Amy Klein

Interview with Desiree Cooper, Author of Know the Mother

Saturday, September 28, 2019
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I am so excited to welcome Desiree Cooper to The Debutante Ball. Desiree and I are both Kimbilio fellows. Kimbilio is a national residency for fiction writers from the African diaspora. Desiree is a 2015 Kresge Artist Fellow, former attorney and Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist. Her debut collection of flash fiction, Know the Mother, is a 2017 Michigan Notable Book that has won numerous awards, including 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Award. Cooper’s…

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In the Face of Illness, Balancing Writing, Work, and Life

Monday, September 23, 2019
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On May 1st I entered a diagnostic imaging center to undergo a biopsy. For the procedure, I had to lie face down in a tunnel MRI machine and not move for close to two hours. I was rolled in and out of the tunnel throughout the procedure and had to endure the obnoxiously loud screeching and honking noises of the machine’s magnetic fields as well as the whirring motor of…

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My path to publication required the right shoes

Monday, September 16, 2019
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I arrived at the book fair exhibit hall of AWP, the Association of Writers and Writing Programs conference hopeful that I’d be able to complete my mission: to convince the editors at a small press that they should publish my novel. After a six-hour train ride that took me several states away. I said a silent prayer and slipped into the comfortable shoes I had packed, my burgundy, suede Crocs….

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What, Me, a Book?

Friday, September 6, 2019
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It’s interesting that it’s Labor Day weekend — because this is when I actually finished my book. Yes, I did submit the behomoth on Memorial Day, almost a year since I’d started it, under contract. “Aren’t you excited?” everyone asked. (Well, I posted on FB that I submitted, so it was my fault.) Yes, I was overwhelmed with emotion. The night that I’d finished — Thursday before Memorial Day weekend,…

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[News Flash] Press Release – New Debutantes Take Over for 2020

Tuesday, September 3, 2019
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“The Debutante Ball has introduced us to some of the best contemporary authors.” -WeHeartWriting.com For Immediate Release: September 3, 2019– Founded in 2007, The Debutante Ball celebrates the journey of five female debut authors on their paths to publication. Through discussions that range from craft and creativity to copy edits and cover designs—plus weekly guest posts by published authors—The Debutante Ball offers guidance and a supportive community for aspiring and…

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Introducing Amy Klein: Author of THE TRYING GAME

Friday, August 30, 2019
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I’m beyond thrilled to introduce you all to your new Friday blogger, Amy Klein! Amy is the author of The Trying Game: How to Get Pregnant and Get Through Fertility Treastment Without Losing your Mind (Ballantine, 2020) based on her New York Times Fertility Diary column. As soon as I read her application, I knew I wanted her to be on the Debutante Ball, and now I’ve got my wish. It…

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