Firefly Lane hits the shelves--
Monday, February 4, 2008
Well, after two years of waiting, planning, and hoping, the release date of Firefly Lane is now at hand! I have to say, I'm really excited. It's been so long since I've seen a new book on the stands that it almost feels like a new beginning to a career that has been bustling along for almost twenty years. Those of you who have--quite kindly--read this blog and perused my new website, know that this book is a very special novel for me. Quite simply, it's the most personal novel I've ever written. So much of my past peeks through the cracks of this story, whether it's the time period, the place, the music. Whatever.
I've never been very good at synopsizing my own novels, and I'm even worse at promoting them. The truth is that what I love is writing them...conceiving the story, creating the characters, molding the dialogue. For the year (and with Firefly Lane, it was twice that long) that I inhabit a particular story world, I am totally obsessed. If it weren't for people forcing me to occasionally get dressed and leave my house, I could sit with my notepads forever, dreaming. The process of writing is totally compelling for me. That being said, once the process is over and done with, one has to look at the book itself, and after all that work, some books simply work better than others. It's a fact of life. Sometimes we writers nail our vision and sometimes we stumble.
I'm glad to say that with Firefly, I really feel that the book lives up to all the effort. Mostly, this is because of the characters: Kate Mularkey and Tully Hart. I just loved these two women. It sounds crazy, because I know I created them, but somehow they grew beyond my expectations. No matter how many times I read and re-read and edited their story, I was always entertained. Perhaps this is precisely because of how keenly I relate to the story. It takes place in my hometown, and begins in my era--the late seventies. The story follows these two women, and their remarkable friendship, for thirty years. It really is a valentine to female friendship, a novel that explores how invaluable those relationships are in our lives. So how cool is it that my publisher decided to bring it out in February??
I really want to thank all of you who dared to step out of the shadows and post on this blog. I've loved reading your thoughts and gathering your ideas. It only reinforces what I believe about the community of women. We are all so very alike--it doesn't matter what choices we've made or where we've lived or who we've loved--it's so much more fundamental than that. It's about who we are in our heart.
Thanks again, and keep checking in. As you know from the website, I'll be on the road--hoping to meet you in person--for the next couple of weeks. I'll try to post from some of the various cities and say hey.
Take care and I hope you enjoy Firefly Lane--
Kristin
21 Comments:
Kristin,
I just started Firefly Lane and it is wonderful! It is completely absorbing and the characters are charming and flawed and real. I love it! I wish I could just climb back into the world you have created, but unfortunately I have to work. Knowing that your book is waiting for me at the end of the day is a comfort. Thank you for all of your wonderful stories and I look forward to many, many, many more!
Best,
Jocelyn
PS- I *LOVE* the new website!! LOVE,LOVE,LOVE,LOVE it! ...and keep blogging!! :)
I picked up my copy today! My bookstore was a little slow putting it on the shelf, but they pulled it from the back cart when I asked for it. Still, it's stinky no one can see the beautiful cover and pick it up on whim. It was even on sale (though not marked as such).
I can't wait to read it. Unfortunately, stupid real life is crazy busy, but I plan to start it Sunday as soon as things settle down a little. The book is absolutely beautiful. Plus, I've raved enough that a friend of mine decided to start reading your books starting with this one (though I bought her Once in Every Lifetime and maybe If You Believe already).
I can not wait to start your new book. I have everyone of your books and everyone of them I get lost in the story. Most of the time I read before going to bed but I catch myself sometimes reading till wee hours in the morning just because I just can not put it down.
You should think about scheduling some of your stops out East! I know that there are a ton of your fans out this way.
Keep up the great work! I can't wait to read your new novel! Maybe I can hint to my hubby to pick it up for me for Valentines Day.
Congrats on your newest novel! :)
This blogging is totally fun! It's great to hear from all of you that you're finding the book and starting it. I'll try not to think about you reading it, though. :) Otherwise I'll worry about whether you like it. I told you we mothers/writers were crazy...
Keep checking in, I really appreciate it.
And I'll try to get out to the east coast sometime. I do love it out there. Fortunately, though, the tour goes to warmer climes this year...
my best,
Kristin
I picked up my copy today and started reading it right after dinner. It's three a.m. and even knowing I have to get up and get the kids to school in just a few hours, I can't stop reading. What a wonderful story!!
You are in so muchhh trouble, keeping me up until late late late at night reading a book I can not put down. My boss is going to kill me if this keeps up I won't get any work done until I'm finished with the book. INCREDIBLE! You really are the master that took a non-reader like me and made me want to devour the pages. And...by the way our local Hastings store didn't even have any copies of the book in and only 2 coming (and they want you to come sign books there HAH!) Thank God for Costco!!!! Love YOU
Kristin---I'm so excited that you have a new book out. I absolutely love reading your work. I work as a cataloger/order clerk at our public library (small town of Many, Louisiana). One of the good things about my job is that I know in advance about new books and can order a copy for myself from one of our vendors. I have recommended your books to many of our readers---and they love you as well. Each time we put one of your books on order---I have a list of readers to add to the request shelf. Thank you for the many enjoyable hours of reading and for all the new things I learn from your books. Your characters are so realistic---it is easy to escape into their lives. I also love your new website and especially your blog. God bless you.
Hi Kristin,
I got my copy of Firefly in an unabridged audiobook format. I cannot wait to listen to it. I became a HUGE fan just recently when I listened to Magic Hour. I am SO glad that I found your books! I am generally a creature of habit, and as such I have a few authors that I read or listen to repeatedly. I rarely check out authors that I have not read before. In the case of Magic Hour, I think that I checked that book out at least twice before I actually listened to it. Now, I am clamoring for more of your books, and even if I have to get the books in their paper form, I am on a hunt for the books you have written prior to Magic Hour.
Can I just plead with you for a minute in regards to Magic Hour? Please consider writing a sequel to that book. It just needs to be continued. I want to find out how Alice/Brittany continues to thrive, how Julia and Alice continue to develop a relationship, and if Alice ever becomes comfortable around her father. I cried at the end of this book. It ripped my heart out to see Alice being given medication to calm her, but I was cheering not too long afterwards when her dad had to bring her back to Julia because she wasn't his daughter, and he could not give her what was best for her. I want to see her grow and see if she ever gains the confidence that all little girls need, ya know?
So would you please consider picking up where Magic Hour left off and continuing the story?
I cannot wait to listen to Firefly, and I am hopeful that my local library will be able to locate more of your books so that I can read all of them. You have definitely made it on my short list of authors that I clamor for books from! Thank you so much!
Take care
Linda
Mary--
So glad to hear you're staying up all night, reading! I sure hope your boss doesn't give you any grief if you come to work all sleepy. :) And thanks for the report on Hastings. Keep your eye out; let me know if they get more in. And also, I'll be in Leavenworth on 3/29. I'll post all the scoop soon, but put it on calendar.
xo
K
To Annie-- It's so great to hear about you reading the book. I wrote thebook quite a while ago now (actually, I've just finished the book for 2009--that's how far ahead I work), so I had almost forgotten how much I loved Firefly. It really means a lot to hear that you're enjoying it.
And Connie--There's nothing I love more than a librarian! Thanks so much for everything. I hope you enjoy Firefly.
Aloha,
Kristin
To Annie-- It's so great to hear about you reading the book. I wrote thebook quite a while ago now (actually, I've just finished the book for 2009--that's how far ahead I work), so I had almost forgotten how much I loved Firefly. It really means a lot to hear that you're enjoying it.
And Connie--There's nothing I love more than a librarian! Thanks so much for everything. I hope you enjoy Firefly.
Aloha,
Kristin
To Linda--
So you want a sequel to Magic Hour, huh? I've heard requests like that for much of my career (On Mystic Lake gets a lot of pleading requests for more, too), and usually I don't understand why people want to know what happens "next," but I have to admit that with MH, I get it. Alice is perhaps my all time favorite character, and I often wonder where she would be now and what she would be doing. I am also interested in George. Now, will I do anything with that? I don't know yet. But I appreciate the input and I'll certainly keep it in mind. I have a feeling you may have the same feeling about Firefly. Let me know...
aloha,
Kristin
Hello Kristin,
WOW! You responded to my comment! I am so excited! Yeah, it doesn't take a lot to excite me.. :)
Seriously, thank you for responding. I would SO love to read more about Alice and Julia.
I am about to start listening to Firefly, and if it turns out as you say it might, then I will be asking for a sequel to that one too! I just purchased 4 used copies of your previous books on audio MP3! Distant Shores, Summer Island, Comfort and Joy, and The Things We Do For Love. Unfortunately, I have yet to find unabridged CDs or MP3 versions of Between Sisters, anything on MH, or Angel Falls. I even checked the Brilliance Audio website, and these have been discontinued. *pout* My library doesn't have the actual books either. Are they out of print? Have any idea where I can get these books? Preferably audio CDs or MP3 versions.
See, I am a medical transcriptionist. As such, I transcribe all day for my career. I listen to doctor's and type what they say. By the end of my work day, the last thing that I want to do is to pick up a physical book and hold it, much less use my eyes to read the words. I have developed a keen love for the audio versions of the books that I read, because I can still relax and hear my favorite authors..
So, if you have any ideas where I can get the books mentioned above, I would appreciate the heads up! Thank you so much!
I hope to see you in NC for a book signing in the future.
Thanks for reading and responding, it means a lot that you take the time to write back!
Linda
Oops! I did not even compute that MH was Magic Hour.. Sorry about that. I meant that I cannot find copies of Mystic Lake. There are copies of cassettes out there, but I do not even own a cassette player, so that won't work.
Take care,
Linda
Dear Linda--
It's so fun to be able to chat back and forth, isn't it? I would have jumped into this internet a long time ago if I'd known it was so easy. I am not really up on the ins and outs of my audio books, but let me do a little checking and I'll see what I can do. Some of them might have been published before MP3--am I showing my age there?
How are the books on audio, by the way? It's hard to listen to your own words spoken aloud, so I have to take readers' opinions to heart.
Have a great weekend and let me know what you think of Firefly, how it stacks up to the other books.
aloha,
Kristin
Dear Linda--
**Hi Kristin!
Please look for my comments with the ** beside them.
KRISTIN: It's so fun to be able to chat back and forth, isn't it?
**Yes! I love the internet and e-mailing with people. You get to meet so many cool people that way.
KRISTIN: I would have jumped into this internet a long time ago if I'd known it was so easy.
**LOLOL! Why is that so many folks are so afraid of learning how to use a computer? My mom drives me insane with it. She is terrified that she will break the computer, and sometimes it is comical to listen to her. I taught myself many years ago, and I just did a trial and error type of thing. I figured that if I messed it up, one of my computer guru friends could help me fix it. I tend to learn most new things that way.
KRISTIN: I am not really up on the ins and outs of my audio books, but let me do a little checking and I'll see what I can do. Some of them might have been published before MP3--am I showing my age there?
**Hehehe.. Yeppers.. :) Although, your picture on your web site doesn't age you. I would guess that you are in your late 30s by that picture. I cannot play cassettes because I don't have a cassette player anymore. So, I purchased these MP3 versions of your previous books because that was the only format that I could find that I could afford. I usually get my audiobooks from the library, but they did not have the unabridged version of any of your books except Magic Hour, and after I listened to that copy, I bought my own copy because I know it will be a book that I can listen to more than once and enjoy it each time. If I could find the unabridged versions of either CD format or MP3, I would be so happy! I hope to also meet you in person one day when you make it to a book signing in North Carolina!
I am curious about something though. Does the city that Julie and the rest of the characters live in really exist? If so, is it the same name? It sounds so beautiful there.
KRISTIN: How are the books on audio, by the way? It's hard to listen to your own words spoken aloud, so I have to take readers' opinions to heart.
**I talk a lot if you did not notice already.. **sheepish grin**. Anyway, if your publisher picks a good narrator that has the ability to change their voice tone and pitch for male and female characters, it is wonderful to listen to. Did you ever just love it when your mom or dad would read to you when you were a child? Listening to audiobooks is like that. The lady that reads MH, she is very talented. She lends a voice to Alice when she starts to talk that is so incredibly beautiful. So real, ya know? At first, when she starts to "use her words", she sounds like a 2-year-old child would when she is first forming words. Very authentic. This narrator changes her voice just enough to be able to distinguish between the voices of each character, and she deepens her voice to speak the roles of the male characters, too.
James Patterson, for instance, in Beach Road, he has several different narrators read for that book. I like it when the publishers have male and female narrators.
Nora Roberts has a narrator on Carnal Innocence that is a man, and it is quite funny to hear him pitch his voice up high to assume the female voices..but the male characters have the authenticity that is necessary for a Southern drawl, ya know?
The lady that reads for Lisa Scottoline's books is very talented as well. She also reads for some of Nevada Barr's books. I am just finishing one of Barr's books, and I am on the fence about whether I want to continue to listen to her books. Scottoline is a definite keeper. I just love reading and/or listening to those books!
Lastly, Janet Evanovich has a narrator that is so enjoyable, you can actually visualize each character as she describes them. Her voice inflection changes so drastically when she is reading the words of Stephanie Plum's Grandma Mazur, as compared to Lula the reformed prostitute gone bounty hunter, or Stephanie's love interests Ranger and Morrelli. She is in love with both of them, but Ranger is more of a heat type of thing...and she also puts a different voice to every one of the people that Stephanie has to bring in for rebonding.
I would suggest that you get an unabridged version of your favorite author's books and just listen to it all the way through. I think you will be surprised. Even if you winded up listening to MH, I think you would get more out of it by putting voices to your characters than by just reading them on a page. Give it a shot! I think you will enjoy it a lot!
KRISTIN: Have a great weekend and let me know what you think of Firefly, how it stacks up to the other books.
**You have a great weekend too! I will definitely let you know what I think of Firefly.. I am trying to finish up Nevada Barr's Hard Truth right now. I have 3 more CDs to get through. If Firefly is anywhere near as enjoyable as MH was, I will be sad when it is over. Books that affect me like MH did are few and far between. I really appreciate the time you are taking to chat back and forth with me. If you want to write to my regular email, please feel free to do so. I can be reached at [email protected].
Thanks again for continuing to talk to me. I really appreciate it!
Linda
Kristen --
Well, I started your new book last night and finished it tonight. It was fabulous - I always enjoy your books, I just wish you could write faster.
Nora
Kristin, I was a very bad mother today and pretty much spent the entire day gobbling up Firefly Lane. My favorite moments were Katie moments - I very much identified with her, especially with her teenage book list. Here's another Irish Catholic girl who considered The Lord of the Rings a comfort read and knew it by heart. Also, I wondered how many other people knew exactly what book she was talking about when she mentioned Wulfgar tying someone to a bed. LOL, Kathleen Woodiwiss shout-out!
Anyway, my point is, I loved the book even though (or maybe because) you really raked me over the coals, emotionally. Thanks for adding a great new book to my library!
Dear Kristin, I just finished your new book Firefly Lane. What a great read. I grew up in the 70's, brought back a lot of memories. I laughed and cried with Kate and Tully. I have read all your books. Can't wait for the next one. Keep up the good work Shari
I am about to finish reading Magic Hour, which is the first book of yours that I have read. I have 20 pages left, and am very sad for the book to end. I will not let myself finish the book until I have another one waiting on deck! I think I will go with Firefly Lane. I am definetly another new fan of yours, and was hooked after the first 10 pages. I am going to pack-up my 4 year old twin boys and head to Barnes & Noble and while they destroy the displays in the Children's section I will start to read Firefly Lane. If it is as good as I know it will be, I will be getting back to you very soon on my thoughts for the movie cast. Will be in touch soon. Kristin
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