Where I share my love of books with reviews, features, giveaways and memes. Family and needlepoint are thrown in from time to time.
Showing posts with label Jane Porter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jane Porter. Show all posts

Friday, September 7, 2012

The Good Woman by Jane Porter (Interview and Review)

Title: The Good Woman
Author: Jane Porter
Publisher: Penguin

About the Book: The firstborn of a large Irish-American family, Meg Brennan Roberts is a successful publicist, faithful wife, and doting mother who prides herself on always making the right decisions. But years of being “the good woman” have taken a toll and though her winery career thrives, Meg feels burned out and empty, and more disconnected than ever from her increasingly distant husband. Lonely and disheartened, she attends the London Wine Fair with her boss, ruggedly handsome vintner, Chad Hallahan. It’s here, alone together in an exotic city, far from “real” life, that Chad confesses his long-standing desire for Meg.

Overwhelmed, flattered, and desperately confused, Meg returns home, only to suddenly question every choice she’s ever made, especially that of her marriage. For Meg, something’s got to give, and for once in her life she flees her responsibilities—but with consequences as reckless and irreversible as they are liberating. Now she must decide whether being the person everyone needs is worth losing the woman she was meant to be.


My thoughts:  Even though this book was painful (as in, I could feel Meg's pain) for me to read at times, I really enjoyed it.  Jane Porter did a great job in portraying the hurt and emptiness that Meg was feeling.  As a woman in her 40's myself, I can't say that my life has been all sunshine and roses and there have been rough patches when I felt that I deserved more - so I could relate to some of the story line. 

But this book is about much more than just a woman on the brink - it is about family - the one that you grew up with as well as the one that you create when you marry.  How family can either lift each other up in the hard times are tear each other apart.  That grudges and words hurt whether you are 15 or 45.   It is also about trust and forgiveness and overcoming obstacles in order to get to the heart of the problem - but that you have to have the willingness to admit there is a problem first.  

I will say it again, that I could relate to Meg in part of the story - I'm not sure that I would make the same choices that she did, but I can understand her reasons.  The whole family was realistic - from Meg's mom and dad, to her brother and sisters.  They each had real problems that they were trying to work through, but stayed close despite those problems.  

This is the first book in the Brennan Sisters Trilogy with The Good Daughter due out in February 2013.  I had previously read She's Gone Country by Jane Porter - you can see my review here. 

~I received a complimentary copy of The Good Woman from Penguin in exchange for my unbiased review.~

About the author:  Jane Porter is an award-winning novelist with over 5 million books in print.  She grew up in central California , graduated from UCLA and holds an MA in writing from the University of San Francisco .  Porter writes full time and lives in southern California with her family.  Visit her website at www.janeporter.com.

Jane was nice enough to stop by and answer some questions for me. Please help me welcome her to Books and Needlepoint.

1. How do you typically write? Do you plot it all out beforehand or do you just let the story pour out?
I plot big chunks—road signs and what I believe will be the key turning points—and then write, but I definitely end up detouring and rethinking those scenes that I think will be the big scenes.

2. Do you have a favorite place to write or “must haves” while writing?
I need to be able to control my environment as much as possible—space, lighting, noise, the amount of time I have to write. I don’t do well trying to write in bits and pieces, or with lots of activity going on around me. I can and do write in coffee houses when in a pinch, but then I try to find the quietest place possible, with a corner or wall table with lots of natural lighting and I add my Bose headphones to block out sound. But honestly, my home office—clean and clear and free of clutter—is best. I think I’m getting old.

3. Do you have much say in the title or covers of you books?
Nope. I can say, I do like, I don’t like, or not crazy about it, and here’s why, and they hopefully listen to me but there’s no guarantee.

4. Is there anything that has surprised you about writing, publishing or touring with your books?
Just how hard it all is! People assume (and I used to be one of these people, too!) that all you have to do is get published, and you’ve pretty much got it made because you’re on the ‘inside’ now, but that’s just the start of endless, uphill battles. And it’s all a battle—the writing, the promoting, the marketing and touring and writing while promoting/touring. It’s not a fluffy, relaxing career. 

5. Do you have a favorite author/book or one that you always recommend?
I have so many author friends—virtually all my friends are writers—so its hard to recommend one and not another, or it feels weird to only recommend my friends, and not others, so I tend to focus on my favorite, comfort reads that aren’t necessarily contemporary authors (like Georgette Heyer. Love her!)

6. Was there anything (or anyone) while growing up which helped you decide you wanted to be a writer?
Louisa May Alcott. I loved that Jo, from Little Women, Little Men, Jo’s Boys, etc, was a writer. I was also inspired by the author of my other favorite series of books, Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls. Being a writer definitely seemed to be the way to go. And I tried to get published early....I wrote my first picture book in 2nd grade and my first novel in 4th grade. I was pretty serious about becoming a novelist!

7. Do you have a job outside of being an author?
Nope. I write. A lot. And then I try to be a good mom on occasion, too.

8. What would you tell a beginning writer?
That writing is a craft, an art form, and a muscle. You’ve got to develop the craft—and work that muscle. And sometimes we will write with more confidence, and other times we will battle for our story, but not to quit. Don’t ever give up.

9. If you could meet one person who has died, who would that be?
I’d love to meet the James family...Henry James, and his sister Alice who had an amazing mind, and their brother William who was also brilliant. And if they weren’t interested in meeting me, I’d try to get Virginia Wolfe and her sister, the artist Vanessa Bell, to spend an afternoon with me. I love interesting families, and so I’m not surprised I wrote a series like the Brennans because I do think sisters and brothers have tremendous influence on each other, and help shape each other.

10. If you could co-author a book with anyone, who would it be?
I don’t think I would. I’d find it too much of a power struggle!  

11. In one sentence, why should we read your book?
Because I’m a storyteller and want nothing more than to grab you and sweep you away for a day.

12. What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I love to make myself laugh. I crack myself up—much to the mortification of my boys—and enjoy my jokes a lot. No one else does. But that makes me laugh, too.

13. What do you come up with first when creating your character- the back story, the plot, the characteristics?
I think it depends on the writer, and it probably varies from book to book, too. And honestly I don’t know that you can separate them out. I tend to get an idea and all the bits and pieces are there, together, intertwined.

14. What do you do in your spare time?
Hang out with my kids, annoy them by making them talk to me (and listen to me), read, garden, and I also love to travel. I live to travel. Travel is my poison.

15. What does a day in your life look like?
Wake up, hug, feed kids and kick then out the door and then check email, answer email and get to work. I generally work until 5, and then do more email and business stuff in the evening while sitting on the couch with the kids watching TV. My kids don’t think I come without a laptop attached to my middle. It’s kind of sad.

16. How does your family feel about having a writer in the family? Do they read your books?
I’m a mom of 3 sons—17, 13, and 3—and no they don’t read my books. And the two older ones are pretty proud of me. They know I work hard, and they like that I’m a ‘different mom’. The 13-year-old worries about my career, though, and has been giving me career advice on becoming bigger (stop writing women’s stories that have no plots and write apocalyptic Young Adult stories like The Hunger Games). The 3-year-old started a new preschool recently and announced that there his friends were Jack and Jane, but little Jane doesn’t write novels. He knows because he asked her.

17. Is there anything else that you would like my readers to know?
We just moved from Greater Seattle to San Clemente, CA which is southern Orange County, so it’s a huge change for all of us and yet really exciting to be having a new adventure as a family.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

She's Gone Country by Jane Porter (Book Review) and Giveaway!

Title: She's Gone Country
Author: Jane Porter
Publisher: Hachette

My synopsis: Shey is a Texas girl, born and bred - but for the last 20 some years she has lived in the city (New York) and traveled as a high fashion model.  She has even had her own tv show.  She married another model and together they had 3 boys.  But then, what she thought was everything she wanted, started to chip away.

Her husband of 17 years tells her he is gay and is leaving her for a man. She returns home to Texas and her family after her brother Cody commits suicide.  Feeling like she really has returned "home" she packs up her 3 boys and moves back to the family ranch.  The ranch house has been empty since her mom has moved in with her mom to take care of her. Brick and Blue, her 2 remaining brothers both live in the area, but with wives and children of their own.

Hank, her oldest son at 15, is miserable in Texas.  He misses his prep school and the lacrosse team.  Bo, her 14 year old, suffers from depression and Shey is very worried that he is too much like Cody to chalk his problems up to just being a teenager.  Then there is Cooper.  Cooper is only 12, but is already almost 6 feet tall.  He is also probably the strongest willed of the 3 boys and is bound and determined he is going to be a bull rider like his Uncle Brick was and Dane Kelly.

Now Dane is a man from Shey's past.  When she was 16, Shey was sure she was going to marry Dane, but Dane was 6 years older than she was.  Her parents thought she was too young for such intense feelings and shipped her off to a private school in California.  From there she went on to Stanford, and when she finally returned to Texas, discovered that Dane had married a girl from her class.  She is angry and hurt, always thinking that he would wait for her. And now here he is. Divorced. No longer a bull rider due to an injury. But still as sexy as she remembers.  But he is carrying around a lot of baggage of his own.

My thoughts: I liked Shey's character.  You can tell she is very strong - being a single parent to 3 teenage boys - but her whole life has been shaken up by the announcement of her husband that he is gay.  For 17 years she has lived as his partner, his lover, and she considered him her best friend - and now she finds out that it was all a lie.  It is enough to make you question how much of your life has been real. Her boys are no angels either.  Hank feels he is entitled to his private school education at any cost.  Bo, once a straight-A student is struggling to get by.  Cooper will do anything to get Dane to teach him all about bull riding.  Talk about having her hands full.  Then there is the whole family dynamic of 2 older brothers still trying to tell Shey what is right for her and a mom that disapproves of pretty much everything Shey does because she doesn't take her family to church on Sundays! 

In the course of this book, Shey is able to shake off the stuff that doesn't matter, and discovers that you have to take what life throws at you. Iit may not always be what you wanted - or when you wanted it - but stay true to yourself and your family - and things usually will work themselves out.  With cooler weather coming (hopefully!) - this would be a good one to curl up in front of the fireplace with.

~I received a copy of this book from BookSparks in exchange for my review.~

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Thanks to Hachette Books I have 3 copies of She's Gone Country to give away to 3 of my readers.  School is back in session, so even though the heat is still here - simple summer rules have gone away.  But don't worry - things aren't THAT tough.

1.  To enter, must be a follower - but I don't care how, just let me know (Facebook, twitter, Google Friend Connect, email subscriber).  Leave me that information in a comment with your email address and you are in!
2.  You can also twitter about this giveaway by just using the twitter button at the end of the post - or spread the word in any creative fashion that you want - just let me know where to find it.
3. If you comment on any of my non-giveaway links - just let me know here and you can have another entry.

So you see - you can get 3 entries - nothing real difficult - and you can leave them all in one entry if you want!  Amazing!  Just don't forget that email address!

This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada, but no PO boxes.  It will end on Sept 21.  Winners will have 48 hours to respond, and if at that time there are unclaimed books, they will be given away on twitter.

She's Gone Country
Publisher/Publication Date: Hachette, Aug 23, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-446-50941-1
382 pages

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Wonderful Wins: Mother's Day Giveaway - 5 books

I won these five books in the Mother's Day giveaway at Marta's Meanderings and Hachette Books!

The Road Home by Rose Tremain

About the book: After losing both his job and his beloved wife, Lev journeys from Eastern Europe to London in search of employment to support his family. At first he is homeless, but before long he lands a job, finds shelter, and even begins to make friends. While he embarks on an affair with a fellow restaurant worker (and dodges the attentions of other women), Lev's new life remains constricted. Homesickness dogs him, not only for nostalgic reasons but because he doesn't belong, body or soul, to his new country. But can Lev really go home again?

Rose Tremain's prodigious talents as a novelist are on full display in a work that freshly illuminates the immigrant experience--and never loses sight of what is truly important in our lives. (from the book cover)

About the author: Rose Tremain's fiction has won the Whitbread Novel of the Year (Music and Silence) and has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize (Restoration). The Road Home was one of the four finalists for the Costa Novel Award and was the winner of the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction. Tremain lives in Norfolk and London with the biographer Richard Holmes. (from the book cover)

Beginner's Greek by James Collins

About the book: What if you met the love of your life. . .and then lost her phone number? Then what if, when you finally managed to find her again, she was about to marry your best friend? The complications only begin there for Peter and Holly, the winning duo at the center of this buoyant, generous, lushly romantic, brilliantly understated comedy of manners. Whatever your own experience in matters of the heart, Beginner's Greek is a novel that will make you believe that true love really does exist. (from the back cover)

About the author: James Collins was formerly an editor at Time and has contributed to The New Yorker and other magazines. He grew up in New York City and now lives in Virginia with his family. This is his first novel. (from the book)




Odd Mom Out by Jane Porter

About the book: Advertising executive Marta Zinsser is no poster child for her wealthy Seattle suburb--and nothing could please her more. This former New Yorker wears combat boots, not Manolos, and drives a righteous Harley hog instead of a Mercedes SUV. Now she's launching her own agency in this land of the Microsoft elite, even though her ten-year-old daughter wishes she'd put on a sweater set and just be normal. Can this ex-urbanite remain uniquely herself without alienating the inner circle of smug, cookie-cutter executive wives? And when push comes to shove, can she stop being the proud odd mom out and take a chance at something frighteningly--and tantalizingly--new? (from the back cover)

About the author: Jane Porter is also the author of Flirting with Forty and The Frog Prince. She lives in Seattle, Washington, with her two sons. (from the back cover)


Mommy Grace: Erasing Your Mommy Guilt by Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman

About the book: You ARE a wonderful mother. You just don't know it.

Mothers tend to feel they are not good enough at the colossal job of parenting. many fear they are even harming their kids by not being flawless. They confess:
  • I lost my temper and yelled at my son to stop acting like a baby.
  • I ran out of groceries and fed my kids fast food instead.
  • My daughter failed her spelling test--I was too tired to help her.
  • I used the television as a babysitter instead of reading to my kids.
  • I slept in and missed my devotion time.
Good news: MOMMY GRACE can help erase your mommy guilt! In these short, funny, and moving stories, Sheila Schuller Coleman offers portraits of authentic motherhood--foibles and all. She also reveals how to avoid the "perfect parent" trap and embrace the reassurance God provides. The fact is, God designed each mother for her particular kids, and--the best news of all--He makes up for our human weakness with His grace.

The true "supermom," Sheila writes, doesn't have it all together. Just the opposite! A supermom is someone who is real and brave enough to admit her limits and ask God for help. A supermom lets God fill in the gaps in her less-than-perfect parenting.

Inspirational and heartwarming, MOMMY GRACE is comfort and strength for the weary mom. Sheila affirms, "You are not alone. I pray you will realize that mommy guilt is actually a gift - an opportunity - to experience mommy grace. In the process your love affair with Christ will be magnified and you will never be the same."

Get rid of that guilt! And rest assured: You truly are a wonderful mother. (from the book jacket)

About the author: Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman is the daughter of Robert H. Schuller, founding pastor of the Crystal Cathedral. Sheila has had a diverse career as an author, a public schoolteacher, and most recently as a private Christian school administrator. She currently serves as director of family ministries at the Crystal Cathedral and writes a column, "Ask Sheila," which is published monthly in Powerlines, a Crystal Cathedral publication reaching four hundred thousand readers. Sheila has a doctorate in educational leadership and administration. She and her husband, Jim, have been happily married for thirty years and are the parents of four grown sons. (from the book jacket)



Your Best Life Now for Moms by Joel Osteen

About the book: #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Joel Osteen revisits his seven core principles from YOUR BEST LIFE NOW to offer a guide to successful living for moms. YOUR BEST LIFE NOW FOR MOMS will help women through the vast parenting responsibilities and teach them how God can pour out "His far and beyond favor" on them and their children. (from Amazon website)

About the author: Joel Osteen is the senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. Listed by several sources as America's largest and fastest-growing congregation, Lakewood church has approximately 45,000 adult attendees every week. Millions more watch Joel's messages as they are broadcast on national and international television networks. He resides in Houston with his wife, Victoria, and their children. (from Amazon website)


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