italy. Close third would be on safari in Africa.

Q: With whom in history do you most identify?
A: Sheesh. In all of history. That’s tough question. I’ll have to get back to you on that because I’m
drawing a blank!

Q: Which living person do you most admire?
A: Hmm…off the top of my head, I really admire Michelle Obama. I think she is a role model that young girls should aspire to–intelligence, elegance, dignity, and great grace.

Q: What are your most overused words or phrases?
A: “Like,” “Uh,” “Um,” “It’ funny, but.” All of which I am guilty of overusing to death!

Q: If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?
A: I would love to be artist. To be able to see something and render it on paper would be so very cool. I would also love to be fluent in several languages.

Q: What is your greatest achievement?
A: My children.

Q:What’s your greatest flaw?
A: I seem to be incapable of sticking to a diet for more than twelve minutes. I’m also guilty of impatience, and disorganization.

Q: What’s your best quality?
A: I think I’m very friendly.

Q: What do you regret most?
A: Oh, I don’t know. I don’t like to dwell on what-if’s. I can’t really think of anything I regret.

Q: If you could be any person or thing, who or what would it be?
A: It might be interesting to be an elephant for a day. Oh, wait, maybe a panda bear! Or a polar bear. As long as I went into it with a full belly and didn’t have to eat baby seals or mass volumes of bamboo leaves or baobob leaves LOL

Q: What trait is most noticeable about you?
A: I often crack jokes about anything and everything. Sometimes to a fault.

Q: Who is your favorite fictional hero?
A: Holden Caulfield

Q: Who is your favorite fictional villain?
A: I never like the villains. I have a strong sense of right and wrong so I don’t care for the bad guys.

Q: If you could meet any athlete, who would it be and what would you say to him or her?
A: Sheesh. Maybe Tiger Woods and just smack him upside the head and ask him “What the hell were you thinking, you idiot???”

Q: What is your biggest pet peeve?
A: Seriously? I hate pee on toilet seats. Is that crass? (yes, another of my flaws, I tend to be honest even if it involves being crass!).

Q: What is your favorite occupation, when you’re not writing?
A:I love spending time with my family. Or if you really forced me, I’d suck it up and enjoy a massage, daily…

Q: What’s your fantasy profession?
A: I’m doing it. Now if only it was financially rewarding enough to allow me to continue doing it without having to seek another job, which is on the horizon with our second child going into college…

Q: What 3 personal qualities are most important to you?
A: Honesty, kindness, consideration.

Q: If you could eat only
one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be?
A: OMG, hands down it would be my mom’s banana cream pie. And maybe then I would finally, finally, finally be sick of it.

Q: What are your 5 favorite songs?
A: Ack, such pressure! I have so many thousands of songs on my iPod…Let me think what I always love to hear…

Everything by Michael Buble; Extraordinary by Mandy Moore; Daughters by John Mayer; Don’t Let Him Steal Your Heart Away by Phil Collins; Meeting Across the River by Bruce Springsteen

Q: What are your 5 favorite books of all time?
A: In God We Trust All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd; Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. Those two always stay in the top two. The other three are always in flux, depending on what I’m reading and what’s stuck with me. Lately I’ve really enjoyed reading Ad Hudler– his novel House Husband is so very well-written and so very insightful, I just enjoyed that read. Books that make me laugh: Jonathan Tropper’s Everything Changes and Bob Flaherty’s Puff.

There are far, far too many books to list them all and I feel terrible I’m not putting all of my friend’s books on the list!

Yes, Jenny is funny, sassy, and very friendly. Enjoy more of her company by becoming a follower on Twitter and/or a friend on Facebook.

In less than two weeks Sarah Pekkanen will become a true Deb at The Debutante Ball when her first novel, The Opposite of Me, is released on Tuesday, March 9, 2010. There’s already great buzz about this thought-provoking story of twins and REDBOOK Magazine, which has picked it as a “Bookmark” selection for its March issue, writes: “With her smart, soulful novel, author Pekkanen explores the place where self and sisterhood intersect.”

The Divining Wand’s full presentation/review of The Opposite of Me is scheduled for Monday, March, 8, 2010, but until then, let’s learn about Sarah from her professional bio:

Sarah Pekkanen’s work has been published in People, The Washington Post, USA Today, The New Republic, The Baltimore Sun, Reader’s Digest, and Washingtonian, among others. She writes a monthly Erma Bombeck type column for Bethesda Magazine, and has been an on-air contributor to NPR and E! Entertainment’s “Gossip Show.” She is the winner of a Dateline award and the Paul Miller Reporting Fellowship. Sarah lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her husband and three young sons.

Impressive writing credentials to be sure, yet what could be better than Sarah revealed?

Q: How would you describe your life in 8 words?
A: Chaotic, chocoholic, comedic… messy, madcap… Martha Stewart’s nightmare!

Q: What is your motto or maxim?
A: A group of girlfriends, a bottle or three of wine, and chocolate can make just about anything easier to bear.

Q: How would you describe perfect happiness?
A: Happiness can’t be perfect – you need lows to appreciate the highs. I just hope I have many more good moments than bad in life, and so far, I’ve been lucky.

Q: What’s your greatest fear?
A: Being in a plane crash; I pity the person sitting next to me, because at the first bump, I’m digging my nails into their arm.

Q: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be?
A: Under an umbrella on a sunny beach with a tropical drink in hand and my family by my side. My husband must be made to understand that the cabana boy comes with the private island. We can’t return him!

Q: What are your most overused words or phrases
A: “That’s what she said!”

Q: If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?
A: Singing so well on “American Idol” that Simon is reduced to a stuttering, quivering mess.

Q: What is your greatest achievement?
A: Helping my three young kids turn into the funny, loving, quirky people they were meant to be.

Q: What’s your greatest flaw?
A: I just love the wording of this question. It’s like, “We know there are MANY flaws — probably too many to count — but if you could only choose one (and it must be so hard to narrow it down), think of your greatest flaw, the one that makes people run away from you screaming.”
Um, I get distracted easily? Think impure thoughts about certain movie stars? Scarf down chocolate in front of my children and lie to them, telling them I’m eating fruit?

Wait, there ARE too many to chose from!

Q: What’s your best quality?
A: I like most people, and I don’t take offense easily. Unless you mess with my kids. Then I’m like the Mob.

Q: What do you regret most?
A: Not appreciating my education more when I was in college. Plus certain fashion and grooming choices (that spiral perm was not my friend, and when it grew out, the top half of my hair was stick-straight, and the bottom half was pure frizz).

Q: If you could be any person or thing, who or what would it be?
A: I’d love to dip into the lives of people who are completely different from me -but only for a day.

Q: What trait is most noticeable about you?
A: I usually have chocolate in hand and a book in front of my nose.

Q: Who is your favorite fictional villain?
A: Hannibal Lecter. He’s chilling.

Q: What is your biggest pet peeve?
A: People who eat a meal without drinking a beverage. I know, I know; it’s bizarre.

Q: What’s your fantasy profession?
A: By “fantasy” do you mean… oh, wait, is this a G-rated question? It is? Then I’ve got my fantasy profession. Writing never gets boring, I can do it in my pajamas, and the thought that I’m going to see my book in a store takes my breath away.

Q: What 3 personal qualities are most important to you?
A: Humor, compassion, integrity.

Q: If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be?
A: Baked sweet potatoes dipped in chocolate. I’d eat the insides on days when I was feeling virtuous, and lick off the chocolate on my decadent days.

Q: What are your 5 favorite songs?
Q: Nooo! Only five? They change all the time, but I love “Superman” by Five for Fighting, “No One” by Alicia Keys, “Romanza” by Andrea Bocelli,”Thunder Road” by Bruce Springsteen, and “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera.

Q: What are your 5 favorite books of all time?
A:In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner; Little Women by Louisa May Alcott; Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand; Whatever I’m currently reading and loving!

For much more of charming, clever, and always friendly Sarah Pekkanen, become a fan on Facebook…she’ll make you smile!

As promised here is a continuation of authors’ responses to the question of: What do you love most about the writing process?

Alicia Bessette (Simply from Scratch coming August 5, 2010):

“For the most part, my writing process is arduous. Often when I’m struggling to find the right words or simply the courage to keep on typing, I hear Matt typing away in the next room, or hear him lean back in his chair and sigh. I’m married to a writer, and no one understands my struggles better. It’s an inspiring reminder of the miracle of our own love story, and it’s what I cherish the most about my writing process.”

Carleen Brice (Orange Mint and Honey, Children of the Waters)

“What I love most about writing is when I get it right. It’s very satisfying to use just the right word or image to describe something or write a beautiful sentence. Which is why I usually enjoy rewriting more than writing.”

Eileen Cook (Unpredictable, What Would Emma Do? YA and Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood YA):

“I love the new idea stage. I haven’t had a chance to ruin anything or realized why certain things won’t work. I’m convinced the idea is brilliant and I can’t wait to get started.”

Tish Cohen (Town House, Inside Out Girl, Little Black Lies YA, The Truth About Delilah Blue coming June 8, 2010):

“What I love most about the writing process is that rare moment when your isolated ideas start to mesh into something more whole. It happens when you least expect it and it is always astonishing as the first time.”

Therese Fowler (Souvenir, Reunion):

“The magical feeling of seeing a scene in my mind and transmitting it into words as if I’m taking dictation from the gods–with the result being characters and events that become absolutely real to me. That’s certainly not an every-day event, but knowing that it can happen and does happen thrills me.”

Kristy Kiernan (Catching Genius, Matters of Faith and Between Friends coming April 6, 2010):

“I’m having my favorite writing moment today actually. There’s a point in the manuscript when my fingers are flying, when I don’t even look at the screen, when there is hard rock on in the background and I hear nothing else. I don’t even realize that I’m breathing, I don’t feel hunger, I’m not cold, I’m not hot, I don’t feel my body at all. The Apocalypse could be raging outside, but all I am is flying fingers and story and music. THAT is a happy Kristy Kiernan.”

Holly LeCraw (The Swimming Pool coming April 6, 2010):

“Those moments when you go in a completely unexpected, intuitive direction.”

Maud Carol Markson (When We Get Home, Looking After Pigeon):

“I love it when I am at just the editing state– just working on a sentence or a paragraph here and there– finding the beauty in the words and the language, and the truth in my characters.”

Randy Susan Meyers (The Murderer’s Daughters:

“What don’t I love about my writing process? I feel like the luckiest person in the world to be writing full time. Now, what do I love most? Bringing a story to life—reaching into the ‘what if’ of life and breathing energy into the first imagined bones—is the most exciting (and yet most difficult) part of writing. My second love is revision. It feels great having a finished draft—to have jumped the first hurdle—and be able to dig it and made it as good as I can.”

Sarah Pekkanen (The Opposite of Me, coming March 9, 2010):

“I love hunkering down on the couch, with my laptop and mug of tea nearby, and re-reading what I’ve written the day before, tweaking and polishing, before I move on to a fresh page. For me, re-writing is the best part of writing!”

Trish Ryan (He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not: A Memoir of Finding Faith, Love, and Happily Ever After, A Maze of Grace: A Memoir of Second Chances coming June 22, 2010):

“What I love most about the writing process is the way it helps me figure out how the different ideas in my head connect in the larger scheme of life. Writing about the things I care about is surprisingly revealing for me. Sometimes I’ll find myself someplace entirely different than where I thought a chapter was going…and it’s almost always better than what I’d planned. I love that there’s an element to writing that we don’t control…that as authors, we get to be surprised, too.”

Barrie Summy (I So Don’t Do Mysteries, I So Don’t Do Spooky Ages 9 – 12):

“What I love most about my writing process:
I was going to answer “typing The End” when I’ve finished the first draft. But I don’t really type The End. Although it is true that I’m very very happy to be done with the first draft, which is the most difficult part of writing for me.”

Reminder: This Sunday, February 21st at 8:00 p.m. EST LIFETIME MOVIE NETWORK presents “Sins of the Mother,” based on Carleen Brice’s debut novel, Orange Mint and Honey. The movie has already received glowing reviews which can can be found in the post, Sins of the Mother Party Watch Checklist!

Announcement: The two winners, receiving a signed copy of Judy Merrill Larsen’s debut novel, All the Numbers, are Ellie Ann and Sue. Congratulations! Please email: diviningwand (at) gmail (dot) com with your mailing address and the book will be sent out promptly. And thank you to all who entered.

If, as often described, the road to publication is a journey, then the writing process must be a well-known path for every author. Yes, it’s a creative path but one that’s also paved with guidelines, outlines, eventual deadlines and everything in between. Sound arduous? Some parts of this path just are, however what about those places where a writer can literally coast? Since these are different for everyone — and in keeping with this site’s theme for the week — our authors were asked: What do you love most about the writing process?

Katie Alender (Bad Girls Don’t Die YA):

“Like most writers, I have a totally bizarre relationship with the actual writing process–I love it enough to want to do it for a living, but I fear it and occasionally do everything in my power to avoid it! But I’ve recently discovered that what I really love is revising. I like taking something that almost works and making it clean and powerful.”

Joëlle Anthony (Restoring Harmony YA coming May 13, 2010):

“Revising – makes me an odd duck in the writing world, but I love editing and revision.”

Melanie Benjamin (Alice I Have Been):

“Losing myself in a different world, becoming different people. It’s really a very dreamy, sensual feeling.”

Meredith Cole (Posed for Murder, Dead in the Water coming May 11, 2010):

“I know people rave all the time about those moments when the story flows and you’re in some magical groove. The story seems almost to write itself. I love those moments, too, but I have to admit I have an overwhelming fondness for editing. I resist as long as I can, making myself get through the first draft before I get to revise. And then, when it’s time, I whip out a red pen and prepare to slash and burn, straighten and expand. It’s so wonderful to see something that’s a bit of a mess and know instantly how to fix it. Or even if it’s a challenge, getting it all polished is all the more satisfying.”

Jessica Barksdale Inclan (Being With Him, Intimate Beings, The Beautiful Being):

“My favorite part is the messy, early part where I am just writing and imagining and creating. It’s like mixing batter with too much flour, ideas and words everywhere. Later, of course, things have to calm down and recipe instructions must be followed. But before that! So much fun.”

Maria Garcia Kalb (101 Ways to Torture Your Husband):

“I am quite enamored with the “self-discovery” part of the writing process. You truly get to know yourself and there are many surprising things you learn along the way. I can say I never knew myself until I started writing. Its like meeting a stranger for the first time..but you’re not afraid to tell that stranger that they’ve got something in their teeth!”

Lauren Baratz-Logsted (most recent Crazy Beautiful YA, Sisters 8 series with Book 5: Marcia’s Madness coming May 3, 2010):

“The moment I’ve completed a first draft and I get that feeling of relief, knowing I’ve gone the distance and that the chance to improve it still lies ahead.”

Shana Mahaffey (Sounds Like Crazy):

“As a sufferer of a writer’s block more impenetrable than that Berlin Wall, when I become like Crush the Turtle surfing the tide of the Eastern Australian Current (Finding Nemo), I do want to stand up and yell, “Righteous! Righteous!” I feel possessed. I can’t type fast enough and propelled by my fear that I will lose the thread of whatever happens to be pouring out of me, I write as fast as I can, without judgment, not caring if the words are spelled right or if the sentences make sense; this is all stuff I can fix later. Experiencing this state is what I love most about the writing process. It doesn’t happen often, but I don’t mind because I know the frenzy that contains the best of me is like a cat—it comes and goes as it pleases. But like anyone who lives in thrall to a cat, I still show up and scale writer’s block wall, propelled by the hope that today will be the day.”

Ivy Pochoda (The Art of Disappearing):

“I love when I can hear a rhythm to my writing in my head as I type.”

Kristina Riggle (Real Life & Liars):

“It’s like playing Let’s Pretend! All my favorite games as a girl revolved around playacting and making up stories. I still get to do that, all the time.”

Therese Walsh (The Last Will of Moira Leahy):

“I love it best when my muse surprises me. I’m typing along, minding my own business, and then—wham. Who’s that character? Where did that line come from? The characters did what? These are the moments that make writing the most rewarding occupation in the world.”

Emily Winslow (The Whole World coming May 25, 2010):

“I love being ahead of deadline.”

To be continued…

Book Giveaway: The Divining Wand is giving away two signed copies of Judy Merrill Larsen’s debut novel, All the Numbers. Please leave a comment on this post by tonight at 7:00 p.m. EST to be entered into the random drawing. The winners will be announced in tomorrow’s post.

Although wisdom warns not to judge a book by its cover, both authors and readers would likely agree that a cover can make a favorable first impression. How much more of an impression, though?

To discover the truth our authors were asked, what book have you bought based on the lure of its cover? And then, many readers assume the author chooses a book’s cover and — while not exactly true — how much input have you had over your cover(s)?

The following novelists replied:

Katie Alender (Bad Girls Don’t Die YA):

“Interesting question. It’s so easy to find out more about books now that I think it’s very rare to purchase a book just based on the cover. I was drawn to a book called “Turtle Feet” (by Nikolai Grozni) by its cover, but I bought it because of the jacketflap copy. Books whose covers I love actually include a lot of my fellow Debutantes’ books–Mia King’s “Good Things” is one of my favorites, as is Eve Brown-Waite’s “First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria” and Tiffany Baker’s “Little Giant of Aberdeen County.”

”I didn’t have any input into my cover, except to see it and fall in love immediately.”

Eileen Cook (Unpredictable, What Would Emma Do? YA and Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood YA ):

“I know I’ve bought quite a few books based on the cover. Two that stick out, in part because they’re so different was Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.

“With my YA publisher, Simon Pulse, I’ve been fortunate to be included in the cover art planning and designs. It is a huge stress reliever to know what to expect. When I saw the cover of Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood I wanted to kiss the designer Cara.”

Holly LeCraw (The Swimming Pool coming April 6, 2010):

“I can’t remember the last time I bought a book based on its cover. Usually I pick up books based on the authors. But I’m sure covers have more influence on me than I know–maybe bad covers (leading me to NOT pick up a book) more than good.

“I did not have a lot of input on my cover design, although my editor kept me in the loop along the way. She did ask me at the very beginning of the design process if there was anything in particular I really hated, which I thought was nice. (I said covers that were busy and flowery.) We had one cover that was lovely but was eventually killed because it was too “quiet”…then went to this image, but with entirely different type treatment. I really didn’t like it, but then they changed the type placement and design,which made a world of difference–and now I think it is fabulous.”

Kristina Riggle (Real Life & Liars):

“I don’t buy books based on their covers, but a cover can make me grab a book off the pile, or draw my eye when posted on a blog, for example. One of my favorite covers was for Joshua Ferris’s THEN WE CAME TO THE END which showed the title rendered in red Sharpie marker on yellow sticky notes. For an office novel, this was perfect. I also adored the cover for Tiffany Baker’s LITTLE GIANT OF ABERDEEN COUNTY.

“I loved my cover for Real Life & Liars unreservedly, the first time I saw it. And though I’m not totally in charge of my cover for The Life You’ve Imagined, I am, right now, in discussions with my publisher about various designs. They are taking my input very seriously, and for that I’m so grateful (and all the choices are gorgeous. I can’t wait to share it when I can!)”

Therese Walsh (The Last Will of Moira Leahy):

“Two books come to mind: Mr. Thundermug by Cornelius Medvei and Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier.

“I was asked for input on my cover—to provide ideas relating to themes, provide jpgs, anything I thought might help the cover artist. Looking back, about 95% of the pictures I provided related in some way to a woman in water. So when I saw the final cover, I was thrilled with it.”

Announcement: The winner of Kristy Kiernan’s two novels — Catching Genius and Matters of Faith — is Keetha. Congratulations! Please email: diviningwand (at) gmail (dot) com with your mailing address and your books will be sent as quickly as possible. And, as always, thank you to all who commented.

Next week all the posts’ topics will be about love…of some type. Be sure to visit.