The Divining Wand

Have you heard, new books are coming? That’s been my refrain throughout the winter but it’s only the truth. And the new releases begin appearing next Tuesday when Sarah Pekkanen (hmm, ever heard of her?) debuts with The Opposite of Me.

Rather than tell of all the others, let me show you what will soon be in bookstores as well as here on The Divining Wand.

March 9, 2010:

Sarah Pekkanen debuts with The Opposite of Me

March 16, 2010:
Jenny Gardiner (Sleeping with Ward Cleaver) launches her memoir, Winging It: Twenty Years of Caring for a Vengeful Bird Determined to Kill Me.

April 6, 2010:
Kristy Kiernan (Catching Genius, Matters of Faith) gifts us with her third novel, Between Friends.

Holly LeCraw debuts with The Swimming Pool.

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

May 11, 2010:
Meredith Cole (Posed for Murder) gives us more chills with her second mystery, Dead in the Water.

Barrie Summy (I So Don’t Do Mysteries, I So Don’t Do Spooky) has yet another detective case for preteens with I So Don’t Do Makeup Ages 9 – 12.

May 13, 2010:
Joëlle Anthony debuts with Restoring Harmony YA.

May 25, 2010:

Emily Winslow debuts with The Whole World.

Thaisa Frank (A Brief History in Camouflage, Sleeping in Velvet) offers a gem with Heiddegger’s Glasses.

June 1, 2010:
Allison Winn Scotch (The Department of Lost and Found, Time of My Life) assures us that her third novel is The One That I Want.

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

June 22, 2010:
Trish Ryan (He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not: A Memoir of Finding Faith, Love, and Happily Ever After) shares more of her life with A Maze of Grace: A Memoir of Second Chances.

July 12, 2010:
Lauren Baratz-Logsted (most recent Crazy Beautiful YA, Sisters 8 series with Book 5: Marcia’s Madness) returns to YA with The Education of Bet.

August 5, 2010:
Alicia Bessette debuts with Simply from Scratch.

August 17, 2010:
Kristina Riggle (Real Life & Liars) promises another “a la Anne Tyler” novel with The Life You’ve Imagined.

All of these authors will be revealed and their books presented, in addition to a few surprises. Remember, it begins this Monday with The Opposite of Me!

[Note: This information will be archived on the Debuts page.]

The Diving Wand loves sharing good news about its authors and this post offers quite a collection.

For Wendy Tokunaga (Midori By Moonlight, Love in Translation) BookPage Reviews’ Friendship and family in a foreign land is a Web exclusive by Sheri Bodoh.

Katie Alender (Bad Girls Don’t Die YA) was thrilled and flattered by this terrific book trailer for Bad Girls Don’t Die made by a reader/fan. Do watch.

Melanie Benjamin watches her foreign rights sales soar for (Alice I Have Been), along with requests for essays, interviews, and op-ed pieces on “Alice.” With the movie of “Alice in Wonderland” coming out next Friday, Melanie is enjoying perfect timing.

Also to be noted: The Audio Book of Alice I Have Been was Audiofile Magazine’s hot pick for the week of February 10th.

Randy Susan Meyers and The Murderer’s Daughters is traveling the world too with the book now to be published in Turkey, Israel, France, Germany, Britain, Australia, Ireland, Scotland, Taiwan, Poland, Portugal, and Holland.

Would you like to hear Randy? Listen to her Author Magazine Interview

And the “hip and current” Daily Candy has chosen The Murderer’s Daughters as one of the Best New Winter Books.

Meredith Cole has received a 2009 Agatha nomination for Best First Novel, Posed for Murder. The Awards will be presented on May 1st with Meredith’s second novel, Dead in the Water, in bookstores May 11th!

Carleen Brice (Orange Mint and Honey, Children of the Waters) is overjoyed and thanks one and all because, according to BlackVoices Entertainment Newswire, “Sins of the Mother” was “the second highest rated program in key woman demographics in the network’s 12-year history — bested only by the 2009 ‘Natalie Holloway’ movie.”

And Alicia Bessette offers her literary website, her debut novel’s cover, and the opportunity to Pre-order Simply from Scratch coming August 5, 2010.

Congratulations and well done, everyone!

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.

It’s time to take a look at authors making news beyond their pages…

Melanie Benjamin is very proud that Alice I Have Been was reviewed on NPR’s “Fresh Air.” You can read and listen to that review here. Bravva, Melanie!

Think of Mia King (Good Things, Sweet Life, Table Manners) and what comes to mind? Novels, Hawaii and FOOD?!

It’s true that recently, when not writing, Mia’s been spending more and more time in her actual and virtual kitchen. You can join her online at the Friendship Bread Kitchen on Facebook where she has gorgeous images, recipes and tips relating to Amish Friendship Bread. She even has a contest going on right now — once the page hits 500 fans, she’s giving away a beautiful Emile Henry ceramic loaf pan from William-Sonoma! As of this writing, Mia’s fans number 493, so hurry…

Also expect a major announcement from this author in the next month or two.

On Monday, February 1st, Allison Winn Scotch (The Department of Lost and Found, Time of My Life and The One That I Want coming June 1, 2010) announced Contest Time!. She’s giving away at least two galleys of The One That I Want (coming June 1, 2010) and all you need do is tell her: Where would you like to see yourself five years from now?

Allison shares her five years in the future: “Hmmm, I think I’d like to be living in California (I’ve had enough of NYC and we’re considering a move), still writing a book or so a year, add another dog (not child!) to our family, having more time to relax and focus on ME once my kids are a bit older. I think my five-year goal was probably a bit more lofty five years ago – now, in my 30s, I feel like I’ve been able to take the reins of my life and steer it more or less where I want it to go, but then again, who knows what the future brings (well, Tilly does!), so we’ll just see what happens from here. ”

The deadline is tomorrow night with the winner announced on Friday. Since Monday’s post is weighed down with comments, visit Go Big or Go Home and share.

Meredith Cole (Posed for Murder, Dead in the Water coming May 11, 2010) invites you to check out a sneak peek of Dead in the Water which is featured this month on “From the Masters.”

Book Giveaway: The Divining Wand is giving away two copies of Shana Mahaffey’s Sounds Like Crazy in a random drawing of comments left on this post. Everyone — readers and writers alike — is welcome to participate before the deadline of tonight at 7:00 pm EST. The winners will be announced here in tomorrow’s post.

AND

To celebrate “Sins of the Mother” –based on Carleen’s debut novel, Orange Mint and Honey, which premieres on The Lifetime Movie Network Sunday, February 21st at 8:00 p.m. EST — The Divining Wand will give away both Orange Mint and Honey and Carleen’s latest book, Children of the Waters, as a duo. Anyone leaving a comment on this post will be entered in the random drawing. The deadline is this evening at 7:00 p.m. EST with the winner to also be announced in tomorrow’s post.

‘Tis Christmas Eve…

Giving Joy for Christmas

My parents are college professors and were never very religious. But they had grown up going to church, and Christmas and all its trappings seemed normal to them. Despite the fact that we lived in the country and didn’t belong to a church, every December my family went out caroling. We learned to sing carols from old Unitarian hymnals we had on the bookshelf, and even now I sing “good will to all” or similar PC lines when I’m at church while the rest of the congregation sings “Good will to man.”

There was a ritual to caroling. We would dress warmly, and gather the hymnals and flashlights. And then we would all pile into our poorly heated VW bus. Our first stop: one of the farming families on our dirt road. We would figure out what to sing at each stop, usually two or three songs. I learned to sing “Joy to the World” when I was three, and it is still my favorite carol. It has a cheerful tune (as opposed to songs like “Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel”), a happy message and a gorgeous harmony.

One Christmas our neighbor down the road, Mrs. Johnson, had been very ill. We stopped at her house and knocked tentatively at the door. When her husband answered, we asked if Mrs. Johnson would like us to sing for her. He said that she would, and requested that we sing her favorite carol “Silent Night.” He opened the window in the bedroom so she could hear us down in the front yard. The sky was full of stars, and our voices lifted and soared into the heavens. We could probably never repeat the beauty of our singing that night as we helped her celebrate her last Christmas. When the last note died away, Mr. Johnson was crying and so were we.

My goal this Christmas is to find a way to give joy to my family, friends and neighbors. May we all find a way to give the perfect gift, and may we all a holiday full of peace and happiness.
Meredith Cole (Posed for Murder, Dead in the Water coming May 11, 2010)

Therese’s Fireplace

We didn’t have a fireplace in the home I grew up in, but on Christmas Eve my father would turn the television to a channel that displayed a faux fireplace. The wood crackled and the flames danced as I cozied up in blankets, listened to Christmas music, and drifted off to sleep. It probably sounds hokey, but it was such a comfort.
Therese Walsh (The Last Will of Moira Leahy)

Trimming the Tree

I always got each of my boys a new ornament every year, and my mom always made one for each of them, too. I’d date them and when we’d decorate the tree, it was always fun to remember where and when and why we’d gotten each one. One year, when my older son was about 11 (he’s now 23), he made an off-hand comment that this one ornament that didn’t really belong to anyone in particular, a tiny cuckoo clock, was his very favorite and he looked forward to putting it up on the tree every year. I’d never known (and was amazed it hadn’t been inadvertently tossed one year . . . it’s that small). Well, ever since that year, it’s always the very last ornament he puts on the tree, and even now, when he’s living away form home, so he’s not always home when we put the tree up, I save it for him, so that when he gets home for Christmas he still has that one tiny ornament to hang. He loves it and so do I. Last year, he flew home on the 24th, and I had it waiting for him. He found the perfect place to hang it, turned and hugged me and said, “Now, it’s Christmas.”
Judy Merrill Larsen (All the Numbers)

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.”

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.

Once again here’s an opportunity to discover what one book influenced our authors’ careers, allowing them to dream of writings their own book pages.

Meredith Cole (Posed for Murder): “The book that most influenced my life and career as a writer? I really don’t know. I’ve always been a big reader and loved books. A book that was a huge influence on me as a kid was The Greengage Summer. Rumer Godden is an incredible storyteller. The book would be classified as YA today, but it’s really a romance, a mystery, and a thriller all rolled into one. She described the taste of the greengages so poetically, I wanted desperately to taste them. And I wanted to spend the summer in France.”

Jenny Gardiner (Sleeping with Ward Cleaver, Winging It coming Spring 2010): “The book that probably most influenced me: Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. The first person voice, that protagonist who just splayed himself out there, it just struck a chord with me and have always
loved first person POV since.”

Kristina Riggle (Real Life & Liars):
“Anne Tyler’s Pulitzer Prize winning BREATHING LESSONS taught me that a book could be entirely about inner lives and still be compelling.”

Wendy Tokunaga (Midori by Moonlight, Love in Translation coming November 24, 2009):
“Probably The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. It showed that readers would respond to novels with Asian themes and gave me confidence to take the plunge into writing fiction — first short stores and then on to novels.”

Lara Zielin (Donut Days YA): “My copy of Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawles was so dog-eared and tattered, it hardly held together. I must have read that thing 50 times as a kid. I think this book imparted to me ideas about what a true work ethic was, since the main character had to labor so very hard for everything he had. Plus he loved his dogs, and I, to this day, love animals like a fiend. I also loved the spiritual elements of the book too. God, faith, myths … I think reading this book prompted me, for the first time, to truly wonder about a force bigger and grander than what our eyes could see.”

[Note: The Crazy Beautiful Book Giveaway remains open until tomorrow night so please post your comment for a chance to win this lovely novel.]

Having learned how some of our authors spent — or wished they had spent this summer — let’s hear from more of them beyond their pages.
Katie Alender (Bad Girls Don’t Die):
“What do I wish I were doing this summer? Exactly what I’m doing! Except maybe in a cleaner house. Although I would love to have the chance to visit my brother and his family in Switzerland, but my short deadline doesn’t really leave much opportunity for that. I also wish I were losing a pound or two a week… ha ha.”

Tish Cohen (Town House, The Invisible Rules of the Zoe Lama Juvenile, Inside Out Girl and Little Black Lies YA coming October 13, 2009):

“Right now I’m finishing up edits on the third adult book (due out next summer) and am listening to French jazz and the soundtrack to Something’s Gotta Give – which is all, you guessed it, French jazz.”

Meredith Cole (Posed for Murder):

“I wish I were writing in a quiet vacation home, preferably at the beach. Instead, I’m writing in my half unpacked/half painted house. I’m not very good at writing when everything is packed and in complete disorder, so I’m not getting much done right now.”

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

“I wish I were exploring the entire state of Oklahoma, border to border, in my truck.”

Jessica Barksdale Inclan (The Beautiful Being coming September 29, 2009):

“I need to teach and I love to teach, but I wish I did not have to teach so much — Five classes much.”

Holly Kennedy (The Silver Compass, The Penny Tree, The Tin Box):

“I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing this summer. I’m spending time with my kids and husband, then sliding off to Hawaii for 12 days to take in a writers retreat and present at the conference (where I’ll hopefully inspire some upcoming writers.”

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

“I’m doing what I want to be doing (editing BETWEEN FRIENDS, starting on the new one), but I’d rather be doing it somewhere else…like St. George Island, FL.”

Judy Merrill Larsen (All the Numbers):

“I’m having a great summer–I finished a major rewrite of what I hope will be my next novel on June 30, so now I’m taking some time away from it before going back to tweak it. In the meantime, I’m traveling to Seattle to visit my son and have a reunion with my mom, sister, aunt and cousin (one of those trips we’ve talked about taking for years), and then at the end of August my husband and I are running away to Amelia Island. And of course, I’ll be reading up a storm, trying to catch up.”

Kristina Riggle (Real Life & Liars):

“I wish I had more time to go camping. I miss sitting by a campfire in the still, cool night.”

Allison Winn Scotch (The Department of Lost & Found, Time of My Life):

“Oh gosh, summer really, really makes me wish that I didn’t live in New York City. I am a beach bum at heart, so I’d much rather be loitering on the beaches in Southern Cali than pounding the asphalt pavement here. Just to wake up at a beach house and step outside and inhale the air…oh, I’m getting depressed just thinking about it. But that said, we’re headed out west for two weeks, so I should get my California fix then.”

[Note: Not only did Allison enjoy her vacation, she just heard that Time of My Life paperback edition has gone into its third printing. Congratulations Allison!!].