Book Beat Babes

Book Beat Babes

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Why Go to a Conference?

DL Larson, Morgan Mandel, Debra St. John
Book Beat Babes at Spring Fling
Now that I no longer have a day job, I'm more picky about which conferences I attend.

Conferences can be costly, especially when well known headliners are offered. Those people don't appear for nothing. Not only is the conference committee responsible for travel expenses for their featured guests, but also their rooms and speaking fees.

Also, decent venues don't come cheap. The committee usually needs to guaranty a certain amount of attendees, as well as people staying overnight, not to mention meals for those at the conference.

I understand how the expenses can add up, yet sometimes certain conferences can be more costly than others. Because of the cost, I've passed on some conferences I would have loved attending.

Still, I couldn't pass on 2014 Chicago-North RWA Spring Fling. For one thing, Chicago-North RWA is my chapter, and I wanted to show support. For another, The chapter rate of $160 for a two-day conference was decent compared to other conferences. The headliners were great, and I knew I'd take something back from hearing them. Also, it would be a great opportunity to network with authors I hadn't seen in a while. Since I've gone the indie route, pitches to editors and agents didn't interest me, but many people attending took advantage of that opportunity.

I was not disappointed. The conference ran professionally and smoothly. The headliners, who included Mary Balogh, Kristan Higgins and Lauren Dane,  gave spectacular workshops and speeches.

My favorite was Mary Balogh, an author of 100 books. I loved her wit. Not only that, her observation that writing is never easy made me feel I wasn't the only one who struggled at times to get my manuscripts completed.

Perseverance and determination are still key ingredients for writers to survive, even when they've already published more books than I could ever dream of writing.

I did get to network with authors I hadn't seen in a long while. I also got fed very well. The venue was beautiful.

Adam  Grabowski, the comedian during the gala dinner, actually made me and others around me laugh! That doesn't always happen.

An added plus was it took less than twenty minutes to get there from my house. Couldn't beat that convenience.

What I most got out of the conference was inspiration. Being among my own kind who suffer similar anxiety and setbacks made me realize I'm not alone. Sure, when I sit at my computer, I'm the one who needs to create my own book, but still, there are many others out there who are hard at work doing the same thing. It may not always come easy, but we can do it!


Find Morgan Mandel's books at
http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

& her Amazon Author Page at
http://amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel

Twitter: @MorganMandel

What about you? Have you been to any good conferences? Or, don't you go to them?

Monday, April 28, 2014

Inspiration from pro authors like Debbie Macomber

I was thrilled Saturday to be a first-time attendee at the third annual Readers Appreciation Luncheon, put on by former Publisher Weekly blogger Barbara Vey in Milwaukee.




Some 60 top-notch authors and 400+ readers. Quite the event. It definitely won't be my last.

Along with meeting and having lunch with author Sharon Sala at her table, I also got to hear one of my favorite authors, Debbie Macomber. She's not only funny, but had some really inspirational things to say and good advice to writers, as well as sharing her own bumpy, almost over-before-it-began start to her writing career. Yes, she's sold  more than 100 books and has millions of copies in print now, but everyone starts somewhere. So, you can always dream, right?

You can read the full story at my GirlZombieAuthors blog.


Saturday, April 26, 2014

Conferences by Margot Justes




In the past I’ve always attended a few writing conferences a year, and it was fun. I learned a little bit, met a few writing friends and made new ones, and attended many panels on the writing process, promotions, marketing,  pitched, all the things that go with the job.

This year I didn’t plan well, and haven’t scheduled any. I will miss connecting with other writers, there is a certain comfort in meeting others who face the same challenges. They understand the writing world. It’s a close community, and going to a conference just for that is worth it.

That being said, there is also a need for face to face networking with readers. I think once you’re published there is a great need to find the conferences that are geared more to readers. I for one do not want to pitch to any editors or agents, but do want to connect with romance readers.

The wonderful part is that there are other authors who attend as well-it is after all a readers conference-authors have to be there as well.

The next step will be to research the romance reader conferences and plan for 2015. At the rate this year is flying it’ll be here before we know it.

Cheers,
Margot  Justes
A Hotel in Paris
A Hotel in Bath
A Fire Within
Blood Art
Hot Crimes Cool Chicks
www.mjustes.com

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Spring-Fling Writers Conference! by DL Larson

Many have their bags packed for a weekend of learning, networking and connecting with other writers for this weekend's Spring-Fling Writers Conference in Hoffman Estates, near Chicago. Agents, editors and publishers will be in attendance, and many participants have pitch sessions with at least one.

My best advice is to relax! Yes, relax. I used to be a nervous wreck when it came my turn to talk to a professional about my work. I still don't enjoy the process, but I've learned editors, and publishers and agents, oh my! are quite friendly!

2. Memorizing your pitch can be self-defeating. Dialogue and eye contact work much better.

3. Be yourself. When I'm nervous, I tend to shut-down, whisper as if I have laryngitis. Silly, I know. And I wanted to kick myself afterwards. What happened to rowdy and outspoken, Deb, I wondered. Now, I understand worse case scenario is a BIG NO, and understanding that calms my nerves. I have plenty of experience with rejection letters. It is not the end of the world. If the professional I talk to is not interested in my work, it doesn't mean I'm a failure. It simply means this is not a good fit.

4. Understand you are searching for a good agent/editor FOR YOUR BOOK/CAREER. Compare it to finding the perfect pair of shoes. You must try on several pairs before you find a good fit!

5. What have you found to help when talking to an agent or editor? Share with us if you have time before you leave for the conference!

If you are going to Spring-Fling, maybe I'll see you there!

Til next time ~

DL Larson
www.DLLARSON.com

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Browser Rant

Just a small rant here. It seems that none of the social networks can get their acts together. Each wants to work better with a different browser, and I'm getting tired of trying to bend to their wishes.

It seems that none of them have anything better to do than to make changes that don't makes sense.

That said, I'm going to try to work on A Perfect Angel today. That book got put on the back burner and needs to get done!



Morgan Mandel
Twitter: @MorganMandel
http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com 
takes you to all of Morgan's books, as does
her Amazon Author Page:
http://amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Karen Docter







I'd like to welcome K. L. Docter to BBB. She even took the time to do her own interview-I couldn't have asked for more.
Margot Justes

Thanks so much for having me on Book Beat Babes! I’m so excited to reveal my romantic suspense, Killing Secrets, Patrick’s and Rachel’s story to your readers.
Since I know you’re much more interested in my new release – I know my book is a lot more interesting J – I’m going to conduct my own Five in Five Interview. I will answer five questions in five minutes or less. Maybe. I have a hard time writing a grocery list without adding a second page. I’m just sayin’!
So here goes….
1.     What appeals to you about the genre that you write?
I actually write in two genres. I write contemporary romance with a kick of humor as Karen Docter. I’ve released two contemporaries, Satin Pleasures and Catch That Santa, a novella. I love writing these because they’re lighthearted, cute and spicy. I love to write about real men and women with dreams and goals that don’t allow for a relationship just so I can throw them in each other’s path…with a tickle and a smile. I don’t think of myself as naturally humorous but some of the situations my characters get into just make me laugh out loud, probably because they’re real people to me.
I plan to continue writing these lighthearted romps because I need a breath of fresh air between suspense novels. Well, the real reason is my critique partners say I have to give them something light once in a while, or they’ll have to kill me.
With the release of Killing Secrets, I’m adding romantic suspense to my genre mix. For the longest time, I wrote exclusively what many know in the traditional markets as short contemporary romance, around 50,000 words. What I found over the years was that I often wrote suspense elements into those stories but they were more backstory. I read across the genres – so it’s not surprising that I’d finally break down and write suspense, too.
I enjoy the more complicated storylines that these books provide me. They’re twice as long. Killing Secrets is 110,000 words, although I’ve been told it’s a “fast read”. I also enjoy handing out justice to villains. When I was a kid, I had considered becoming a police officer (another long story I can’t answer in five minutes J ) to make sure bad guys paid for what they did. It didn’t take me long to realize I was not law enforcement material, but I can still kick some villainous butts in my books.
2.     What is most difficult for you to write?  Characters, conflict or emotions? Why?

My first impulse is to say “all of the above”.  I believe these elements are so intertwined, it’s difficult to pinpoint which gives me grief most often. If I don’t know how to write a character’s emotions, it’s because I don’t know their conflict. If I don’t know the character’s conflict, I don’t know enough about the character.

I don’t usually start writing a story until I feel connected to the characters well enough to know how they’ll react in a given situation. I use the “W” plotting technique to outline my basic story before I start writing so I don’t generally run into these kinds of problems. If something’s not working for me, I simply go back to my character development and retrace my steps.

That said, I think emotions are the hardest on me…from a writer’s point of view, not because I can’t pinpoint the characters’ emotions. I get so invested in these people – even secondary, one-off characters – that I feel everything they’re feeling. I experience their joys and frustrations, their fears and emotions. I can relate to Joan Wilder (Romancing the Stone) when she’s sitting at her desk, hammering out The End, and crying like a baby because she’s me.

In Killing Secrets, I had to actually kill one of the serial killer’s victims. It’s not particularly visceral (I don’t do overly graphic), but I had to leave my office and go out in the sunshine for half an hour after I was finished the scene. The entire time I was writing, I was thinking about my two daughters and how I’d feel if this girl was one of them. I’d tapped into my fears, and it made for an effective scene, but it took a lot out of me.
3.     Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
Everywhere. I may seem quiet when you put me in a room full of people but I’m watching everything, ferreting away little tidbits of characterization, mannerisms, speech patterns, etc. Yeah, I’m a real party animal! J I get ideas from articles, conversations, television, radio, songs, etc. Rachel’s story in Killing Secrets was prompted by a news article I read about a con artist who was maintaining two lives while bilking millions out of his friends and acquaintances. It’s not Rachel’s exact situation, but it made me think…and watch out when you make me think! Once I get the kernel of an idea, it’s just a matter of time before I flesh out the rest of a story.
4.     Many writers dream of having the ideal location to write. If you could live anywhere in the world or live a particular lifestyle, where would you be answering these questions right now?
I live in Colorado and love it here. We’ve moved several times across the country and kept coming back. I missed my mountains. The weather is wonderful, too. We get occasional blizzards and other nasty weather, but we have sunshine more often than not. It can blizzard one day. The next day the sun will shine, the snow melts, and it’s 70 degrees . We teach our children to dress in layers because we can see major weather changes in a single day. I don’t ever intend to move again.
However, I’d also love to be a snowbird, although I don’t want to move south. I want a condo in Maui where I can sit on the lanai and write while watching the sun set. The pace on Maui is laid back. I would own one dress, some shorts and T-shirts. But I’d live in my swimsuit and sarong. I’d escape there when the colder weather really hits Colorado in January, February and March. I’d probably also not get a lick of work done in January, February and March. It’s too easy to slip into the island pace. J
5.     Tell us about your next book & when is it being published?
Killing Secrets by K.L. Docter is my next book and it released on April 14th! You can read the prologue and first two chapters on Amazon for a sneak peek but I’ve added a teaser excerpt below. Killing Secrets is the first novel in the Thorne’s Thorns series about six foster brothers, the dangers that enter their lives, and the women they come to love and would die to protect.
Book Blurb:
Some secrets are better left dead.
Rachel James’ ex-husband is released from prison determined to reclaim her and her little girl — the child is his key to controlling the James fortune. Frightened, Rachel flees to Denver with the child who hasn’t uttered a word since her daddy went to prison.

Contractor Patrick Thorne wants nothing to do with another of his parents’ charity cases. He failed his own wife so abysmally she took her own life as well as his unborn son’s. After two years, it’s time to concentrate on the bid he’s won and the saboteur trying to destroy his construction firm.

There is no room for trust in either of their hearts. But trust is all that will untangle the secrets that dominate their lives, free a little girl of her silent prison, and save them all from a serial killer who stands too close.
KILLING SECRETS© by K.L. DOCTER
Thorne’s Thorns Series – Book 1
EXCERPT
Prologue
Four weeks….
Two Days….
Sixteen hours….
     …’Til death.
The first time he laid eyes on her, he stood on the threshold of a doorway he dare not cross. He fell into her fathomless dark gaze, unable, unwilling to shake his soul free and, in that one moment, he knew.
She was meant for him to love.
Untouched by the sordid life that flourished around her, she was sunlight in a gray existence. A smile in a dingy room. A joy such as he’d never known. She was a gift from a cold, unforgiving God. Forever innocent.
Why God would give him such a precious angel, he hadn’t a clue. But he suddenly knew what he was willing to die for. What he’d kill for.
In that instant of clarity the monster that lurked in the dark recesses of his mind was freed. A creature designed to kill. To live and die. Over and over again. Until his angel ascended once more to her place in Heaven at God’s feet where he couldn’t reach her.
‘Til death parted them, she was his and his alone.
Certain she’d been lost to him, the shock of spotting her again in LoDo, a lower downtown section of Denver, nearly brought him to his knees. His brain tried to tell him he was mistaken. She had more curves than he remembered. Her hairstyle and clothes were different.
The others were different, too.
He shook his head against the monster’s treacherous whisper. He refused to listen. Couldn’t listen. His angel smiled at him. His soul recognized her. Somehow, some way, his fractious God had been appeased and given him yet another chance.
The past seven days were hell. Watching her. Wanting to take her. He couldn’t screw up and lose her again. Tonight, his preparations in place, she’d return to his side where she belonged.
Breathing slow and measured through the full-face ski mask he’d bought at a thrift store, he sucked in a lungful of musty stench. In this uncommon late-May heat wave, he was sweating bullets, but the wool soaked it up before it could sting his eyes. The itching would drive him insane, though, if she didn’t come home from work soon.
The LoDo sports bar where she waited tables closed almost an hour ago. She couldn’t have gone on a date at two o’clock on a Thursday morning, could she?
Three times he’d entered her ground floor apartment after she’d left for work, and he’d seen no sign she was involved with anyone. No jockey shorts mixed with her panties in the hamper. No extra razor. The food in the refrigerator wasn’t enough to feed a cat, let alone her and a boyfriend, and the only scent on her pillows was floral. The sole message from a male on her answering machine had identified himself as a special research librarian from the Denver Public Library reminding her to pick up the copy of “The Warwick Genealogy” she’d requested.
That doesn’t mean she isn’t still involved with him, the almighty scion of Thorne Enterprises. She’s probably crawling into his bed like a whore right this minute, letting him do things to her, making her scream….
Screams.
Blood.
Death.
“No!  Stop!” he whispered. “That was a mistake!”
Was it?  The insidious question lashed him from the dark place in his pounding skull.
He rejected the smirking voice, the vivid images. Think of something else. Anything else. Forgetforgetfor—
A car alarm screamed at an outlying parking lot and dragged him out of his fugue. His eyes cleared. The pain behind them eased to a level he’d learned to carry over the years.
Soon, he would kill the nightmares forever. Patrick Thorne would die and the secrets with him. But the contractor hadn’t been punished enough yet. Before he finished, he’d ruin Thorne’s reputation, his livelihood, destroy everything he loved most in the world.
Just as Thorne destroyed our lives. The man must die! Now!
Restless to escape its bonds the monster thrust knife-hot pain in his brain, but he wrestled it back into the shadows and locked it down. Retribution was almost at hand, but not tonight. This night was about her.
Where was she?
K.L. Docter Bio:
K.L. Docter writes two different kinds of romance novels….
Romantic Suspense w/a K.L. Docter: Women hunted by killers…men who’d die to protect them.
Contemporary Romance w/a Karen Docter: Romance…With a Kick of Humor!
Karen’s contemporaries are cute & spicy romances. She loves writing about real men and women with dreams and goals that don’t allow for a relationship just so she can throw them in each other’s path…with a tickle and a smile.
Her romantic suspense novels (as K.L. Docter) are also filled with romance, although the dangers the hero and heroine face are intense, usually because a serial killer is bent on ending one or both of their lives before they can fall in love.
Karen’s an award winning author, a four-time Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® finalist, and won the coveted Kiss of Death Romance Writers Daphne du Maurier Award Category (Series) Romantic Mystery Unpublished division.
When she’s not saving her characters from death and destruction or helping them fall in love, she loves camping and fishing with her family, reading, gardening & cooking. If she can do most of those things over a campfire, all the better! FMI: http://www.karendocter.com
Killing Secrets by K.L. Docter Available Now!






Karen Docter/K.L. Docter



Facebook/K.L. Docter Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/kldocter

Book Bench for Romance Lovers FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/281099382014548/


~~~
Also writing Contemporary Romance as Karen Docter




Thursday, April 17, 2014

Happy Easter! by DL Larson

The Easter Bunny should be showing up in a few days from now. Our church always hosts an Easter Egg Hunt after church services. It's usually a wild fray and dash to find the eggs scattered through-out our church building. Occasionally it has been held outside, but being in northern Illinois, the weather can never be trusted, so our hunt is held indoors and the kiddies have a great time exploring rooms normally not open to them.

I'm continuing with my 'throw-back Thursday,' theme I started last week. Below is a picture of me in 1958 with my dad and our pet beagle, whose name I don't recall. As one might suspect, we are ready for Easter Sunday.


The other reason I dug out this old picture, is for my dad's 90th birthday. My family is putting together an album for him. We hope to cover 9 decades of pictures. No easy task, but fun just the same.

Another favorite of my dad's is the recipe following. He can no longer eat it because of his gluten free diet. But if anyone is looking for a quick, scrumptious treat for Easter brunch, try this!
It has 2 names: Cream Cheesy Strudel or ...Williamsburg Bread!
(we simply call it 'that cheesy coffeecake thing!'

2 8 oz. tubes refrigerated crescent rolls
2 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened (1 works too - won't have as much filler)
1 egg OR 1 egg yolk (whichever you prefer)
1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar, plus 2TB sugar set aside
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional

Arrange one tube of crescent rolls in the bottom of an ungreased 13x9" baking pan.
Mix cream cheese, egg, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla. (I use a hand mixer)
If you want it sweeter - add 1TB sugar at a time.
Spread cream mixture over the crescent rolls.
Cover with the remaining crescent rolls.

In a separate bowl, mix:
1/4 tsp.cinnamon
2 TB sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Sprinkle this mixture over the top layer.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes
or at 375 degrees for 11 to 13 minutes.

Let cool and cut into squares to serve. Makes 1 to 2 dozen.
* I usually add fluffy white frosting to the top after cooling - very lightly, like
a glaze. Enjoy!


Happy Easter ~

Til next time ~

DL Larson
www.DLLARSON.com



Wednesday, April 16, 2014

One Way to A Faster Startup

It's been a busy day today cleaning up my old computer and solving problems on the DH's computer.

However, I did want to leave you with one tip: Unclutter your Desktop.

If you have lots of files taking up space on your desktop, of which I was very guilty before, but since have mended my ways, it's best to move them off. The less files on the desktop, the faster the computer will start.

A tech gave me that advice once when he was repairing another item on my computer.



Morgan Mandel

http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

Amazon Author Page:
http://amazon.com/author/morganmandel 

Twitter:
@MorganMandel

Friday, April 11, 2014

In the Trenches of Self-Publishing



So by now you’ve probably figured out that I like Publishers Weekly as a source of information related to writing in general; however, I becoming more and more intrigued with this publication – specifically the website – www.publishersweekly.com as I continue to look at the experiences of authors who self-publish.

I do miss my magazine subscription but after wading through stacks of back copies I decided online was better but I haven’t yet figured into my budget the cost of the online subscription which can run up to a whopping $209 per year for just the digital.  Still, there’s lots of information available online without the subscription and I recently stumbled upon a wonderful interview aptly titled, In the Trenches:  PW Talks with Karyn Rashoff.

Now it’s not so much about the author or even the actual book that she penned and self-published, but it’s her answer to some questions in the interview that I found most intriguing, and I think any writer/author would be intrigued as well regardless of genre or fiction vs. non-fiction work.  So, here’s the link to the article:


Pay close attention to how she answers the question about why she chose to self-publish and her thoughts on traditional publishing.  I think her answer will resonate with many of us who’ve slugged along for years trying to publish the “traditional” way and after suffering through rejection after rejection finally embraced a more independent process for our work and publication.

Now we all know that all the paths to publication have pitfalls and traps, or as I like to say, “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly,” but at least now we have more options in which path and, therefore which journey, we wish to embrace.

Take a moment and read the article.  Yes, the author has published a non-fiction title but even fiction writers will find a kindred spirit in this author and I believe will resonate with her journey.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Throw Back Thursday Hooks Up with National Poetry Month! by DL Larson

Throw Back Thursday has spread across our nation and many enjoy searching through old photo albums to find ancient pictures of their loved ones to share on Facebook, Twitter and other social medias.TV broadcasters and talk show hosts have posted their old pictures as well during their prime-time slots.

Below is my family in 1985.My staircase is full of these kinds of pictures. We took family photos during our vacations, usually wearing era costumes. This one was taken in the Ozarks.



As my kids grew, my writing developed right along with them.The following is a poem I wrote in 1997.I must have been feeling melancholy that my kids were growing up.
It called, 'Giving to Receive.'

After the pain, the struggle
of hard work,
Jubilation roars through my weariness.

After rejoicing at the cry
of air-filled lungs,
Relief whispers through my soul.

After seeing, gazing upon
such tiny perfection,
Wonder jumps into my eyes.

After the touch, the caress
of love at first sight,
Awe nestles against my heart.

After a long, weepy sigh of contentment,
I thank the Almighty,
For the miracle of life.


April is National Poetry Month.Try writing a poem this month!Topics are endless ... from your past to your present and beyond.Dream, reflect, and grow in the words you created.

Til next time ~

DL Larson


Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Memoir Author Joan Heartwell Shares Insights About Tom Clancy and the Business of Writing


About the Author:
Joan Heartwell makes her living as a pen for hire, writing, editing and ghostwriting for a variety of private and corporate clients. She has had four novels published under another name and has a fifth one due out later in 2014.
Connect with her at:

Joan's Take on the Business of Writing:

I probably don’t take writing as seriously as some people do. That doesn’t mean I don’t care about how good my writing is. Since I write for a living (as well as for pleasure), working for private and corporate clients, I have to be sure my writing is as good as I can get it and that each assignment is completed by the deadline set for it.  Rather, I mean that I don’t think of writing as some incredible blessing bestowed only on the chosen few.

Tom Clancy died recently and the radio station I listen to did a little piece about him. I have to admit I never read any of his books, but I did see the film version of The Hunt for Red October and I do know that the initial manuscript for the book was published by Annapolis’ Naval Institute Press, which had never published a novel before, after all the major publishers turned it down. With a little help from President Ronald Reagan, who hosted Clancy in the White House, the book became a hit and thereafter Clancy was published by traditional publishers. The radio station played a clip of an interview in which Clancy, talking on the subject of writing, said, “You learn to write the same way you learn to play golf. You do it, and keep doing it until you get it right. A lot of people think something mystical happens to you, that maybe the muse kisses you on the ear. But writing isn’t divinely inspired; it’s hard work.”

Clancy was an insurance agent before he was a full-time writer. He wrote The Hunt for Red October while he was still working at his nine-to-five. His rather pedestrian attitude about writing belies the fact that he was a great storyteller. He had the knack. He learned the craft. When all else failed and he couldn’t get attention from the big boys in the industry, he had the chutzpah to go to the naval academy and get them to publish his book. I don’t know how he got on Reagan’s guest list, but I bet there’s an impressive story behind that too.

The point is Clancy had talent, discipline, balls, and luck. Whether we’ve read him or not, we all know his name. If he had only had talent and discipline, we might not know who he was. He didn’t want to be put on a pedestal because, as he knew, no muse had found him on GoogleMaps and showed up to plant a kiss on his ear. No muse has been to my house either, or at least not that I know of. I have some talent, a lot of discipline, I’m working on chutzpah, and as for luck, I do everything I can to attract it. I’ve had some small successes to date, and I hope to have more in the future. And in the meantime, I keep on writing. Day after day. Without any regrets.

About Joan's Memoir:
Hamster Island is Heartwell's story of growing up ordinary in family that embodied dysfunction. Her childlike shame for her special needs siblings is balanced by a fierce love that, occasionally, enabled her to shed her diffidence and perform extraordinary feats of pluck and valor. 

Funny and heartbreaking, Hamster Island is a coming-of-age in the tradition of such darkly comic memoirs as Mary Karr's The Liars Club and Augusten Burroughs' Running with Scissors; it delights while exploring issues of identity, transformation, and responsibility.

What people are saying:
“Bittersweet, engagingly written, and populated by a household of strong-willed, idiosyncratic characters, Hamster Island has, at its core, a conflict familiar to us all: How can we be good to others while also being good to ourselves? ...This tale of caregiving and self-actualization is unique, but it abounds with insights for us all.”
—Rachel Simon, New York Times bestselling author of Riding The Bus With My Sister 
and The Story of Beautiful Girl  


Purchase links:
BN.com
OmniLit

Please leave a comment to welcome Joan Heartwell to Book Beat Babes.