Once We Were Light

News Flash: Updates from the Debs, past and present

Sunday, April 9, 2017
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We send our thanks to Lori Rader-Day for being our guest yesterday on The Debutante Ball. If you haven’t already, pick up a copy of THE DAY I DIED this Tuesday or enter to win a copy by sharing our post on Facebook and/or retweeting the following tweet: RT to Enter! Interview w/ @LoriRaderDay + #DebBallGiveaway of THE DAY I DIED https://t.co/OQSJ7n43rn pic.twitter.com/B7P1crWBGx — The Debutante Ball (@DebutanteBall) April 8, 2017 BIG…

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NewsFlash From The Busy Debs

Sunday, January 22, 2017
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Congratulations to Kathy Roberts, winner of our #DebBallGiveaway of THE SECOND MRS. HOCKADAY! We send our thanks to author Jessica Chiarella for being our guest yesterday on The Debutante Ball. If you haven’t already, pick up a copy of AND AGAIN. Or you can enter to win a copy by retweeting this tweet on twitter:   Interview with Jessica Chiarella + #DebBallGiveaway of AND AGAIN https://t.co/ZqmK9yiSAK pic.twitter.com/jnk90VwRZM — The Debutante Ball (@DebutanteBall) January 21,…

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News Flash: Some past Deb excitement and present Deb updates!

Sunday, December 18, 2016
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Congratulations to Laurice McClung for winning a copy of Elizabeth Brundage’s book ALL THINGS CEASE TO APPEAR. We send our thanks to Breeana Shields for being our guest on The Debutante Ball yesterday! If you haven’t already, please pick up a copy of POISON’S KISS or enter to win a signed hardcover by retweeting: Enter the #DebBallGiveaway to win @BreeanaShields‘ #PoisonsKiss! RT to Enter, Ends 12/23 https://t.co/kmjqtgOXy1 — The Debutante Ball (@DebutanteBall) December 17,…

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The Graceful Exit

Wednesday, August 31, 2016
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It occurred to me recently that many folks who read this blog don’t know its history. It was started in 2007 by five women who had their first books coming out, and for a year, they blogged together about their experiences. Then, after all their books were published, they decided to do a rather unusual thing in the blogoverse: they picked five more women debut authors, and entrusted their blog…

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What I Loved Best About My Debut Year

Wednesday, August 24, 2016
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Oh, this one’s easy. What did I love best about my year as a debut novelist? I PUBLISHED A GODDAMNED NOVEL, PEOPLE!! Okay, I won’t just exit stage right. Even though that was what I loved best, there were other things I also loved. Things like:   Getting to know my fellow Debutantes. Other than Louise, whom I’d “met” on the AgentQuery website, all of these women were strangers to me. One year…

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My Favorite Books of 2016 (So Far)

Wednesday, August 17, 2016
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2016 has been a delicious year for reading, a state of perfect bibliophilic equilibrium wherein the “read” stack and the “to-be-read” stack have stayed even most of the time. Here are my favorites of the year so far, with helpful links to Indiebound so you can buy them at a bookstore near you: (1) DEAR COMMITTEE MEMBERS, Julie Schumacher An epistolary novel that consists of a series of hilarious and…

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The City Baker’s Guide to Putting On Your Big Girl Pants

THE CITY BAKER'S GUIDE TO COUNTRY LIVING by Louise Miller
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
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Over the past year, we five Debutantes have cheered each other on, cheered each other up, and bumbled our way through the publication process together. So it’s no surprise that after eleven months of this, we’ve come to know each other very well. But there are also a bunch of other women we’ve gotten to know along the way, shadow women who live in different centuries and places, and who face…

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NEWS FLASH–More Books to Launch Edition

Sunday, August 7, 2016
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Congratulations to Patty Smith, winner of Heather Young’s THE LOST GIRLS! Check back next week, where we will announce the winner of this weeks giveaway, our own Aya de Leon’s UPTOWN THIEF! From the 2016 Debs: Louise Miller is thrilled that The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living was featured in Read Simple Magazine’s The Best New Books to Read This Month article! She is a little teary, all the time, as she approaches her…

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An Interview With Heather Young + Giveaway of THE LOST GIRLS

THE LAST GIRLS by Heather Young
Saturday, July 30, 2016
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How odd it feels to sit in the Guest Author chair! Although I have to say, it is quite plush and the fabric matches my outfit, so I’m going to squish my butt into the cushion and dig in to my fellow Debs’ questions about THE LOST GIRLS: After reading LOST GIRLS I found myself thinking about the complicated give and take that exists in most sibling relationships. Did you…

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My Feminist Twin: Why I Love Heather Young’s THE LOST GIRLS

Friday, July 29, 2016
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Heather Young is my twin sister in the world of Debut Novelists. Our books came out the same day–Tuesday, July 26, 2016, and both are novels of suspense. On the surface, one might think that was all we had in common. I’m writing a larger-than-life heist story of sexy urban fiction, while her book, THE LOST GIRLS, is a subtle, beautifully crafted thriller. But despite our differences, I fell in…

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