Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Author Event: Susan Conley and Lily King at Northshire Books (+ Giveaway)

As I mentioned in my Mailbox Monday post yesterday, my friend Rowena and I were in Manchester, Vermont, last week where we visited the Northshire Bookstore, one of America’s leading independent bookstores.

We were lucky enough to be there for what turned out to be a fabulous author event: a joint reading by memoirist Susan Conley, who was touring her first book, The Foremost Good Fortune, and novelist Lily King, who was touring her third novel, Father of the Rain. As it turns out, the writers have been friends for 15 years and corresponded by email while they were writing these books (while Susan lived in China and Lily lived in Italy). They read us excerpts from their emails to each other, which had me alternately in stitches and in tears (mostly the former!)—I really hope they someday publish a book of their correspondence. They then read to us from their books: The Foremost Good Fortune is Susan’s memoir about living in China and surviving breast cancer, while Father of the Rain is a novel about a daughter’s relationship with her alcoholic father.

Susan Conley, me and Lily King
Susan Conley, me and Lily King

Getting a glimpse into their writing processes and then listening to excerpts from the final products was so inspiring! (I’m also fascinated by relationships between women writers.) I bought four books in the end, three for me and one for one of you (and had them all autographed, of course). These are the three for me (including Lily’s first novel, The Pleasing Hour):

The Foremost Good Fortune by Susan ConleyFather of the Rain by Lily KingThe Pleasing Hour by Lily King
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The Pleasing Hour by Lily KingWould you like to win an autographed copy of The Pleasing Hour, Lily King’s first novel? The giveaway is open internationally. I will accept entries until 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Monday,
June 6.


Here’s the blurb from the back cover of the book:

The first novel from a new literary voice brimming with sensitivity and lyricism, The Pleasing Hour is the story of an American in Europe whose coming-of-age defies all our usual conceptions of naiveté and experience. Fleeing a devastating loss, Rosie takes a job as an au pair with a Parisian family and soon find the comfort and intimacy she longs for with their children and the father, Marc. Only Nicole, the children’s distant, impeccably polished mother, is unwilling to embrace the young American. But when Rosie realizes that her attachments have become transgressions, she leaves for the south of France. There she learns about Nicole’s own haunted past and the losses that link the two women more closely than either could have imagined.

If you are a follower or subscriber, let me know and I will give you an extra entry.

Make sure you provide me with a way of getting in touch with you. Entries without a blog link or email address will be disqualified.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
_______________________________________________

Armchair BEA buttonThis giveaway is part of the Armchair BEA event. Visit the Giveaways Galore post to enter other Armchair BEA giveaways.

23 comments:

  1. +1 GFC Follower: SpadesHighReads

    Thank you for hosting this giveaway and for participating in ArmchairBEA!! Nice to meet you!!

    SpadesHigh @ http://SpadesHighReads.blogspot.com
    TValeros18 @ gmail [dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  2. This sounds like a nice book. Thanks for the giveaway - I like your "report" of visiting the book store and meeting the author of the book.

    jh303015 at gmail dot com

    (also check out my giveaway at http://leeswammes.wordpress.com/2011/05/24/armchair-bea-day-2-giveaway-time/

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a terrific giveaway. I have "indie book store envy" - our local indie bookstore closed down awhile ago.

    jgoffice(at)cox(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would love to read this book.
    I am a gfc follower.
    debbie
    twoofakind12@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. I would love to read this! Thank you for the giveaway!

    I subscribe by email.

    mittens0831 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am a follower and email subscriber. Please enter me in contest. I would love to read this book. Tore923@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. i am a subscriber.Would love to read the book.lomazowr@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi there!
    This sounds like a great novel, please count me in!
    By the way, I am a follower ("Nay") and subscriber:)

    Hope to hear from you soon (fingers crossed!)

    soriano.renee@gmail.com
    www.covertocoverandbetween.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. would love to read this beautiful story...thanks for the chance.

    i'm an email subscriber & follower, too :)

    karenk
    kmkuka at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for the opportunity! Would love to read this book.

    +1 GFC follower

    littleone AT shaw DOT ca

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am a follower.

    teresasreadingcorner at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  12. The book sounds very interesting.

    Thanks for the giveaway and for opening it to worldwide entries.

    Much appreciated.

    Carol T

    buddytho {at} gmail DOT com

    I follow via GFC (buddyt)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I subscribe by email to your blog.

    Would like to be counted in and thank you for sharing.

    mystica123athotmaildotcom

    ReplyDelete
  14. I follow you on my Google Reader- thanks for the giveaway!

    Rachelhwallen@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'd love to win, thanks for the chance

    Morganlafey86(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'd love to read her first novel. Thanks for the giveaway!


    -I'm a GFC Follower.
    GFC Name: Danah
    -I also subscribe via e-mail.


    icrave13@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'd love to enter!

    aikychien at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sounds like an interesting story, and I have a thing for books set in France. Thanks for the giveaway!

    I've been subscribed to your blog in Google Reader for a while. :)

    inspringthedawn at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  19. Sounds like a very interesting read, thanks for the giveaway :)

    book.splot at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  20. Not entering but had to say love the pic of you and authors. You are beaming :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. I would love to win a copy of The Pleasing Hour. Please enter me. Thanks!

    Follow on GFC(Anita).

    ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  22. How wonderful that you visited the bookstore on a day when Lily King and Susan Conley were there to read from there books! Lucky you! I think it's so cool that they are good friends and second your hope that they write something together!

    Thank you for thinking of us and buying Lily King's book for a giveaway! I'd love to win this copy of her first book.

    Aimala127(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Oops! I forgot to mention that I am a follower of your blog!

    Aimala127@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete