As we approach paperback publication day next Tuesday, I’m delighted to announce that the lovely and talented Caroline Leavitt, author of NYT bestseller PICTURES OF YOU and the forthcoming IS THIS TOMORROW, has been kind enough to host me on her blog today. I’ve written about a subject close to my heart, and at the center of much of …
Memorial Day Weekend Update
Over this long weekend I have all three days on my own – the children are on a float trip in the Ozarks with their mother – and a long list of domestic chores to get done in that time, to say nothing of (I hope) further progress with the new book. In the spirit of prevarication that I cling …
Gaithersburg Book Festival
One of the very best things about publishing a book is being invited to events where one can meet readers and other writers. I’m particularly excited for this weekend, which is the Gaithersburg Book Festival, a hugely popular event in Maryland which brings dozens of writers from across the country to talk about and read from their books. The line-up …
Writer, C’est Moi. (Finally.)
An interesting thing happened the other day. The kids and I decided to take the puppy for a walk around our new neighborhood. Dog walking is an excellent way to meet new people – if you are accompanied by a cute dog and two (equally cute) small children, you are generally not considered too much of a threat, even if …
UK Cover
In August A GOOD AMERICAN will be published in the United Kingdom by Fig Tree Books, an imprint of Penguin UK. (Fig Tree also brilliantly published The Help in England to massive success.) I met my lovely editor there, Juliet Annan, several months ago in London. She told me right away that the English edition would have a different cover …
Catching Breath
Not really. No time to catch breath. Just under three weeks until publication, and things are going ever so slightly bonkers. But in a good way. Lots of news to share with you. Where to begin? Let’s see… A GOOD AMERICAN was named #1 Read to Pick Up for February in O Magazine. Yes, that’s Ms. Winfrey’s little publication. Kind …
Missing Link
It occurred to me this morning that there was a photo missing from my last post, which illustrated an absolutely critical part of the process. Here it is: This is a page chosen more or less at random, during the second six month rewrite, after I had signed my deal with Amy. I am hopeless at editing on screen – …
A Story in Five Photos
Once upon a time, there was a blank sheet of paper. You know, that thing Ernest Hemingway was allegedly so scared of. This blank sheet of paper (and a few hundred others) got written on. Some guy had an idea for a story, and every morning at five o’clock, he hauled himself out of bed, switched on the coffee machine, …
A GOOD AMERICAN #1 Pick for February’s Indie Next List!!
Exciting times! Through the Indiebound collective, booksellers from independent bookstores across the nation submit nominations for the books published each month that they’re most excited about. I’m proud, and slightly startled, to announced that A GOOD AMERICAN has been selected as the #1 pick for February 2012. As you might imagine, this is fabulous news. Independent bookstores remain the beating heart …
Words of Wisdom from Ann Patchett
Last week a bought a Kindle. I know, I know. Now, I’ve been down this path before. I wrote here about my brief and unfulfilling flirtation with a Nook, and this post shows another problem with e-readers generally. I will never, ever stop buying books… but, well, let’s be honest – there’s a certain inevitability about it all, isn’t there? …