I’m psyched!  Here’s the 3½-star (out of 4) review of Not My Daughter that just appeared in PEOPLE magazine.

“Calling to mind an ’08 news story about 17 girls thought to have made a pregnancy “pact,” this novel features three Maine teens who blithely orchestrate getting pregnant together. Refusing to name the fathers or to consider abortion or adoption, they are at once perplexing and heartbreaking – especially to their own mothers, who become primary characters. As the town erupts in outrage, the girls’ moms grapple with anger, sorrow and the nagging question: Where did I fail my daughter? It’s a topical tale that resonates with timeless emotion.”

Nice, huh?  And filling the whole lower third of the page, including a view of the cover? Thank you, PEOPLE Magazine.  A writer can’t ask for more.

But we do.  Every writer wants to be reviewed.  Why?  Three reasons.  First, publicity.  Readers see the title, see your name, see that someone thinks your book is important enough to review – or good enough to review, which leads me to the second reason.  Sales.  One way to get new readers is to give them a short sketch of your story, along with words of recommendation from a reputable source, which leads to the third reason.  Ego.  Every writer wants to see praise of his work.

Here, truly though, is a case of being careful what you wish for.  What if you get reviews, and they’re bad?  That can be demoralizing.  I know.  I’ve been there.  Forget trying to write for the rest of the day after you’ve read a bad review of your work.  The worst reviews are the ones that just don’t make sense – and make no mistake about it.  There are plenty of grudging reviewers out there who are forced to read your book when they want to be reading something else and resent the subject matter, the setting, even your success.

Publishing one book a year, I don’t get as many reviews as I’d like.  Reviewers are more likely to flock to a first-time writer who may be on the cusp of stardom, or a veteran author who has just published his first book in four years.

The irony, of course, is that some of the best-reviewed books never do hit any bestseller lists.  How bittersweet must that be?

By and large, I try to keep my review hopes in check.  But Not My Daughter has now gotten four quotable reviews (click here to read the other three) from four solid sources.  That’s cause for celebration, don’t you think?

But wait.  What I really want now is reader reviews on this site.  Want to be one of the first to post one?

Rarely does a week go by when I don’t meet with a book group, and oh, the luxury of it.  I can visit anywhere in the country from the comfort of my home, talking by speakerphone with a group of readers, all of whom have read my book.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

But I’m not in a book group, some readers cry, which is why I’m doing a live chat on Tuesday, January 12, 9-9:30 pm (EST) right here on this blog page.

But still, you say,  you want to talk with me on the phone like those other book groups?  Okay.  Form a book group of your own.  Even for one night, one meeting.  How to do it?  It’s really easy.

First, pick a book.  Make it one of mine that you, as the organizer, really want to discuss.  Naturally, I recommend Not My Daughter, because there’s so much food for thought – like, what makes a good mother, when is a child responsible for her own actions, or how to stop history from repeating itself.  But you could also talk about family silence and secrets, as in While My Sister Sleeps, or the price of denying the truth, as in The Secret Between Us.

Second, get members.  Call friends who like to read – put a note on a bulletin board at the library, at work, at church – and tell them your choice.  Ask if they have a friend or two who might also be interested in a talk with the author.  Now, some readers are intimidated by authors, though, truly, I am not an intimidating person.  Assure them that they don’t have to say a word to me, that all they have do to be part of the group is to listen.  Ideally, you’ll have ten or more members present at the meeting.

At this point, you need to pick a date.  Find something that works for most of your members.  You can’t please everyone, but you can try.

Third, go to the Reading Groups page at my website and send me a note.  My assistant, Lucy, will get back to you to let you know whether your date works.  If it doesn’t, we work together to pick another date.

Next, you choose a place.  Groups I’ve talked with have met in homes, schools, and libraries.  The only requirement is a speakerphone.  Heck, I’ve even talked with groups via cell phone speaker – which, in theory, means that you could be meeting inside a mini-van, though, truly, I can think of more comfortable spots.

That’s it.  Four steps – pick a book, get members, pick a date, choose a place.  My assistant, Lucy, will guide you through the rest.  She’ll send you a link to a list of questions that you and your group can start thinking about; she’ll even suggest that you come up with a few questions of your own before the meeting.  My favorite meetings are loose and easy, a back-and-forth chat.  We talk about me and writing and the book in question, and it’s really like I’m there in your living room (or mini-van!) with you.  Lucy will be in touch with you closer to the date to make sure we’re good to go.

And there you have it.   If you enjoy the evening – more important, I think, if you enjoy the company of your fellow readers – you may choose to meet again.  Or not.  But you’ll have fun for this one night.  As will I!

Since you’ve so kindly indulged my going on and on for months, I’ll make this blog short and sweet.

My new book, Not My Daughter, is now on sale!  I hope you enjoy it.  As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

If you’d like a personalized bookplate for your copy, give me the info and it’ll be on its way.

If you’d like to take part in a live online chat to discuss Not My Daughter (or any other BD subject), be right here at this BLOG page one week from tonight, Tuesday, January 12, from 9:00-9:30 PM (EST).

And finally, if you haven’t put your name in for the sweepstakes, please do so now.  With $1000 in book gift cards up for grabs, it’ll be worth your while.

That’s it.  ‘Til Thursday.

Actually, that’s the second piece of my 2010 news.  The first is right there on my home page – the offer of an autographed bookplate for your copy of Not My Daughter.  I’ll sign up to three bookplates per person, one for each of three copies of the book.  Just follow the link to the order form, give me the pertinent info, and I’ll take it from there.  I pay postage and handling.  The only cost to you is whatever you pay, wherever, for Not My Daughter!

And here’s the online chat part.  I recently attempted a live chat through my Facebook page, but it was unwieldy having to constantly refresh the page to see new remarks.  Simultaneously, my brilliant web designer Steve successfully experimented with a live chat through the blog page of another of his cients.  I attended that chat, thought it was terrific, and signed on.

So mark your calendars for January 12, 9-9:30 PM (ET), and set a bookmark for the blog page on my site, which is where the chat will take place.  That’ll give you a week to read Not My Daughter, which goes on sale January 5.

I talk with reading groups all the time, but this option opens things up to include those of you aren’t in a reading group.  Absolutely everyone is welcome.  Let’s give it a try!

BTW, the focus may be on Not My Daughter, but you can ask me … anything.  January 12, 9-9:30 PM (ET).  I’ll give a direct link when we get close to the date.  Details will also be on Facebook and Twitter.  Join me, please?

I’ve made New Years’ resolutions for as long as I can remember.  There have been times when I’m so busy that I don’t think of it until the last minute, and then it’s often guilt that spurs it.  I mean, if I don’t make a New Year’s resolution, doesn’t that imply I think I’m perfect?

I certainly am not.  (more…)

There’s a reason why I set my stories in New England.  I love New England.  Sure, I’ve lived here all my life, still I love it.  Doesn’t that say something?

Maine holds a special place in my heart for many reasons, only the most recent of which is that it’s the Not My Daughter setting.  Here’s a little history of Maine and me. (more…)

It started as a contest.  When I was in New York last September brainstorming a promotional plan for Not My Daughter, my publisher suggested running it on my website at the time of publication.  The goal was to tell people about this book, and the original idea called for a mother-daughter contest, with the prize being an all-expense-paid mother-daughter getaway weekend.  After all, Not My Daughter is about mothers and daughters, right?

Then I got to thinking.  Granted, with my readership being 97% women give or take, 97% of my readers either are or were daughters, right?  But moms?  Not all have children, and of those who do, not all of those children are daughters.  Hey, I have only sons.  So what would I do if I won?  My mom’s been dead for years; I couldn’t take her.  I quickly realized that if we wanted people to actually enter this contest, we had to cast a larger net.

Let me inject something here.  (more…)

If you’ve followed my countdown blogs, you’ll know that Mountain Colors, a Montana company that specializes in hand-dying yarn, has produced a colorway to honor Not My Daughter.  After reading early excerpts of the book, the masterminds behind Mountain Colors, Leslie Taylor and Diana McKay, designed Spring Eclipse, a breathtaking mix of fuchsia, copper, plum, sapphire, forest green, and teal, named after a colorway created by my characters, Susan, Kate, Sunny, and Pam, who have their own yarn-dying business in Not My Daughter.

"Spring Eclipse" from Mountain Colors

Getting to know Leslie and Diana has been a joy for me.  They are incredibly warm and wonderfully creative, representative of the best of the community of knitters that has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years.  What is it about knitting that’s so appealing?  (more…)

Today is December 5.  On January 5, one month from today, my newest baby, Not My Daughter, makes its debut to the world.  At this point, really, it’s all about promotion.  Here’s where we’re at.

The first two chapters of Not My Daughter are now posted on my website.  Other website changes include posting the cover of this new book in every strategic spot.  For instance, check out my HOME page.  There’s the new cover and – ta-daaa – the video trailer.

Media reviews are starting to come in, and, so far, they’re glowing. (more…)

Know the truism about giving a young child a toy and finding him more interested in the box it came in?  We had the Delinsky version of that over Thanksgiving, when the grands came to visit.  Oh, they loved their Legos, they did.  They built a road and cars and buildings, and, miracle of miracles, there were enough little bricks to go around.

But the biggest hit of the holiday were notebooks.  Well, not just any old notebooks.  I am a very organized person (how else to keep straight the details of my work?), so I have a closet filled with supplies that keep me organized.  The notebooks in question are ½” wide, 3-ring Poly-Binders that come in a variety of colors and sell for $1.59 each. (more…)