I was so happy to receive from Tyndale the Advance Reader Copies for my upcoming novel, Bees in the Butterfly Garden! The box arrived over the weekend, so I spent a couple of days floating on that happy-cloud that comes with having a dream come true. This is technically my twelfth book (counting three seculars from many years ago). I must admit seeing a story in print form that came purely from my imagination is, and I suspect always will be, an exciting moment. Especially when the covers are so lovely!
Bees in the Butterfly Garden is my most escapist book so far. Not that all of them haven’t provided some form of that, but this one especially so. I guess because I laughed more with this book. Not that anyone else will—it’s not really meant to be comedic. I laughed because of all my books, this puzzle-plot was not only the lightest, it was probably the most intricate. When each piece fit with another (even the little ones) I laughed right out loud nearly every time—particularly toward the end.
Here is the back cover blurb:
Raised in an exclusive boarding school among Fifth Avenue’s finest, Meg Davenport has all she’s ever needed . . . but none of the things she’s wanted most—like family or dreams of a future that include anything other than finding a suitable husband. So when her distant father dies, she seizes the chance to throw etiquette aside and do as she pleases. Especially when she learns that John Davenport wasn’t the wealthy businessman she thought, but one of the Gilded Age’s most talented thieves.
Poised to lead those who were loyal to Meg’s father, Ian Maguire knows the last thing his mentor would have wanted is for his beloved daughter to follow in his footsteps. Yet Meg is determined, and her connections to one of New York’s wealthiest families could help Ian pull off his biggest heist yet. But are they both in over their heads? And in trying to gain everything, will they end up losing it all?
So there you have the gist of the story, and perhaps a peek into why it’s a light, escapist story. In contrast, my book club selection this month is kind of a downer; it’s a collection of one novella and several short stories. One story is just as nightmarish as the others (thus, the subheading “. . . and other nightmares”). While the stories are imaginative and emotionally evocative, I’m not finding this kind of escape to be very refreshing. That’s likely why I don’t write stories about murder and kidnapping and torture!
I don’t know about you, but I prefer a happy escape—especially these days when the news on television is mostly bad, politics are more negative than ever, prices are going up as investment values are going down—and that doesn’t even cover personal reasons to escape! Admittedly, I have a wonderful life. A great husband and three children who are easy to love and who love me in return (most days anyway). But with a wedding on the horizon and the hustle and bustle that comes with that (fun yet sometimes stressful), with my youngest son going to high school next year (and we all know when I turn around he’ll be headed off to college!) not to mention all of the regular challenges that come with my lovable but challenging handicapped child, I need an escape! Regularly. That’s what reading, and writing, provide for me.
What about you?
Tell me, briefly, why you love to escape into a book, or what kind of book provides your favorite escape. Leave a comment at the end of this blog posting, either here on my blog, on Goodreads, or on either one of my Facebook pages. At the end of the week (Sunday night, Feb 26th) I’ll draw four random names, each to receive one of my Advanced Reader Copies. No obligation to buy anything, no strings attached. You don’t even have to promise a review, I just want you to enjoy it. Make sure you let me know how to contact you privately via e-mail so I can ask how to mail the book to you. In the name of equal effort, only real comments will be included, so “Likes” on Facebook or Goodreads won’t count. 🙂
I hope your week ahead permits some time for a reading escape!
Wow! Your 12th book? That's amazing. Congratulations! The biggest aspect that makes me escape into a book is — believe it or not — the setting. If it's somewhere I've never been and want to go, or even a whole world that's been created (like the Harry Potter series), I'm hooked. Again, congratulations!!
I love the beautiful cover and it sounds like a fantastic book! I love being able to escape into the lives and worries of someone not me… especially when then they can all be neatly wrapped up by the end of the book! (maybe it's because it gives me hope for my own life?)
email – elizaostrom@gmail.com
Maureen, I would be delighted to have a ARC…you know how much we FX moms need escape! How do you accomplish so much?!? Thank you for blessing the world with your words. ~claudia
It's very exciting to hear that you've already got ARC's! I love the fact that with a book, it's an experience that can be taken with you and enjoyed regardless of whether or not you have electricity. There are so many nuances in books that never come across in film. I also love how there is a special bond between people when they read and discuss the same book. If I'm lucky enough to get a copy, you can contact me at hohahblog @ gmail.com
As a working mom with two little ones, I find any good book as an escape. 🙂 I enjoy great settings, but I find that a great character is what draws and keeps me in a book. I look forward to reading this latest book of yours! If my name happens to be drawn, I can be reached at jassiemine@aol.com.
Congrats on your 12th book!!! What an achievement!
Fiction has always provided an escape for me…but my favorite fiction to lose myself in, is historical. American history has always enchanted me, not to mention the vibrant, beautiful and almost foreign culture of days long ago…whether it be set in the wild West, cozy New England, the illustrious South, or the bustling East.
girlofgracemeg(at)msn(dot)com
I would love to read your latest. I really enjoyed "The Oak Leaves."
I like a book that challenges me to think about my own response to life. Congratulations!
Barbara Anne Waite- Author "Elsie-Arizona Schoolteacher 1913-1916"
barbaraannewaite.com
I just wanted to pop in to thank you for your comments – I love hearing from book lovers! (As they say, it takes one to know one…)
The drawing for the ARCs isn't until Sunday night – I'll announce on Monday's posting the names of those who will receive the four ARCs, and contact them separately. There's still time if anyone else wants to chime in. I hope you do! 🙂
I read to escape also and would love a copy. I'm a wife to a disabled husband and mother to a very, very spirited toddler boy! So, getting swept up into historical fiction, preferably of the Christian variety, is pure joy for me. I am currently reading On Sparrow Hill and am almost halfway through. I can't wait to pick it back up each day to squeeze in a chapter or two. In fact, I forgot my Kindle this morning so I can't read on my break at work. So sad!
My email is leann0330 at gmail dot com.
Maureen, I read as a form of escape so that I feel more connected to the world that I really am. I tend towards spy novels and mysteries (Nancy Drew was me heroine growing up) but since I'm older, I appreaciate simply entering into another world. A place, a time, people, circumstances – anything that allows me to experience someone else's potential reality is amazing. I guess I simply find other people's lives (fiction or not) more interesting than my own life. 🙂 Thank you for creating those alternate realities for me!
Tonja
tonjabriceATgmailDOTcom
I'm so glad to be in the company of many escapist readers!
And thanks for the reminder about Nancy Drew, Tonja. I grew up on those wonderful books, too – I loved them so much, it surprises me to this day that I don't write mysteries. Maybe someday!