Book News!

For anyone who has been reading the Meltingpot for a little bit of time, it will come as no surprise to know that I love books. I love reading them, writing them and buying them. I love the way books smell. I love the way they feel in my hands and I love the person who invented the library, a place where I can go and gorge myself on books and not have to pay a dime.

Knowing that, you can probably just imagine how thrilled I feel to be able to call myself an author. To know that I have written two books that have made their way out into the world is truly a dream come true. Really, since I was eight years old I imagined myself a great writer, penning books on my antique Remington typewriter in a little cottage somewhere surrounded by nature, sipping hot cocoa and listening to opera. Well, of course, real life can never really live up to our childhood fantasies because things like tiny publishing budgets, income taxes, and a sudden inability to process sugar can throw a monkey wrench in to your best-laid plans. Being an author in the real-world and being one in your rich fantasy life are two very different things.

As a real-world author you have to balance your need to be creative with your need to sell your manuscript. And you have to swallow your ego sometimes to keep the peace with your publisher. These are small concessions, but sometimes they can take the fun out of seeing your book hit the market.

But guess what? I am not complaining. In fact, I am thrilled with the first bit of buzz put out by my publisher, Atria Books, about my new novel, Substitute Me. In Atria's new summer catalog (Substitute Me comes out in August 2010), my book is described as:

" A smart, funny, and surprising novel that shows what can happen when a woman who wants it all -- a perfect marriage, child, and career -- finds a nanny good enough to make her perfect dreams come apart at the seams."

All this time I didn't know what to say when people asked what my novel is about. I think Atria summed it up pretty well. In fact, it sounds so good, I think I might buy a copy! In case you want to too, you can already pre-order it here.
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And in other book news: I think I'll continue to write about the book Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez for awhile. The story just won't leave me and it seems to be making a lot of waves around the blogosphere. For anyone who missed it, here's a link to Perkins-Valdez's recent interview on NPR's Tell Me More.

Peace!