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Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

MAINE by J. Courtney Sullivan

In her bestselling debut, COMMENCEMENT, J. Courtney Sullivan explored the complicated and contradictory landscape of female friendship. Now, in her highly anticipated second novel, Sullivan takes us into even richer territory, introducing four unforgettable women who have nothing in common but the fact that, like it or not, they’re family.

For the Kellehers, Maine is a place where children run in packs, showers are taken outdoors, and old Irish songs are sung around a piano. Their beachfront property, won on a barroom bet after the war, sits on three acres of sand and pine nestled between stretches of rocky coast, with one tree bearing the initials “A.H.” At the cottage, built by Kelleher hands, cocktail hour follows morning mass, nosy grandchildren snoop in drawers, and decades-old grudges simmer beneath the surface.

As three generations of Kelleher women descend on the property one summer, each brings her own hopes and fears. Maggie is thirty-two and pregnant, waiting for the perfect moment to tell her imperfect boyfriend the news; Ann Marie, a Kelleher by marriage, is channeling her domestic frustration into a dollhouse obsession and an ill-advised crush; Kathleen, the black sheep, never wanted to set foot in the cottage again; and Alice, the matriarch at the center of it all, would trade every floorboard for a chance to undo the events of one night, long ago.

By turns wickedly funny and achingly sad, MAINE unveils the sibling rivalry, alcoholism, social climbing and Catholic guilt at the center of one family, along with the abiding, often irrational love that keeps them coming back, every summer, to Maine and to each other.

Summer in Maine with a little family drama…sounds delightful!

Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews

SUMMER RENTAL by Mary Kay Andrews

Ellis, Julia, and Dorie. Best friends since Catholic grade school, they now find themselves, in their mid-thirties, at the crossroads of life and love. Ellis, recently fired from a job she gave everything to, is rudderless and now beginning to question the choices she’s made over the past decade of her life. Julia — whose caustic wit covers up her wounds — has a man who loves her and is offering her the world, but she can’t hide from how deeply insecure she feels about her looks, her brains, her life. And Dorie has just been shockingly betrayed by the man she loved and trusted the most in the world…though this is just the tip of the iceberg of her problems and secrets. A month in North Carolina’s Outer Banks is just what they each of them needs.

Ty Bazemore is their landlord, though he’s hanging on to the rambling old beach house by a thin thread. After an inauspicious first meeting with Ellis, the two find themselves disturbingly attracted to one another, even as Ty is about to lose everything he’s ever cared about.

Maryn Shackleford is a stranger, and a woman on the run. Maryn needs jus

Seven Year Switch by Claire Cook

Summary:

Just when she’s finally figured out how to manage on her own, Jill Murray’s ex-husband, Seth, is back crashing into the man-free existence Jill and her ten-year-old daughter, Anastasia, have built so carefully. Jill’s life just hasn’t turned out quite the way she’d planned. By now, she’d hoped to be jetting around the world as a high-end cultural coach. Instead, she’s answering phones for a local travel agency and teaching cooking classes at the community center. Enter free-spirited entrepreneur Billy who hires Jill as a consultant for an upcoming business trip. Suddenly, her no-boys-allowed life is anything but.

They say that every seven years you become a completely new person, but Jill isn’t sure she’s ready to make the leap. It takes a Costa Rican getaway to help her make a choice not so much between the two men in her life, but between the woman she is and the woman she wants to be.

Legend has it that every seven years life renews itself.  For Jill Murray the seventh year has come and her life is about to undergo some major changes. When her ex, the man who walked out on her and her daughter seven years ago, comes back into their lives begging for forgiveness, Jill has no choice but to hear him out – if for no other reason than for the sake of their daughter. What Jill cannot predict is exactly how much her life is about to change. Claire Cook writes with such humor, grace and warmth that reading her novels is as comforting and satisfying as visiting with your closest friends. Her stories give readers the greatest gift a writer can bestow, inspiration and hope. Cook is able to tap into the power of the human spirit and she shines in this story of reinvention. Every time you finish a Claire Cook novel you will look at your own life with renewed hope, optimism and an “itch” for change. Seven Year Switch, now in paperback with a gorgeous new cover, is destined to be one of the hottest and most inspiring summer reads. As Kirkus Reviews said, “A beach tote couldn’t ask for more.”

Check out Claire Cook’s website for book club conversation starters, background information on her research and great pictures! Her site also provides some great advice for aspiring writers.

Our Should Authors Dance? feature attracted a ton of  enthusiasm. Next week, we will launch a Facebook campaign to get one literary luminary to appear on Dancing with the Stars.

Our readers suggested 10 different authors last week, and the votes have poured in on Facebook. Here are the vote counts for the lead contenders:

Claire Cook = 47
Kathy L. Patrick = 17
David Sedaris = 2

Claire Cook has already posted about the contest on her blog. She wrote: “Would I do it? Absolutely! Not just for me, but for all the other non-celebrity midlife women out there – because we’ve got a lot of living left to do!”

Voting closes on Friday, and we will publish the winning author’s Facebook petition next week. Please submit your votes in either the comments section or on our Facebook wall. Tell your friends, family, neighbors, acquaintances, and verifiable-friendly strangers to participate–we’ll need all your enthusiasm to land a spot on the show.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Looking at the comments section for our Should Authors Dance? post, it seemed like plenty of GalleyCat readers want to see their favorite writer appear on Dancing with the Stars. Now it’s time to do something about it.

Reader Michelle Gilstrap suggested Lotus Eaters author Tatjana Soli and proposed: “[Soli] is coming to Los Angeles for a special event on October 16th, I will ask her if she would like to do it. We should start a Facebook page for her, if she says yes. This is how they got Betty White on [Saturday Night Live].”

It’s a great idea. We’ll start by letting our readers pick the best writer to appear on Dancing with the Stars–we’ve collected ten suggestions from GalleyCat readers below.  Go to this Facebook link to vote for your favorite author. We’ll count the votes and build a special Facebook page to advocate for the winning author. The ten suggestions follow below…

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Seven Year Switch by Claire Cook

Legend has it that every seven years life renews itself.  For Jill Murray the seventh year has come and her life is about to undergo some major changes. When her ex, the man who walked out on her and her daughter seven years ago, comes back into their lives begging for forgiveness, Jill has no choice but to hear him out – if for no other reason than for the sake of their daughter. What Jill cannot predict is exactly how much her life is about to change. Claire Cook writes with such humor, grace and warmth that reading her novels is as comforting and satisfying as visiting with your closest friends. Her stories give readers the greatest gift a writer can bestow, inspiration and hope. Cook is able to tap into the power of the human spirit and she shines in this story of reinvention. Every time you finish a Claire Cook novel you will look at your own life with renewed hope, optimism and an “itch” for change. Seven Year Switch is destined to be one of the hottest and most inspiring summer reads.

We get a lot of questions regarding blogs. Should you have one? Do you need one? What kind of information should be provided on your blog? Will it diminish your professionalism? How do you get traffic to your blog? Will it detract from your published writing?

For authors there are two things you want to focus on with regards to a blog, getting traffic and showing your expertise. A blog is great way to highlight your writing, bring attention to your talent in a public forum and learn new skills. Write about anything and everything that interests you. Create a Facebook page, a Myspace page and link to your blog there. Create a Twitter account and follow other writers. Provide a link to your blog on your Twitter page and consistently update it letting your followers know when you have posted new content.

Sometimes you need a newsworthy hook to gain attention and followers to your blog. Write about something current, whether it be a trend or a news topic that you are familiar with, can provide an opinion on, or somehow relates to your writing. Write about books you are reading and link to the authors. Write about being a writer, provide tips, instruction, guidance and inspiration. If your content is consistently changing, then your audience will grow. If they like your writing, then you may be building a fan base. Blogs are great way to show off your writing skills! They also have the added bonus of helping improve your writing, develop your voice, increase the speed with which you can produce quality material, and fine tune the ability to write with an audience in mind. You are your own best advocate, so use this blog as a way to stand out from the crowd and let your voice be heard.

Writers who worry that blogging will distract from their primary job, being an author, have an understandable worry. Blogging does take time. However, the blog is a wonderful way to combine both the artistic and the business side of being an author. Write about what you know, but also treat your blog like a business card. You want people looking at it! You want them bookmarking it and you want them recognizing your name on a consistent basis.

Here are a few author blogs that shine!

Brenda Janowitz

Joshilyn Jackson

Stephanie Klein

Allison Winn Scotch

Claire Cook

Ann Leary

Kristin Hannah

Barbara Delinsky

Here is a great article on book promotion from today’s Boston Herald. It includes advice from Emily Giffin, Claire Cook and Jennifer Weiner.