Synopsis:
Summer 1941
Young Adelia Monteforte flees fascist Italy for America, where she is whisked away to the shore by her well-meaning aunt and uncle. Here, she meets and falls for Charlie Connally, the eldest of the four Irish-Catholic boys next door. But all hopes for a future together are soon throttled by the war and a tragedy that hits much closer to home.
Grief-stricken, Addie flees—first to Washington and then to war-torn London—and finds a position at a prestigious newspaper, as well as a chance to redeem lost time, lost family…and lost love. But the past always nips at her heels, demanding to be reckoned with. And in a final, fateful choice, Addie discovers that the way home may be a path she never suspected.
Social Media: The Author’s Lament
Social media, love it or hate it? Like many of you, I struggle with social media. I love to be connected, worry that it makes me less present in the rest of my life, etc. As an author, the dilemma takes on some unique dimensions. So I share here with you briefly, the good, the bad and the ugly of social media for authors.
The Good.
Like it or not, social media is the reality for most writers, a necessary way to promote our work. It is also gives us the power to bypass any middleman and speak with you directly. Readers spreading the word about books they love make all the difference to an author’s success. It is a free, effective marketing took – or at least it would be if we could figure out what works!
Another thing I love about social media is the connectedness. Being a writer is a lonely business. We sit in a room by ourselves for months or sometimes years on end hoping at the end someone will want to read what we have written. Social media is a bridge to the outside world.
Social media has also given me what I call “a sisterhood of writers.” I used to merely lurk on social media. Then I wrote a story for an anthology and became part of several groups of writers on line and I learned that writers largely support one another. There are writers who champion one another’s work and writers who will answer questions candidly and in confidence. Sometimes you just need another author to say “yeah, I get it.” I learned that the more I have on social media, the greater the rewards. There are exceptions of course but most writers take a “rising tide lifts all boats” approach and support other writers. And though I call it a sisterhood, it isn’t just women – there are several mensch authors out there whom I am so proud to know.
The Bad.
Here I am mostly referring to the time suck. Of course I would rather Tweet with you about last night’s episode of Homeland than work on that really hard scene in my novel. But if I don’t get off Facebook and start writing, there will be no novel to chat about. I try really hard not to be online during my peak productivity periods but I feel like I am missing out on some really great party.
The Ugly.
I’m going to be completely honest here and say the hardest part of social media for writers is The Ego Factor. If you have enough writer friends online, you will invariably spend too much time comparing your success to theirs – and coming up short. Everyone else is on a bestseller list this week. Everyone else has a movie deal, etc., etc. Whereupon one must step way from the computer and repeat mantras such as, “This is not a zero sum game.” “Run your own race.” Or some affirmation just like Chris Farley’s Saturday Night Life character Stuart Smalley, “I’m good enough. I’m smart enough. And gosh darn it, people like me.”
So where do I come out? I would say that the single greatest benefit of social media has been the ability for readers and writers to connect and develop real relationships. And I’m not just talking about an email once of year where I say, “Hi, buy my new book.” My readers and I have sustained and meaningful dialogue. Just this year in Miami, I met a reader who I have known online for seven years. I also have reader friends I met when my first book came out who are still in close touch. The ability to hear what readers think and share ideas is so enriching to my work. I can’t imagine writing without it.
And that, my friends, makes all of the rest of it worthwhile. See you online!
–Pam Jenoff
Book links:
Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Summer-Chelsea-Beach/dp/0778317544
About the author:
Pam Jenoff was born in Maryland and raised outside Philadelphia. She attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and Cambridge University in England. Upon receiving her master’s in history from Cambridge, she accepted an appointment as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. The position provided a unique opportunity to witness and participate in operations at the most senior levels of government, including helping the families of the Pan Am Flight 103 victims secure their memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, observing recovery efforts at the site of the Oklahoma City bombing and attending ceremonies to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of World War II at sites such as Bastogne and Corregidor.
Following her work at the Pentagon, Jenoff moved to the State Department. In 1996 she was assigned to the U.S. Consulate in Krakow, Poland. It was during this period that Pam developed her expertise in Polish-Jewish relations and the Holocaust. Working on matters such as preservation of Auschwitz and the restitution of Jewish property in Poland, Jenoff developed close relations with the surviving Jewish community.
Having left the Foreign Service in 1998 to attend law school at the University of Pennsylvania, Jenoff is now employed as an attorney in Philadelphia.
Pam is the author of The Kommandant’s Girl, which was an international bestseller and nominated for a Quill award, as well as The Diplomat’s Wife and Almost Home.
Author’s website: http://www.pamjenoff.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamJenoffauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PamJenoff
Follow the rest of the tour:
Monday, July 27th: Peeking Between the Pages
Tuesday, July 28th: Raven Haired Girl – review and guest post
Tuesday, July 28th: The Lit Bitch
Wednesday, July 29th: Bewitched Bookworms – excerpt #1
Thursday, July 30th: Book Reviews and More by Kathy – excerpt #2
Friday, July 31st: Lavish Bookshelf
Saturday, August 1st: Romantic Historical Reviews – excerpt #3
Monday, August 3rd: Just One More Chapter
Monday, August 3rd: Books a la Mode – author guest post
Tuesday, August 4th: The Romance Dish
Wednesday, August 5th: Bibliotica
Thursday, August 6th: Mom in Love with Fiction
Monday, August 10th: Read Love Blog – author guest post
Tuesday, August 11th: West Metro Mommy Reads
Wednesday, August 12th: Let Them Read Books – Q&A or guest post
Friday, August 14th: Written Love Reviews
Monday, August 17th: A Chick Who Reads
Monday, August 17th: Luxury Reading – guest post
Tuesday, August 18th: A Novel Review
Wednesday, August 19th: Savvy Verse and Wit
Thursday, August 20th: A Literary Vacation
Friday, August 21st: Kritter’s Ramblings – Review and Q&A
Monday, August 24th: One Curvy Blogger
Tuesday, August 25th: The Reading Date
Wednesday, August 26th: Time 2 Read
Thursday, August 27th: Life is Story
Friday, August 28th: Bookshelf Fantasies
Thanks for featuring Pam for the tour!