The Divining Wand

There’s news that you need to know, can use, and look forward to, regarding the following Authors:

Alert! If you haven’t heard yet, Carleen Brice (Orange Mint and Honey, Children of the Waters) has announced, “The universe heard your cries of not wanting to miss the Super Bowl. ‘”Sins of the Mother”‘ will now air on Sunday, February 21st.”

Remember that’s on the LIFETIME MOVIE NETWORK!

January Magazine, December 31, 2009, listed Best Books of Fiction: 2009 and among the chosen was The Last Will of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh. Here’s the review:

“One of the really delicious things about Therese Walsh’s debut novel is that it pushes through to new ground. And even while you are swept away in Walsh’s carefully crafted and constructed story of magic and acceptance and loss, you are aware that you’ve never traveled this way before. I hadn’t realized how rare that feeling could be in fiction until I read The Last Will of Moira Leahy. Are there conventions in fiction? A path you must take in order for people to say: this is this sort of book, shelve it over here. If so, Walsh has forged ahead with no regard for these whatsoever. The result is an intelligent, thoughtful, moving — and again — magical, book. Moira was the less bold of a set of twins. Less daring, less spirited, less of the world. When she died in their 16th year, Moira’s twin, Maeve, must come to terms both with the part she played in her sister’s death and with her own path through the world, alone. In adulthood, now a professor of languages, Maeve comes across an antique dagger that reminds her of her childhood. The dagger will open a new chapter in Maeve’s life and lead her to a place of acceptance and understanding. None of that brief description does justice to Walsh’s wonderful creation. It is difficult — impossible — to capture that magic in these few words. Nor is it possible to compare it to anything else: Walsh has found her way here alone. The Last Will of Moira Leahy is a wonderful book. Well crafted, beautifully told. A star is born.” — Linda L. Richards

[As many know I believe in this book...for good reasons.]

Jenny Gardiner (Sleeping with Ward Cleaver) offers a funny video, Graycie Goes Hollywood (the upgraded version), starring the bird of her upcoming memoir –Winging It: Twenty Years of Caring for a Vengeful Bird Determined to Kill Me coming March 16, 2010). Be sure to take a look.

Alicia Bessette (Simply from Scratch coming in August 2010) has earned coveted praise from Marisa de los Santos (bestselling author of Love Walked In and Belong to Me: “This story of a young widow edging warily back into the world is full of vivid characters and grace. Imbued with hope but blessedly lacking in sentimentality, it is a fresh, stirring take on the devastation of grief and the holiness of friendship.”

And Melanie Benjamin (Alice I Have Been) was featured in the Sunday, January 17, 2010 article, Glen Ellyn writer rescues Alice from Wonderland by Julia Keller.

Book Giveaway: The Divining Wand is giving away a copy of The Murderer’s Daughters to anyone who leaves a comment on this post and is selected in a random drawing. The deadline is Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. EST. with the winner to be announced here in Thursday’s post.

There are two opposing views when it comes to writing — either write what you know or write what you don’t know. Melanie Benjamin chose what she didn’t know because it piqued her curiosity and what she learned is shared in her historical fiction debut, Alice I Have Been, to be released tomorrow, January 12, 2010.

The backstory, catalyst, motivation to write a book can be a fascinating tale in and of itself and, for this author, it certainly was when several years ago she visited the Art Institute of Chicago and viewed a traveling exhibit called “Dreaming in Pictures: The Photography of Lewis Carroll.” That experience sent her into a personal wondering land as she explains in “Alice I Have Been” – Author Interview – Melanie Benjamin at Paperback Writer – Books, Author Interviews and Writing:

“I had little knowledge of Lewis Carroll – or Charles Dodgson, his real name – prior to that moment. I certainly had no idea he was a pioneer of early photography! In the exhibit there was one image in particular that stood out; it was the very worldly, very wise face of 7-year-old Alice Liddell as a beggar girl. The caption said that she was the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland. I hadn’t known there ever was a real little girl named Alice; I wondered what happened to her after she grew up. I wondered what happened between the two of them, Dodgson and Alice, to result in such a startling photograph. I thought that it might make a good story; it took me a while to get around to researching it but when I did, I knew right away that I had to write it.”

The truth is that it took the author four years and the urging of a good friend to realize how little she knew of the entire story behind Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and how much she wanted to know what happened to the child once she grew up. That convinced Melanie to tell the story from Alice’s point of view, giving Alice her own voice.

The Synopsis:

Few works of literature are as universally beloved as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Now, in this spellbinding historical novel, we meet the young girl whose bright spirit sent her on an unforgettable trip down the rabbit hole–and the grown woman whose story is no less enthralling.




But oh my dear, I am tired of being Alice in Wonderland. Does it sound ungrateful?



Alice Liddell Hargreaves’s life has been a richly woven tapestry: As a young woman, wife, mother, and widow, she’s experienced intense passion, great privilege, and greater tragedy. But as she nears her eighty-first birthday, she knows that, to the world around her, she is and will always be only “Alice.” Her life was permanently dog-eared at one fateful moment in her tenth year–the golden summer day she urged a grown-up friend to write down one of his fanciful stories.



That story, a wild tale of rabbits, queens, and a precocious young child, becomes a sensation the world over. Its author, a shy, stuttering Oxford professor, does more than immortalize Alice–he changes her life forever. But even he cannot stop time, as much as he might like to. And as Alice’s childhood slips away, a peacetime of glittering balls and royal romances gives way to the urgent tide of war. 



For Alice, the stakes could not be higher, for she is the mother of three grown sons, soldiers all. Yet even as she stands to lose everything she treasures, one part of her will always be the determined, undaunted Alice of the story, who discovered that life beyond the rabbit hole was an astonishing journey.



A love story and a literary mystery, Alice I Have Been brilliantly blends fact and fiction to capture the passionate spirit of a woman who was truly worthy of her fictional alter ego, in a world as captivating as the Wonderland only she could inspire

Indeed it is an astonishing journey that begins with a weary Alice who leads the reader back to her Victorian childhood of privilege and means in Oxford, England. You may read both the Prologue and Excerpt from Chapter One and likely be as intrigued and impressed by reviews which include:

“Benjamin draws on one of the most enduring relationships in children’s literature… spinning out the heartbreaking story of Alice from Alice in Wonderland…Focusing on three eras in Alice’s life, Benjamin offers a finely wrought portrait of Alice that seamlessly blends facts with fiction. This is book club gold.”
—Publishers Weekly starred review, “Pick of the Week”

“Benjamin’s novel imagines the truth behind the mystery of Lewis Carroll’s relationship with his child muse, Alice Liddell. Although the shadow of inappropriateness always lingers, this is truly a love story, albeit one that could happily exist only in a fairy tale. This novel will have wide appeal as it includes history, romance, literature, and a great deal of suspense.”
—Library Journal (Joy Humphrey, Pepperdine University Law Library, Malibu, CA)

“Genuinely moving”
—Booklist

There is more Praise for this remarkable novel that reads so true and poignant. For it is young Alice — with straight dark hair and fringe — that will likely capture your heart. As the middle of three close-in-age sisters (from a very large family) she was the defiantly different one, chafing under the Victorian rules and restrictions for young girls. After all would a young Alice, who longed to be free and run through the grass in her bare feet, raise eyebrows today?

Seemingly more of a free spirit than anything else, Alice Liddell has her childhood dreams of wanting to stay young forever, while asking tall, thin, stuttering Charles Dodgson “to wait” for her. Indeed she is the perfect muse — full of adventure and wonder — who eventually pays a high personal price for what might have happened on a perfect day.

Although Alice I Have Been is historical fiction, Melanie Benjamin writes with such stunning clarity and heartfelt insight that the reader will likely believe the entire story to be true. And, though the author acknowledges where she has taken liberties — when documentation was unavailable — perhaps those liberties were the actual truths.

A truly beautiful and memorable novel on its own, the author has enhanced the reading experience by filling her website with the factual world of Alice. Please visit to learn about Victorian Oxford, Alice in Oxford, and even take a Virtual Tour of Oxford.

TRUST: You’ll be enchanted by the curious aspects of Alice Liddell’s adventures in real live and love.

TRUTH: Alice I Have Been is a keeper and may well become a classic in its own right. So remember that tomorrow you have a very important date at your favorite bookstore, don’t be late!

Book Giveaway: Please leave a comment on this post by 7:00 p.m. EST
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 for a chance to win a copy of Alice I Have Been. The winner — chosen from a random drawing — will be announced here in Thursday’s post.

Next Tuesday, January 12, 2010, Melanie Benjamin will offer readers a gloriously haunting tale when her historical fiction novel, Alice I Have Been becomes available in bookstores and from online retailers. The “Alice” of the title is Alice Liddell — muse/model — for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and her story will be presented here on Monday, January 11, 2010.

For now, though, the focus is on Melanie. Who is this author of the book described as “a love story and literary mystery?” According to the back cover of the Advance Reading Copy:

MELANIE BENJAMIN lives in Illinois, where she is at work on her next novel.

Fortunately Melanie Benjamin, who lives with her family in the Chicago area, reveals much more in the following Q&A:

Q: How would you describe your life in 8 words?
A: Blessed, surprising, interesting, amusing, repeat.

Q: What is your motto or maxim?
A: I don’t really have one. I do believe in looking forward, always; I never look back. I suppose that’s the closest thing to a maxim I have.

Q: How would you describe perfect happiness?
A: Going to bed at night knowing that I have something interesting and creative to do the next day.

Q: What’s your greatest fear?
A: Terrible things happening to my children.

Q: If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be? Estes Park, Colorado.

Q: With whom in history do you most identify?
A: Oh, goodness! I can’t answer this; I’ve never thought to do that. I’m coming up empty with this one!

Q: Which living person do you most admire?
A: Tina Fey.

Q: What are your most overused words or phrases?
A: “Me.” “I want.” “Will you…?”

Q: If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?
A: The ability to speak many languages fluently.

Q: What is your greatest achievement?
A: I don’t think in terms of achievements. I would say the trait I’m proudest of is the ability to keep working, keeping moving forward, regardless of the past.

Q: What’s your greatest flaw? A: Vanity.

Q: What’s your best quality? A: The ability to put myself in others’ shoes.

Q: What do you regret most? A: Not having the courage to go for what I truly wanted when I was younger. It took me a while to find that courage.

Q: If you could be any person or thing, who or what would it be?
A: I’m pretty content with who I am right now.

Q: What trait is most noticeable about you?
A: My work ethic, I hope.

Q: Who is your favorite fictional hero?
A: Rhett Butler.

Q: Who is your favorite fictional villain?
A: Nathan Radley.

Q: If you could meet any athlete, who would it be and what would you say to him or her?
A: Peyton Manning – I’m a huge Colts fan! I’d probably giggle and mumble and maybe finally ask him to sign my Colts sweatshirt.

Q: What is your biggest pet peeve?
A: People who write “your welcome” when it should be “you’re welcome.”

Q: What is your favorite occupation, when you’re not writing?
A: Reading!

Q: What’s your fantasy profession?
A: I’m pretty sure I’m living it right now.

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

Q: If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be? A: Peanut butter sandwiches.

Q: What are your 5 favorite songs?
A: “Long Black Veil,” “Ring of Fire,” (Can you tell I’m a Johnny Cash fan?) “Love at the Five and Dime” and “Gulfcoast Highway” by Nanci Griffith, “Desperado” by the Eagles.

Q: What are your 5 favorite books of all time?
A: HOWARDS END by E.M. Forster; THE MARCH by E.L. Doctorow; GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell; TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee; LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott.

You’ll be hearing a great deal about Melanie and her wondrous novel in the days to come, so get to know her better by following her on Twitter and friend her on Facebook.

Announcement: Congratulations to Trish Ryan and Renee G both winners of Eileen Cook’s Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood. Please email diviningwand (at) gmail (dot) com with your mailing addresses and the books will be sent out as soon as possible.

Book Giveaway: Please remember The Divining Wand will be awarding two copies of 101 Ways to Torture Your Husband by randomly drawing from the comments left on this post before the deadline of Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 7:00 P.M. EST with the winners to be announced in Monday’s post.

It’s still the season for a wonderful holiday, complete with romance and delicious treats. Today’s authors share their experiences.

Emily’s Wonderful Life and Kiss

Who doesn’t love “It’s a Wonderful Life”? Okay, I grant it has some problems. For example, I don’t believe for one minute that Donna Reed’s character would have remained unmarried had George Baliey not existed. No way. I do agree that the town would have been different. The lives of people helped to buy homes there would have been different. His life, though not the life he’d wished for himself, was, indeed, wonderful, for himself and for others.

But that’s not why I like it.

I like it because we were watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” the first time the man who’s now my husband kissed me.

It took guts. The timeline was like this:
1) 1992 My friend Mary meets him while she has a semester abroad in England; he and I hear about each other from her for years.
2) October 1997 He moves to the US (west coast to my east coast), and starts to email and phone me, as friends only. We like each other a lot.
3) November 1997 We meet in person on Thanksgiving weekend at Mary’s house. Afterward he asks Mary if I “like” him.
4) Early December 1997 He sends me flowers with a note saying “I love you.” Hilariously, the florist gets my name wrong!!! Anyway, I thank him for saying so, but confess that I can’t say it back, at least not yet.
5) Christmas Day 1997 He calls me at my parents’ house in New Jersey, from his mom’s house in Devon. My mom and dad assume it’s serious, because only serious boyfriends call on Christmas Day. We open an atlas to England and find the town where he is.
6) End of December. He visits me in Massachusetts on his way back to his job in California. I waffle about whether I feel romantically toward him or not. I respect him, I enjoy his company, I think he’s super. But not sure if I feel “that way” about him.
7) December 30 1997, we watch “It’s a Wonderful Life.” He’s sitting in my one living room chair. I’m on the floor in front of him, next to his legs, using the chair as a backrest. He’s brushing my hair. Then he kisses me.

Wow. I was suddenly sure sure sure how I felt about him. Respect, friendship AND great kissing? I was on board from that moment. We married the next July, eleven years ago.

So that’s why I think so fondly of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

And if he ever had a George Bailey moment, if he got a chance to see what the world would be like had he never been born, I hope, unlike in the movie, that he’d find me married to someone else. As I hope the same would be true for him if I’d never been born. Marriage is wonderful, and I wouldn’t want either of us to miss it, if we couldn’t have each other.

But I’m sure glad I’m married to him. We have a really wonderful life.
Emily Winslow (The Whole World coming May 25, 2010)

[Note: Happy first kiss anniversary, Emily.]

Melanie’s Holiday Recipe

This dessert called “Cherry Delight” is only made for Thanksgiving and Christmas…(maybe New Year’s too?):

Mix together:
18 Graham crackers, crushed (or 1 ¼ cup Graham cracker crumbs)
1 stick butter, melted (on the recipe card, my grandma wrote “Oleo” instead of butter, which shows how old this is)
¼ cup sugar
Spread in 9X9 glass pan, well-greased
Cream:
8 oz. Philadelphia cream cheese
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
Spread on crust and bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven, let cool. Slightly spread 1 can of cherry pie filling (my grandmother calls for a brand called “Thank You,” but I’ve never been able to find it). Top with Cool Whip
Melanie Benjamin (Alice I Have Been coming January 12, 2010)

‘Tis the season to be jolly or — more appropriate — to be joyful despite all the busyness. Today our authors offer a special recipe, wishlists, and a best gift given.

Meg Shares Page’s Post-It Turkey Dressing

Growing up, I was never a big fan of dressing, or gravy or anything, really, but the holiday turkey and the pies. For my oldest son’s first Thanksgiving, though, we trekked to Nashville to have Thanksgiving with my mom-in-law, and I tasted turkey dressing Page Davidson Clayton style. What a difference a recipe makes, especially when it includes cornbread, which I’ve always loved!

The next year as the holidays approached I rang Page up – from the office, it appears, since the notes I took for her recipe are written in my messiest scrawl on two rectangular yellow post-it notes. As I’ve pulled it out over the years, I’ve often thought I should commit this to a recipe card. The two post-its no longer stick together, so I’m frequently left with one in hand as I search for its match in the scatter of cut-out and collected recipes that constitute most of my recipe book, and my scrawl is nearly impossible to read, even for me, too, and my spelling atrocious. But somehow I never did, and when I pulled it out this Thanksgiving, the first time I’ve made Page’s dressing since she died last year, I realized I never will; when I look at the post-its, Page springs to life for me again in a way I’m afraid I’ll lose if this wonderful recipe is reduced to careful ink on a 3×5 card.

“Make one recipe corn bread. While hot crumble it up in a bowl. Saute 1/2 – 1 small onion & celery. Use fair amount of margarine. Pour in some of the drippings from turkey and neck, etc., & water and onion and parsely flakes & cook broth for a couple hours. Use plain white bread or biscuits & crumble it up with cornbread (3-4 pieces). Pour in hot broth. Add salt, pepper & a little poultry seasoning. Put in sq. cake pan and bake at 350° or so for till not too brown (or make patties on cookie sheet)”

The celery is struck through because my husband turns out to be allergic to it, and Page said I could omit it, but the other strike-throughs are Page making up her mind about how she cooks. Several years ago, I started throwing in a few pecans and cranberries, too, which my gang likes. But why a square cake pan instead of a round one? How much is “fair amount” or “a little” or “some”? And what’s with the “little patties on a cookie sheet” – is that dressing? These are questions I never got answers to.

In sharing Page’s recipe, though, I mean to send some of the love she gave to me out into the world. And it’s delicious love! Happy holidays, everyone!
Meg Waite Clayton (The Wednesday Sisters)

Ad Hudler’s Personal Holiday Wishlist

Mud flaps for my truck, new kitchen apron, chain saw, cute little plates from Anthropologie, money for new ‘gator-skin boots, behavioral-modification classes for our cat, and sweet cards from my daughter and wife.
Ad Hudler (Man of the House, All This Belongs to Me, House Husband)

Melanie’s Personal Holiday Wishlist

A new fireplace for our living room; it’s what my husband and I are giving each other this year.
Melanie Benjamin (Alice I Have Been coming January 12, 2010)

Tish’s Best Gift to Her (Young) Son

When my youngest was about five, many of his toys were battery operated and the poor child was born into a battery challenged household so once his Duracell’s ran out, the toys were rendered useless. He asked Santa for batteries and our photo of him that year is one with him grinning wide while holding up his favorite present: batteries. Kind of heart breaking and cute at the same time.
Tish Cohen (Town House, Inside Out Girl, Little Black Lies YA, The Truth About Delilah Blue coming June 8, 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.

Throughout the fall The Divining Wand has 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? While all the responses have been fascinating and varied, it’s now time to put the Muse to rest with these final thoughts.

Melanie Benjamin (Alice I Have Been coming January 12, 2010):

“Well, my muse for Alice I Have Been was the photograph of Alice Liddell herself, at age 7, taken by Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll). But I really don’t think I have a muse; I have a great curiosity about many things, and I follow that until it leads me to the next amazing story I just have to write.”

Eve Brown-Waite (First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria: How A Peace Corps Poster Boy Won My Heart and A Third World Adventure Changed My Life):

“I don’t think I have a muse … and I’m starting to feel left out. I was inspired to write my book because I JUST HAD TO TELL THAT STORY. IT WOULD NOT LET GO OF MY LIFE until I did. Plain and simple. I have felt at other times like I have JUST HAD TO WRITE an essay, a political commentary or (don’t laugh) a letter to the editor, as well. This urgency comes not solely because I feel strongly about something, but more because I feel like I am seeing it a way that others are not. I guess my muse (such as it is) is just feeling like there is something I just have to say!”

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

‘He’s purple and hairy. He sulks quite a bit, if I’m being honest. He has a naughty chair. Or what does s/he sound like? Like the adults on the Peanuts. Believe me, that gets old…fast. Or what does s/he feel like? His feet feel like leather.”

Judy Merrill Larsen (All the Numbers):

“My muse (or muses, perhaps?) is more the voices in my head–characters sort of start talking or muttering, sometimes even shouting, until I know I have to sit down and write. When I’m on a roll (and the muse is happy, I suppose) I feel kind of itchy-twitchy until I can get back to the WIP.”

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

“I’m embarrassed to say that my Muse looks like me. How vain is that? But seriously, if I don’t drive me, I don’t know who will.”

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

“I’m not sure that I have a muse, in fact, I definitely don’t. I think my muse is more myself, at least that’s what inspires me to write. What I mean by that is that I enjoy taking snippets of my emotional map – for example, maybe wondering about my what-ifs, exploring my feelings about my past and how it’s led me to where I’ve become, – and putting them into my characters. This is true for both my protagonists in my first two books, and to an extent with my third protagonist with my upcoming book. I like exploring women who maybe aren’t taking full responsibility for living complete lives and seeing if I can transform them. So that’s really my inspiration – I always feel like I learn a little bit about myself as I write.”

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

“Is it too glib to admit that my muse looks an awful lot like a good cup of coffee?”

Is there a question you’d like the authors to answer? If so, please email it to diviningwand (AT) gmail (DOT) com

When choosing books as great holiday gifts, or even for yourself, more than likely the tendency is to select a new title. Yet what about considering the classics, the keepers — the ones our authors return to again and again.

Melanie Benjamin (Alice I Have Been coming January 12, 2010):

“I really do reread my books all the time. I only toss out books that I know I’ll never read again, and that happens rarely. I’d have to say the Provincial Lady series by E.M. Delafield are probably my most reread books of all time.”

Alicia Bessette (All Come Home coming in August 2010):

“I recently reread Little Women and loved it. I just finished reading a phenomenal book, The Ninth Life of Louis Drax, by Liz Jensen — it’s inventive, entertaining, and challenging — and my first instinct was to immediately return to page one and savor it a second time.”

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

“I reread books by Agatha Christie and Jane Austen all the time. Great books are best savored again and again.”

Therese Fowler (Souvenir, Reunion):

‘I reread quite a few books; which ones and when depend upon what I feel I need at a given time. I’ve reread BEL CANTO, THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, THE THINGS THEY CARRIED, SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS, and LOLITA, to name the more prominent of them.”

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

“I re-read Pride and Prejudice every year. My favorite!”

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

“There are too many to count. You can pick up so many more details and nuances upon a second reading.”

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

“I often reread “Houses of Stone” by Barbara Michaels and “Naked Once More” by Elizabeth Peters (which are both pen names of the same author, actually). They are fun, suspenseful novels with feminist heroines, each story with a writer at the heart of its mystery.”

With the theme/trend of time travel becoming popular in books, movies, TV shows, etc., authors might wonder “what if” on their journey to publication. Yet how did the following writers respond when asked, If you knew then, what you know now about writing as an art and business, what might you have done differently?

Melanie Benjamin (Alice I Have Been coming January 12, 2010):

“I’m not sure I’d do anything differently; I honestly believe that I wouldn’t be where I am now without previous, even painful, experiences. No regrets, in other words. We are who we are because of what we’ve endured and the lessons we’ve learned.”

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

“I wouldn’t have done anything differently. I’ve been very lucky, with one book published this year and another coming out next year. In my opinion, each “‘failure’” or piece that isn’t published or made into a film is actually part of my learning process. If you tie your creativity too close to the market (writing with the idea of catching a trend), I think you run the risk of inhibiting your creativity.”

Therese Fowler (Souvenir, Reunion):

“I don’t know that I’d do anything differently. I’ve had a few hard knocks because of enthusiasm and/or naivete, but the outcome has been so positive that I consider even those knocks as a necessary and maybe even desirable part of the process.”

Kristina Riggle (Real Life & Liars):

“Lucky for me, I fell in with a group of talented up-and-coming authors (via The Debutante Ball and Backspace and other online venues) early, so I understood publishing as a business by watching their careers ahead of me. I don’t think I’d change anything (yet) about how I’ve conducted my fledgling career.”

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

“Hmmm, probably not much to be honest. I always understood, from the very get-go, that writing is just as much a business endeavor as an artistic one. I think writers TOO often forget that, but writing is like any other job: you have to be your biggest champion AND you have to present yourself in the best possible light by meeting deadlines, proving your competency, etc. If you don’t remember that, you truly can’t succeed in this business.”

From an award nomination, a library celebration, a newspaper citation and more, read and hear where our authors recently have been spotlighted.

~ Lauren Baratz-Logsted (most recent Crazy Beautiful YA) has been nominated for a Cybil Award in Middle Grade Fiction for Sisters Eight Book 1: Annie’s Adventures. Congratulations Lauren!

~ Allison Winn Scotch (The Department of Lost and Found, Time of My Life and The One That I Want coming June 1, 2010) did a Real Good Reads Interview about Time of My Life, marriage, personal responsibility and her ex-boyfriends. She also spoke briefly about The One That I Want.

~ Kristina Riggle (Real Life & Liars) spoke at the Celebration of the Book at the Grand Rapids Michigan Public Library. Listen to her talk, and you’ll hear Kristina speak of great works, read from Real Life & Liars and also from her second novel, The Life You’ve Imagined coming in August 2010.

~ Therese Walsh (The Last Will of Moira Leahy) was thrilled to see the First Lines of her debut novel in Sunday’s October 25, 2009 edition of The Denver Post.

And, although not a formal member of our Authors Directory yet, Melanie Benjamin who will debut with Alice I Have Been on January 12, 2010 was featured in Maximum Shelf Awareness yesterday. This is absolutely lovely so please take a look.

Book Giveaway: The Divining Wand’s giveaway of two copies of CJ Lyons’ Urgent Care, released today, remains open until Wednesday 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 Thursday’s post.