Launch week – The Debutante Ball

Interview and Book Giveaway: Martina Reaves, Author of I’m Still Here

Saturday, April 25, 2020

I am pleased to introduce Martina Reaves to the Debutante Ball this week! Martina Reaves grew up in a Navy family and lived in thirty-four places before she finally settled in her current home in Berkeley. She became a mediator in 1986 and in 2007, she dropped writing legal documents and began writing fiction and memoir. She loves creating serenity in her home with her wife, Tanya, and their son,…

Not-So-Minor-Dramas: Why I Love Kathleen’s Book

Friday, February 7, 2020

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There’s something you should know: I have absolutely no chill when it comes to books I love. This is why I never tried to be a reviewer—because I enjoy nothing more than to get completely lost in a book. So I’m going to spend the Deb release weeks less reviewing my colleagues’ fabulous works than losing my chill over them, because—wow. These are seriously good books. So you can guess…

Attacus Atlas & Other Inventions: They Could Have Named Her Anything!

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

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I’m thrilled that Stephanie Jimenez’s debut, They Could Have Named Her Anything, is out in the world this week! I had a chance to snag an advance copy and I was not disappointed — this novel has it all: a young but strong protagonist who tackles racism, loyalty, classism; she slingshots between poverty and privilege and learns the hard way of the bittersweet nature of love. Beautifully written and well-realized….

A Tale of Two Launches

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

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I had two launch parties for Girlish—one in my hometown of Rochester, NY, and one in my current town, Cleveland. Old Hometown Launch Venue: Writers and Books (a writing center) Food: Beautiful appetizer and dessert trays, which remained largely uneaten. Two kinds of wine + bottled water, most of which remained largely undrank. Agenda: chatting, signing, and general milling about. I did a 10-minute reading from Girlish. Takeways: People don’t care…

Science and Love: The Ones We Choose

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

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It is with massive excitement that I finally have the chance to review fellow Deb Julie Clark’s debut novel, The Ones We Choose. Julie is the last of us to publish, and having her book on my shelf alongside the others feel like a family reunion … which is a great segue into what her story is about. The great love of Paige Robson’s life is her son, Miles, whom…

Big and Beautiful: From Unseen Fire

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

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FROM UNSEEN FIRE is a big, luscious, complex book, the kind that makes you want to wall yourself off from the world in your most comfortable pajamas with a cup of something warm and sweet to drink. Some books you skim through, racing to reach the denouement; others, like this novel, are immersion reads, so full-fledged and epic you are a bit startled to find yourself in your own world…

Happy Birthday, FROM UNSEEN FIRE!

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

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I love that my normal posting day is Tuesday, which is the day new books come into the world. (No one knows why this is, not even Judy Blume. I know this because I was in her bookstore on a Tuesday when they were shelving new books and I asked Judy Blume why books always release on Tuesdays and she said that she had no idea. Investigative journalism at…

The Diminished: You Cannot Put It Down

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

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Aside from bestsellers, I rarely read Young Adult novels. So I’m not going to try to sell YA fans—especially YA fantasy fans— on The Diminished. Those readers will find this book on their own and I believe it will become an instant classic for them. You read mainstream fiction, women’s fiction, literary fiction, sci-fi? You are going to want to own this book. Kaitlyn Sage Patterson is an incredibly talented…

Let’s Talk About THE DIMINISHED

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

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Let’s talk about THE DIMINISHED by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson. I’ve been screaming with anticipation for this book to come out now it is finally here! In a world populated by twins, Vi is “diminished” meaning the sole surviving twin of her pair, and the world waits for her to succumb to grief or murderous rage. Meanwhile, Bo, as single-born, is preparing to take the throne. There are sun ships…

It’s My Release Day!

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

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Here it is: release week. It’s rather fitting that my regular posting day here is also my release day. Today I’m driving to my hometown—Rochester, New York—for my release party. I am looking forward to seeing some of my childhood friends, some of whom are mentioned in the book, and others who were present at the time but not mentioned. I’m looking forward to my snack trays from Wegmans. (Wegmans…

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