What’s on your summer “must/want to read” list?

And, in this final wrap-up post, the following writers replied:

~Elise Allen (Populazzi YA coming August 1, 2011):

“The next book I can’t wait to get my hands on is Allen Zadoff’s My Life, The Theater, and Other Tragedies. I recently finished his Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can’t Have, and I adored it. He also has a memoir coming out called “Hungry” that I’m… well… hungry to read.

“Big picture though, I have to admit that the book looming over my future doesn’t come out until October: Rick Riordan’s Son of Neptune. My daughter and I devoured every book in the Percy Jackson series so far (and let’s be honest, the “new” series is not a new series — it’s a wonderful continuation of the same series), and we’ve been counting down the months until the next installment. Four more months to go!!!!”

~Robin Antalek (The Summer We Fell Apart):

“Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake and Year of the Flood, some books by Sue Miller, whom I’ve never read, The Local News by Miriam Gershow, Pictures of You by Caroline Leavitt, The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer.”

~Tawna Fenske (Making Waves coming August 2, 2011):

“My reading tastes vary widely, but there’s something about summertime that makes me want to read something fun, frothy, and sexy. The book club I’ve belonged to for 10+ years even makes a special effort to read at least one “summer smut” offering during the warm months. I adore author Victoria Dahl’s sexy, funny contemporary romances and look forward to her string of new releases starting in September. I’m also looking forward to attending Romance Writers of America (RWA) Nationals in June/July so I can scope out all the upcoming releases!”

~Randy Susan Meyers (The Murderer’s Daughters):

“The moment I can I plan to read Meg Wolitzer’s new book: THE UNCOUPLING. Also, on my catch-up list is CLEOPATRA by Stacy Schiff, MALCOLM X: A LIFE OF REINVENTION by Manning Marable, FAITH: A NOVEL, by Jennifer Haighand SO MUCH FOR THAT by Lionel Shriver. Hmm…I better get some beach books in here.”

~Ivy Pochoda (The Art of Disappearing):

“Hmmm….so very much.

Barry Hannah’s “Long, Last, Happy”
TC Boyle’s “When the Killing’s Done”
I also want to read “The Pale King” this summer by David Foster Wallace

And I’m also planning to reread the four Sherlock Holmes novellas.”

~Allison Winn Scotch (The One That I Want, Time of My Life, and The Department of Lost and Found):

“I have so many books that I’m looking forward to – Elin Hilderbrand’s Silver Girl, Laura Dave’s The First Husband, Courtney Sullivan’s Maine, Gwendolen Gross’s The Orphan Sister, Meg Mitchell Moore’s The Arrivals…it feels like there’s an amazing wealth of smart writing for women these days, and it’s all culminating this summer. There’s also Diana Spechler’s Skinny, which I read an advance copy of, and truly adored.”

~Melissa Senate (The Love Goddess’ Cooking School, The Mosts YA, The Secret of Joy, the rest in Bibliography):

“SO many. My little “‘check out this book’” notebook is full of great sounding books that I can’t wait to laze around with this summer. One in particular: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.”

~Leah Stewart (Husband and Wife, The Myth of You and Me, Body of a Girl):

“Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake and Year of the Flood, some books by Sue Miller, whom I’ve never read, The Local News by Miriam Gershow, Pictures of You by Caroline Leavitt, The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer.”

~Wendy Tokunaga (Midori By Moonlight, Love in Translatio , and ebook, Marriage in Translation: Foreign Wife, Japanese Husband [Kindle Edition]):

“I’m looking forward to reading “Bossypants” by Tina Fey who I think is one of the sharpest writers around these days. Also “French Lessons” a new novel from Ellen Sussman that I think comes out this July.”

Announcement: The winners of Making Waves by Tawna Fenske are Julie Mann, Charlene Ross, and Monica B.W.. Congratulations!

Please email diviningwand (at) gmail (dot) com with your mailing address and your book will be Pre-ordered to be sent on its release of August 1, 2011.

AND

Announcement: The winners of A Pug’s Tale by Alison Pace are Sunny and Jane Cook. Congratulations!

Please email diviningwand (at) gmail (dot) com with your mailing address and your book will be sent out promptly.

Based only on their writing, what author would you want to be?

AND

If given the opportunity to have written ONE book in your lifetime, what would that title be?

~ Allison Winn Scotch (The One That I Want, Time of My Life, and The Department of Lost and Found):

“Oh gosh, impossible to say! Of course, I want to choose someone whom I deem to be genius, but then again, I have no idea what sort of personal happiness he or she has achieved. For me, it’s all about finding this balance, and since I really don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes of some writers – some of whom I think are so brilliant but whom I also suspect are a little bit tortured – I really can’t choose! I know you said based only on their writing, but some of that writing comes from a dark place.”

“Oh boy, again, I know I should choose something like Jane Eyre or The Sun Also Rises, but I’m going to say Then We Came to The End by Joshua Ferris. I read a lot of books that I think are wonderful but that I also think that maybe, if I’d come up with that specific idea and had a great writing day, that I could create something similar. (And I don’t mean that narcissistically, or to any way take away from other writers: I just think – and I’m sure that a lot of other writers thinks this too – that many of my peers write similar things to what I write, so blessed with a magic wand, we might all be able to do what the other does…within reason, of course!) But with his book, I was just TOTALLY blown away. I really don’t think that even on my best day, I could have conceived of the book in the way that he did, much less written it in the style that he did. He made me a fan for life, and I have total appreciation for the genius of that book.”

On March 4, 2010 The Divining Wand’s post presented, Our Authors’ Spring/Summer Book Releases. Now, at the July 4th mid-summer break, let’s review those books you may have missed and belong in your TBR tote bag.

MARCH

Presenting Debutante Sarah Pekkanen and The Opposite of Me

Jenny Gardiner and Winging It

APRIL

Kristy Kiernan and Between Friends

Holly LeCraw and The Swimming Pool

Matthew Quick and SORTA LIKE A ROCK STAR

MAY

Lauren Baratz-Logsted and Marcia’s Madness

Meredith Cole and Dead in the Water

Presenting Debutante Joëlle Anthony and Restoring Harmony

Barrie Summy and I So Don’t Do Makeup

Presenting Debutante Emily Wiinslow and The Whole World

JUNE

Allison Winn Scotch and The One That I Want

Tish Cohen and The Truth About Delilah Blue

Allie Larkin and Stay

Carey Goldbergy, Beth Jones, and Pamela Ferdinand with Three Wishes

Trish Ryan and A Maze of Grace

Robin Antalek and The Summer We Fell Apart

Of course there are more books to come, including Alicia Bessette’s Simply from Scratch debuting on August 5th and Kristina Riggle (Real Life & Liars) second novel The Life You’ve Imagined releasing August 17th. Yet for a lazy, hazy holiday break, there’s more than enough great reading here. Enjoy!

Announcement: The winners of Robin Antalek’s The Summer We Fell Apart are Keetha and Jenny.

Congratulations! Please email: diviningwand (at) gmail (dot) com with your mailing address, and the book will be sent out promptly.

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

“Years passed between the day I really got serious about writing, and the day I signed a publishing contract. There is no general time-line for when you “should” have something published. Everyone’s on her own path. It takes some writers decades to achieve publication.

“During the submissions process, I became very familiar with rejection. What kept me going? A husband who believes in me, and an inner refusal to quit. Too, I surrounded myself with positive people who made me feel as though I was bound to succeed. And I tried to avoid negative people whose comments, questions, or attitudes made me second-guess myself.”

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

“I’ve been very lucky. Very lucky. My first book was nonfiction and I sold it myself, getting a publisher only after a handful of rejections. My first novel was sold about 4 months after it went on submission. That is remarkably fast. However, it didn’t feel that way at the time, and the novel was rejected by about a dozen publishers. As those rejections were coming in, it felt awful. I started to lose hope. I am a Gemini so I feel uniquely qualified to be on submission. Half of me has complete faith that I will be successful and the other half completely believes I’m a big fat failure. What kept me going is the optimistic half of me. That and my agent’s belief in me, and my husband and my friends.”

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

“The answer to this question depends on when you want to start the clock ticking. I always wanted to write and my parents have one of my earliest “works” dating back to second grade. If we use that as the starting point then it took me a looooooong time. If we start from the time I finished Unpredictable, it took me about five months to find an agent and about six months with her between revisions and when I sold. Once I sold it was two years before the book came out. This is my way of pointing out that writing makes a lousy get rich quick plan.

“Rejection is a part of the publication process. When writers gather they show off their rejection scars like old war veterans. My approach to rejection was to feel sorry for myself for a maximum of 24 hours and then pull up my big girl panties and move forward. There is a saying that the difference between an unpublished writer and a published writer is perseverance. Rejection was just the world’s way of trying to figure out how serious I was about this publication plan.”

Judy Merrill Larsen (All the Numbers):

“From the day I wrote the first sentence of my first draft, to the day my book was available in stores was almost exactly 7 years. I learned to have a very thick skin to deal with the rejections (teaching high school and having kids had already helped me with that!), and I even learned to use the rejections as inspiration to keep going, to get it right. My friends and family also helped, encouraging me every step of the way. And I also knew that giving up simply wasn’t an option–this mattered, my story mattered, and I had to keep going.”

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

“How long did it take before you finally got published? And how did you handle rejection, what kept you going? My first novel got published very quickly, but then it took me twenty years until my next novel was published. I handled rejection by getting very involved in other endeavors– not simply seeing myself as a writer.”

Have you heard?

Allison Winn Scotch (The Department of Lost and Found, Time of My Life and The One That I Want) presents:

On her Wednesday, June 16, 2010 blog post, Allison writes:

“Yes, I use those words intentionally. Because today, I wanted to give shout-outs to some women writers (okay, they’re not all mothers) who have in some way been kind or helpful to me throughout my career, and well, throughout certain times of my life. Writing is a very solitary endeavor, but thanks to some of my friends, I always feel like I have a wide network of support. All of these women are generous – with blurbs, with advice, with open ears when we just need to complain, and just as importantly, all of them have (relatively) new books out. And I’m grateful for them, not just for their brilliant words that go onto the page, but for their friendship.

SO.

Here’s the deal:

To enter the contest, click over to my Facebook page, where this contest is announced. Click “like,” on the giveaway or leave a comment underneath the announcement. You’ll be entered. Just like that. I’ll leave it open until Friday at 3pm EST, when I’ll choose the winners, each of whom will receive one of the fabulous books listed below. Oh, and did I mention that each copy will be signed? Yes, the lovely ladies will be sending their autograph too.

Here are the goods that you’ll be up to win:” (Scroll down.)

Announcement: The winner of Three Wishes by Carey Goldberg, Beth Jones, and Pamela Ferdinand is Stacey.

Congratulations! Please email: diviningwand (at) gmail (dot) com with your mailing address, and the book will be sent out promptly.

How do some travel this area better than others? Four more of our successful, published authors answer the questions of how they handled rejection and what kept them going to reach their destination?

Meredith Cole (Posed for Murder, Dead in the Water):

“The publishing process is long–even for overnight sensations. And it’s not for the feint of heart, so you’ll have to be patient. It took me about a year and a half to write a book that I thought was pretty good. I started looking for an agent. Then I joined a writing group that brought me back down to earth. It was going to take a lot of fixing to make it decent. But I had an even better plot idea for the same characters. So I wrote my second book in about a year which became POSED FOR MURDER. I entered it in the SMP/Malice Domestic Best Traditional First Mystery competition, and had to wait 9 months to hear. Meanwhile, I continued looking for an agent and wrote a screenplay. Then I found out I won. But it was another almost two years before my book came out. It took a lot of patience, but I also realized that only one person (granted, an editor or agent) needs to fall in love with your book. You just have to find that person.

“If you do not love to write, don’t become a writer. That doesn’t mean that some days writing feels painful, but something inside you must drive you to continue. You have to believe it will happen and inspire yourself to continue. The only way to guarantee that you don’t get published is to give up.”

Ivy Pochoda (The Art of Disappearing):

“I submitted my book to ten agents and eight accepted it. Then my agent submitted it to twenty publishers and I received twenty rejections. I decided to rewrite the book and finally it sold. It took a year and a half. I never entertained the notion that my novel wouldn’t get published. I just kept going, started writing a new book. And when I began my new book, the original novel sold!”

Allison Winn Scotch (The Department of Lost and Found, Time of My Life and The One That I Want):

“I was writing for magazines before I wrote fiction, so my path has been littered with rejection for years. That said, I wrote a manuscript that got me agent representation but that said agent couldn’t sell. After writing what would eventually go on to be my debut novel, said agent also told me that “it would be doing my career more harm than good,” to go out with that novel, and we promptly parted ways. I found new representation within weeks, and we got four offers on the book a few weeks later. So…all in? From the beginning of my agent search to selling that second manuscript? Hmmm, I’m not sure, but I’d say about a year, a year and a half.”

Wendy Tokunaga (Midori By Moonlight, Love in Translation):

“I started writing novels seriously in around 1994 and didn’t get my book deal until 2006, so that’s a dozen years. And my “debut” novel was the fifth novel I’d written. Several things kept me going. I can’t not write so there is no way I would have stopped. And as I took classes and consulted with teachers about my writing I began to garner more ‘“positive”’ rejections from agents and this showed me I was at least getting somewhere. Supportive writer friends also were a comfort and inspiration.”

Announcement: The winners of Tish Cohen’s The Truth About Delilah Blue are Rebecca and Wendy Kinsey.

AND

Keetha is the winner of Allie Larkin’s Stay.

Congratulations! Please email: diviningwand (at) gmail (dot) com with your mailing address, and the book(s) will be sent out promptly.

The backstory for The One That I Want is best described as “the bookend” for Time of My Life. In other words, after writing about “what if?” you could go back and change the past, the author decided this book would be “what if? you could see the future and either accept or change it. Acknowledging that she wanted to continue in the same vein because it felt like readers were responding/relating to the concept, Allison also says:

“I really enjoy writing these wish fulfillment types-of-books, but I didn’t want to do anything even remotely like TOML out of fear that people would think that was all I had in my arsenal. And also, of course, to challenge myself: I try to push myself with each book. So I aimed to take everything about TOML and flip it, while still keeping true to who I am as a writer, as well as the themes I like to explore about pursuing a bigger, more fleshed-out life.”

Indeed the writer succeeded because The One That I Want isn’t remotely similar to its predecessor, in fact it might even better! Why? How? Well carefully consider the synopsis:

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

What if you could see into the future? Would you want to know what fate has in store?

Now read an excerpt, Chapter One.

And finally take note of the Reviews, including:

“An aching, honest look into the death and rebirth of relationships. Scotch answers hard questions about the nature of personal identity and overwhelming loss with a wise, absorbing narrative.” – Publishers Weekly

“Scotch specializes in heroines at a crossroads, questioning their life choices and preparing to embark on journeys of self-discovery. . . . [She] creates eminently relatable characters, with a particularly excellent understanding of the way sisters interact, and has the ability to craft scenes of real emotional weight.”- Booklist

“Well-told . . . a good choice for fans of women’s fiction and book clubs. It’s fast-paced and feels light yet still packs a satisfying emotional punch.” – Library Journal

These are glowing words for a book of substance. It’s true that in Time of My Life Jillian had problems of emotional weight with which to contend and she tried to solve them by escaping back into the past. But, in The One That I Want, Tilly is literally and figuratively stuck in the present with the clarity of how her past has — and will continue — to affect the future. There’s no escaping for her, only decisions to be made about “what next?”

In last week’s post, Guest Allison Winn Scotch on Scoring Your Goal, the author wrote, “….striving toward goals – both big and small – is an underlying theme of my new book.” Further adding: “My heroine, Tilly, had aspirations for herself – maybe not to light the world on fire, but enough to light her inner-self on fire, and somewhere along the way, she loses these aspirations, without even recognizing that she’s done so.”

Although Tilly Farmer is only thirty-two, she comes across as older and settled with the only goal in her sight — having a baby. While that is the dream/goal of countless women, a baby for Tilly would mean she had achieved her perfect (and rather safe) life. For this protagonist doesn’t take chances. She married her high school sweetheart, chose a stable career as a guidance counselor, and returned to her high school to advise students of their future, bemoaning that most are anxious to move out of the small town.

Tilly thinks she’s happy. Even Allison was initially fooled until she “found” out how much anger the character had. Between the compromises that she’d been forced to make, the decisions that she’d never had the chance to opt for, and a future filled with watching over others, Tilly doesn’t dare to dream BIG. Because, if she does, her illusion of safe happiness falls apart.

After completing The One, the author mentioned in a blog post that there would be fans who wouldn’t like this more serious, darker storyline. How unfortunate. Because TRUTH: Allison soars in telling a multi-layered, complex story of real people with real problems who need to find real goals/dreams to enjoy happiness. The writing is brilliant and carries not a trace of Allison’s own voice — a personal goal she had set for herself.

This writer is known to be “the real deal” as a person. With this third novel, Allison Winn Scotch becomes “the real deal” to critics, fans, and new readers. The book is The One That I Want and you can have it too…tomorrow!

Book Giveaway: The Divining Wand is giving away one copy of Allison Winn Scotch’s The One That I Want in a random drawing to anyone who comments only on this specific post. Comments left on other posts during the week are not entered into the contest. The deadline is Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. EDT with the winner to be announced here in Thursday’s post. If you enter, please return Thursday to possibly claim your book.

One of the questions I’m most often asked, now that I’m fortunate enough to earn my keep as a novelist, is, “Did you always want to be a writer,” and I always feel a little awkward answering that because my answer isn’t a definite yes. I feel like, as fortunate as I am, shouldn’t I have been striving toward this goal with every fiber of my being since I was a kid? I mean, let’s be clear: there are folks out there who feel that way, who would chop off a finger to be a published author. So when my cheeks redden a little at this question, that’s why – I love this job and part of me always hoped to do it, but it was one of several aspirations I had for myself, not the only one.

The reason I even raise this confession is because striving toward goals – both big and small – is an underlying theme of my new book, The One That I Want, and in writing it, I was able to give a lot of time and focus as to my own goals, and to what those goals have been throughout my life. And it also made me realize how easily these goals are thrown off-track. My heroine, Tilly, had aspirations for herself – maybe not to light the world on fire, but enough to light her inner-self on fire, and somewhere along the way, she loses these aspirations, without even recognizing that she’s done so. And while I didn’t relate to Tilly on a lot of levels, I can see how easily our hopes for ourselves slip through our fingers without even noticing it.

I’m lucky: I’ve always been fairly bullheaded and with a maiden name like Winn, I grew up in a household where my father’s frequent question was “What’s your last name?,” to which I’d begrudgingly answer “Winn” and role my eyes. But the lessons were there: he taught me not to compromise, to raise the bar high. Still though, when I graduated from college and had not one clue what to do with my life, my parents urged me to become an investment banker, like my older brother. I dragged my heels and made my rounds of interviews but knew a small part of me would die if I had to wake up and put on a suit and analyze numbers every day. I wanted to be an actress, wanted to sing, perform, and yes, write, as I’d done for my college newspaper and throughout my life, but making a living as a writer seemed, well, IMPOSSIBLE, and having graduated from an Ivy League school, making a living as an actress seemed irresponsible somehow, so I compromised and got a job in PR.

I lasted eight months. And then I quit to pursue acting anyway.

That day, when I went into my boss’s office and gave notice, that spark, that fire was reborn, the one that extinguished in Tilly. Quitting was exhilarating, I could literally feel it in my blood, that I was going to chase my dream despite the fact that all logic dictated otherwise. I won’t bore you with the details of how I got from there to here, but taking that first step – recognizing that tuning into my goals – was critical. (Or tuned into my dreams – I do think there’s a difference, and one that I realized eventually: goals are pragmatic, whereas dreams are less so…a conclusion I definitely came to when I finally opted to stop acting.) But back to my story of when I was 23: I was doing it -I was pointing myself in the direction of the life I wanted to lead, and that’s all I could ask of myself. Really, I think that’s all anyone can ask of themselves. It’s all that I wanted Tilly to ask of herself too, and without revealing too much, eventually, she realizes that we’re all worthy of looking toward our goals, whether they’re to be a New York Times bestselling author or to be able to run a 5k without stopping. The small goals can accumulate and result a big goal: living the life you hoped for. I’m still tweaking – I think we’re all still tweaking – but I think half the battle is being aware of your goals and that setting them for yourself is critical. Small ones, big ones, just put them out there for yourself, and then, ready, set, go.

Book Giveaway: The Divining Wand is giving away one copy of Emily Winslow’s
The Whole World in a random drawing to anyone who comments only on this specific post, Presenting Debutante Emily Winslow and The Whole World. Comments left on other posts during the week are not entered into the contest. The deadline is Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. EDT with the winner to be announced here in Thursday’s post. If you enter, please return Thursday to possibly claim your book.

AND

Book Giveaway: The Divining Wand is giving away one copy of Barrie Summy’s
I So Don’t Do Makeup in a random drawing to anyone who comments only on this specific post, Barrie Summy and I So Don’t Do Makeup. Comments left on other posts during the week are not entered into the contest. The deadline is Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. EDT with the winner to be announced here in Thursday’s post. If you enter, please return Thursday to possibly claim your book.

The ever popular Allison Winn Scotch — New York Times Bestselling author of Time of My Life and The Department of Lost and Found — is less than two weeks away from the release of her third novel, The One That I Want, available on June 1, 2010.

This highly anticipated book has been described by Allison as a “bookend” to Time of My Life which was based on the premise of “what if” you could go back and change your past. The One That I Want flashes forward with the question:

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

And literary critics are more than impressed, here’s one review:

“An aching, honest look into the death and rebirth of relationships. Scotch answers hard questions about the nature of personal identity and overwhelming loss with a wise, absorbing narrative.” – Publishers Weekly

The Divining Wand has scheduled a presentation/review of The One That I Want for Monday, May 31, 2010 yet — for now — let meet this talented, contemporary fiction writer by reading her “official” biography:

Allison Winn Scotch is the bestselling author of Time of My Life and The Department of Lost and Found. Prior to her fiction, she was a frequent contributor to numerous magazines and websites including Cooking Light, Family Circle, Fitness, Glamour, and Redbook, and now focuses on celebrity profiles for a variety of magazines. She lives in New York with her family.

And now for much more personal insights as Allison reveals:

Q: How would you describe your life in 8 words?
A: Fulfilling. Hectic. Blessed. Hilarious. Exhausting. Content. Striving. Loved.

Q; What is your motto or maxim?
A: If you asked me what I came into this world to do, I will tell you, I came to live out loud. – Emile Zola.

Q: How would you describe perfect happiness?
A: Kisses, success, hugs, confidence, joy in my children, nine hours of sleep.

Q: What’s your greatest fear?
A: Losing one of my kids or having something harmful come their way.

Q: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be?
A: Paris. Or Anguilla.

Q: Which living person do you most admire?
A: My 3 year old daughter. Sheer, naked confidence.

Q: What are your most overused words or phrases?
A: “I’m going to count to three. One…two…”

Q: If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?
A: Incredible guitar skills.

Q: What is your greatest achievement?
A: Raising children who cherish their independence and are bolstered by their self-confidence.

Q: What’s your greatest flaw?
A: That I am too independent.

Q: What’s your best quality?
A: My optimism.

Q: What do you regret most?
A: No regrets. Ever.

Q: If you could be any person or thing, who or what would it be?
A: Myself. Really.

Q: What trait is most noticeable about you?
A: My petiteness: my avatars must add six inches to me online. (I’m short!)

Q: Who is your favorite fictional hero?
A: Annie (Little Orphan) — she’s spunky, entrepreneurial, smart, loyal and stands up for herself.

Q: If you could meet any athlete, who would it be and what would you say to him or her?
A: Andre Agassi. I had a raging crush on him as a teenager which has evolved into a hearty and well-deserved respect as an adult.

Q: What is your biggest pet peeve?
A: Irresponsibility.

Q: What is your favorite occupation, when you’re not writing?
A: Celebrity interviewer.

Q: What’s your fantasy profession?
A: Rock star.

Q: What 3 personal qualities are most important to you?
A: Kindness, intelligence, empathy.

Q: If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be?
A: Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate. Oh, also, maybe some bread. So chocolate-filled bread?

Q: What are your 5 favorite songs?
Read My Mind by the Killers, Throwing It All Away by Genesis, The Long Way Round by The Dixie Chicks, Time by Chantel Kreviazuk, Let the River Run by Carly Simon. (But that’s for today. I could go on with this forever.)

Q: What are your 5 favorite books of all time?
A: Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris, Good Grief by Lolly Winston, The Dive from Clausen’s Pier by Ann Packer, The Stand by Stephen King, The Help by Katherine Stockett

Allison Winn Scotch loves the social media and has proven that the past four years with almost daily posts on her Blog: Ask Allison. Visit her there, follow her on Twitter and friend her on Facebook. Because, since her optimism, humor, and sound advice are contagious, she’s likely to be the one that you want…to get to know even better.

Book Giveaway: The Divining Wand is giving away one copy of Thaisa Frank’s
Heidegger’s Glasses in a random drawing to anyone who comments only on this specific post, Thaisa Frank and Heidegger’s Glasses. Comments left on other posts during the week are not entered into the contest. The deadline is tonight at 7:00 p.m. EDT with the winner to be announced here in tomorrow’s post. If you enter, please return tomorrow to possibly claim your book.

Here’s another question for your authors: What is the word count of most of their novels?

I know that we here all sorts of estimates of what a novel should be, 70,000 to 100,000 words. But what is the actual count for the novels featured here, and do your authors think about word count as they’re writing?

Also please welcome The Divining Wand’s latest about-to-become author, Allie Larkin, who leads off with:

Allie Larkin (STAY coming June 10, 2010):

“The final version of STAY is around 100,000 words. The first draft was just short of 70,000, and then grew through the revising process, as the story became more layered and I developed the characters further. I don’t think word count should be a concern in the first few drafts of a book. Those drafts are about creating the framework of the story and getting to know the characters. Obviously, there are ideal lengths for books, but I think reaching an ideal word count should be more of an organic process than a goal to meet. You never want to add words just for the sake of adding them. So, even if it’s necessary to add 10-20,000 words to make the book a marketable length, I think the focus should be more about figuring out a way to grow the story and grow the characters, than trying to hit a certain number.”

Melanie Benjamin (Alice I Have Been):

“This is a good question. Before ALICE, I always aimed at 80,000; my earlier contract, for my 2 contemporary novels, stipulated that should be the approximate word count. When I moved to historical fiction, however, I found that there’s more leeway, and ALICE came in at around 100,000 words, and nobody blinked an eye. That’s the word count I have in mind for my next historical novel, too.

“However – word of advice. Let the story develop as it needs to and try not to obsess about the word count until it’s finished. Revisions always change things. If you finish and you find you’re way under the typical word count (which is, yes, anywhere from 70,000 to 100,000, depending on the genre as I said above), then you may have to decide whether or not the work would be better off as a short story. If you’re way over, you can edit and perhaps divide the work into 2 novels. So – try not to obsess while telling the story, but at the end of the day, word count does matter.”

Judy Merrill Larsen (All the Numbers):

“Ooh, I definitely think about word count as I’m writing . . . my novels tend to be in the 75,000 word range, which is a bit on the short side. And I NEVER get to that in my first draft. My goal in a first draft is to get to 65,000 words because I know that in revising (which to me means mostly adding and rearranging), I’ll get in that magical realm of 70,000-80,000 words.”

Holly LeCraw (The Swimming Pool):

“Mine is about 80,000 words. I didn’t think about word count as I was writing, but assumed I would come in at 300ish pages. As it turned out, mine is 307. I tend to like books that are tightly constructed and not overlong, although there are always exceptions.”

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

“Since I write for pretty much every age group imaginable, I’m all over the place on this. Each volume in The Sisters 8 series for young readers comes in at about 22K. My one middle grade was 35K. My adult novels range from 70-100K. Even within YA, I’m all over the place, with most coming in at 45-50K while The Twin’s Daughter (due out on Aug 31) is a whopping 96K! It all depends on what the individual book demands, how long it takes to tell the story right.”

Shana Mahaffey (Sounds Like Crazy):

“Sounds Like Crazy weighs in at just over 105,000 words. I wrote without regard to word count and was lucky enough to have my book published under an imprint that believes a book should be as long as it needs to be to tell the story.”

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

“I don’t have the exact number but I believe Looking After Pigeon was just around 80,000 words. The novel I’m working on now is about 85,000 words.”

Sarah Pekkanen (The Opposite of Me):

“The Opposite of Me is 105,000 words (give or take a few). My second novel is about 90,000 words. I do think a little about word count as I write, knowing it would be much harder to sell a book that came in at 60,000 or 200,000 words.”

Kristina Riggle (Real Life & Liars and The Life You’ve Imagined coming August 17, 2010):

“I had to look this information up. REAL LIFE & LIARS was 85,498 in the pre-copyedited version, and THE LIFE YOU’VE IMAGINED is a little longer at 91,171. My work-in-progress will end up about the same. Since I measure my daily progress in first drafts by word count I suppose I do think about it as I write, but only as a handy way to measure productivity. I do feel very pleased when I hit the big round numbers divisible by 10,000. It’s arbitrary, but it does feel like a milestone and since writing a first draft is so solitary it’s nice to congratulate myself on leaping those hurdles. No one else is going to throw me a party.”

Allison Winn Scotch (The Department of Lost and Found, Time of My Life and The One That I Want coming June 1, 2010):

“All of mine hover around the 85k mark. I do think about WC as I’m writing – I think about the book in a series of acts, and I know when to begin each one (generally), so I can time the action – and the necessary arc of that action – to the word count.”

Barrie Summy (I So Don’t Do Mysteries, I So Don’t Do Spooky and I So Don’t Do Makeup coming May 11, 2010, Ages 9 – 12):

“My novels (tween mysteries) are 52,000 to 55,000 words. Do I think about word count while I’m writing?

“Yes. Yes. Yes.

“I’m a HUGE plotter, and I know where I should be word-count wise for the major plot points, darkest moment, the resolution. This is how I keep the pace up.

“And also how I keep my sanity. I promise myself treats all the way through the first draft. For example, when I reach the first plot point, around 13,000 words, I get to have a package of licorice as a reward.”

Wendy Tokunaga (Midori By Moonlight, Love in Translation):

“I believe that my word counts come out to be around 85,000. I never think about this when I’m writing, though. I just write as much as I need to tell the story and it always seems to work out okay in the end.”

Therese Walsh (The Last Will of Moira Leahy):

“My publisher, Shaye Areheart, likes books to come in right at about 90,000 words, which is the word count for The Last Will of Moira Leahy.

“I keep tabs of word count using Word, but I don’t stress about it much while drafting a story. I tend to trust that the word count will fall near the right mark in the end. Word count definitely becomes more important during editing, though. I find it easier to edit a “fat” story down to size rather than add new beef.”

And a final word on just the facts….

Randy Susan Meyers (The Murderer’s Daughters):

“According to fictionfactor.com, ‘”Most print publishers prefer a minimum word count of around 70,000 words for a first novel, and some even hesitate for any work shorter than 80,000. Yet any piece of fiction climbing over the 110,000 word mark also tends to give editors some pause. They need to be sure they can produce a product that won’t over-extend their budget, but still be enticing enough to readers to be saleable. Imagine paying good money for a book less than a quarter-inch thick?”‘

“That said, there is much back and forth on this issue. I think the topic is very well covered by agent Colleen Lindsay in her blog, the swivet.”

If you have a question for our authors feel free to post it on the Q & A page or email: diviningwand@gmail.com

ATTENTION: This site’s rather exclusive sidebar has a new addition under the category of Must See. ArounderTouch is an iPhone app from Arounder.com. The virtual reality site — featuring gorgeous 360-degree panoramas of the world — is what I frequently used on Seize A Daisy’s “Friday Getaways.” It’s a first-class ticket for your travel plans or imaginary flights of fancy, please check it out.

Announcement: The winners of Quick’s debut YA novel, SORTA LIKE A ROCK STAR, are Keetha and Beth. Congratulations! Please send your mailing addresses to: diviningwand (at) gmail (dot) com, and I’ll have your copy sent out promptly. Many thanks to everyone who entered.

Congratulations to Therese Walsh (The Last Will of Moira Leahy)

Although this debut novel crossed over many genres, The Last Will of Moira Leahy has become a RITA finalist in RWA’s Best First Book category, 2010. While yours truly described it as an “adult fairy tale,” if Romance Writers wish to embrace “Moira” as romantic, so much the better. And, if you have yet to read this novel, please treat yourself now!

Sarah Pekkanen (The Opposite of Me) was featured on April 7, 2010 in the USA TODAY’S New Voices: Sarah Pekkanen, ‘The Opposite of Me’ by Carol Manning.

And now Sarah is thrilled to announce she has a new, two-book deal with editor Greer Hendricks at Atria Books/Washington Square Press, an imprint of Simon&Schuster.

Her second book — with the current working title FROM THE HEART — is the story of 32-year-old Julia Dunhill, who wakes up one morning to discover her husband has changed into a completely different person because of an extraordinary experience. Julia, who also sees pieces of her life in the world’s great operas, has three weeks to decide if she should stay with her husband – or leave him. Publication dates are Spring 2011 for the second novel and Spring 2012 for the third.

Holly LeCraw (The Swimming Pool) and her debut novel are everywhere, including these sightings:

The Swimming Pool in PEOPLE.

Entertainment Weekly: The Swimming Pool is “difficult to put down.”

“A stunning debut!” The Swimming Pool is This Week’s Hot Reads at The Daily Beast.

And The Swimming Pool is featured in Marie Claire and Elle Canada – on newsstands now!

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

Alicia’s new Facebook Fan Page is up and running. She hopes you’ll become a fan! Alicia also cordially invites you to sign up for her email newsletter here to receive news related to Simply From Scratch.

Amy MacKinnon (Tethered) offers the following glowing endorsement for Alicia’s debut novel: “Readers will fall for the characters of this New England town who try to rescue the worn-through heart of one of their own. Told with equal parts warmth, hope, and humor, SIMPLY FROM SCRATCH is destined to be passed among friends who’ve shared in each other’s grief, and honored it with love and compassion. It’s a triumph of the heart.”

Allison Winn Scotch (The Department of Lost and Found, Time of My Life and The One That I Want coming June 1, 2010) is thrilled that The One That I Want has been chosen
by both Redbook and Cosmo as a summer read and will be in the July issues.

And then there are the literary reviews:

“[A]n aching, honest look into the death and rebirth of relationships….a wise, absorbing narrative.”-Publishers Weekly

“Scotch specializes in heroines at a crossroads, questioning their life choices and preparing to embark on journeys of self-discovery. . . . [She] creates eminently relatable characters, with a particularly excellent understanding of the way sisters interact, and has the ability to craft scenes of real emotional weight.” -Booklist

“Well-told, fast-paced, and packs a satisfying emotional punch.” -Library Journal

Before embarking on her book tour, Kristy Kiernan (Catching Genius, Matters of Faith and Between Friends) posted this Comment on Facebook:

“Just got this from a reader who finished BETWEEN FRIENDS: ‘”I am not proud to say this, but I am not currently an organ donor. I plan to change that after reading this story.”‘ Uhh, does it GET better that that?!”

Ah, the power of words…