Happy 50th Anniversary, Meg Murry and A Wrinkle in Time

This link to the NY Times book review article showed up on my G+ dash this morning, and it couldn't have been more timely.  (Pun intended). A Wrinkle in Time was the book that defined my childhood and likely is what set me on my course to someday grow up to write books.

What astounds me, now, about L'Engle's classic, is how relevant it is still.  Reading this book in 2011, there is little to tell the reader it was written 50 years ago. The emotions and conflicts still ring as true.

I am deeply indebted to L'Engle and for Meg Murry.  Happy 50th birthday, to "A Wrinkle in Time" from a grateful reader.

Want to see a happy author?

This is me at my first reading/signing for my debut novel.  What you can't see is that I'm floating about 6 inches off the ground.  Okay, not really, but it certainly felt that way.

Thank you to Mary Cotton and the wonderful staff at Newtonville Books for hosting me.

The Between Release Fun Continues!

I've been busy obsessing. . . preparing for my reading tomorrow night.  While I've done oodles and oodles of public speaking in my past professional life as a Physical Therapist, this feels somehow different.

This is me, reading the words I wrote, in the book I authored, standing front and center.

And even though I seem pretty confident and relaxed here on my blog, and even pithy in the world of twitter, in physical life, I am more than a little reserved. 

Luckily, I'll have chocolate with me.

:)

Some more lovely and generous reviews have gone live:




In a Locked Room: Review
Grant is a former crit buddy of mine whose talent and creativity I respect tremendously.  I am deeply honored by what he has to say about THE BETWEEN. 

"Cohen, as I've previously stated, has the amazing gift of making prose smooth. Everything just always seems to flow forward and she makes it easy to keep reading and reading and diving into the story. . . . Choices are made and they have consequences and there is no backtracking from the path [Lydia] chooses. There was one scene near the end between Lydia and her little sister that made my heart ache."

Book Blogger and Fantasy writer, Terry C Simpson's review is also up. 

"The world created here in Faerie was one of political intrigue, darkness, all things magical, and one that was so well thought out that you will believe you are there. You will believe in the glamours you see upon the pages. You will feel the tenseness of the world, the grip of its King, the fear those of power instill upon others."

Terry was also brave enough to interview one of the powerful Fae characters from THE BETWEEN, Oberon's mad gardner, Aeon.  You can read the interview here.

If you are a book blogger and interested in reviewing THE BETWEEN, please feel free to contact me.

The Month of Letters Challenge

Via Mary Robinette Kowal, I'm pledging to participate in her Month of Letters Challenge. So despite my epically terrible handwriting, I will be sending a letter/postcard out to someone every post day of the month of February.

If you want a letter from me (be warned, I may need to translate), feel free to send me an email with your snail mail address. (lisa@ljcohen.net).  I'll also be sending cards and letters to friends and family who are most used to getting emails and FB updates or phone calls rather than letters.

I used to have a few pen pals, back in the dark ages of my childhood.  Then, when my now husband and I were dating (also in the dark ages.  Before Internet), we used to send one another cards regularly.  I treasured them, and saved them in a box in our basement.  Unfortunately, the fire was not kind to those kind of keepsakes, and they are gone now.  Perhaps I can mail him a few cards under his pillow.

Author Spotlight

Thank you to UK writer Morgen Bailey, who has graciously offered to host me today for her Author Spotlight.

Stop by to learn about my first writing love (hint, it's not fiction!) and what I compare orange juice concentrate to.

Newtonville Books & Web Sightings

When I was a little girl, one of my big dreams was to some day see a book of mine for sale in a bookstore. Well, that dream is now a reality. Not only is THE BETWEEN front and center at Newtonville Books, but according to my son, there's a display inside with my books on it.

Oh. My. God.

I haven't let myself walk in there because I don't trust myself not to jump up and down and squee.

And the guest blog appearances continue, with the lovely and gracious writers at Black Ink, White Paper giving me space to talk about my writing process and why you will have to pry my GPS out of my cold, dead hands.

Some lovely 4 and 5 star reviews posted on Amazon this week, as well. 

More Sightings for THE BETWEEN

While it's officially been just 3 days since my debut released, it also feels like a lifetime.  Perhaps this is because I have been planning and dreaming about having a book published since I was a little girl.  Maybe because by the time a writer gets to publication day, she is already several years and book projects removed from the work being released.  Regardless, it's been a thrill to see THE BETWEEN find its way into the hands of interested readers.

Nancy Lauzon of The Chick Dick Mysteries was a gracious host for a mini interview about my book in her "Book Shower" feature.  Head over and find out how THE BETWEEN almost got derailed before it was finished.

Release week, redux

Today, a mini-interview with me is live on one of my favorite writing blogs: Writer Unboxed.  I've been lucky enough to have been invited to write several guest posts for their highly regarded site over the past few years and they are a must read when new posts come over my RSS reader.

Head over to find out where in the world my wonderful cover artist is from and how Aeon crashed his way into THE BETWEEN.

And the book blogger, Becky Raymond of Inquisitive Hippo is hosting a giveaway of a print and an ebook copy of THE BETWEEN.  Check out her blog for details.    Thank you, Becky!

There's still (a little!) time to enter to win free copies, either at Paperback Writer (AKA Lynn Viehl), or my Goodreads Giveaway!

Release Week, Continued

It's a good thing I'm a writer because I take lousy photographs.  This one does not do justice to the lovely flowers my husband had sent to me yesterday morning in honor of my publication day.  (Orchids and not roses.  I have a thing about roses--long story, including the fact the the florists brought the wrong flowers for our wedding. 23+ years later, it still irks me!) I am so fortunate to have such a supportive family behind me.

This has been quite a ride and I am thrilled to see so many people enjoying the world of Lydia, Clive, and my vision of Faerie.

Some more reviews have been posted on the internet.  Becky Raymond, a book blogger at Inquisitive Hippo reviewed THE BETWEEN here.  Thanks, Becky, for your thoughtful comments!

Some of my reviews have come from queries made to book bloggers, others have appeared 'in the wild'. One of those is this one, by Erin Searles, who looks for debut titles on smashwords for under $3.00 (US) in the fantasy genre.  She samples several and chooses one to review any given week.  She chose to review THE BETWEEN and her thoughts are here. Thank you, Erin, for your review.

Many writers say that reviews are their lifeblood, that they are the new word-of-mouth in the indi age.  That may be so, and I am extremely grateful for them.  I am also humbled and moved by the lovely comments I have been given by writing friends.  Towers of Grey was part of my first ever critique group on Forward Motion for Writers.  From the first work I read of his, I fell in love with his writing.  He was also generous with his critique; honest, kind, and thoughtful. We have kept in touch, even thought the crit group dissolved (as many do) and he is a voice to watch. Thanks you, Grant, for your lovely post about my release day.

Release Week part 4: release day!!!

When it became clear that my original plan to release THE BETWEEN on Halloween wasn't going to work and that I hadn't given myself enough time for the myriad details of a book birthday, I looked ahead on the calendar, looking for a just-right day.  I didn't want to run into the insanity of the holiday season, but I was hoping to ride the coat-tails of folks who had gotten Amazon or B&N giftcards as presents.

So I saw mid-January as the perfect time.  Then I realized we had a Friday the 13th.  Not that the book has anything to do with superstitions, but I've always liked that poor little much-maligned day, so I asked it to the dance and it said yes.  :)

Welcome to the world, Lydia and Clive, Aileen, Taylor, and Aeon, characters from THE BETWEEN.

Today, I am hosted by the gracious and lovely Lisa Didio.  She and I seem to be writing twins: we both are named Lisa, both have sons, both write YA fantasy, and are both represented by the same agent!

Thank you, Lisa, for your kind words.

And seen in the wild, an amazing review from one of my favorite authors and bloggers: Lynn Viehl, AKA PaperbackWriter. As gracious and lovely as it was unexpected, Lynn's review brought tears to my eyes on this book-birthday morning.

Thank you, Lynn (and you should all buy her books--I'm sucked in the world of her Darkyn right now, but I have a soft spot in my heart for Cherijo Grey Veil from her Stardoc series. )

Release Week, part 3

Today's guest post is on the #amwriting blog maintained by the fabulous Johanna Harness (@johannaharness).  She created a twitter community of writers who support and encourage one another through the #amwriting hashtag.

Today, she graciously turned over the blog to me and my post, Learning to Trust Myself."

"Little surprise that I grew up not trusting my inner compass. If you didn’t express your fear, anger, or sadness because to do so would make them real, and you didn’t express your hopes, joy, and happiness for fear of them being taken away, then you were left with a swirling mass of self-doubt."

For me, the process of writing has been one of learning to listen to my true voice and not let self-doubt cripple me.

Thanks, Johanna, for featuring me today.

Release Week, part 2

Thanks to Jackie At My Tower of Books for her review of THE BETWEEN.

It is always a risk, sending your work out to the world for review.  When I was searching for book bloggers to pitch, I sought out thoughtful readers who were critical and honest.  I am not so much a glutton for punishment as someone who values straightforward commentary.  If all I ever wanted was approval, I would never submit anything further than my dear husband who is my unapologetic fan.

Which is lovely, but doesn't push me to work harder and make each story the best it can be.  That's the job of a crit group, beta readers, and reviewers and I am grateful for them, every step of the way toward publication.

My Ideal Reader: Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour

This month's topic for the FM Writers Merry-Go-Round blog tour is to explore your ideal reader.  It pretty much a perfect topic with perfect timing for me this month.  I've been participating in a lot of guest blog Q&A posts and 'who is your perfect reader?' is a question that has come up more than once.

I have struggled to answer it in a pithy, snappy way and I think the question does deserve serious consideration.

The bottom line is not everyone is going to love every book.  Not everyone is even going to want to read every book, no matter how well written it is.  If you don't like westerns, no amount of praise or recommendations are going to have you delve into the books of Larry McMurtry, books my husband adored.  He is also a big fan of techno-thrillers. While we often share books, these books usually make my eyes glaze over by about page 7. I am not the ideal reader for a techno thriller or a western.

With my debut coming out this week, I am prepared for a mixed bag of folks enjoying it and folks just not feeling the love.  It is nearly impossible to write the One Book to Rule them All. What I have written is a book aimed for teen and young adult readers, ideally with appeal to all genders.  I don't have a specific reader in mind when I sit down to write.  Rather, I write the books I wanted to read as a teen/young woman--books that speak to ordinary heroes finding and trusting their own power, set in a world with just a bit more magic than this one contains.

What are the characteristics of my ideal reader?

Perhaps the most important quality is the desire and the ability to be swept away into another world--that suspension of disbelief that is at the heart of any immersive experience. That is what I have always craved in my reading and what I look for in a book today.

It is the partnership between the reader and the writer that makes that experience come alive.  As a writer, I promise to do everything in my power to create a story where you can bring the power of your imagination.

If I succeed, then you are my ideal reader.


Want to see what a whole group of writers think about their ideal readers?  Take a look at the Merry-Go-Round blog tour hub.

Release Week, Part 1

In case you've been living under a rock, or have been marooned on a desert island without wifi, you probably know I have a book coming out this week. *

As part of the book launch, I'll be showing up in various places around the interwebs, with a mixture of Q&A's, interviews, and guest blog posts.  I'll be posting links to them here as they go 'live'.

Today, I was hosted by the lovely folks at the Adorning Schemes blog.  Rachel Desilets is someone in my google plus circle and when she put out a call for writers to spotlight, I raised my hand.

You can read the entire Q&A with me here. If you follow the link, you will find out why A Wrinkle in Time is my favorite book from childhood along with other trivia and writing tidbits.



*THE BETWEEN is actually available now, even thought the official release day is Friday.  Shhh.  Don't tell anyone. . .

THE BETWEEN Book Launch & Signing!

If you're local to the Boston, MA area, please join me for a book launch, reading, and signing at my favorite bookstore, Newtonville Books.

When: Thursday, January 26th, 7 PM
Where: 296 Walnut St. - Newtonville, MA - 02460

I'm thrilled that our own indi bookstore is supporting this indi author and even if you can't make the event, please do consider supporting your local bookstore.

10 days till my debut!

If you're on Goodreads, you can pop on over and enter to win one of five signed trade paperback editions of The Between.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Between

by L.J. Cohen

Giveaway ends January 20, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win