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The Teaberry Strangler Meet the author Laura Childs |
The Confessions of Catherine de Medici Meet the author C.W. Gortner |
Collusion Meet the author Stuart Neville |
An Amish Love Meet the author Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller & Kelly Long |
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
Dear Reader, So, I have to tell you. It feels very good, and odd, to have legendary American author call me brilliant and accuse me of being the new him - at the same time the mainstream media is carrying on about how I’ve written another crowd-pleasing beach book with a pretty cover. Weird. But good weird. And just the way I want it. See, I have tried mightily with my new novel, MAKE HIM LOOK GOOD, to bridge the worlds of commercial women’s fiction and literary fiction. I’m all about busting stereotypes with my work, including those that say “real” literature must be depressing, or boring, or those that say “chick lit” must be all fluff. I’ve written a fun book, but also a thoughtful book. The English are quick to accept these two qualities in one book; we Americans are getting there. In my new book, you’ll find lots of juicy gossip - some of it drawn from real-life encounters with a certain mega-mogul actress/singer/fashion designer/perfume maven. You’ll find fashion and fun on South Beach. You’ll find models and music and embarrassing moments with mom. You’ll find romance and sex - and the two will not always be entwined. You’ll find gorgeous guys. Of course. But you will also find the deeper, universal themes that populate my work and that make writing satisfying to me on a spiritual, human level - absentee fathers, eating disorders, illusions shattered, and the American cultural commercialization of the divine. You will also find a book with more of a plot than any I’ve written to date. Nothing delights me more than days like yesterday, when I got two emails from people who loved my writing - one from a literature major at Yale, and one from a high school dropout who said mine was the first novel she’d ever read cover to cover. That’s what I want. To reach into both worlds. All worlds. To touch people regardless of background or income. Days like that tell me I’ve accomplished my goal. Hope you like the book. I had great fun writing it. Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez |