PEOPLE Review

The book was reviewed in PEOPLE this week, which was really thrilling, and a big surprise. It got 3 1/2 stars out of 4. A lot of my friends and family have been emailing me to say they have seen it, which has been fun. It's a big relief, because I was afraid and semi-convinced that the book would appear and then disappear, which would be so sad. So at this point I feel really happy with how the book has been received. I was essentially holding my breath, and now I've been able to exhale a bit. So yay for PEOPLE.

Boston Globe Review

The book got a nice review in yesterday's Boston Globe. The first review in a newspaper.

"A thoughtful, well-written story about a young woman prevailing over a difficult past...wryly funny, refreshingly honest...Shaw writes convincingly, with insight and wisdom."
- The Boston Globe

Escaping...

Jay and I went to Sayulita, Mexico last week to get away. It's a smallish town right on the beach, just north of Puerto Vallarta. It was all about dirt roads, surfing, fish tacos, cervezas with lime, dogs wandering the streets, us wandering the streets, the main plaza where the kids (and adults) hang out and flirt, lovely people, fishing, sarongs, potholes, sand, flip flops, smiles, bright colored fabrics, hola!, sunburn, finally standing up on a surfboard, waiting for waves, wearing white to feel cool, the joy of showering after a day at the beach, the view from the house we rented, and not wanting to leave at the end.

It was the perfect escape right before the book comes out.

Some great writing advice from author Caroline Leavitt

"One of the biggest mistakes I see from novel writers is that they are trying to write for an audience, for an agent, for an editor or for the market. Uh uh uh. The job of a writer is to put truth--your particular truth--onto the page. You want to put the blood on the page, you want to dig deep into your soul and in a sense, the only person you should be writing for is you. Write the book you want to read. Make your novel a question that obsesses you personally and in writing it, dig deep and find the answer. When you concentrate so deeply on what is important to you, it will become universal--and then it will be important to others." -- Author Caroline Leavitt

Caroline Leavitt teaches, as I do, at the UCLA Extension Writers Program, and I found this quote from her under the "Writers Tips" section of the program's website. I haven't read her books, but I'm going to start with Girls in Trouble.

I think what this author says is very true, and I also think it's partly why it's so hard to move on to the next thing. You pour your heart and soul into something and when you're done, you feel drained. It's like, I don't know what else I have to give. What more do you want from me?

But I know I do have something else in me. It's just a matter of getting the strength up to figure it out, face it, and put it on the page.

I don't think blogging is my calling.

That pretty much says it all.

Library Journal Review of Love

The Library Journal Review of Love or Something Like It is in and it's nice. My last pre-pub review. Relief.

Shaw, Deirdre. Love or Something Like It. Random. Apr. 2009. c.256p. ISBN 978-1-4000-6770-1. $22. F

Lacey, a newspaper reporter in her late twenties, meets stand-up comic/TV writer Toby and moves from New York to Los Angeles to be with him. Things go downhill quickly after the two get married and Toby loses his job. Toby, who can't find work, becomes a perpetual couch potato and starts to question their marriage. Soon, Lacey is divorced and left to wonder what she is doing in L.A. She decides to stay and, in the process, has some success as a screenwriter and dates anyone and everyone in an attempt to forget Toby. She also examines how her relationships with her parents and brother may have contributed to the hasty demise of her marriage. It's not until Lacey decides to move back to New York that she meets someone in Los Angeles who gives her a chance at a more mature love than she had with Toby. This debut novel reads at times like connected short stories. The strong main character and vivid depictions of Hollywood life combine to create a worthwhile reading experience. Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/08.]—Karen Core, Detroit P.L.

Brazos Bookstore

Jay and I went to Houston this weekend to visit my dad. We stopped in at Brazos Books because I'll be reading there on May 12. It's a gorgeous bookstore - wide aisles and good light and antique rugs, with so many great books everywhere you look. They don't just stock the regular old bestsellers. They have a whole range of funky and quirky titles. And they are so nice there, too. Here's a photo of my dad and me outside the store. (I am not pregnant - I had blouse issues.)