The Divining Wand

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 February celebrates Black History Month, Heart Month and Valentine’s Day, it also offers a quiet time in book releases. Now, of course new books are appearing on bookstore shelves, but the real flurry of spring/summer titles begins next month and almost overwhelms in April, May, June…

To take advantage of this quiet, cozy, snowbound time as well as to extend the warmth of Valentine’s Day, what would be better than a good love story? Our authors agreed and have chosen to share their favorites with you.

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

“Pride and Prejudice…I know, not very original, but it’s the one book I can honestly say that when I read the last word, I just wanted to start all over again.”

Alicia Bessette (Simply from Scratch coming in August 2010):

“My favorite love story is Roland Merullo’s A LITTLE LOVE STORY. Here’s what The New York Times wrote about it; I couldn’t agree more, and I couldn’t say it better myself: “Thoughtful, restrained (yet very sexy) … Merullo captures what it feels like when you meet ‘the one’–and what you’re willing to do to hold onto that person.” If you’re looking for an utterly romantic, highly readable, bittersweet page-turner, with a beautiful, redemptive ending, do yourself a favor and buy this book.”

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

“My favorite love story is the one in What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage. It’s between a woman who has recently learned she’s HIV-positive and a man who was formerly in prison when he was a drug addict. They are both good people, clean and sober now, and very sweet. The guy has beautiful dreadlocks and drinks green tea and does yoga, so, of course, he’s my kinda guy!”

Therese Fowler (Souvenir, Reunion):

“Forgive me, this will sound like a shameless plug, but my honest answer is the story I’ve just finished writing, THE REMEDY (due out in early ‘11). I am absolutely in love with my lovers, and so sympathetic toward their plight…

“One of the reasons I write love stories is because I’ve found few in contemporary literature that suit my desires as a reader–and I l-o-v-e a love story. It’s easier for me to name favorite love stories on film: SOMMERSBY, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, and THE THORN BIRDS come to mind. And yes, I know the latter two are books as well–and I love the books–but the stories are even better-realized on film.”

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

“I have so many, but two that spring to mind right now are THE GOOD HUSBAND by Gail Godwin and EVIDENCE OF THINGS UNSEEN by Marianne Wiggins, both novels of long-term love and devotion.”

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

“Very very difficult to pick…one of many is Love in the Time of Cholera.”

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

“Any novel by Anne Tyler — she deals with love and relationships so beautifully and so truthfully.”

Randy Susan Meyers (The Murderer’s Daughters):

“In Before and After, author Rosellen Brown writes about the depth of family love and the love between a husband and wife, offering spectacular prose, a page-turning plot, and non-stop insight into the character’s hearts. This story of a family caught in the most awful of circumstances—with a teenage son accused of an appalling crime—Brown manages to let the reader see every side of the story, feel sympathy for all, and most impressive, she presents a family at terrible odds with each other’s views, still fighting to stay together. At it’s heart, this is a love story, and it is my favorite.”

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

“I can’t pick just one… there are so many great love stories out there!”

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):

“My favorite love story is pretty much any tale where we get to watch someone learn who they are and how to love better than they thought they could. My favorite novels in this category are too numerous to narrow down…the best example I can think of is the movie “How To Lose A Guy In 10 Dates or Less.” Kate Hudson’s character thinks she wants one thing in life (to write “real” articles about serious subjects) but discovers that life is bigger than she expected when love is added into the mix. By the end of the film, she wants more from life than she would have asked for in the beginning. (Also, I’m a sucker for a happy ending involving a chase scene!)”

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

“My favorite love story: Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Mars Freedman”

Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much a heart can hold.
~Zelda Fitzgerald

To be continued…next week.

‘Tis the season to celebrate joy and these two authors have found their own way.

A Christmas Story

I have been a sucker for Christmas movies ever since I was a small child, and have always been partial to the predecessor to White Christmas, Holiday Inn. It’s so charming and old-fashioned, and is a classical screwball comedy of the 40’s.

But…my English/Latin teacher always read aloud to my Latin class the week before Christmas from Jean Shepherd’s wonderful memoir, In God We Trust All Others Pay Cash, and I became so thoroughly engrossed in Shepherd’s world. To my great surprise one year at Christmas, shortly after I graduated from college, we were channel surfing and came upon the movie, A Christmas Story, which was excerpted from Shepherd’s book.

In adapting the film, the screenwriters perfectly captured the feel of the era, along with the humor of the writer, and I was hooked.

Now each year my family watches this movie as we are decorating our Christmas tree; the kids
demand we put it on if we forget. And so the movie has many layers of memories for me: it brings back fond memories from high school, particularly from one of my favorite teachers who was most inspiring to me as a writer; it engrosses me in Shepherd’s universe, freeze-framing in a charming way the Depression era, which wasn’t necessarily such a charming time in which to live, but yet he so effectively pulls in his readers with his sense of family and place; and of course now it’s been brought into a joyful tradition with my own family.

Sometimes Christmas movies (and carols, for that matter) can get a bit maudlin, and I appreciate that this movie can elicit heartfelt emotion without too much treacle, and keep us laughing (always important to me!).

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!
Jenny Gardiner (Sleeping with Ward Cleaver, Winging It: Twenty Years of Caring for a Vengeful Bird Determined to Kill Me coming March 16, 2010)

Joëlle’s Holiday Tradition

My husband and I are Buddhist so the holidays just sort of slide by unnoticed here (except New Years – we have a big dinner and count our blessings and sometimes exchange a gift or two). But even though we don’t celebrate Christmas ourselves, we do have a very cool holiday tradition. Several years ago, when we were cleaning out my mother-in-law’s house after she died, we found my husband’s childhood, silver foil, circa 1960s Christmas tree, complete with the spinning coloured light. We try to set it up and decorate it most years now. We actually have a lot of ornaments because we saved some of his parents’ that we inherited, and we have many Christian friends who have given them to us as gifts. It’s a fun remembrance of our families and friends and it’s sparkly, festive, and pretty. And the cats love it!
Joëlle Anthony (Restoring Harmony YA coming May 13, 2010)

The busyness of the publishing world might slow down a bit this month, yet it does not come to a halt. In fact four of our debut authors offer the following news:

~ Joëlle Anthony who will debut with her YA novel, Restoring Harmony, on May 13, 2010, announces the sale of her second YA book, THE RIGHT AND THE REAL.

~ Alicia Bessette’s debut novel — coming August 2010 — has a new title: Simply from Scratch.

~ Melanie Benjamin will debut on January 12, 2010 with her historical fiction novel, Alice I Have Been. The book made the January 2010 Indie Next list at #3. Independent booksellers love it…you will too.
[Note: Technically "Alice" is not a debut. "Melanie Benjamin is a pseudonym for Melanie Hauser, who has published 2 contemporary novels.]

~ And the Writer Mama Book Club: December Selection is The Last Will of Moira Leahy by debut author Therese Walsh. If you’ve already read this intriguing and enchanting “adult fairy tale,” please consider joining the online discussion where questions about the book will be posted throughout the month.

Announcement: The Divining Wand is giving away two copies of Barrie Summy’s I So Don’t Do Spooky. To enter, please leave a comment on this post by Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. EST. The winners will be chosen from a random drawing and announced here in Thursday’s post.

Those books, the cherished ones, that our authors reach out to reread may inspire, comfort or simply entertain. Yet whatever they do, these novels have become priceless companions in our authors’ lives and writing.

How does your personal keeper shelf stack up to:

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

“For rereading, I always turn to Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy series or a Nevil Shute novel. You cannot go wrong with either. Hmmm…I may have to go read one of those now…”

Tish Cohen (Town House, Inside Out Girl, Little Black Lies YA):

“I am a dedicated rereader. Right now I want to reread September by Rosamunde Pilcher for the atmosphere and cozy feeling it offers.”

Eileen Cook (Unpredictable, What Would Emma Do? YA and Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood YA, coming January 5, 2010):

“I love to reread books. This is how I justify the stacks of books in my house- someday I’m going to reread them all! I find the first time I read a book I do it simply for enjoyment, the second time I read them I like to look at the craft and structure. There are so many writers I admire and I enjoy dissecting their books. I’ve been known to do chapter by chapter breakdowns looking and how they worked their magic! Some books that I’ve reread include: Vanity Fair, Pride and Prejudice, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Gone with the Wind.”

Ad Hudler (Man of the House, All This Belongs to Me, House Husband):

“The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky. I’m actually re-reading it right now. It shows the story of three brothers (one a hedonist, one an intellectual and the other a spiritualist) and the different ways they navigate life despite being from the same family.”

Lauren Baratz-Logsted (most recent Crazy Beautiful YA):

“The Grear Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald – I’ll always reread that.”

Randy Susan Meyers (The Murderer’s Daughters coming January 19, 2010):

I reread all the time. There are some books I revisit at least once every five years or so, just to remind myself the amazing jobs these authors have done in combining story telling, plot, and exquisite writing.

“The novel I have probably reread most often is Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux. His story of one of the all-time most dramatic examples of a dysfunctional family refusing to admit to the elephant in the room is astounding.”

Barrie Summy (I So Don’t Do Mysteries, I So Don’t Do Spooky Ages 9 – 12, coming December 8, 2009):

“Light in August by William Faulkner. The opening scene is absolutely priceless.”

Therese Walsh (The Last Will of Moira Leahy):

“I have an overstuffed keeper shelf, and I would—and will—reread any of those books, from Colleen McCullogh’s The Thorn Birds to Keith Donohue’s The Stolen Child and Juliet Marillier’s Daughter of the Forest.”

The upcoming year of 2010 promises an overwhelming number of excellent offerings by debut and many of our favorite authors. If you’re ready to begin anticipating, please take a look at the following:

Sarah Pekkanen whose novel, The Opposite of Me, debuts March 9, 2010 received this early praise from NYT bestselling author Allison Winn Scotch (The Department of Lost and Found, Time of My Life and The One That I Want coming June 1, 2010): (the novel) “hits the delicious sweet spot in its portrayal of a woman who must lose everything in order to find herself.” This is in addition to the cover quote of “Fresh and Funny and Satisfying.” __Jennifer Weiner

Joëlle Anthony (Restoring Harmony YA coming May 13, 2010) announces that she was one of the debut authors chosen to be interviewed for the Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market 2011. She will be part of a series included in the guide under the heading First Books and will be interviewed by editor, Alice Pope.

And, if you haven’t heard yet, Allison Winn Scotch (The Department of Lost and Found, Time of My Life and The One That I Want coming June 1, 2010) has posted an excerpt of Chapter One from The One That I Want on her website. To learn more about the background of the novel, please read here.

Also do remember that the books mentioned and linked in all The Divining Wand posts are available for Pre-order.

Once again The Divining Wand asked its authors: What does your Muse look like? Or what does s/he sound like? Or what does s/he feel like? Muse(less)? What inspires you to write?

And this time the responses introduce several interesting characters, real or imagined.

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

“What does my muse look like? Well, he’s tall and skinny and always hungry. Oh, wait…that’s my husband. But actually, they are one in the same. So much of what I write is either inspired or encouraged by him. He has made the whole writing thing possible for me, and now it’s my turn to support him in the style he’s become accustom to. Luckily, that style is as a minimalist. Seriously, I couldn’t ask for a better muse – funny, sweet, a great reader/editor, and while he allows me to fail, he expects me to try my best.”

Meredith Cole (Posed for Murder):

“My muse doesn’t look like anything or anyone in particular. I think s/he is more of a state of mind I need to reach to open up my imagination and let in new ideas. The pleasure of creating something new inspires me to write. A story gets a hold of me and I want to find out what happens to the characters. I write the kind of stories that I love to read.”

Eileen Cook (Unpredictable, What Would Emma Do? YA and Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood YA, coming January 5, 2010):

“Picture my muse as a small petite thing, she looks elegant and beautiful, but she swears like a sailor and has been known to drink bourbon. She likes manhattans and says it is for the cherries in the drink, but I think she lies. You don’t want to see what she’s like when she’s cranky.”

Thaisa Frank (A Brief History in Camouflage, Sleeping in Velvet and Heiddegger’s Glasses coming May 1, 2010):

“My muse is a hunk whom I apparently time-share with at least one other writer. Or perhaps it is just me. When I get a title, I know I have a book or a story. Now and then it’s a key image.”

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

“My muse is my second grade teacher, or looks like her: skirt, hair up, glasses. But she also has a whistle and a yard stick, making sure I get in my chair to write! My muse is a taskmaster.”

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

“I just tell myself: get to the place. I know when I’m there. I can’t wait to get inspired; rather, I have to start working, and have faith that inspiration will come. Inspiration is mainly a matter of getting out of one’s own way.”

Book Giveaway: The Divining Wand’s giveaway of two copies of CJ Lyons’ Urgent Care, remains open until this evening at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Please leave a comment on this post to be entered in the random drawing. The winners will be announced in tomorrow’s post.

Fall, it’s brimming with energy as are our authors — some of whom already have new ventures to share.

Wendy Tokunaga (Midori by Moonlight) whose second novel, Love in Translation, will be released November 24, 2009, premieres the Book Trailer and notes Advance Praise for Love in Translation:

“A delightful novel about love, identity, and what it means to be adrift in a strange land. This story of a search has an Alice in Wonderland vibe; when Celeste climbs down the rabbit hole, one can’t help but follow along.”–Michelle Richmond, New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Fog

“An amusing story of one woman’s quest for her father and the improbable path of love.”—Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Wednesday Sisters

Debutante Joëlle Anthony (Restoring Harmony YA coming May 13, 2010) is delighted to announce a new feature on her website: Wild Card Wednesdays. Join her for author interviews, guest blogs, and book giveaways. This week Sara Zarr will be Joëlle’s guest author.

Katie Alender (Bad Girls Don’t Die) celebrates fall with an October contest time!. Here’s a chance to win a signed copy of Bad Girls Don’t Die as well as some custom-made stuff!

Although Katie is a talented writer, using of the word “stuff” — to describe her handmade items — is far too modest.

Just look at the stuff given to September’s Contest winner:

So do visit, read the contest rules and enter before 12:01 a.m. PDT this Saturday, October 10th.

We all know the power of words, but when Kristy Kiernan (Catching Genius, Between Friends coming April 6, 2010) wrote Matters of Faith it’s doubtful that she even realized the significant awareness she was casting on food allergies. Yet this November 14th, in Tampa, Florida, Kristy will serve as the Honorary Chair for The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network Walk for Food Allergy Congratulations, Kristy!

[Note: Two copies of Little Black Lies are being given away this week. Please leave a comment on Tish Cohen's Little Black Lies between now and Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. EDT to be eligible for the random drawings. The two winners will be announced here in Thursday's post.]

expert literary advice, that’s what you’ll discover on three blogs by our authors, well beyond their pages.

Debutante Joëlle Anthony (Restoring Harmony YA coming May 13, 2010) offers both a writing blog and a fun blog. In fact AnthonySundaySoup allows the writer to share her passion for cooking on a site that’s described by the following:

Every Sunday afternoon we open our home to friends and family and sometimes even the occasional stranger who can prove they know us through the six degrees of separation! We serve a homemade vegetarian soup and bread and this blog is a weekly update of our fun!

This about-to-be author is a pro in the kitchen as she proclaims in her introductory Debutante Ball post, Deb Joëlle’s real talent is… knowing how to make butter!

On the other hand, Debutante Co-Founder Anna David (Party Girl, Bought) knows a lot about sex, dating and relationships. Receiving questions about these subjects for years, she recently announced: “I’ve never had the time or space to answer them before. But now I not only can do that but also can give you access to a lot of the questions I’ve already answered — on everything from AOTS to the Today show.”

Visit annalyticalanswers to read more and then check this page for specific details.

Lynnne Griffin (Life Without Summer and Sea Escape coming in Summer 2010) and Amy MacKinnnon (Tethered) know a lot about writing/publication and have transformed The Literary Maze with the Monday, September 7, 2009 post, Our Services.

In prefacing these Services, the authors acknowledge:

“The road to a published book is long and winding. We’ve worked hard and been fortunate to have our writing make its way through the labyrinth to find terrific agents and well-respected publishers. The Literary Maze is a new venture to help writers navigate the world of publishing. Through consultation on manuscripts and query letters, and insight into a book’s journey to publication, we’ll guide writers in making the most of their talents and opportunities.”

For those interested, do read the entire post.

Happy blog surfing!

[Note: The Book Giveaway for Maud Carol Markson's Looking After Pigeon remains open until Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. EDT. To enter, please leave a comment with the most unusual first name of a "real" person you know. The winner will be announced in Thursday's post.]

It’s been exciting as well as a pleasure to greet The Debutante Class of 2010 on The Red Carpet this week. And the multi-talented Deb Joëlle Anthony (Restoring Harmony YA, May 13, 2010) graces us with her presence on this final day.

TDW: My goodness, Joëlle, you look stunning! Who are you wearing?

Joëlle: You’re too kind…In my mind, I am wearing a fabulous emerald green evening dress that I knit myself after writing each day. If you saw my sweaters, you’d know this is a fantasy.

TDW: Ah but fantasy and creativity work so well together that, although this will be your debut publication, has there been another book written?

Joëlle: I have a metaphorical drawer full of manuscripts. Restoring Harmony is about my seventh novel. Some will stay buried, but I have hopes for one or two (okay, three) of the others. And I’m working on something new too, which I hope will be my next contracted book. Fingers crossed! I will hopefully know later this year.

TDW: Absolutely, fingers crossed. Have you surprised anyone by writing Restoring Harmony?

Joëlle: I’ve never done things the “normal” way. I mean, I started out my adult life as an actress, so people see me as a creative person and no one has ever really reacted to the idea of me writing a book with anything other than, “Great!” My mum’s a writer too, so it’s not like I had that experience where my family was telling me, “Oh, you should have something to fall back on!” Instead they were always really encouraging. In fact, writing is what I fell back on when I got tired of acting!

TDW: What about characters, have you based one on someone you know?

Joëlle: I’ll never tell! I’ve never done this intentionally, but there’s still time. It is true that I steal all my husband’s best lines, but you know…it’s pretty obvious to everyone that knows him that a lot of my male characters are a lot like him. At least all the cool ones. It’s no secret.

[Aside: Deb Joëlle’s husband, Victor Anthony, is both a musician and photographer. In fact, her lovely picture is courtesy of Victor’s talent.]

TDW: Knowing how important music is in your life, what five songs should be on your book’s soundtrack?

Joëlle: Funny you should ask because next week we’re going into the recording studio (by “we” I mean I will just be standing around) to record some of the music from my book. My main character, Molly, is a fiddle player and in the book she plays a variety of fiddle tunes and songs (in case you have always wondered what the difference between a tune and a song is, it’s that a song has words and a tune is simply music). Eventually, these recordings will be available for free download on my website.

The ones we will be recording are:
Peekaboo Waltz
Handsome Molly
Hard Times Come Again No More
Brianna’s Reel (written just for my book by my friend and fiddle player, Sarah Tradewell)

That’s only four, so you could add the Cowboy Waltz to the list because it’s in the book, although we don’t intend to record it.

TDW: What a wonderful bonus! Your imagination appears limitless, yet what if you couldn’t write, what would you most want to do with your life?

Joëlle: Okay, don’t freak out on me here, but I might actually like to be one of those people who do your taxes. I doubt I’d ever go so far as becoming an accountant, but filling in forms floats my boat. I also like the idea of cooking (vegetarian) professionally or possibly being a home decorator (but not all Martha Stewart…more modern).

TDW: Thank you Deb Joëlle, your Friday posts at this year’s Debutante Ball are certain to be filled with surprises, we’ll look forward to them. Also the free download recordings and, on May 13, 2010, your debut as a YA novelist with Restoring Harmony.

Cheers to all the new Debutantes – Emily Winslow, Sarah Pekkanen, Alicia Bessette, Maria Garcia-Kalb and Joëlle Anthony – who have joined us on The Red Carpet this week. These charming ladies are about to enter The Debutante Ball and begin waltzing on Monday. Please join them for The Ball which is the ultimate source in discovering about-to-be authors beyond their pages!