March's FEATURED AUTHOR: Art vs. Craft...

Can you believe it's the end of March already? I can't. Where did it really go?? Anyway. This being a Wednesday in March, our Featured Author Sarah Pekkanen stops in to talk about writing... & whether it's an art or a craft. Read on!

Is writing an art or a craft?

I’m an author, but I’m not the slightest bit artistic. I don’t paint, dance, sing, or sculpt. My husband chooses the colors for the walls in our house, because if it were up to me, I’d pick Benjamin Moore’s Most Boring Beige. Don’t get me wrong; I love experiencing someone else’s art. I can appreciate Monet’s flowers and Picasso’s quirky lines and Georgia O’Keefe’s erotic flowers. And I love listening to music, anything from opera to Coldplay. I just can’t create it myself.

I don’t consider my writing art, either--it’s pure craft. Writing to me is messy, exhilarating, frustrating, joyful and depressing. The emotions all pile up on each other as I sit down at my keyboard, fighting for dominance like those swirling ping-pong balls at a televised lottery drawing. I never know which one is going to surface first.

It’s the steady, methodical side of my mind that takes control when I’m feeling frenzied and overwhelmed.

“Just write 1,000 words today,” it instructs me. A thousand words is four pages. It seems like a reasonable goal. But I’m not ready yet. First I re-read yesterday’s pages, backspacing over an ill-considered adverb and realizing a character needs one more telling detail to make him come alive. Then I try to drown out the voices in my head--they can be really mean, like a pack of middle-school girls--that tell me my prose is criminally bad, and that what I’m writing will never be published.

“Push on,” my methodical mind whispers reassuringly. “You can always fix it later.”

I get up to make a cup of tea, and think about folding a load of laundry. Sorting socks has never been so appealing. And I really need to exercise more--shouldn’t I go for a jog, then try to write?

But Craft won’t let me get away with procrastinating. It coaxes me back to the keyboard with its simple directive: Four pages. A thousand words. They don’t have to be beautiful. They really don’t even need to make sense. I just need to pin them down on paper, because if I give in to the excuses, my book will remain unwritten.

If I were an artist, I might depend on a muse. But what would I do if she started sleeping in--or worse, developed mononucleosis? What if her fairy dust suddenly lost its sparkle?

I used to think I'd write a book when I had more time. I imagined myself breezing into the perfect little coffee shop, where, after sipping a steaming espresso, I'd poise my fingers above my laptop's keyboard and watch as a flawless novel unfurled. I wouldn't write the whole thing in a single day, of course--it would probably take a few weeks. But as long as the conditions were just so, creative inspiration would emerge, almost like a separate entity, and I'd sit back and watch it go to work.

Huh. I've since learned writing, at least for me, doesn't work that way. I have to write when I'm exhausted. I have to write when I'm grumpy, when I'm bored with writing, and when I'm convinced I'm the worst writer in the entire world. I can't make writing too... precious, for lack of a better word (and I'm a writer; I really should have a better word), or I'll never get it done. It's the equivalent of a runner faithfully getting out there on freezing cold days, on rainy days when every passing car splatters a puddle's worth of water on her, and on days when her shin splints cry out for mercy. Sure, there will be days when she feels like she's flying; when the sun is gentle and so is the breeze, and she could run forever. Those golden days exist in writing, too, but I know I'll never stumble upon them unless I've done the gritty, painful training.

Craft is no-nonsense; it gets up at 7 a.m., yawning and stretching, then has a solid breakfast of scrambled eggs and black coffee before heading off to battle traffic and curse at the guy who makes a left-hand turn and forces everyone to miss the light. Craft isn’t fussy. No mean middle-school girl would try to mess with Craft’s mind. Craft shows up, gets the job done, then heads home to have a well-deserved Budweiser in front of the television.

Ooh...television. Maybe I should see what’s on before I write?

(Sounds of a struggle as Craft wrestles the remote control out of my hand).

Fine. Craft wins again. Now I’m off to tackle those 1,000 words of my next novel.

Sounds like you're on the right track, Sarah! At least in terms of what works for you getting your stories out. *grin* I cannot wait to see what craft comes up with next. Thank you so much for visiting us this month--I've enjoyed having you over, and hope you'll pop in again to say "hi" every so often! 


And just in case you missed it, check out Sarah's article in the Washington Post about the gender divide in children's books--and the resulting concern that boys are reading less...

March's FEATURED AUTHOR: What Sarah reads!

Can you believe how fast this week is flying by? I can't, but I'm not going to complain (too much), because it's Wednesday, and that means March's Featured Author is visiting. And today, Sarah shares with us what she likes to read...

I'm never without a book. I have them in every single room of my house (except the kitchen, because I don't spend any time in there) and in my car. My iPhone has a kindle app, and I've downloaded dozens of novels. On my nightstand, and stacked on the end table next to my favorite spot on our squashy green couch, are a dozen bound galleys of books that haven't been released yet. Just looking at them fills me with joy. Am I addicted to reading? Absolutely; I'll happily admit it.

So... what do I like to read? It all depends on what I'm writing.

My genre is commercial women's fiction - think Jennifer Weiner and Emily Giffin - and even though I devour those books when I'm not writing my own, I have to be careful about not reading too many when I'm in the middle of constructing a book. I worry that those authors' strong, distinctive voices might get lodged in my head and crowd out my own voice. If I'm doing revisions, or just starting the writing process, it's not a problem, but when I'm in the no-man's-land of the middle of the book, it might be. I don't want to take that chance. So, I treat myself to women's fiction novels during nine or ten months out of the year, and during the other two or three, I gobble up different genres.

My favorites are thrillers. I adore books with quick, seamless plots, because they teach me about plotting techniques I can try out in my own books. Harlan Coben writes a terrific series that's filled with tension and humor, and I've loved every word he has written. Karin Slaughter is another intelligent, gifted writer whose novels are so riveting I swear she has her publisher use Superglue on the pages - you can't put them down.

I think the best book I read in the last year was Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. She also wrote the blockbuster novel Seabiscuit. And here's something funny - she and I graduated from the same high school class. We weren't friends in high school because our paths didn't cross, but she is now one of my closest friends. I'd urge you all to read her books!

The genre I haven't yet plunged into? I don't read many biographies. But that is going to change, because lately I'm feeling their allure.

Thanks so much for having me here today, and please find me on facebook or visit my website at www.sarahpekkanen.com so we can continue chatting about books!

I'd love it.

I don't read many biographies either. And when I do, I pick them up mostly for the really-long-dead, like John Adams, or Thomas Jefferson. *grin* But thank you, Sarah, for bringing up new-to-me authors... Out of all the ones listed, I've only read Jennifer Weiner (& you, of course). Guess it's time for a bookstore run...

What about y'all? Do you share a must-read author (or two) with Sarah?

March's FEATURED AUTHOR: Meet Sarah Pekkanen!

Ok, I finally got my act together, and can finally introduce the lovely Sarah Pekkanen to you... Please join me in extending a warm welcome to Sarah!

drey: Hello and welcome to drey’s library, Sarah, and congratulations on your newest little joy!

I REALLY appreciate your taking the time to visit this month, so shall we get started? Tell us a little about yourself...

Sarah: I'm the mother of three young sons and a former journalist. I left my job as a features writer for The Baltimore Sun newspaper after my first child was born. I free-lanced a bit, but stopped writing altogether after I had another baby. But I missed writing so much that one night I brought a glass of wine to my computer and began to type--I didn't really plan it, but I felt as though I would burst if I didn't do it! I put together a book, and it caught the attention of a literary agent (oh, that makes it sound too easy. I promise it wasn't that easy. But it was so worth it!)

drey: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Sarah: One of my most prized possessions is a letter I wrote at the age of 10 on Raggedy Ann stationary to a New York publisher, demanding to know when my book--titled "Miscellaneous Tales and Poems"--would be published. I think I've always wanted to be a writer, even before I could articulate the thought!

drey: Where do you find inspiration for your writing?

Sarah: Everywhere - in things people say, in things I observe, in things I read. Writers take lots of experiences and emotions and filter them through a kaleidoscope before sprinkling them onto the page. There may not be a strong resemblance to the original experience, but the shards are there.

drey: What do you do to recharge your batteries?

Sarah: Read, watch Reality TV (the shame!) and take long walks with my rescue lab, Bella.

drey: Tell us about Skipping a Beat.

Sarah: Skipping a Beat is the story of Julia Dunhill, a 30-something party planner who is married to an incredibly wealthy man. One day her husband Michael stands up at the head of the table in his company's boardroom and collapses. Four minutes and eight seconds later, he is revived--but he's a different man. Julia has three weeks to decide if she should stay with her husband, now a stranger, or leave him.



drey: Smackdown: Your favorite authors face off in the ring. Who are they, who wins, and why?

Sarah: Jennifer Weiner would take on Truman Capote, and kick his ass with her humor. She wouldn't have to land a single punch; she'd slay him with her wit.

drey: What’s up next for you?

Sarah: I'm finishing up my third book, which is the story of three very different women who end up being roommates in New York City. It doesn't have the same characters as either of my first two novels, Skipping a Beat and The Opposite of Me, but there is one similar thread: It's a book about women who get chances to step into completely new lives.

drey: And, last but not least, the quickie 5:

1. Favorite author? Jennifer Weiner!
2. Best thing to curl up with on a cold winter night? My kids, dog and husband--all in one bed cuddling!
3. Salad or dessert? Oh, come on. Dessert. Seriously, does anyone say salad?
4. Jazz or alternative rock? Jazz.
5. Chocolate: Solo or paired (& if paired, with what)? Solo. Why mess with perfection?

drey: Thank you so much for visiting us this month, Sarah! I hope you enjoy your stay. :)

Sarah: I loved it. Thanks for having me!

Everyone, find Sarah online at her website, www.sarahpekkanen.com, facebook, and twitter.

Giveaway!
I have a copy of Sarah's Skipping a Beat for you, if you live in the US. To enter, comment with your email address and tell us if you watch Reality TV, and if so, which show(s)? I'm not a huge fan, except when it comes to The Amazing Race. I'm still trying to figure out how I can take the time off to be a participant! *grin*

Good luck, y'all! Enter before 6pm CST March 29th!

March's FEATURED AUTHOR: Sarah Pekkanen's books!!

This one's all on me. It's been absolutely crazy lately--I was on vacation in Mexico, came back, and started a new job a week later. It's actually my first week this week! Anyway, I missed sending Sarah the Q&A for today's post (with enough time for communicating), so today I'll be posting her bibliography. Next Wednesday we'll have our Q&A. Hope you guys are ok with this! And Sarah, I'm sorry!!! :(

Anyway, without further ado, here are Sarah's books!

What would you do if your husband wanted to rewrite the rules of your relationship?

Julia Dunhill, a thirty-something party planner, seems to have it all: Married to her high school sweetheart and living in a gorgeous home in Washington D.C., she imagines her future unfolding very much as it has for the past few years, since she and her husband Michael successfully launched their companies. There will be dinner parties to attend, operas to dress up for, and weddings and benefits to organize for her growing list of clients. There will be shopping sprees with her best friend, Isabelle, and inevitably those last five pounds to shed. In her darker moments, she worries that her marriage has dissolved from a true partnership into a façade, but she convinces herself it’s due to the intensity of their careers and fast-paced lifestyle.

So as she arranges the molten chocolate cupcakes for the annual Opera benefit, how can she know that her carefully-constructed world is about to fall apart? That her husband will stand up from the head of the table in his company’s boardroom, open his mouth to speak, and crash to the carpeted floor… all in the amount of time it will take her to walk across a ballroom floor just a few miles away. Four minutes and eight seconds after his cardiac arrest, a portable defibrillator jump-starts Michael’s heart. But in those lost minutes he becomes a different man, with an altered perspective on the rarified life they’ve been living and a determination to regain the true intimacy they once shared. Now it is up to Julia to decide — is it worth upending her comfortable world to try to find her way back to the husband she once adored, or should she walk away from this new Michael, who truthfully became a stranger to her long before his change of heart?

Read an excerpt of Skipping a Beat! Read my review! Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository

Reminiscent of Jennifer Weiner’s In Her Shoes and Emily Giffin’s Something Borrowed, this funny, poignant debut novel explores the desire to have it all, the relationships that define us, and the complicated, irreplaceable bonds of sisterhood. People magazine gave it 3.5 out of 4 stars and Redbook magazine calls it “smart, soulful” and chose it as a March must read!

Twenty-nine year old Lindsey Rose has, for as long as she can remember, lived in the shadow of her devastatingly beautiful fraternal twin sister, Alex. Determined to get noticed, Lindsey is finally on the cusp of being named Creative Vice President of an elite New York advertising agency, after years of 80 plus-hour weeks, migraines, and profound loneliness. But during the course of one devastating night, Lindsey’s carefully-constructed life implodes.

Humiliated and desperate, she flees the glitter of Manhattan and retreats to the time warp of her parents’ Maryland home. As her sister plans her lavish wedding to her prince charming, Lindsey struggles to maintain her identity as the smart, responsible twin, while she furtively tries to put her career back together. But things get more complicated when a long-held family secret is unleashed that forces both sisters to reconsider who they are and who they are meant to be.

Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository

And last but not least, a short story published in ebook format:

Thirty-year-old Elise Andrews couldn’t bring herself to marry Griffin, her childhood friend-turned-sweetheart, so she let him walk away. Eight months after their break-up, she arrives in her hometown of Chicago on Christmas Eve and hears a voice from the past calling her name in the grocery store. It’s Griffin’s mother Janice, who invites Elise over for a neighborhood gathering of eggnog and carols.

Walking into Janice’s house sends Elise tumbling headlong into memories of her relationship with Griffin — and with Janice, who exudes the kind of warmth Elise ached for after her own mom passed away when she was six. But Griffin has moved on, and suddenly Elise doubts her decision to give him up, and lose her chance at being folded into his wonderful family. Confused and reeling, she goes in search of an answer to a universal question: How do we say good-bye to people we’ve loved without losing everything they’ve meant to us?

Heartwarming and witty, All is Bright is a charming story about coming home for the holidays — and finding gifts in the most unexpected of places

Purchase at Amazon

Have you read any of Sarah's books? What did you think?

Review & Giveaway (!): 27. Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen...

Sarah Pekkanen is going to be my Featured Author next month, but her book comes out in a week. I've been staring at the cover for a while now, finally picked it up, and wow did I get my socks blown off!

Title: Skipping a Beat
Author: Sarah Pekkanen
ISBN-13: 9781451609820
Paperback: 323 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Sarah Pekkanen

drey's thoughts:
I am in awe. Sarah Pekkanen's Skipping a Beat is masterfully written, and I couldn't help but be touched, moved, engrossed... Julia and Michael are teenagers when they first meet and fall in love with each other. Both have baggage. Both are trying to escape their realities. Both find someone who understands where they're coming from, and why they want to go where they want to go...

Fast forward to the present day. Julia and Michael have left their childhood behind, gotten married, and built successful careers. Both have also let that success pull them apart. But then both get a second chance. Will they take it?

Character: I wasn't sure I liked Julia at first. Other than the flashback scene in Chapter Two, she was just another rich woman more involved in her own life, than someone who really cared what happened to her husband. It was all "what about me?"... Blaming her insecurities on her husband and her suspicions that he'd had an affair--it was too easy to do, you know what I mean? Where's your own culpability? But then as she and Michael finally start talking to each other again, I realized that Julia is just like any other woman out there. She's smart and strong, but her weak point is Michael, and she'd turned the other way instead of facing their issues head on, because she's afraid that confrontation would lead to his leaving her. Oh, the things we'd re-do if we had only known, huh?

Pace & Plot: Skipping a Beat isn't too slow- or too fast-paced, it moves at just the right speed for you to get into the story and feel like you know Julia and Michael. The story starts off kind of harsh (only a teensy bit), and mellows as you get further along. Warning--you should be ready with a tissue or two by the time you get to the end...

drey's rating: 4/5 Excellent: Pick this up if you're looking for a poignant read on what really matters...

2011 Challenge: New Author

Have you read Skipping a Beat? What did you think? And if you haven't, here's a chance to win your own copy...

Giveaway!!
I have one very-gently-read copy of Skipping a Beat for you. This one's for US residents only, and runs through 6pm CST March 2nd. To enter, comment below and tell us: What would you do with a second chance? Don't forget to include your email address.