Have you read Laura Moriarty? I picked up her first book when it came out,
The Center of Everything and shut off the rest of the world until I turned the last page.
A couple of years ago I was at a convention and passed a booth where Moriarty was scheduled to do a signing of her second book
The Rest of Her Life. I ran back to the booth shortly after the appointed time (slowing before I got too close so I would look like a regular convention attendee and not a freaky fan) and sure enough there she was and there wasn't a line. I calmly walked over to her and blurted out, "I loved your book" and then froze. (I'm always so original and demure...remember how cool I was when I met
Springsteen? Sigh...) Once again, silently, (who knew I had a mute button?) I was reliving scenes from the book...the pain I felt for Evelyn as she was walking during the "shoe" scene or my uncomfortableness during the family dinner wishing I were at the table and could spill something to divert attention away from Tina.
I somehow regained my composure and we chatted. She was lovely. I gushed about her book and I stopped short of reciting the first sentence because
I didn't want her to call security she might think that was weird. She was gracious and probably a bit flustered with this
stalker fan babbling on. She thanked me then laughed a little when she realized she signed my book twice. I skipped off--clutching a signed book to my chest.
While I'm Falling, Moriarty's newest book was released earlier this month. Do you see where this is going...
Thanks to Rachel at Hyperion, I have
two copies of
While I'm Falling to give away! I'll announce the winners (2 copies = 2 winners) on August 31.
Leave a comment for one entry. If you're a follower you'll get two entries (but you have to leave a second comment...last time I had to add extra entries for followers and it required me to pull out math skills that were hibernating in my brain that proved to be a bit taxing). You can get another chance if you post about the giveaway on your blog and leave me a comment letting me know. Oh, and the winner must be in the US/Canada. So, there you go. Interested? I hope so. Here's a bit about the book:
In
While I’m Falling, Laura Moriarty presents a compelling depiction of how one young woman’s life changes when her family breaks up for good.
Ever since her parents announced that they’re getting divorced, Veronica has been falling. Hard. A junior in college, she has fallen in love. She has fallen behind in her difficult coursework. She hates her job as counselor at the dorm, and she longs for the home that no longer exists. When an attempt to escape the pressure, combined with bad luck, lands her in a terrifying situation, a shaken Veronica calls her mother for help—only to find her former foundation too preoccupied to offer any assistance at all.
But Veronica only gets to feel hurt for so long. Her mother shows up at the dorm with a surprising request—and with the elderly family dog in tow. Boyfriend complications ensue, along with her father’s sudden interest in dating. Veronica soon finds herself with a new set of problems, and new questions about love and independence.
Darkly humorous, beautifully written, and filled with crystalline observations about how families fall apart, While I’m Falling takes a deep look at the relationship between a daughter and a mother when one is trying to grow up and the other is trying to stay afloat.
Reviews
“While I’m Falling deftly captures the moment a child realizes that growing up means being responsible for your parents’ mistakes—and preventing yourself from making the same ones. Laura Moriarty keeps getting better and better.”
—Jodi Picoult, author of Handle with Care