Announcing the In Leah’s Wake Social Media Whirlwind Tour!
As part of this special
promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the
In Leah’s
Wake eBook edition has dropped to just 99 cents this week.
As part of this special
promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the
In Leah’s
Wake eBook edition has dropped to just 99 cents this week.
What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter
to win many awesome prizes, including Amazon gift cards of up to $500 in amount and
5 autographed copies of the book. Be sure to enter before the end of the day on Friday,
December 16th, so you don’t miss out.
To Win the Prizes
- Purchase your copy of In Leah’s Wake for just 99 cents on Amazon or Barnes & Noble
- Fill-out the form on Novel
Publicity to enter for the prizes
- Visit today’s featured event; you may win an autographed copy of the book
or a $50 gift card!
- BONUS: If you leave a comment on this blog post, you have another chance
at $100!
...And I can win too!
Over 100 bloggers are participating in this gigantic event, and there are plenty of prizes
for us too. The blogger who receives the most votes in the traffic-breaker poll will win
a $100 gift card as well. So when you visit Novel Publicity’s site to fill-out the contest
entry form, don’t forget to say that I referred you, so I can get a point in the poll.
The Featured Events include:
Monday, Radio Interview with Novel Publicity!
We’re kicking-off on
the Novel Publicity Free Advice blog. We interviewed Terri on our radio show Sunday night and have embedded the full podcast and blogged about its highlights. Give it a listen and then leave a comment on
the blog post. This is a great chance to get to know more about this inspiring and friendly
author. One commenter will win an autographed copy of
In Leah’s Wake.
Don’t forget to enter for the other contest prizes while you’re over there!
Tuesday, Twitter sharing contest!
A tweet is tiny, only 140 characters. But on Tuesday, it could win you $50. Send the following tweet
across the twittersphere, and you just may win a $50 Amazon gift card. An autographed
copy of
In Leah’s Wake is also up for grabs. The winner will be announced
Wednesday morning.
Here’s the tweet:
In Leah's Wake
has taken the publishing world by storm. Get the book for just 99 cents http://ow.ly/7wp5h #whirlwind
Wednesday, Google+ sharing contest!
Yup, there’s yet another
awesome opportunity to win a $50 Amazon gift card, and this time it just takes a single
click! Visit Google+ and
share Emlyn Chand’s most recent post (you’ll see the
In Leah’s
Wake book cover included with it). On Thursday morning, one lucky sharer will
be $50 richer. An autographed copy of
In Leah’s Wake is also up for grabs.
Three chances to win! How about that?
Thursday, Facebook sharing contest!
Stop by
Novel Publicity’s Facebook page and share
their latest post (you’ll see the
In Leah’s Wake book cover included with it).
It’s ridiculously easy to win! On Friday morning, one lucky sharer will be $50 richer. An
autographed copy of
In Leah’s Wake is also up for grabs.
Friday, special contest on the author’s site!
Win a $500 Amazon gift
card, simply by leaving a comment on
Terri’s
most recent blog post. Yup, you read that correctly—$500! How easy is that? An
autographed copy of
In Leah’s Wake is also up for grabs.
Remember, it’s all about the books!
About
In Leah’ Wake:
The
Tyler family had the perfect life – until sixteen-year-old Leah decided she didn’t
want to be perfect anymore. While her parents fight to save their daughter from
destroying her brilliant future, Leah’s younger sister, Justine, must cope with the
damage her out-of-control sibling leaves in her wake. What happens when love
just isn’t enough?
Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
About the Author:
Terri Giuliano Long grew up in the company of
stories both of her own making and as written by others. Books offer her a zest for life’s
highs and comfort in its lows. She’s all-too-happy to share this love with others as a
novelist and a writing teacher at Boston College. She was grateful and thrilled beyond
words when her award-winning debut literary novel, In Leah’s Wake, hit the Barnes and
Noble and Amazon bestseller lists in August. She owes a lot of wonderful people – big
time! – for any success she’s enjoyed!
Visit her on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or
GoodReads.
Interview with Terri Giuliano Long
In Leah’s Wake and the Characters Who Make It a Story
Q: Please tell us a bit about your book and what you hope readers take away from
reading it.
In Leah’s Wake tells the story of a family in collapse. Sixteen-year-old Leah,
a straight-A student and star soccer player, has led a perfect life. When she meets and
dates a sexy older guy, attracted to his independence, she begins to spread her wings.
Drinking, ignoring curfew, dabbling in drugs—all this feels like freedom to her. Her
terrified parents, afraid they’re losing their daughter, pull the reins tighter. Unfortunately,
her parents get it all wrong, pushing when they ought to be pulling, and communication
breaks down. Soon there’s no turning back. Twelve-year-old Justine, caught between the
parents she loves and the big sister she adores, soon finds herself in the fight of her life,
trying desperately to pull her family together.
Parents, wanting the best for their children, often push their kids to be perfect – and push
themselves to be perfect parents. It’s tempting to believe that only bad kids from bad
families get in trouble. This attitude allows us to distance ourselves – this could never
happen to
us – and creates unhealthy competition. When families have
problems, we judge and ostracize them, only adding to the difficulties they’re already
facing. The truth is, when problems arise, the fallout affects the entire community. The
epigraph from
The Grand Inquisitor says it best:
“everyone is
really responsible to all men for all men and for everything.” As Hillary Clinton famously
said,
it takes a village to raise a child. For the sake of our children, we must
all do our part to be supportive members of the village.
Although the Tyler family is far from perfect, they love one another. Had the community
rallied around and supported them, perhaps Leah would not have gotten as lost. Like
adults, most teens just want to feel accepted and loved – not for what they accomplish or
contribute, but for who they are. I’d be thrilled if my novel inspired readers to suspend
judgment, to look less harshly at troubled teens and their families. I think we owe it to
our teens, to our communities, and to ourselves to work harder to support and encourage
all kids, not just those who conform.
Q: Can you tell us a little about your main and supporting characters?
LEAH TYLER: Leah is a strong young woman, beautiful, smart, a superstar in the
community. As long as she lives up to their expectations, she’s accepted, even celebrated.
As soon as she tries to take control of her own life, question the rules, spread her wings,
she meets resistance. When she chooses her troublemaker boyfriend over a promising
college soccer career, and heads down a path of drugs and self-destruction, she rips her
once happy family apart.
JUSTINE TYLER: Justine is twelve, in that awkward stage, not really a child anymore
and not quite a teen. Justine is intelligent, faithful, and kind, and she sees the best in
people, sometimes to her own detriment. Deeply religious, she sees God as Father and
protector – a belief that will be challenged by her family’s turmoil. Her best friend is
Dog, the family’s aging pet Labrador. Although only twelve, Justine is left to be the rock
as the rest of her family plunges into depression.
ZOE AND WILL TYLER: Zoe and Will are hardworking parents – too hardworking
- who love and want the best for their children. Ambitious and strong, Will is willing
do whatever it takes to help his children reach their full potential, even if it means
alienating them in the process. He can’t sit back, watching his teenage daughter destroy
her promising future. Zoe, a child therapist and motivational speaker, is a peacemaker
who avoids confrontation, and thus easily falls into depression. Their divided approach to
Leah’s rebellion drives a wedge into their marriage.
Rather than listen to their daughter, accept that she’s growing up, that her choices may
differ from theirs, and guide her down the path that’s right for her, Zoe and Will try to
take control. This is a classic problem between parents and teens. The minute we put
our foot down, say
no, they
can’t do this or that, they tend to
focus all their energy in that direction. Zoe and Will’s escalating attempts to control their
daughter result in her pulling away. This is a difficult cycle to break.
JERRY JOHNSON: Jerry Johnson, the police officer, is the only non-family member
with a voice in the novel. Jerry’s work as a police officer brings him into frequent contact
with the dissolving Tyler family. Though flawed like all the characters, he takes his
responsibility for others to heart. He’s the connecting force in this novel.
TODD CORBETT: Leah’s boyfriend, Todd, a former roadie in a rock band, is a modern
day James Dean, a rebel without a cause. He’s been arrested for dealing drugs, so it’s
easy to blame him for leading her astray; really, he’s a conduit. He makes her feel
comfortable and safe and encourages her blossoming independence.
By the time Leah realizes that he wants to control her, too – albeit in a different way – it’s
too late. If only she’d realized how deeply her family loves her, she might have avoided
the dire consequences she suffers. That’s the central irony in the book – perhaps the irony
in many relationships between parents and teens.
Q: Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from
your imagination?
Bob Sullivan, the owner of Sullivan Farms Ice Cream, and Dorothy Klein, the beautiful
woman who designs the button bracelets Zoe buys for Leah and herself, are real people.
Every other character is completely imaginary. I did borrow gestures, habits, and physical
characteristics from real people – the runaway arm belongs to my youngest daughter,
KK; my husband is a darker physical stand-in for Will. Of course, borrowing sometimes
results in unfortunate assumptions. I’m lucky – my family puts up with my thievery and
ignores the conclusions readers draw.
Personality, motivation, and behavior of my characters I’m fully responsible for.
Q: Your book is set in Cortland, MA. Can you tell us why you chose this city?
Geographically, the town of Cortland is modeled after the town of Harvard, MA. In the
fall, we used to go there to pick apples. Harvard is stunningly beautiful – with the rolling
hills, the stone walls, the orchards. Sometimes, Dave and I would drive there and just ride
around. This family is in tremendous pain; they’re struggling. That these fierce struggles
might take place in this bucolic setting felt surprising, and that tension felt important to
the book.
Q: Does the setting play a major part in the development of your story?
Judging from the stories I hear, the social and political climate in the imaginary town of
Cortland reflects that in many middle- and upper-middle class towns across the U.S., and
perhaps outside the U.S. I’ve talked with parents who’ve expressed frustrations similar to
Zoe and Will’s. Culturally – not always or only by their parents - children feel pressure
to live up to impossible expectations. When children step out of line, the parents and
families often feel judged.
Community plays an important role in setting expectations and shaping and maintaining
connections. The expectations, the constant demand to perform, can be overwhelming.
In small towns, everyone knows everyone else, by sight if not by name. You can’t hide.
If you or a family member is in trouble, everyone knows it. That claustrophobia and
the constant feeling of condemnation, being watched, inform the inner lives of these
characters and influence their behavior.
Q: Who are your favorite characters in the story?
My characters are all imperfect - they behave badly and they’re sometimes, perhaps
often, enormously irritating - but I love them all, for their strengths as well as their
weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Justine is sweet and caring and kind, so she’s easy to
love, but I also love Leah. Although Leah drives the parent in me crazy, her heart is in the
right place. The same applies to Zoe and Will - they often make terrible choices; despite
their failures, they act out of love.
In the novel, Jerry Johnson, the police officer, is the only non-family member with
a voice. Though flawed like all the characters, he takes his responsibility for others
to heart. I’ve always admired
Gail Mullen Beaudoin, a police officer in
Chelmsford, MA. Gail brings strength, dignity and grace to a very difficult job. I see
police officers as the connecting force in communities. Every day they put their lives on
the line. To me, they’re our real life heroes. As the connecting force in this novel and for
this family, Jerry is my favorite.
Q: Do you have a favorite line or excerpt from your book?
In a chapter called “Sisters Redux,” Justine, the geeky, goody-two-shoes little sister,
asks Leah for a cigarette. It’s almost painful to see her trying so hard to win her big
sister’s acceptance and affection. At first, Leah scoffs; then it dawns on her that Justine is
actually serious and her conscience takes over. Leah has made difficult choices and been
ostracized for them; for Justine, that path would be wrong.
In certain arenas, dorks
have the advantage, she thinks.
As she’s about to say no, it occurs to Leah that Justine has a right to make her own
choices. With this insight, for the first time since they were young kids, Leah sees
Justine as her equal. Despite her reservations, she gives her sister the cigarette. In a sweet
moment, later in the chapter, Leah teaches Justine to dance. This love between the sisters
is, to me, heartbreaking and special.
Q: If In Leah’s Wake were to be turned into a movie, who would you love to see
play what characters and why?
Will Tyler – Matt Damon. Mr. Damon exudes fatherly love and protectiveness and he’s
also very intense. If his daughter were in trouble, I can picture him going into overdrive,
like Will, and doing whatever it takes to pull her back.
Zoe Tyler – Sandra Bullock. I see her as loving, driven and ditzy, a less strident version
of Leigh Anne Tuohy, the mom she played in
The Blind Side.
Leah Tyler – For the role of Leah, I’d search for new talent. Caroline Wakefield, as
played by Erika Christensen, in the film
Traffic, reminded me of Leah,
in her all-American beauty and stunning transformation from preppy to drug-addicted
prostitute. Ms. Christensen is too old for this role, but she’d be the prototype.
Justine Tyler – Abigail Breslin. Like Justine, she’s sweet and dorky and cute. She’s also
precocious and strong.
Jerry Johnson – Vince Vaughn. He’s not the guy who walks into a room and gets the girl,
but he’s centered and responsible, the rock for the others to lean on.
Todd Corbett (Leah’s boyfriend) – Jordan Masek. Jordan plays the role of Todd in my
trailer. Jordan is actually a sweet guy, in real life. But he knows how to channel his inner
bad boy. I can’t imagine a more appropriately cast Todd.
---
Okay, so this should have been up much earlier, but I was caught up with Project Dance.
But it's over. Boo. So it's back to normality - as much as my incredible backlog allows.
I think I may backlog Christmas.
At any rate, three book tours will be happening on my blog starting today until the end of December! Stay tuned!
AND if you haven't gotten round to
In That Day yet (see earlier
post)... GET TO IT.
About the Author:
