Two weeks ago, I had the honor of being invited by Penguin Random House (PRH) to join a panel of six authors with forthcoming titles at an Open Book event in New York. Our assignment, we were told prior to the event, was to speak for ten minutes each about our books to a group of 100 librarians from…
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Fact for first-time authors: if you think your work is complete when you turn in a final round of manuscript edits---think again! We Were the Lucky Ones is officially off to print and somehow the last six weeks have been a whirlwind of book-related events and assignments. The fun began in early October, when Viking organized a media lunch in my honor, inviting literary…
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What a week it's been for We Were the Lucky Ones (and it's only Wednesday!). On Monday I turned in a final round of manuscript revisions---minor catches and tweaks that will help, I hope, to make the book feel more polished---and by final I mean final. As in, the round of revisions I've been looking forward to-slash-dreading…
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We Were the Lucky Ones has a launch date---February 14, 2017---yes, Valentine's Day! The countdown to publication is finally, officially, on. February may feel eons away (especially as we've just dipped our toes into summer), but I've come to realize there will be plenty to report between now and then. Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with the publicity and marketing teams at…
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I never would have guessed that the first person I'd share my new working title with (outside of my immediate family) would be Markus Zusak, author of the (mega)bestselling novel, The Book Thief. I had the pleasure of meeting Markus yesterday, at a book signing event in Connecticut. The Book Thief, narrated by none other than death…
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It's hard to believe that over two months have passed since Robert and I set off for Warsaw. Our Eternal Quest, as we dubbed it, left me energized and eager to get back to the book, which is lucky; on returning I received a new round of feedback from my editor, Sarah. I knew this round would be more specific than the last, and I'd be lying if…
Read MoreEarlier this month, my agent deemed my manuscript polished enough to pitch to publishing houses. "I think we're ready for primetime," Brettne said. I agreed reluctantly---even after our latest round of revisions, I still felt the pressing need to tinker, to make it better. But it was time, Brettne assured me, to let it go. Brettne pitched The Eternal Ones to over a…
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The agent search, as any first-time author will tell you, is daunting. It requires an ungodly amount of due diligence, and a hearty dose of self-esteem. Rejections are inevitable; it can take months, years even, for a literary agent to bite. And so, when my editor Jane and I put together an A-list of names to query about my manuscript, I was…
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I'd like to begin with a shout-out to my followers (yes, you!)---I don't check my site stats all that often, but I've been putting together agent queries and I was thrilled to discover that my blog has received over 10,000 visits! To all of you who continue to frequent the site, thank you. It means more to me than you…
Read MoreOn Tuesday, I sent the latest version of The Lucky Ones to Jane Fransson, an editor who's worked with a host of successful authors, several of whom I've read and loved (e.g., Pamela Druckerman, Bringing up Bébé; Sadia Shepard, The Girl from Foreign). Admittedly, I held my email captive in a draft folder for a full day until I finally summoned the courage to set…
Read MoreCan it be--August already? What a summer it's been. Mine (in a nutshell) has entailed exploring Nova Scotia's seaboard with family, cavorting with friends in Charleston, beach-hopping with Wyatt in Rowayton, tackling boatloads of travel writing assignments, and, of course, pushing to complete a second round of edits to my manuscript. Dvora said her mother…
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Well folks, I'm mid-way through a second round of book edits, and if I squint hard enough, I think I can see the finish line! A pre-war ad for my grandparents' fabric store in Radom. Translated: "Silk goods, woolens and cotton, ladies' and men's, and a great range of curtains and caps,…
Read MoreI'm excited to report that an excerpt from The Lucky Ones has been published! Last month, the non-profit writing center 826 Seattle released its 2014 anthology, What to Read in the Rain, featuring works by "famous and not-yet-famous" adult and young writers. My submission, entitled No Looking Back (a chapter found midway through my manuscript), is set in 1942 in Nazi-occupied Poland; it describes my…
Read MoreWhen it rains it pours. That's certainly been the case here in Connecticut, where the past few months have brought weeks of torrential downpour (and I thought we'd left the rain behind in Seattle!), along with---on a much brighter note---several unexpected opportunities to promote The Lucky Ones. Shortly after I completed my piece for the Gordon…
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