Confessions of a Book Publicist

Since I wrote this post before Christmas, I read one more book, THE SUBMISSION, during the holidays that I would like to add to my My Favorite Reads of 2011. It was an incredible book and is worthy of my list.

Rather than call this a Best Books of 2011 like many holiday round-ups, I’m calling this roundup My Favorite Reads of 2011, because some books that made my list, such as GREAT EXPECTATIONS, were not even published in this century. And I didn’t get a chance to read several books on my “must read” list last year, so I read them this year. But this list will give you an idea of literary taste.

The books in my favorite list range from literary and contemporary fiction, popular fiction, memoirs and history to a delicious, gossipy book about Elizabeth and Richard Burton. I’m not including detailed descriptions because you can find those in the many reviews that came out or on Amazon.

(An asterisk indicates that the book is one I promoted this year.)

RULES OF CIVILITY by Amor Towles. This brilliant debut novel is my absolute favorite and best read of the year. A Fitzgerald-like tale set in New York in 1938. Included in The Wall Street Journal’s Best Fiction 2011.
THE SUBMISSION by Amy Waldman. This novel should be required college reading. It is absolutely brilliant in so many ways. Poignant, heartbreaking, it captures the post 9/11 politics and grief in a remarkably realistic rendering. It will raise your consciousness and open your heart. A different kind of book from RULES OF CIVILITY, it ties with it for my favorite book of 2011. Included in The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011.
STATE OF WONDER by Anne Patchett: Brilliant. Loved it! Mesmerizing.
THE ART OF FIELDING by Chad Harbach: Excellent debut novel about baseball in the way the Malamud’s The Natural is about baseball. The sport is the setting to a novel about growing up, hopes and dashed dreams, friendships and romances and family, and ultimately what matters most in life. Included in The New York Times 10 Best Books of 2011.
MAJOR PETTIGREW’S LAST STAND by Helen Simonson: Great. A PBS Masterpiece-like classic. Transported me to England. Loved the story.
NEMESIS by Philip Roth : Excellent novella about the polio epidemic in Newark in the fifties. Vintage Roth. Brilliant.
LITTLE BEE by Chris Cleave: Finally read this bestseller in a day or two. Heartbreaking, poignant.
THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST by Steig Larsson: Loved this third in the trilogy. Brilliant. Especially the details about the inside workings of the espionage agency and the different levels within the agency..
THE COOKBOOK COLLECTOR by Allegra Goodman: Loved this contemporary novel about relationships and food. Ending was predictable, but still enjoyed it.
THE PARIS WIFE by Paula McLain: About Hemmingway’s time in Paris told from the point of view of Hadley, Hemingway’s first wife. Inspired me to read a MOVEABLE FEAST, the story of the same years from Hemingway’s point of view (see below under Favorite Nonfiction).
A TALE OF TWO CITIES and GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Charles Dickens: After Oprah selected these two Dickens classics for her bookclub picks, it gave me an excuse to re-read these classics which I never finished and didn’t really enjoy in high school. My teacher gave away the ending to GREAT EXPECTATIONS, so I never finished it. But I remember plodding through it and thinking it was way too long. As an adult, I thought it was an absolute page-turner! And as an adolescent I lacked the attention span needed to really savor GREAT EXPECTATIONS, which I absolutely loved as an adult. Must have had my mind on other things when I was a teenager!
* BRIDGE OF THE SINGLE HAIR by Candida Pugh: A fictional memoir written by a Civil Rights Activist who was a Freedom Rider. Pugh’s historical account of actual events as well as her story, told through her protagonist, of the harrowing experiences she endured when she was incarcerated in a maximum security prison at the age of 18 for demonstrating in the Deep South against segregation is what Kirkus hailed as an “evocative novel [that] effectively encapsulates the physical and emotional volatility of the Civil Rights era.” “Named to Kirkus Reviews Best of 2011.”
*SLEEPING WITH MORTALS: The Story of a New York Mistress by Cathrine Goldstein. This cautionary tale is loosely based on the author’s young adult years. Disturbing, dark and engaging, this debut novel debunks the myth of the glamorous life of mistresses.

FAVORITE NONFICTION BOOKS OF 2011

IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson. My favorite non-fiction book of 2011. Another brilliant and riveting must-read by the author of the captivating THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY. A disturbing look at Hitler’s rise to power from the perspective of America’s first ambassador to Germany and his family, who accompanied him. Included in The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011.
FICTION RUINED MY FAMILY by Jeanne Darst: Heartbreaking but hilarious. Poignant memoir of a family living on the edge in the upscale town of Bronxville, a wealthy suburb of New York. The father is an unsuccessful writer who devotes his entire life at the cost of his family to writing even though he makes no money at it. The mother drowns her sorrows in drink. The father can’t get published and consequently the family is destitute living off the mother’s inheritance. Sad, sad story about wanting to be a novelist at the expense of everything else in life. But there’s hope at the end of this tunnel: the daughter becomes a successful writer.
TOLSTY AND THE PURPLE CHAIR: My Year of Magical Reading by Nina Sankovitch: Beautiful memoir. The author read a book a day to get over the loss of her sister. A must-read for all bookaholics and those who suffered a recent loss.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE DRESS by Vicky Tiel: Delicious insider’s look at Hollywood, Liz & Burton, by the dress designer who designed Liz’s clothes, the mini skirt and other fashions. I loved it.
A MOVABLE FEAST: by Ernest Hemingway. I was inspired to read this book by A PARIS WIFE. It’s the same story from Hemingway’s perspective. Then I went to see Midnight in Paris, which came out right after I read A MOVABLE FEAST. A great year for Hemingway fans.
COMMITTED by Elizabeth Gilbert: The reviews were not as good as for EAT, PRAY, LOVE but I love Gilbert’s writing and this is an interesting look at marriage in her vintage style. If you like Gilbert’s voice, you’ll like this book.

HONORABLE MENTION:
I’ve read a lot more books this year, and enjoyed almost every book I chose. Some are worth an honorable mention:

CHILDREN AND FIRE by Ursula Hegi. Good story about the early days of The Third Reich and the impact of Hitler's Germany on a teacher and the young boys she teaches.
THIS BEAUTIFUL LIFE by Helen Schulman: Included in The New York Times 100 Notable Books. This novel got a front-page review in The New York Times Book Review about an upscale Manhattan family who seems to have it all until their lives are upturned by their son’s posting a sexually explicit video on YouTube sent to him by a high school classmate who has a crush on him. The video goes viral and the family’s lives are in upheaval. A cautionary 21st century tale.
A DAY AT THE BEACH also by Helen Schulman is set on 9/11.
AN AMERICAN HEIRESS: A must-read for Downton Abbey fans!
ORDINARY THUNDERSTORMS by William Boyd. I am a huge fan of William Boyd and have read every novel he’s written. This is good but not his best. My favorite is still ANY HUMAN HEART, which is a must-read and was adapted by PBS Masterpiece, although I did not think the adaptation captured the brilliance of the book.
THE WEIRD SISTERS: Enjoyable novel about sibling rivalries.
THE LEFTOVERS by Tom Perrotta. Did not like this as much as his previous novels.

WHAT I’M READING NOW:

THE SUBMISSION, a debut novel by Amy Waldman, that has been hailed by some critics as the definitive 9/11 novel. It was included in The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011. I’m just in the beginning, but it promises to be a compelling look at the politics of post 9/11, Muslim Xenophobia and grief.

BOOKS ON MY HOLIDAY READING LIST:

THE SENSE OF AN ENDING by Julian Barnes: Included in The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011.
LOST MEMORY OF SKIN by Russell Banks: included in The Wall Street Journal’s Best Fiction list and The New York Times 100 Notable Books 2011.
THE GATHERING and THE FORGOTTON WALTZ (included in The Wall Street Journal's Best Fiction 2011), both by Anne Enright.

What do Chihuahuas, cheesecake and heavy metal have in common? All three are subjects of delicious new books I’m promoting.

When Esri Allbritten queried me way back in 2010 about CHIHUAHUA OF THE BASKERVILLES (St. Martin’s Minotaur Books; July 2011), I knew with a title like that the book promised to be hilarious, and it surely lives up to its promise. Mystery Scene Magazine concurred: “With a title like this, can a mystery be anything but hilarious? Fortunately, Chihuahua of the Baskervilles lives up to its comedic promise.”

Esri Allbritten is a smart, savvy young writer. Not only has she written an engaging mixture of parody and suspense, but Esri also has marketing acumen as well. She hired me to saturate Colorado media—her homestate—and the payoff was huge: A profile story in The Denver Post, and a great review in The Boulder Daily Camera: “To curl up with a book about a ghost Chihuahua named Petey is to thank heaven you ever learned to read in the first place…. In the quirky, humorous little mystery…. Allbritten offers plenty of reading pleasures in this off-the-wall tale. Readers will love and root for the little dog, Petey and all the others."

Other local publications have featured stories or reviews as well, and I was able to schedule many book signing events throughout Colorado.

SAY CHEESECAKE

If you’re a New Yorker, then you must have heard of, if not tasted, the sumptuously delicious Junior’s Cheesecake. Junior’s is a family-run restaurant that opened more than 60 years ago and has become a New York institution.

Now, Alan Rosen, third generation of the Rosen family, offers 75 delicious desserts in JUNIOR’S DESSESRT COOKBOOK: Over 75 Recipes for Cheesecakes, Pies, Cookies, Cakes and More (Taunton Press; October 2011).

So if you don’t live in New York and want to know what all the fuss is about, pre-order a copy online. The recipe for their original cheesecake, rated #1 by The Wall Street Journal, The Today Show, New York Magazine and Iron Chef, is featured in this latest Junior’s cookbook.

I recently sampled the original cheesecake when I was at the Times Square Junior’s, and I can attest that it’s reputation is well deserved. Creamy, scrumptious, it’s a diet breaker you won’t be sorry you tried.

PLAY IT AGAIN, JEREMY

When heavy metal rock star Jeremy Wagner first queried me in December 2010, I said to myself, heavy metal? I’m a Mozart kinda gal, so I initially passed.

But persistence paid off, and Jeremy was anything if not persistent. I finally decided to read his manuscript one winter weekend which had been gathering dust on my bookshelf, and I couldn’t put it down.

It’s a riveting page turner, part DaVinci Code, part horror, with a guitarist protagonist inspired by two guitar greats and a heavy-metal twist. Katherine Turman, co-author of LOUDER THAN HELL: An Unflinching Oral History of Hevy Metal, is right on the money with her appraisal: “THE ARMAGEDDON CHORD is like THE DA VINCI CODE with a heavy-metal soundtrack!”

THE ARMAGEDDON CHORD begins in an ancient Egyptian pyramid, where a sinister archeologist discovers an evil song written in hieroglyphics. The protagonist, an unwitting guitarist, soon finds himself caught between the forces of divine good and monumental evil.

But you’ll have to read the book if you want to find out the rest. If you read thrillers and horror novels, and if you’re captivated by historical events and the fate of the world in the wrong hands, then you must absolutely get your hands on a copy of THE ARMAGEDDON CHORD.And if you’re a heavy-metal fan, it goes without saying that THE ARMAGEDDON CHORD is a must-read.

“Summer’s here, and the living is easy.” I can hear the slow rhythm of the famous Gershwin song from Porgy & Bess as I write this blog. Yes, summer is here, and the living is easy, but I’ve been busy attending ThrillerFest, book parties, writing for GalleyCat.com, and writing reviews for BookPage.com.
And taking a few vacation days here and there and enjoying the summer weather. So that’s why you haven’t heard from me in a while.

Here’s a brief update of what I’ve been up to:

I’ve been promoting a riveting book by a Spy of the Deep. That’s right. Craig Reed is a former U.S. Navy diver and fast-attack submariner who served aboard two submarines involved in secret Cold War Operations. His new book, RED NOVEMBER: Inside the Secret U.S. Soviet Submarine War, is the first book to reveal just how close we came to nuclear war with the Russians way back in 1962. Reed provides a thrilling insider’s account of the secret underwater struggle between the U.S. and the USSR, and reveals previously classified details about the most dangerous, daring and decorated missions of the Cold War.

Reed is one of the true unsung heroes of the Cold War and he has the scars to prove it. RED NOVEMBER is a must-read for Tom Clancy fans as it is the REAL HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER. In the words of NYTimes Bestselling author James Rollins, “If Tom Clancy had turned The Hunt for Red October into a nonfiction thriller, W. Craig Reed’s RED NOVEMBER might be the result.”

To catch Reed discussing the Spy Ring Scandal on WCVB-TV, the ABC affiliate in Boston, click here.

I’ll be handling a campaign for an important investment book this fall that advises those who’ve had their investments torpedoed and are reluctant to jump back into the market: RECLAIM YOUR NEST EGG: Take Control of Your Financial Future (Bloomberg Press; October 2010) by Ken Kamen, who is a regular guest on CNBC, Fox, PBS and other national news stations. Stay tuned…

There’s no dearth of books about spiritual topics this season. I just finished reading Gary Zukav’s latest book, SPIRITUAL PARTNERSHIP: The Journey To Authentic Power (HarperOne; April 27, 2010), an important book for getting in touch with your inner voice, living an authentic life, becoming a multi-sensory human being, and having relationships that are not only fulfilling, but that will also help you grow spiritually.

Since I’ve read Zukav’s latest book, I’ve been sent several spiritual books and novels to promote this winter. Is it a coincidence? I don’t think so. One is a compelling novel about near-death experiences that reads like nonfiction, and the other is a spiritual thriller that explores mystical themes. More to come on both books…

Alas, as it is summer and my birthday is approaching, I plan to enjoy some lazy days at the beach and pool. I just read two books coming out this fall that I highly recommend: PICTURES OF YOU by Caroline Leavitt (Algonquin; November 2010) and Laura Lippman’s latest page-turner, I’D KNOW YOU ANYWHERE (William Morrow, September 2010) that I’ll be reviewing for BookPage. So stay tuned….

Oh, and I almost forgot: Pick up the July issue of BookPage or visit their website (www.bookpage.com) and read my latest review of LEAVING THE WORLD by Douglas Kennedy (Atria; June 2010), who Time Magazine hailed as "The most famous American writer you've never heard of."

Here’s a great article by bestselling author Kyra Davis on how she thought out-of-the-box to implement a successful, creative publicity campaign that generated quite a buzz for her last book, Passion, Betrayal and Killer Highlights.

I haven’t posted a blog in several weeks because I came down with a bad case of bronchitis. When you’re self employed, it’s a bummer to be sick. Friends and acquaintances think I’ve got the life. That I can work when I want to and take off when I want to, but nothing could be further from the truth.

When authors are paying you out-of-pocket to get media coverage for their book, you’ve got to work, rain or shine—or getting sick. Publicity is very time sensitive. If you’ve read my previous blogs, you know that there are tight deadlines. Magazines must see galleys three – six months prior to the book’s pub date. National morning shows and Oprah book author interviews three months in advance. Local TV has shorter lead times. But the cycle in publicity is never-ending. When I’m promoting a June or July book in March, I’m also promoting March and April titles to radio and local TV, and to local newspapers.

So I got up each morning, feeling sicker than I’ve been in years (I pride myself in never getting sick), and pounded away on my keyboard, sending out as many e-mail pitches as I could. Leaving voice-mail messages was futile after three or four phone calls as no one wants to hear a hacking cough over the phone (most media prefers that you pitch them via e-mail anyway and a message mixed with a hacking cough is sure to result in a deleted message).

But all the extra work I usually do went by the wayside. At 4:00 in the afternoon I was ready to pack it in. I had a book review due for THE LOST SUMMER OF LOUISA MAY ALCOTT, a debut novel by Kelly O’Connor McNees, which will be posted on BookPage’s website on April 1st or sooner (http://www.bookpage.com/). Fortunately, I read the novel and took notes before I got sick, so I was able to meet my deadline without a problem.

But my friends and acquaintances are right. I do have the life. I love what I do, and the freedom that comes with being self-employed. Although I disagree with Janis Joplin’s definition of freedom—“freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose”—what those of us who are self employed do lose is the luxury to take sick days and extended vacations.

Stay tuned this weekend for a special guest posting by bestselling author Kyra Davis of the Sophie Katz mystery series, which includes Sex, Murder and a Double Latte, Lust Loathing and a Little Lip Gloss, Passion Betrayal and Killer Highlights, Obsession, Deceit and Really Dark Chocolate, and a stand alone novel, So Much For My Happy Ending.

Kyra’s latest book, VOWS, VENDETTAS & A LITTLE BLACK DRESS will be available on May 26th. Check out http://www.kyradavis.com/ for more information. Stay tuned.

When I first began promoting books as an independent book publicist, several prospective clients who were looking for bargain-basement deals said to me, “You only make a few phone calls a day and that’s it.”

Would that it were that easy. A few phone calls is quite the understatement when there are literally hundreds of media outlets to contact in a comprehensive campaign. Way back in the early Nineties, however, when that comment was made, we publicists relied on the phone and voicemail as e-mail was a burgeoning form of communication and most of the media preferred that you contact them via the old-fashioned way.

Slowly that changed. You would call a media contact and some voicemail messages indicated that the editor or producer would prefer you to contact them via e-mail. Nowadays, if you call a media contact their voicemail message often says, “If you are a book publicist, please don’t leave a voice-mail message. E-mail me a press release or pitch.”

What do you do then, when you’ve sent hundreds of e-mails and not one contact has responded? Ah, that’s the challenge of being a publicist. Because most likely, unless you are promoting the latest celebrity or political confessional, one e-mail is not enough to ensure your author receives media coverage. Nor are two e-mails. Sometimes three e-mails are not enough.

Do I send the same e-mail if the first, second or third has not received a response? Of course not. I am constantly reinventing my pitches and rewriting press releases, looking for a new hook that will elicit a response.

Recently, I had to stoop to more subtle means when I had not heard back from producers who had consistently booked my clients throughout the years. So I put in the subject line: Are you still producing for the Morning Show? That did elicit a very quick response. And a positive one at that. “When is your author coming to town? We’d love to have him on our show.”

I do, whenever possible, follow up three or four unanswered e-mails with phone calls on the oft chance that a real live voice will pick up the phone, and that I can engage in an old-fashioned conversation. And when that happens, more often that not, I land an article or a TV or radio interview.

But chatty conversations with the media have gone by the wayside just as relying solely on newspaper coverage for our content has.

And just like in the past when producers complained about the amount of voicemail messages they received and how they could not possibly listen to all of them (one harried producer of a well-known national morning show who was deluged with hundreds of voicemails a day once called to say “please keep your pitches to 30 seconds” when I was a rookie), the media now complains about the amount of e-mails they receive daily, which far exceed the number of voice mails they ever received.

One producer said at a luncheon that she receives more than 200 e-mails a day. And remember, she is not glued to her computer all day. She has meetings to attend to, books to sift through, shows to produce. By the end of the week, she has received more than 1,000 e-mails from book publicists all jockeying like for the very few interview spots that exist. It’s understandable that she can’t respond to all of the e-mails she receives. Just those few books by high-profile authors or books about subjects such as finding “Mr. Right” that she and her executive producers feel will pull the highest ratings.

So what is the day in the life of a book publicist like? Sometimes I compare it to existing in the void of a black hole. I am out there in cyberspace wondering if anyone is even reading my e-mails, much less responding to them. But I persist. Because that’s what a good publicist does. I pitch and pitch again until I have finally caught the attention of a producer or reviewer.

And when I do, the adrenaline rush kicks in and makes all the effort worth it. For me and for my client.

When you are a book publicist, the choices to read are boundless. I’m looking at a pile of books that just arrived, and am wondering which book to pick first. If I spend the weekend reading a particular book, will the author hire me? If not, have I wasted my time?

The book that piques my interest the most, I must confess, is somewhat sensational and salacious, but definitely media driven: SEX LOVE AND MONEY: Revenge and Ruin in the World of High-Stakes Divorce by Gerald Nissenbaum, J.D. and John Sedgwick (Hudson Street Press/The Penguin Group).

Salacious because there is a lot of talk about sex. Sensational because the characters involved are some of the wealthiest people in the country (their names have been changed) but their actions are crass and selfish and expose the basest traits in human behavior.

Some of the stories read like fiction and the book is hard to put down. As Nissenbaum says in his book, the stories “contain the truths that make fiction jealous.”

“Sure,” Nissenbaum says, “These are divorce cases, but really they’re life studies. Divorce reveals the full range of human behavior, from the good to the very, very bad….Divorce rarely involves murder, but my cases have plenty of theft, battery, tax evasion, kidnapping, drug taking, verbal and physical and sexual abuse, willful destruction of property, and illicit sex of every sort, from the adulterous to the utterly perverse. Because divorce cases entail the love and betrayal that go into every marital meltdown, these stories have enough emotion for a century of soap operas—jealously, rage, lust, passion, vengeance, mourning, spite, revulsion.”

The stories are surely riveting. What is it about the basest side of human nature that holds us in its grip, that seduces us into reading about the actions and motives of people behaving badly and shamelessly? Suffice it to say that we humans revel in the scurrilous behavior of others. Witness the national media obsession with Tiger Woods, whose actions are really only accountable to his wife and children—the family that he betrayed--and to a lesser extent, those admirers who feel let down by a public figure they looked up to and held to a higher standard.

Do we embrace others’ sins against their lovers and spouses because we are relieved it hasn’t happened to us (at least not yet)? Or are we empathizing with the betrayed or betrayer because it has? Either way, the public outing of those who have betrayed their lovers still engages us and holds us captive.

But these very public displays of adultery and betrayal, whether we are watching a confession on TV or reading about them on the written page, even though they can be as addictive as a thriller, ultimately do not enrich our lives. Which is why, this weekend, I am returning to a gem of a book I found in my mother’s collection after she passed away, and that has sat on my shelf unread for many years: JOHN BURROUGHS TALKS: His Reminiscences and Comments As Reported by Clifton Johnson.

Burroughs was a naturalist who preferred the country to the city. He lived during the Civil War and the later part of the 19th century into the early 20th century. His reflections bring us back to a time when people walked through meadows and woods to town, or to return home from a train trip to the city. When Burroughs describes his rural surroundings, or the different birdsongs he spends his time listening to, my spirit and soul soars to those woods, meadows and mountains he so loving describes.

But the more things change, the more they remain the same. If you think that our newspapers have traveled down the dirty path that was once as pristine as the woods and meadows Burroughs describes, think again. Burroughs may have indeed been amazed by the progress of today's media--the different forums-- but not by the content of much of it.

As Burroughs said in March of 1896, “In fact, the newspapers in general don’t measure up to their opportunities. They have been losing influence for years back—particularly the papers published in the big cities. Some of them sold themselves to the devil long ago. There are certain ones so bad I wouldn’t have them in my house….You get paper enough to make a bedquilt, and the reading is mostly trash…Yes, the majority of the newspapers, in what they print and in typography, fall far short of good taste.”


Which is why I consider myself blessed to have to make such difficult decisions everyday: What shall I read next? If I don't want to read about the latest celebrity or political scandal, there are so many wonderful books being published every day to choose from. I have a personal list of books I hope to get to as well as the many compelling, satisfying and often riveting books such as SEX LOVE AND MONEY that are sent to me by prospective clients: books that entertain and books that enrich me; books that educate and inform; and books that enhance--and sometimes change-- my life and make lasting impressions. I have enough choices to satiate every longing, desire and need to fill eternity—and then some.

I was profoundly moved by Gail Godwin’s UNFINISHED DESIRES. I have read most of her books, having begun my literary fascination with Ms. Godwin with one of her early novels, A MOTHER AND TWO DAUGHTERS.

When I read during the Christmas holiday week that UNFINISHED DESIRES, about an all-girls Catholic High School, was coming out in January, my only wish was that it had come out during the Christmas break, when I traditionally spend my week off taking a reading vacation. A review I read after the holidays by Lauren Bufferd in BookPage increased my anticipation for the latest Godwin novel: “It’s only January, but if you plan on reading just one great novel in 2010, this might be it,”

UNFINISHED DESIRES was definitely worth the wait. I savored this evocative novel that captures so realistically the spirit, conflicts, competition and rivalries, the jealousies and dynamics that occur in an all-girls Catholic high school.

The novel is set at The Academy of Mt. St. Gabriel, a school located in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. I attended an all-girls’ Catholic high school, The Academy of Mt. St. Ursula, in the Bronx. The settings and school names may be different, and the girls from different demographics, but therein the differences end.

UNFINISHED DESIRES recounts the life of the headmistress, Mother Ravenel, while she presided at Mt. St. Gabriel’s, and especially one year in 1952. The repercussions of an incident that occurred in that year almost brought her down and still haunts her in her old age. The plot’s suspense revolves around that incident—one that was conceived by a headstrong student whose mother attended Mt. St. Gabriel’s and was a classmate of Mother Ravenel’s.

There are many twists and turns in this novel, which is not full of high drama, but is one of delicious detail. And it’s the details in this wonderfully rendered novel, the relationships and friendships between the girls, their teachers, the headmistress and the relationships of the headmistress, that make it so poignant, realistic and worth the read.

I have the fondest memories of my education at Mt. St. Ursula. I will be attending my 40th high school reunion this spring. UNFINISHED DESIRES brought me back to a time of innocence, where the biggest problems we faced were test scores, not getting a call from a Fordham boy we had a crush on, a hurt classmate who did not get asked to the Fordham prom and you did, calling up a boy you had a crush on and asking him to the Sophomore Tea. And, yes, there was jealousy, competition, rivalries and conflicts at my high school. Where in life are there not? But they were healthy rivalries and competition among us and understandable jealousies that never took on the bizarre and sordid nature we read about in the news.

Ours was a close-knit class of 200 girls. Shortly after reading UNFINISHED DESIRES, I was asked by my high school to write a letter to my classmates encouraging them to attend our 40th reunion. I was honored. My memories were already back at the Mount for several days before the request came after reading UNFINISHED DESIRES.

Some of my happiest days and fondest memories were of the four years I spent at the Mount. UNFINISHED DESIRES brought them all back.

I urge anyone who has attended an all girl’s Catholic High School to run to your nearest bookstore or library and get this book. It is a must-read! And for those who attended a co-ed public or co-ed Catholic school, read this book for your own edification. As Lauren Bufferd in her review for BookPage adds, “…the wise, human story [Godwin] tells reaches beyond the boundaries of region and religion, satisfying any reader looking for a good story.”

UNFINISHED DESIRES has received rave reviews in many publications, including in The New York Times, which hailed it as "reserved yet powerful" … "Godwin has created several deeply affecting characters."

Following is another excerpt of Lauren Bufferd’s rave review in BookPage:

“Complex intergenerational relationships of blood, friendship and passion abound in this powerful novel. Best friends jockey for position, closeness threatens to spill over into physical intimacy and the power struggles between mothers and daughters, teachers and students seethe and swarm.”

To read the entire review, go to http://www.bookpage.com/books-10012714-Unfinished+Desires

Just as spouses who are often the last to discover that their partners are cheating, authors are often the last to know when a publisher decides to delay or move up the pub date of their books.

Recently, a client of mine called me, distraught that his book’s pub date had been moved up two months. He had done his homework and made sure he hired me more than three months before his book was due to hit the bookshelves. Now, without his knowledge, his publisher had decided to release his book two months early, which put a kink in the publicity plans. This author wondered aloud if he had made a mistake in hiring me, and asked if it was not too late to maximize publicity.

In the best of all possible worlds, a publicist wants to be able to pitch the long lead national monthly magazines as well as the national morning and evening magazine shows at least three months prior to pub date. Many publications prefer to tie in a review, profile or Q&A to a book’s pub date. This rule is not set in stone, but it is more often than not reliable. indeed, many national network programs book their author interviews or evening segment stories three to four month’s in advance.

Rules, however, are made to be broken, and a good publicist can find ways around those rules. My schedule would have to be stepped up. Instead of writing the press materials at my leisure—because I thought I had several months to do so—I got to work immediately. They were ready within days of the author’s phone call.

Next, I urged the author not to wait for his publisher to print advance reading copies, but to print his manuscript and have it spiral-bound. his book is on a timely subject—strategies for small businesses to survive in a tough economy—and I wanted to get his book out to as many shows as possible while the topic is hot. As I explained to the author, a publicist never knows if a show such as 20/20 is doing a story on small businesses. I would hate to turn on my TV several months from now and watch a segment on how small businesses are coping and know that my author missed a media opportunity because his publisher was unable to print galleys fast enough to meet the earlier than scheduled pub date.

What can authors do to stay abreast of their publishers’ decision making and not learn about sudden changes of plans after the fact? Authors have to be vigilant. This doesn’t mean that you pester your publisher everyday. But you should be receiving fairly regular communications from your editor and in-house publicist. A good agent is usually on top of things. But, for those authors who don’t have agents, sending regular e-mails to ascertain when advance reading copies are due, when covers are ready, and checking Amazon to make sure your publisher has featured your book on Amazon three months before pub date so you will not lose out on pre-orders, is essential.

In my author’s case, he did all of the above. Sometimes, despite all of your efforts, you are still the last to know. In an ideal world, everything runs smoothly. You have hired a publicist six months before your book comes out. You have written about a topic that makes breaking news as soon as your book hits the shelves. You do the talk show circuit. And you hit the bestseller list.

In a less than ideal world, a good publicist who thinks out of the box can often do damage control and get you more media coverage than you ever anticipated.

1. I resolve to update my Blog every day.

Well, unless I'm booking a West Coast tour. They're 3 hours behind, so I would be working until late into the evening, which leaves very little time to blog. Or if Resolution #4 works out. Or if I break Resolution #9. Ok, would you accept one blog post per week? I can do that...

2. I resolve to take on every author who needs me.

This will be a tough one. I really wish I could. Problem is, I'm a boutique firm and I only take on as many campaigns as I can handle. I love what I do and I love reading books. Nothing makes me happier than spending my time reading and getting authors the media coverage they deserve, but there are only so many hours in the day. Leaving me very little time for Resolution #4.

3. I resolve to NEVER take on a book campaign more than 3 months after the pub date.

Oh, your book came out 12 months ago and NOW you want to promote it? National shows like Oprah, The Today Show, 60 Minutes and 20/20 usually book three months BEFORE the publishing date. Your book that was gleaming and fresh and au courant 12 months ago is stale and tired. Oh wait... See Resolution #7.

4. I resolve to take a vacation this year!

I mean it this time! But... What if Oprah calls when I'm basking in the sun? Or hiking up the Swiss Alps? It's not so farfetched -- she did call one publicist who was in Sri Lanka when the tsunami hit. The publicist survived but her clients didn't. No one wants to hear excuses. Now that I think about it, maybe I’d better not take a vacation. Oh, who am I kidding? This is one resolution that I can't even pretend to make. Let's try again...

5. I resolve to take the GPS ankle bracelets off my clients.

It may be time to forgive and forget, but after I pulled out all the stops to get this guy on a national morning show and he went MIA, well, what options did I have? Hey, I have my reputation to consider. Hmmmm. Yeah, better cross this resolution off too.

6. I resolve to NEVER AGAIN agree to arrange a full five-city media tour in one day.

Sure, I did it, because I had to, and that’s why I’ve been told that I’m the Navy SEAL of Publicists. But since when did a Navy SEAL win a war in ONE day? I suppose Odysseus’ Trojan Horse won the war overnight, but that was more of a group effort. Then again, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

7. I resolve to start pampering the delicate egos of new authors.

"Oh, absolutely! Your textbook on derivatives and their relationship to Etruscan tax law is PERFECT for Oprah! You're going to make millions!"

8. I resolve to stop being frustrated by authors who tell me where they live, but nothing else.

Um, what's your book about? Who are you? What have you done? Your geographical location isn't newsworthy unless you live in Alaska and think you can see Russia from your backyard.

9. I resolve to avoid authors without hobbies.

Forty "Just checking in!" emails a day from one person is too many.

10. I resolve to stop taking on clients who brag about their net worth.

I know it's tempting, but the richer they say they are, the more they complain about having “cash flow problems,” especially when payment is due.

You haven’t heard from me in a while. That’s because business has come back with a vengeance.

I want to take this holiday season to give thanks to the many wonderful authors who sustained me during this difficult recession. I especially want to thank the following:

Christina Sunley, whose mesmerizing and haunting debut novel, The Tricking of Freya, transported me to the ethereal beauty of Iceland. This novel about a young woman obsessed with uncovering a simmering family secret is a classic story in the tradition of Jhumpa Lahiri about the cultural conflicts that arise in immigrant families—in this case, an immigrant family from Iceland. It is a powerful exploration of kinship, loss and redemption that gave me many uplifting moments of reading pleasure. I want to express my gratitude to Christina for not only writing such a remarkable novel, but for giving me the opportunity to promote it.

Michael Stanley, the writing team of Stanley Trollip and Michael Sears, who co-authored The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu, a thriller set in Botswana. This novel, a great read, educated me about the current conflict in Zimbabwe and the repercussions of the war in Rhodesia fought 30 years ago. What makes Michael Stanley’s novels so special is their authenticity. Trollip and Sears both live in Africa and have traveled widely throughout the continent. Their depictions of the environment and peoples of Botswana draw on decades of personal experience, combined with countless hours of research.

Dale Koppel, whose hilarious book about online dating, The Intelligent Woman’s Guide to Online Dating, was a publicist’s dream come true. the media loved this book. It was the first-self published book I have handled and I successfully toured Dale in seven cities. With such a timely, trendy subject, my pitch didn’t have to go much further than the title. I successfully booked top TV programs in 7 cities. The media not only loved Dale’s book, they loved Dale and her story as well. After 20 years of what she thought was a happy marriage, her husband left her for a man. Not wasting much time on mourning the end of her marriage, Dale jumped right into online dating, and after three years, met the man of her dreams. Filled with insight, advice and a compelling personal story, Dale’s book is a must-read for anyone who is considering or involved in online dating.

Lisa Weasel, Ph.D. author of FOOD FRAY: Inside the Controversy Over Genetically Modified Food. Dr. Weasel brings readers into the center of the debate over genetically modified food, capturing the real-life experiences of the scientists, farmers, policymakers and grassroots activists on the front line of this controversy. Dr. Weasel weaves solid scientific knowledge into her gripping narrative about the real story behind the headlines and the hype. Seminal and cutting-edge, Food Fray enlightens and informs, allowing readers to make up their own minds about one of the most important health issues facing us today. Lisa H. Weasel, PhD is a renowned scientist who received a grant from the National Science Foundation to study the issue of genetically modified foods. Food Fray won The 2009 GreenBook Festival Award in the science category.

SIMPLY IN SEASON: Recipes that Celebrate Fresh, Local Food in the Spirit of More-with-Less by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman Wert (Herald Press) joins the locavore and slow food movement.

Simply In Season advocates eating food that is fresh and nutritious and using ingredients that are in sync with the seasons. Whether the produce you eat comes from a farmers market or your own garden, fresh local foods are good for the earth we share, and ultimately good for our health.

Does it really matter if we eat mass-produced food or organic, locally grown produce?

It matters a great deal, according to the authors. Each food purchase we make is like a vote for the way we want food to be produced—and for the world in which we want to live. Simply In Season does not offer all the answers, but it does offer a starting point encouraging us to feed both body and spirit with nutritious food. Woven through the recipe pages of each season are writing, tidbits of information to reflect upon while the onions sauté, the soup simmers or the bread bakes.

Kyra Davis, author of Lust, Loathing and a Little Lip Gloss. I never tire of Kyra Davis’ mystery series featuring the sassy Sophie Katz, who, like her creator, is half Jewish and half black.

The inimitable Sophie Katz is back together with her sexy private eye boyfriend she almost knocked off in Sex, Murder and a Double Latte, the debut novel that put Kyra Davis on the map and introduced millions of readers to the bi-racial, sassy Sophie Katz who can’t keep herself out of ghastly—or in the case of her new book—ghostly trouble.

In Lust, Loathing and a Little Lip Gloss, Sophie Katz can’t keep herself out of ghastly—or in the case of her new book—ghostly trouble. Her sexy sleuth of a boyfriend Anatoly plays second fiddle to a beautiful San Francisco Victorian with hard wood floors, crown moldings, and two car-parking for under a mil. In today’s housing market, the house of her dreams for a price that’s too good-to-be true is just too hard to give up, no matter how much the man of her dreams protests—and no matter how many ghosts from Sophie’s past turn up. And plenty do.

Lust, Loathing and a Little Lip Gloss is Kyra Davis’ best book yet. Sophie’s humorous insights on trendy and newsworthy issues such as the housing crisis—“Ghosts don’t have to deal with mortgage payments. Perhaps heaven is free quality housing”—reflects an acerbic wit combined with a perfectly paced mystery.

A blend of Mary Higgins Clark meets Bridget Jones, Lust, Loathing and a Little Lip Gloss is the novel that Sophie Katz fans have been waiting for, and the perfect introduction for new readers as well. It has everything a mystery fan could ask for: sex, murder, romance, a haunted house and suspense spiced up with lots of humor.

Sometimes a client offers a gift in the form of life-lesson. The 86-year- young Eugenia Lovett West is an inspiration to all of us who think it’s too late to pursue our dreams.

At the age of 81, Ms. West launched a mystery series featuring an attractive, feisty, stylish 40-something protagonist sleuth. Overkill, the second book in the Emma Streat series, which arrives in bookstores on the heels of the H1N1 virus, couldn’t be more timely. A mystery about a lethal global network that sells stolen viruses, the ramifications could be catastrophic to the entire planet if the thieves are not stopped.

Ms. West, who began writing murder mysteries after her husband of almost 60 years passed away, found writing an antidote to grief. “This is a great and productive time of life,” says the 86-year-young West.

In 2004, Ms. West entered a self-published mystery in a contest sponsored by St. Martin’s Press. She did not win the contest, but months later, Ms. West opened her e-mail to discover a message from a St. Martin’s editor offering her a two-book deal. Ms. West practically levitated out of her chair. “For a wannabe writer, it doesn’t get much better than that,” says Ms. West.

The first mystery in the series, Without Warning, featuring Emma Streat, was hailed by the late Dominick Dunne as “a fast-paced page-turner.” And Rebecca Sinkler, former editor of The New York Times Book Review, said “This snappy, fast-paced work will you reading late in the night. A delight.”

Emma Streat returns in Overkill due out this December, to discover that her beloved young niece Vanessa has made a rash decision to run off with a Don Juan and quit her opera career just as she is on the brink of international stardom. Determined to stop Vanessa from making a mistake, Emma arrives in Venice to discover Vanessa’s accompanist dead in his hotel room and her niece seriously ill on the brink of death. When Vanessa is diagnosed with the first case of Avian flu in the United States, Emma is soon on the trail of a dangerous international network that sells stolen viruses. She once again solicits the help of the same sexy British Bondish-like spy who seduced her in Without Warning, the first mystery in the series.

“I really like and admire my main character, Emma Streat, as she works through catastrophes, and I plan to keep her in my life with a third book,” says West.

“After a hard day, there is nothing like sitting down with an escape read that takes us out of our surroundings,” adds West. “This is what I try to create in my novels.”

On my birthday, Ms. West sent me a note that read, “The best is yet to come.” I think of her words often. Thank you, Eugenia, for showing me and all who know your story that you can lead a fulfilling life and overcome life’s challenges at any age.

Steven Raichlen, one of the country’s leading grillmeister, hit the ground running this year with the 10th Anniversary Edition of The Barbecue! Bible, which made him a household name. The Barbecue! Bible was followed with Barbecue USA, then How to Grill, and 6 more grilling books, but whose counting? This prolific cookbook author and grilling guru hosted Primal Grill, his own 13-part grilling series on PBS this summer and he hired me to promote it. What a mouth-watering experience it was to watch the master perfecting his art as he grilled mouthwatering Veal Chops Marinated with Catalan Vinaigrette, Smoke-Roasted Leg of Lamb Provencale, Butterflied Korean Short Ribs, Cedar-planked Wild Salmon with a Juniper and Wild Berry Glaze, Beef Brisket with Coffee Rub and Red-Eye Barbecue Sauce, Hellfire T-bone Steaks with Tarragon Butter, Basil-Grilled Tuna Steaks with Arugula Salad, Chicken Grilled Under Bricks, Grilled Zucchini and Yellow Squash with Greek Spices, Coconut-Grilled Pineapple, and so many more delicious dishes. One episode is enough to make you want to fire up your grill.

Lake Isle Press: Less is more applies to this publisher of the most exquisite cookbooks. Lake Isle publishes two or three cookbooks per season, which are exquisitely rendered. All of the cookbooks I have promoted feature beautiful full-color photographs with delicious recipes. This season I am delighted to be promoting SEAFOOD ALLA SICILIANA: Recipes & Stories From A Living Tradition by Toni Lydecker, which gives new meaning to Italian food. The seafood recipes featured in Seafood Alla Siciliana are simple to prepare and delicious to eat. It’s a seafood lovers dream come true.

This past spring I promoted Easy Gluten-Free Baking by Elizabeth Barbone, also published by Lake Isle. If you’ve ever tasted gluten-free baked goods, many have a strange flavor and texture. The good news is that the recipes in Easy Gluten-Free Baking are light, moist and tasty. I sampled the chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cupcakes, and I would have never known these baked good were gluten-free.

Dr. Scott Paton reminds us in his book, HEALTH BEYOND MEDICINE: A Chiropractic Miracle, of a simple truth: That if we make a habit of getting the proper nutrition, proper sleep, maintaining a positive mental attitude, daily exercise and incorporating chiropractic adjustments into our lives, we will live a healthier life, experience less illness, and age well.

In Health Beyond Medicine, Dr. Paton explains how a holistic, integrative approach to health care is essential in preventing illness. “The time for a more health oriented approach to maintain a balanced system is not after illness occurs, but long before your system has reached the point of extreme crises,” says Dr. Paton.

Dr. Paton’s holistic approach to medicine is one that we should all incorporate for the New Year.

To end the year, I launched a campaign for an exciting but disturbing thriller: Rogue Threat by A. J. Tata (Variance Publishers). A. J. Tata is a retired Brigadier General who commanded all of the troops in Afghanistan. New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor hailed A. J. Tata as “THE NEW TOM CLANCY.”

Rogue Threat is a thriller about how terrorists might be able to use high-tech weaponry and nanotechnology to all too easily launch a flurry of violent attacks throughout America’s heartland and bring the nation to the brink of chaos.

New York Times bestselling author James Rollins hails Rogue Threat as “Topical, frightening, possible and riveting.”

Variance Publishing is the new kid on the block. The company was launched in 2008 and already they have acquired several bestselling authors including Steven Savile. Stay tuned for Silver, his riveting thriller coming out in 2010 about a religious cult calling itself The Disciples of Judas who have planned a terrorist plot to bring down the Catholic Church. “Move over Dan Brown,” says Stel Pavlou, International Bestselling author of Decipher.

Bill Diffenderffer, the former CEO of Skybus Airlines and a business expert who is a major player in the global travel industry, wrote A Bank of Last Resort, a cautionary tale about the peril’s of a government takeover of the banking industry.

A Bank of Last Resort could have been written from today’s headlines. As a new President takes office in Washington, the country is reeling from an economy that is approaching depths not seen since the Great Depression. The financial industry is in big trouble and the new administration is insisting that all of the ten largest banks participate in the Federal Bailout program. What unfolds is an epic political and financial battle pitting the protagonist against the President’s Machiavellian adviser, the powers of an intrusive and controlling government against the ideals of free-market capitalism, the Leviathan against the American way of life.

Happy New Year to all of my authors who made 2009 a successful year filled with great reading. Stay tuned for more great books to come in 2010.

Thursday night my husband drove me down to Manhattan in the pouring rain to the apartment on West 79th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenue, my favorite neighborhood in the city. It was a bitter, gloomy night with pounding rain and strong gusts of wind, just the type of weather that induces you to stay indoors. When I first settled in the apartment, I wished I had stayed home. The producer from Fox & Friends had called me at 4:00 that afternoon to order car service which was scheduled to pick me up from the West-Side apartment at 5:30 the next morning. In fact, it was the producer who persuaded me to make the trip into the city even though she offered to have the car service pick me up from my home.

My husband, who had planned to join me for dinner on Sunday evening, had work to do was unable to join me. Friends in the city were all busy. I felt melancholic at the prospect of a lonely night in the city.

In my single days, I would have thought nothing about traipsing up and down Columbus Avenue by myself in search of a trendy restaurant and dining solo. So I switched mental gears, put on my raincoat, and afraid I would be taken for a tourist, hid my Zagats in my bag. As my umbrella blew inside out from the fierce wind, I walked past restaurants I had once dined at with dates from hell, reminiscing about my life as a single woman. Then I chanced upon Kefir, a Greek restaurant my husband had suggested.

I boldly walked into the crowded bar, the restaurant alive with the buzz that only a restaurant in Manhattan could have on such a stormy night. And I instantly felt at home.

I grabbed a chair at the bar, ordered an appetizer and entree that the bartender recommended, struck up a conversation with him and learned that he was writing a novel. I was charged with that energy that is so infectious in Manhattan—and that I hadn’t felt in a long time.

When I returned to the apartment, I was too wired to fall asleep, so I watched the remaining moments of Grey’s Anatomy. As I looked out of the huge bedroom window to the lit-up apartments across the street, I saw Grey’s Anatomy reflected through one window on a huge flat-screen TV and instantly felt connected in this city of a million strangers.

The next morning, at 5:15 AM, I received a call from the car service that a black limo was scheduled to pick me up on time at 5:30 AM.

Already dressed, I took one more look in the mirror, and left.

When I got into the limo, the driver said, “Fox studios?” I felt a sudden inner glow, a charged up sense of satisfaction mingling with pleasure and pride, as I thought to myself that I was the star of my own story. I experienced a swell of joy as we sped down an empty Columbus Avenue. It’s a rare city experience to be the only car traveling on a busy avenue in the pre-dawn hours that would be congested with bumper to bumper traffic in just a few hours.

I alighted from the limo, was escorted to the green room, and met Dr. Pryce, who had his own story to tell. His flight from Ohio had been delayed. He hadn’t arrived at his hotel until 3:00 in the morning. Sleep deprived and nervous, he was understandably anxious about how he would be able to discuss all the points he wanted to make in three-minutes, when another guest asked him about his book. Nothing like a dress rehearsal. Dr. Pryce was animated as he discussed the points he wanted to make, which he had written down and studied during the long delay in the airport, where he had re-read his book—advice I give to all authors. There’s nothing worse than to see all of your hard work go down the drain when an author can’t remember what he or she wrote in his or her own book.

The big moment arrived. Dr. Pryce got his three minutes of fame. The hosts, Steve Ducey and Gretchen Carlson put him at ease before the cameras starting rolling. Once on the air, they were enthusiastic about his book and well-informed, asking great, probing questions that elicited answers to showcase Dr. Pryce’s well-conceived health-care plan (If only Congress would read his book, I thought to myself). An author could not have asked for more. Dr. Pryce was right on the money as he explained his health plan. “Sounds so simple,” Steve Ducey said with a grin.

After the interview, like many people after a particularly great first date, Dr. Pryce replayed his appearance over and over again, wondering how he did. Standing in the wings of the set, where I could see and hear everything close-up, I was very pleased with his interview. But naturally, he still called his friends and family for feedback. He relived the interview during breakfast. And during lunch. And as I said goodbye to him in the hotel lobby.

I could see it would take sometime for the adrenaline rush to wear off.

As I headed back uptown, however, this time on foot, the only thought I had was getting some zzzzz’s.

It was back to the burbs for me. The night before already seemed like a fantasy. Reality would hit all too soon, when I would return to pitching more producers and editors. Trying for additional TV appearances and print placements. Facing rejection, or even worse, turning on my computer only to discover that not one of the hundreds of producers and editors I had e-mailed the day before had even responded.

But all those unanswered e-mails are well worth that moment’s glory when all of your efforts and hard work are met with one single e-mail: “We want to invite your author to be a guest on our show.”

All in a day’s work.

The big moment, or should I say, the big thrill, for any author, is when a national TV show comes a calling. It’s like that first date you’ve been waiting for: butterflies in your stomach every time the phone rings or you hear the click from your computer alerting you to a new e-mail.

And then the adrenaline rush when you first hear the good news from your publicist—a rush that continues before the appearance, creating the ultimate high authors feel during TV interviews on national TV (even on local TV, for that matter). And then moments after—or sometimes hours after—when the comedown replaces the adrenaline rush.

Working behind the scenes, a publicist also experiences similar symptoms. When a national show e-mails you that they want to invite your author for an interview, it’s like scoring a touchdown.. I’ve been known to scream, cheer, and make odd noises at my desk in an apartment with walls so thin I’m surprised my neighbors have never called 911.

Last week I received such an e-mail from a producer at Fox & Friends, who invited Dr. Michael Pryce to be a guest on the morning show this past Monday, October 12th.

Dr. Pryce is the author of a very timely book that is a must-read for anyone who is interested in health-care reform: ANATHEMA! America’s War on Medicine: A Veteran Doctor Offers a Cure for What Ails America’s Health Care System.

Dr. Pryce has been an orthopedic surgeon for more than 25 years. In ANATHEMA! America’s War on Medicine, Dr. Pryce exposes the untold story behind our present health-care crisis, outlines what is wrong with America’s health-care system, and offers a plan that will not only make health care affordable but will also offer universal coverage without raising taxes.

What makes this booking a coup for me is that it is the first time I’ve ever booked a self-published author on national television, which bodes well for future self-published authors whose books are timely and written well.

The day before the author’s appearance, however, I received a call from the producer. It was a Sunday morning, and I was driving to one of my favorite parks along the Hudson to take my morning walk before I headed into the city to stay at an apartment belonging to a friend of the author’s. He had graciously made arrangements for me to stay at the upper West Side so I would be able to accompany him to the Fox studios in the wee hours of the morning.

“Your author has been bumped due to breaking news,” the producer said. “Can he make it tomorrow?”

Dr. Pryce had re-arranged his schedule, which meant cancelling all of his office appointments for Monday.

“Tuesday he performs surgery. Wednesdays and Fridays are the best days.”

The producer hung up abruptly. He didn’t wait for me to tell him that the author was traveling from Ohio, and that he would need at least 48 hours notice before he would be able to appear.

That’s not unusual. I’ve had many national shows call me up, wanting an author to appear in studio the next day. When there is a breaking news story, producers will often call publicists at the last minute if they are representing an expert or related book on the subject of the breaking-news story. An author’s schedule or travel plans are of no concern to a producer who is working on a time-sensitive segment with a tight deadline: if the author wants to get on air, he needs to hit the road pronto and get in studio.

Many interviews are written, produced and scheduled less than 24 hours before that segment airs, and guests are often booked at the last minute. Even though these days cable shows have satellite hook-ups from major cities, a live show may want the guest to appear in studio, as was the case with Dr. Pryce. For an unknown author who wants to get his message out there and sell books, this is a great opportunity, and Dr. Pryce did everything he could to re-arrange his schedule for the second time in a week to make that in-studio appearance happen.

On the following Wednesday, I received a phone call from an excited Dr. Pryce that a producer from Fox & Friends called him directly to pre-interview him for an appearance on Friday morning at 6:15.

I wasn’t holding my breath, but this time it looked as if the interview would actually happen. On late Thursday afternoon, however, I received a call from the producer who had pre-interviewed Dr. Pryce. Oh, no, I thought. The interview is going to be cancelled again…

TO BE CONTINUED…

Your hometown, that is, if you are an author.

Last week, I attended a Farmer’s Market in Irvington, New York, the hometown of Toni Lydecker, whose new cookbook is SEAFOOD ALLA SICILIANA: Recipes & Stories From a Living Tradition.

Toni was selling her beautiful cookbook at the Irvington Farmer’s Market, giving out scrumptious samples of poached mackerel in olive oil served on crostini, prepared from a recipe in her book. She had purchased the mackerel from the fishmonger whose was selling his selection of the freshest fish at the booth next to hers.

People are always drawn to free food, and in this case, the food samples were so delicious that Toni sold two cartons of her $30.00 cookbook. There was a bitter, blustery wind blowing off the Hudson, which resulted in a smaller crowd than usual at this farmer’s market which is usually packed in the summer and early fall. Even so, Toni sold more than most authors do at similar out-of-town events.

I have set up many out-of-town author events only to hear an author complain that only one person showed up. This even happened to a bestselling cookbook author whose publisher had spent a lot of time and money preparing for a cooking demonstration in a highly visible well-trafficked kitchen store for that author. Other authors have told me that while there was a continual flow of traffic from people who wanted to sample free food, not one person bought their book.

The lesson, according to Toni Lydecker, is that one should focus publicity events in one’s hometown.

I not only encourage authors to do hometown events, but also to focus on their hometown media. Last winter, I promoted a haunting debut novel, THE TRICKING OF FREYA by Christina Sunley (St. Martin’s Press), about an immigrant family from Iceland who settles in North America. More Magazine hailed THE TRICKING OF FREYA as “an instant classic” and The Seattle Times compared Ms. Sunley’s work with that of Jhumpa Lahiri and Junot Diaz, two novelists who also write about the immigrant experience.

But it was her hometown newspaper that catapulted her book to the bestseller list. The San Francisco Chronicle ran a rave review of THE TRICKING OF FREYA and, a week later, it hit The Chronicle’s Bestseller List, where it remained for three weeks.

Newspapers often love to shine the spotlight on their local authors. The first question I am asked by a book or feature editor is if the author is local. The Chicago Tribune featured a profile story on Father’s Day about the father-son co-authors of TRUST ME: Helping Our Young Adults Financially, a self-published book. It is usually very difficult, if not impossible, to get print coverage from a top newspaper such as The Chicago Tribune for a self-published book, but the local angle trumped the self-published stigma that many self-published books have to bear.

In today’s media climate where it is more difficult than ever to get TV and print coverage, hometown media is an author’s best friend.

I received an e-mail from an international bestselling author based in Spain seeking to hire me for his novel that was about to be published in the States. When I asked him how he had heard about me, he said Frank McCourt recommended me.

“Frank McCourt?” I responded with surprise. “But I don’t know Frank McCourt.”

The author said he and McCourt had met at a book event in Spain and that he asked McCourt to recommend a publicist in the United States. According to the author, Mr. McCourt replied without hesitation that I was the best publicist in Manhattan.

I was stunned, flattered and overwhelmed with emotion.

Frank McCourt won a Pulitzer in 1997 for his poignant and heart-wrenching memoir, Angela’s Ashes, which recounts his difficult childhood in Ireland. I had read Angela’s Ashes when it first came out and was not surprised when it won the Pulitzer in 1997. I thought it was well-deserved.

How had Frank McCourt heard about me? The author didn’t know. I did a web search for Mr. McCourt’s e-mail address to thank him, but it was not listed anywhere. I called his publisher, but the publisher would not give it out. After a futile search, I gave up.

Since then, I’ve received requests from other international bestselling authors whom I represented when their books were published in America.

Nick Stone, whose most recent thriller is The King of Swords (Harper; December 2008; Hardcover), is a household name in Britain, where his debut novel, Mr. Clarinet, received wide acclaim and hit the bestseller lists. Stone’s following in the States is growing. He continues to get rave reviews from the critics.

And bloggers everywhere, both here and abroad, continue to blog about his books, even almost a year after The King of Swords made its debut last December. Just recently, on September 10, I found a google alert for Blog A Book, which posted this comment:

"The King of Swords is a feat of black magic, combining a thrilling plot, unforgettable characters, and the uniquely menacing atmosphere that made Nick Stone's Mr. Clarinet the most celebrated crime debut of 2006."

Nick Stone lives in rain-drenched London but sets his thrillers in sunny Miami. Stone, who was born in Haiti, spends his vacations in the land of the sun which he fantasizes about from his overcast, drizzly London home when he writes his thrillers about the underbelly of Miami.

The King of Swords features a sinister killer who practices black magic and vodoo, and an evil fortune teller who plots the murders from what her Tarot readings reveal.

Mr. Stone told me that a tarot card reader eerily predicted his future, including when, where and how he would meet his wife, and what she would look like, and that he would become an author. He cleverly weaves the Tarot in his spellbinding thriller, which will send a chill up your spine. Autopsies of the murder victims reveal torn Tarot cards – The King of Swords – in the murder victims’ stomach.

Nick Stone’s much anticipated next book is due out in July 2010, and its exotic and forbidden setting will surely draw readers and expand his fan base.

This past Spring, another author, Stanley Trollip, contacted me from South Africa, about his novel, The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu, also published by Harper this past July. Stanley Trollip is the other half of the writing team, Michael Stanley. He and his co-author Michael Sears, received wide acclaim for their debut novel, A Carrion Death, which was nominated for many awards.

Set in Africa, The New York Times Book Review wrote:

“A first novel saturated with local color.
. . . Happily, Kubu is also hugely appealing—big and solid and smart enough to grasp all angles of this mystery. Readers may be lured to Africa by the landscape, but it takes a great character like Kubu to win our loyalty.”

The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu is set in Botswana against the backdrop of the war in Rhodesia 30 years ago and its ramification on Africa today. For those interested in the current turmoil in Zimbabwe, this book is a must-read and an entertaining way of learning about a continent paradoxically steeped in beauty but riddled with ugly violence. And fans of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency will surely love this series wonderful local color and characters by two authors who live in South Africa, and who were involved in the anti-apartheid movement.

For more about both authors, please visit my weblog at http://www.susanschwartzmanpublicity.com/

If anyone predicted twenty years ago, right before I was to embark on a career as an independent publicist, that I would be representing international authors from the comforts of my home office, I would have given them as much credibility to their prediction as I once did to the Tarot. When Nick Stone made a prediction last Spring, I heeded his words with a skeptic’s hope and a believer’s skepticism.

And if a Tarot card reader had predicted 20 years ago that the renowned Frank McCourt would be recommending me to an international bestselling author in Spain, I would have truly dismissed the reader as crazy.

I never did get to thank Frank McCourt. Unfortunately, the talented author passed away on July 19, 2009 at the age of 78.

Perhaps somewhere in cyberspace Frank McCourt’s cyber soul is reading this blog. Wherever you are in the universe, Frank McCourt, a heartfelt thank you.

I have been an independent book publicist for almost 20 years, working behind the scenes, yet many don’t really know what goes on in a book publicist’s day. I recently wrote a piece, Send Cookies, for Your Shelf Life, and a producer from a nationally syndicated radio program responded, “Now I’m beginning to understand. Folks never talk about this part of the business.” So I have decided to offer an insider’s look at the book publishing business from the perspective of an independent book publicist.

Look for informative and entertaining stories about the book publicity business…anecdotes about the typical day in the life of a book publicist…the occasional book review or a favorite recipe or two… ruminations on my current reading… news about the books I am promoting…what really happens behind the scenes.

And there are so many stories to tell. Such as the story of an author’s worst nightmare—performing a cooking demonstration on live TV when the host offers a taste of her kid-friendly meal to a child on the set and he gags.

Other stories that shed light on the daily challenges a book publicist faces, especially this year, when publishers have slashed their budgets, making it more challenging for even the best of us to promote our authors as we would like.

Such as the day I received an e-mail from a publisher’s assistant who asked me if she could send half a book to reviewers. Will there be a new book award category, my partner asked, an award for “Best Half Book?”

Or the publisher whose advertising and publicity budget had been slashed, and had a very limited amount of review copies to send me. How do I explain to the author that the publisher will only send out review copies if I get a request from a media contact? And how do you get media placements without sending review copies?

A good publicist has to be able to think out-of-the-box. I am not a magician, however, who can pull books out of a box by waving my magic wand or get media coverage by simply wishing it to be so—even though I did read The Secret.

Still, I doggedly sent 50 e-mail pitches, creating a buzz about said book. And another 50. And another 50. Bingo: At 7:00 PM, when I am about to shut off my computer, there is an e-mail from a producer in Seattle requesting a copy of the book and asking me when the author is available for an interview.

Then, at four in the morning, I received a phone call from a talk show host who can’t sleep because his wife is away. He apologized profusely, and said he wanted to book an interview with the author.

Several months after the campaign was over, the author won a prestigious award. I extended her campaign, and booked her on almost two dozen radio interviews, including several NPR programs.

All in a day’s work. When you are an independent book publicist, your work is never done. There are good days and bad days, and then there are truly spectacular days such as when your French cookbook author invites you to her 17th Century Chateau in France for cooking classes as a reward for my promotion of her cookbook.

And then there was the memorable day I made a phone call to a book reviewer at The Wall Street Journal almost nine years ago that led to a lengthy phone friendship. And then we met. And then he moved in. And seven years later we got married.

And we have lived happily ever after.

So there are good days, and then there are even better days….

For more information about the books I’m promoting, please visit http://www.susanschwartzmanpublicity.com/ and http://www.susanschwartzman.blogspot.com/