Book Review and Giveaway: The One That Got Away

By Jami Deise


Except for the very few who married their childhood sweethearts, nearly every human has “one who got away.” You know the one… the guy or gal you would have married, if you hadn’t been too young/too broke/too stupid. These folks used to disappear into the universe, remaining forever young and perfect in our minds, until Facebook came along and let everyone know exactly what happened to that one who got away. Some folks reunited with these found-again lovers; others breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Thank God I dodged that bullet!”

In Leigh Himes’s debut novel, The One That Got Away, her protagonist Abbey is not pining for a lost love. In fact, after she turned down a date with Philadelphia scion Alex van Holt years ago, she never saw him again. She isn’t pining at all; she’s stuck – stuck in a life that’s familiar to many of us – a career that doesn’t pay enough, two kids, and a husband who doesn’t work enough in or out of the house. That husband, Jimmy, is livid when he discovers that Abbey has spent $600 on a Marc Jacobs purse. He demands that she return it to Nordstrom’s right away. At the store, she slips over the escalator railing, crashes into the piano, and hits the floor. When she wakes up, she’s in a completely different life. And it’s a life in which $600 purses are no problem at all.

Because Alex was not the once great love of Abbey’s life, the story doesn’t unfold in a Sliding Doors type of way that the book has been compared to. Rather, it’s more like a hybrid of the movies 13 Going on 30 and the Nicolas Cage/Téa Leoni vehicle The Family Man. Both these movies fall in the wish-fulfillment category – more specifically, “be careful what you wish for; you might get it!” Tired of worrying about money, Abbey briefly wonders what life would be like if she’d gone on that date with Alex. When she wakes up married to him, it’s more 13 Going on 30 than The Family Man because she doesn’t know Alex – or his cutthroat family – at all. Nicholas Cage at least had a real relationship with Téa Leoni before he threw her over for that London job. Abbey has nothing to go on.

Just like Jenna in 13 Going on 30, Abbey finds that her best friend now hates her, but she’s now friends with the mean girls who once spurned her. She has the Pilates body, a closet full of designer clothes, a fulltime nanny, and she even got to keep the kids. True, Gloria and Sam are now spoiled brats with slightly different hair colors, but they are still recognizably the same children she had in her other timeline. She even has a parent away on a cruise. (“You guys went on a cruise and you didn’t take me!” Yes, Jenna Rink is one of my all-time favorite movie characters.)

What Abbey doesn’t have – which is vital to the “be careful what you wish for” genre – is a lesson she needs to learn. Jenna had ditched her best friend for the mean girls; Nicholas Cage had ditched the love of his life for money. A huge character flaw is necessary for these stories to work, as the protagonist must go on a journey to learn that the life they disparaged is the best one for them. (“There’s no place like home,” anyone?) Instead, Abbey is every woman, stressed out and unappreciated, and her off-screen purchase of the Marc Jacobs bag seems out-of-character. It’s rare to argue that a protagonist in humorous women’s fiction is too likeable, but in Abbey’s case, that may be true.

Frankly, the person who does need to learn a lesson is Jimmy. Underemployed as his landscaping business is about to fold, he’s more than happy to watch his wife run herself ragged at work and taking care of the kids while he watches TV.

As Abbey Van Holt, Abbey awakens as a rich, pampered wife of a man at the tail end of a tough Congressional campaign. Although her mother-in-law rules the roost, Abbey has a good life and a husband who seems to genuinely love her. Rather than searching tirelessly through Philadelphia to find a psychic or Madame Zoltar or anyone who can help her get back to her old life, Abbey gets caught up in Alex’s campaign and the other details of her new life. As the book progresses, it’s hard for the reader to root for Abbey to get her old life back. If Himes wanted to make the case that it’s better to be struggling with a man you (mostly) love than to be rich with a hot man you barely know, she didn’t persuade me. And at nearly 400 pages, it’s much longer than it needs to be.

Despite these flaws, The One that Got Away is a book that will resonate with anyone who loved 13 Going on 30 as much as I did. (I REALLY love that movie, though, so that bar’s pretty high.) I’d also recommend it if you enjoy any or all of the myriad body-switching stories out there, or Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Maybe in Another Life or One True Loves, or you’re a fan of the Bravo series Odd Mom Out.

The One that Got Away explores a common plot, but it’s one I don’t think will ever grow old. As long as we have choices, we’ll always wonder about the roads – or people – not taken. Until science invents a “parallel universe” machine, we’ll have to rely on fiction – or Facebook – to answer those questions.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for the book in exchange for an honest review. They have one copy for a lucky reader! Visit the other stops on Leigh's tour for more chances to win.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends June 19th at midnight EST.

Mary Simses plays by the rules...plus a book giveaway

Introduction and interview by Tracey Meyers

I always find it interesting when I meet a writer who either is or was an attorney. It’s not that I think attorneys aren’t interested in writing, but more that legal writing is so vastly different from other styles of writing. Today, we talk with Mary Simses, an author who, while working as a corporate attorney, enrolled in a fiction writing class at Fairfield University in Connecticut. The result was having several of her short stories published in literary magazines AND two novels published, including her newest one, The Rules of Love & Grammar (now in trade paperback). Mary grew up in Darien, Connecticut. She now lives in South Florida with her husband and daughter. Visit Mary at her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Thanks to Graff Media, we have FIVE copies of The Rules of Love & Grammar to give away!

Synopsis:
Newly jobless, newly single, and suddenly apartmentless, writer Grace Hammond has come unmoored. A grammar whiz who's brilliant at correcting other people's errors, she hasn't yet found quite the right set of rules for fixing her own mistakes.

Desperate to escape the city and her trifecta of problems, Grace hits pause and retreats to her Connecticut hometown. What begins as a short visit with her parents quickly becomes a far more meaningful stay, though, as she discovers that the answers to what her future holds might be found by making peace with-and even embracing-the past.

As Grace sets out to change her ways and come to terms, finally, with the tragedy that took her older sister's life so many years ago, she rekindles a romance with her high school sweetheart, Peter, now a famous Hollywood director who's filming a movie in town. Sparks also fly at the local bike shop, where Grace's penchant for pointing out what's wrong rattles the owner's ruggedly handsome schoolteacher son, Mitch.

Torn between the promise of a glamorous life and the allure of the familiar, Grace must decide what truly matters-and whether it's time for her to throw away the rule book and bravely follow her heart. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

Who has had the greatest influence on your writing?
My long-time friend, mentor, and fellow author, Jamie Cat Callan. Jamie taught an evening fiction writing course I took at Fairfield University in Connecticut, back in the early nineties. I was working as a corporate attorney at the time and I signed up for the class because I wanted to get back into creative writing after a long hiatus. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. We became good friends and it was Jamie who, years later, pushed me to write my first novel. She is the first reader and editor of anything I write. She has great insight into storytelling and character development.

Which of your characters is your favorite and why?
Yikes. I’ve heard other writers say that choosing their favorite character or book is like choosing their favorite child. Fortunately, I only have one child, so that’s easy. But character? Even with only two-and-a-half books under my belt (I’m currently halfway through the draft of a third), it’s a tough question. But I guess I’d have to say Grace Hammond, the protagonist in The Rules of Love & Grammar. There’s poignancy and fragility to Grace that I love, but she’s also tough when she needs to be. Plus, she has a goofy side that gets her into trouble, and I love that as well.

On your website you mention that your daughter is quite a writer herself. What advice would you give her if she wanted to pursue a career in writing?
I’d tell her first and foremost to be an observer of life – watch what people do, listen to what they say, look at what’s around you. There are a million stories happening every minute. You just need to slow down to discover them. In terms of more specific career advice, as in “how to you become an author?” that’s a hard one for me to answer, because I came at it in a roundabout way, having first worked in magazine publishing and then as a corporate lawyer. My becoming an author grew out of writing “on the side” for many years. So I guess my other piece of advice to her would be to be patient and keep at it, even if it means working at something else or doing some other kind of writing as a “day job” to pay the bills. Just keep doing it.

What is your favorite TV show:
I like comedies. I still watch a couple of hours of Seinfeld reruns each week, even though I’ve seen them a million times and know all the lines by heart. I recently discovered Party Down, about a group of actors who work for a catering company in Los Angeles, and I binge-watched that. I can’t believe it aired in 2009-2010 and I just found it. Where was I back then?! Probably writing. Or reading. I also loved Call My Agent, a French “dramedy” about a talent agency in Paris. It only ran for one season, although I read that seasons 2 and 3 will be released. I’m still waiting…

You have the day all to yourself, how do you spend the time?
I have a lot of days to myself, because my husband works at our law firm, and during the school year our daughter is away at college. So I’m home alone quite often (although we do have two cats and they would probably object to my use of the term alone). Some days I write a little, some days I write a lot, some days I don’t write at all because I’ve got a day full of the usual errands that everybody does, like the grocery store and the cleaner’s and returning the shoes that didn’t fit. On days when I write, I usually still go out. I don’t like being in the house all day, so I’ll see friends or take some pictures, or just go for a walk and clear my mind or think through a problem I’m having with the story I’m working on.

Favorite dessert:
It’s hard to name just one. I have a terrible sweet tooth. I do love warm, freshly-baked blueberry muffins. I paid tribute to those in my first novel, The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Café, a story that takes a fast-paced Manhattan attorney to a small town in Maine. The book was adapted as The Irresistible Blueberry Farm for the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel. People have told me they get hungry just looking at the cover of the novel, which shows a jar of blueberry preserves.

The other dessert I can’t resist is apple pie the way my late mother made it, which means the apples are tender, not crunchy, and the crust is buttery. When I grew up in Darien, Connecticut, my mom used to make the best pies from the tiny, very tart apples that came from two old apple trees in our back yard. I can still remember the smell of apples and cinnamon in the air when a pie was baking. Apple pies are important in The Rules of Love & Grammar because there’s an orchard in the town where the story takes place and all of the restaurants feature their own version of the pie.

Thanks to Mary for chatting with us and to Graff Media for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends June 18th at midnight EST.

Book Review: Pieces of Happiness

UK cover

By Becky Gulc

‘I’ve planted my feet on Fijian earth and I intend to stay here until the last sunset . Why don’t you join me? Leave behind everything that didn’t work out!

When recently-widowed Kat writes to her four old school friends, inviting them to live with her on a cocoa plantation in the South Pacific, they swap icy pavements and TV dinners for a tropical breeze and an azure-blue ocean. Leaving behind loneliness, dead-end jobs and marriages that have gone sour, they settle into the Women’s House, surrounded by palms and cocoa trees; and locals with the puzzling habit of exploding into laughter for no discernible reason.

Each of the women has her issues to resolve, and secrets to keep. But together the friends find a new purpose, starting a business making chocolate: bittersweet, succulent pieces of happiness. As they embrace a new culture that views ageing so differently from their own, will they learn to accept and forgive: to discover the value of friendship, and a better way to live?’ (Synopsis courtesy of Penguin UK.)

Isn’t the [UK] cover glorious?  It would stand out for me on a bookshelf and it suits the story perfectly: warm, vibrant, and offering promise and escapism.

The book is about four women in their sixties who are invited to live with their old friend Kat in Fiji, to see out their days together and to care for one another. The invites basically come out of the blue, as this is a group of friends that haven’t been close for many years, but they retain sisterly love for each other regardless – and this is why for various reasons these old friends take Kat up on the invite. Each one is hopeful the move may bring an escape from: home, a money-grabbing son, a seemingly over-protective daughter, a degenerative illness, a philandering partner. Then there’s Kat, recently bereaved but not yet ready to talk about it. Will these old friends be the support she needs?

Whilst I certainly wouldn’t say this book is ‘chick lit’ I enjoyed it thoroughly and found it completely refreshing to read, not least because these were women who were older than ones I’d usually read about; the book is all the richer for it.

US cover

I did feel transported to a place I admit I know practically nothing about, and it was wonderful. The writing is beautiful throughout, every few pages I would think ‘ooh that’s a really good line’ and nothing appeared to be lost in translation. The narrative was strong and I enjoyed how the present and past was often explored within the same chapters without being hard work for the reader; it just worked. I also particularly loved the short, but frequent, chapters featuring the prayers of Kat’s housekeeper Ateca, providing a further native’s perspective on how these women were getting on in Fiji.

With the housekeeper and the five ladies, there are quite a few characters to keep up with, but it never felt an effort or like too many, even though I initially perceived this to be that way. Each one offered something different and were key to the great dynamics of the book.

The story is very much a journey with the new chocolate business being a great opportunity for the women, but not without its challenges.  I loved how these women embraced a new opportunity. It might have sounded idyllic, to get away, up and leave your existing life, but this book features the good and the bad of such a move and I appreciated that.

A wonderful charming book that deserves to be seen on sun loungers this summer!

Thanks to Transworld for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Visit the other stops on Anne's tour!

Book Review: The Internet Made Me Do It

Before you read on, get book one for FREE! There are no spoilers here, but you should still read the first book anyway because it's just that much fun! (See our review.)

It’s been forty-three days, seven hours and twenty-six minutes since reporter Avery Fowler last consulted her favourite website, HowTo.com, for advice.

But now—her mouse finger’s getting itchy:

You see, after a year of highs, the lows are coming fast and furious.

Maybe just this one time, she can turn to Clem…

Dear HowTo.com: Is it hacking if it’s my boyfriend’s computer?
Dear HowTo.com: What’s in fashion for S&M: leather or lace?
Dear HowTo.com: Should there be icicles in my turkey?
Dear HowTo.com: Is the definition of “hooker” flexible?

Does Avery have an unhealthy Internet advice dependency? Probably.

But it would never steer her wrong—would it?

-----------

Just when Avery thought she was out, HowTo.com pulled her back in! The romantic comedy, The Internet Made Me Do It is Book 2 in the Avery Fowler 2.0 Series. If you enjoyed BRIDGET JONES' DIARY or CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC, Avery is the woman for you! (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)



Sara Steven:

I realized something, after diving into the second installment in Avery’s world.

I really, really missed her!

She’s the type of character I wish I were friends with in real life. Funny. Charming. Always telling it exactly like it is, even if in doing so, it gets her into all sorts of trouble. I’m amazed at the heap of misadventures and odd-ball situations that Avery often finds herself in. There were so many moments where I felt as though I were witnessing the beginnings of a train wreck, filling me with a need to reach inside the pages and protect her from causing undue harm to herself, yet at the same time I couldn’t look away, and if I were totally honest, I didn’t want to! Those moments were ultimately the best, because there was no way I’d stop reading and not find out what happens to Avery and those around her at every single turn.

I wasn’t sure if the second book could top the first in this series (Dear Internet: It’s Me, Avery). Yet Jennifer Ammoscato proved me wrong. The Internet Made Me Do It was amazing, from start to finish, inspiring me to be crazy free to express myself a little bit more, with a little more gumption, just like Avery would. I’m so glad Avery’s world is a trilogy, because one book would never be enough, and I look forward to reading the third installment, The Internet Never Lies, so I can see what’s in store for our girl!

Melissa Amster:

When this book became available, I replied to the review request by just saying "YES!" And then I pretty much inhaled it as soon as it was sent to my Kindle.

I agree with Sara, that book two is even better than book one. (And topping the original can be hard to do in a sequel.) Avery had me laughing out loud, smiling, cringing, sympathizing, etc. I also agree about wanting Avery around in real life. She'd be so much fun to have as a friend. I love the Confessions of a Shopaholic comparison because Avery reminds me of Becky Bloomwood in some ways.

There are a lot of new adventures and surprises in store for Avery this time around. Get book one now (see above....it's FREE), so you can read this one right away afterward. Kind of like binge-watching a show...you don't want to stop at just one episode. Sara and I had to wait for this one. (Yeah, let that sink in.) You don't. And book three is even available now, so you could just spend a whole weekend with Avery. (Or savor it so you can enjoy more Avery adventures when you really need a pick-me-up. I know we're doing that...but we won't be waiting too long.)

I didn't cast Avery's best friends (or her nemesis) in my last review, so here goes:
Becca: Marguerite Moreau
Jordan: Michelle Monaghan
Harrison: Josh Dallas
Chantal: Kate Hudson

Thanks to Jennifer Ammoscato for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Raise a glass to Kim Gruenenfelder....plus a book giveaway

Introduction and interview by Tracey Meyers

One of the things I enjoy about conducting CLC interviews is when the answers I receive back from an author make me want to sit down with them, in real life, and learn more about them. Kim Gruenenfelder is one of those authors. I can just imagine us sitting down talking about her novels and the website she created (eciah.com) while having a glass (or two) of our favorite wine (as we happen to like the same kind).

In addition to being an accomplished writer in feature films, episodic teleplays and stage plays, Kim has written five novels including her latest Love the Wine You're With (reviewed here). Kim lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son. Visit her at her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, we have FIVE copies of Love the Wine You're With to give away!

Synopsis:
Jessie is finally about to realize her life-long goal of owning her own house, the first step to a wonderful marriage, kids, and life with her boyfriend of three years, Kevin; except after they find the perfect place, Kevin suddenly gets cold feet.

Nat is having a passionate affair with her gorgeous British boss Marc—unfortunately, he’s married. Now what?

Holly is an actress who still waits tables to pay the bills, and who is coping with the recent loss of her father. A particularly bad audition, where she snaps and tells off a big director, leads her to wonder what to do when you stop loving what you do. (And also what to do about her hot neighbor. Because, you know, hot neighbor.)

After each girl finishes a particularly awful workday, the three friends meet at their favorite wine bar, which has been sold by its owner for a huge profit and will close that night. In a moment of tipsy brazenness, Jessie suggests that the three of them open their own wine bar in the gentrifying Echo Park area of Los Angeles. An unapologetically girly place for good wine and good friends—which leads to a challenge for each woman: how do you fix a life that’s not actually broken, but needs an upgrade? (Courtesy of Amazon.)


Where does the inspiration for your stories come from?
Wow. I want to say, “I haven’t a clue”. But I guess my friends, my life, and/or subjects I haven’t seen written about that I feel need to be discussed. For example, in “Love the Wine”, one of my characters has been with a married man for awhile, and she’s in love with him. I had never written about that relationship before because, at first glance, a mistress is not a sympathetic character. But after talking to a lot of women over the years, I have discovered that many of them were with married men at some point during their dating lives. The relationships have run the gamut from a woman dating a man she found out was married and dumping him immediately to one hanging around for years in the hopes he’d leave his wife (he did not), to the husband actually leaving. And, in one case, a friend who dated a married woman who had not yet come out and told her husband. I find all of these women very sympathetic in real life, and without exception they were tormented by how they got into this mess. So I decided to write about something that was complicated and messy. I suppose I’m getting to a point in my writing where I’m trying to write about things that are messy. Life is messy. Maybe writing is my way of finding answers to the mess. Of course, it’s me, so I will always still try to find the humor in those situations.

What is the easiest and most difficult part of the writing process for you?
The easiest part is rewriting. Getting the first draft down is the hardest part because it’s crap. All of it is crap. For every author. Every time. But when you start rewriting, you at least have the scene down, and it’s now a matter of getting to rework it to say what you want to say.

Who had the greatest influence on your writing career?
I don’t think I can name just one influence. Certainly my family. My parents were both English majors and writers. My great grandfather had two novels published and was a journalist. There is a vague familial relationship with Dorothy Parker I’m fond of. And I have a slew of aunts, uncles and cousins who are paid writers of some sort or other. And we also had working actors in the family who work from the writing. So the world I grew up in was filled with books and plays and TV scripts. That was my normal. My uncle Ken is an actor, and throughout my childhood he regularly talked to me about everything from the writing of Shakespeare (which he performed on Broadway) to the script from a Wonder Woman episode he guested on in the late 1970's. It took until I had a son of my own to realize how lucky I was to be brought up in a world where art was a legitimate thing to talk about and aspire to make. Not that I think that my books will ever rival Shakespeare, but maybe they are Wonder Woman good. ☺

Do you believe in astrology and horoscopes?
The short answer is “No”. But I will admit to reading the I Ching or Tarot cards just for fun and I do feel like there are unexplained parts of the universe that we call coincidence but that one could argue is a sign. I have no idea. I’m neither super religious nor atheist, and I’m constantly still looking for answers.

My favorite type of wine is:
Champagne, Prosecco or Cava. I love the celebratory aspect of them.

You created the word “eciah” and founded/created the website eciah.com. According to the site, eciah is, "moment in your life when your future suddenly gets a lot brighter.” What is your great eciah?
The moment the pregnancy stick showed two lines. My husband and I had been trying for awhile, and I was starting to resign myself to the fact that it might not happen for us. While I am very proud of my novels, by far my son Alex is the best thing I’ve ever done. If you’d like to read the whole story, go to www.eciah.com and click on pregnancy and babies. I’m under Kim Gruenenfelder. (And please! Share a story of your own. We need more stories!)

Side note: Melissa A recently shared a story on eciah.com. 

Thanks to Kim for visiting with us and to St. Martin's Press for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

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Giveaway ends June 13th at midnight EST.

Spotlight: Radical New Me

Title: Radical New Me
Author: PK Hrezo
Release Date: May 10th, 2017
Tour Dates: June 6th – 10th, 2017
Genre: Women’s Fiction


Callie Cow: Where is She Now?

That's what Calliope Crown's old high school classmates want to know.

Now it's five years later and Calliope's gone from fat to fit in a year-long transformation with a world-renowned self-help guru. When funds she's always counted on fall through, she moves to ritzy Boca Raton to work for her snobby aunt's beachside bakery and face the same temptation that put her in the body she so desperately wants to forget. Calliope may be armed with a new identity, but old self-images don't die fast, and true self-esteem isn't something you can buy online with a credit card, even though her guru would suggest otherwise with the prices of his webinar course and weekly regimen.

Enter one cute and dedicated handyman and Calliope begins to see the world in a new light. Connecting with him, as well as new friends and Internet followers may just prove that life's detours can sometimes reveal our truest identities in the most unexpected of ways.

AmazonUS | AmazonUK | AmazonAU | AmazonCA

Taylor Jenkins Reid is in SEVENTH heaven...plus a book giveaway

We're glad to have Taylor Jenkins Reid back at CLC today to celebrate the upcoming publication of her fifth novel, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Amy and Melissa A both enjoy her books and are excited to read it. Thanks to BookSparks, we have a copy for one lucky reader! The Seven Husbands is part of their 2017 Summer Reading Challenge.

Taylor lives in Los Angeles and is the acclaimed author of One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted.  Her novels have been named best books of summer by People, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, InStyle, PopSugar, BuzzFeed, Goodreads, and others. In addition to her novels, Taylor’s essays have appeared in places such as the Los Angeles Times, The Huffington Post, and Money Magazine.

Visit Taylor online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Pinterest

Synopsis:
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

What was most challenging part of writing The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo? What was the most rewarding?
The most challenging part of the story was making sure the details and the timeline were just right. The story spans over sixty years, takes place in multiple cities in multiple countries, and has very public characters. Evelyn's gowns needed to be emblematic of the time period. Her adventures and husbands had to feel timely but timeless. That was work I hadn't done before because, up until now, I've written contemporary pieces.

By far the most rewarding was Evelyn. She's a complicated woman but I hope very much that she leaps off the page. All my efforts to create her worldview, her style, her place in our culture, were done with passion and excitement. It didn't feel like work at all.

What is a favorite compliment you received on one of your previous novels? What was some constructive feedback that you applied to your writing?
I've been told a few times that After I Do helped people in their marriage. That one always sticks with me. As for constructive feedback, I'm always learning, always refining. For instance, it can be hard to gauge how clued in readers are to what you're trying to say. I sometime veer too subtle and other times too obvious. My editor and my beta-readers help me to keep fine-tuning that balance the best I can.

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with future novelists?
You have to do you. Nobody can be your voice and you can't be anyone else's. The books I'm the most drawn to -- and the most success I've had -- come from honesty and distinctiveness. There are a lot of other elements that come into play when it comes to writing a good book. But none of it matters if you aren't writing what you love in your own way.

In your opinion, which movie should never be re-made?
When Harry Met Sally... It's so good -- and truly defines the romantic comedy genre -- but there is no one that can do Nora Ephron justice and the chemistry between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan is one in a million. We have to let it age untouched.

What is your theme song?
'Grown Woman' by Beyonce. It's the perfect song to give yourself a little pep talk or when you're feelin' good. It works in both scenarios! And I like being a grown woman. Plus, hello, it's the Queen B.

What is your biggest addiction?
I have three. A holy triumvirate of vice: Caffeine, Sugar, Sweatpants.

Thanks to Taylor for chatting with us and BookSparks for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 


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Giveaway ends June 11th at midnight EST.