UPDATE: February Blog Tour for THE LOVE OF MY (OTHER) LIFE
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UPDATE: February Blog Tour for THE LOVE OF MY (OTHER) LIFE

How fun?! I am so happy and excited! I’ll be tweeting and Facebooking these delicious blogspots all month!

2/1: CHICK LIT PLUS (chicklitplus.com) for BOOK REVIEW
2/2: MY FICTION NOOK (http://myfictionnook.com) – for GUEST POST  + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/3: THE BOOKMARK BLOG (http://www.mybookmarkblog.com/) for BOOK REVIEW
+ E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/4: SIMPSON’S PARADOX (http://simpsonsparadox.com) for BOOK REVIEW + EBOOK
GIVEAWAY
2/5: ROMANCE JUNKIES (http://www.romancejunkies.com/rjblog/) for BOOK REVIEW + EBOOK GIVEAWAY
2/6: GIRL WHO READS (http://www.girl-who-reads.com/) for GUEST POST / WRITER WEDNESDAY
2/7: BOOKWORM BRANDEE (http://www.bookwormbrandee.blogspot.com/) for REVIEW + CHARACTER INTERVIEW + E-BOOK
GIVEAWAY
2/8: BOOKS IN REVIEWS (http://booksinreviews.blogspot.com/) for REVIEW + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/9: CLASSY LADIES DIRTY BOOKS (https://www.facebook.com/groups/classyladiesdirtybooks) for AUTHOR INTERVIEW + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/10: TIFFANY TALKS BOOKS (http://tiffanytalksbooks.com/) for BOOK REVIEW+ GUEST
POST + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/11: SALACIOUS READS (http://www.salaciousreads.com/) for AUTHOR INTERVIEW + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/12: TALK SUPE (http://www.talkingsupe.com/) for BOOK REVIEW + AUTHOR
INTERVIEW + GUEST POST + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/13: MY SECRET ROMANCE BOOK REVIEWS
(http://www.mysecretromancebookreviews.com/) for BOOK REVIEW + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/14: BOOK NERD ASH (http://booknerdash.blogspot.com) for BOOK REVIEW +
GUEST POST + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/15: I AM JANETTE MARIE (http://www.iamjanettemarie.com/) for REVIEW + AUTHOR
INTERVIEW + CHARACTER INTERVIEW + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/16: NIGHTSTAND NOVELS (http://nightstandnovels.com/) for BOOK REVIEW +
AUTHOR INTERVIEW + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/17: NETTE’S BOOKSHELF (http://nettesbookshelf.blogspot.com/) for POSSIBLE
REVIEW + GUEST POST (character interview with Tessa & Brian) + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/18: LILY’S REVIEWS (http://lilysreviews.xanga.com/) for BOOK REVIEW + GUEST
POST + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/19: THE WINDY PAGES (http://www.thewindypages.com/) for BOOK REVIEW + EBOOK
GIVEAWAY
2/20: BOOK TO BOOK REVIEWS (http://booktobookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/) for
BOOK REVIEW + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/21: MY HOME AWAY FROM HOME (http://www.officialmhafh.com/) for BOOK
REVIEW + AUTHOR INTERVIEW + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/22: LIVE READ BREATHE (http://livereadbreathe.blogspot.com) for BOOK REVIEW +
GUEST POST + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/23: CHICK LIT CLUB (http://chicklitclub.com/) for GUEST POST
2/24: OPEN
2/25: CHICK LIT CENTRAL (http://www.chicklitcentral.com/) for BOOK REVIEW + EBOOK
GIVEAWAY
2/26: GIRL IN THE STACKS (http://www.girlsinthestacks.com/) for BOOK REVIEW +
GUEST POST + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/27: BOOK LOVING (http://book-loving.blogspot.com/) for BOOK REVIEW + GUEST POST
2/28: ZEE MONODEE (http://zeemonodee.blogspot.com/) for GUEST POST (character
interview)
2/29: OPEN
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Sweating the Reviews….

Sweating the Reviews

A friend of mine, Mickey the Magical Countess, recently recommended a TV series to me. This is a first. She’s a PR guru who handles some of the hottest men and most interesting properties in Hollywood, and she’s never before told me to watch anything.

“Netflix, Sherlock, the British show,” she said. She’s blond and gorgeous and her beautifully boned face lit up with pleasure. “It’s written by smart people, about smart people, for smart people–and they don’t care who doesn’t get it.”

I felt wistful and, frankly, envious of the show’s creators. What an astonishing risk for an artist to take: to work at that level of intelligence! So rare in today’s lowest-common-denominator world.

It’s the sort of thing I aspired to, when my indie publishing company Parvati Press put out my novella THE LOVE OF MY (OTHER) LIFE. This bittersweet romantic comedy isn’t what any of the legacy publishers would ever publish. I took risks–I went for it–I tried to create a physicist who was actually a physicist, with the vocabulary of one, and to move with quickness and lightness through a story that had the highs of love and the lows of loss. And I wanted to pay homage to my alma mater, and how else to do that than by showing a few unvarnished Yale qualities: grade-grubbing, ridiculous intelligence, critical thinking, competitiveness, and a self-awareness that is wrapped in irony that is ensconced in lack of irony.

So the novel went up on Netgalley. Early readers have had time to consume it. This is always a vulnerable time for me, as I await those first reviews. Generally I stop reading reviews after a few months, when my literary baby has taken a few steps into the world and situated itself. But for the first period of time, I am breathless with anticipation: How will my offering be received?

For me, books are love, and my books are love letters to the world.

On the other hand, I write, fundamentally, for myself, to whom I must be true.

The very first Goodreads reviews of THE LOVE OF MY (OTHER) LIFE were quite good: “This is a scrumptious look at love, art, science, and the many pieces that link into a helix that sweeps the reader into its orbit,” wrote one reader. “I love the way the book ended and…I would definitely read the 2nd book if it was ever made,” wrote another. One of my favorites was, “This book was nerdy and artsy and quirky and funny and endearing,” perhaps because I feel that so many of those adjectives apply to the author herself. At least I hope so.

Then there was a gloomy day filled with ugly feedback. One reader chortled at my diction. Another felt I had a good idea but executed it poorly.

The most painful review wasn’t the one that was most vitriolic. If you put anything out into the public arena, some people are going to throw a lot of crap at it. That’s just a truth of human nature. And for whatever reason, scornful reviewers love to air their nastiness. No, the most painful review was the one in which the Goodreads reader wrote, “I felt I wasn’t smart enough to read this book.”

This comment stung, and it hit me in my ambivalent space. I want to work at my peak, but I sure as hell don’t want my novels to exclude any reader who goes to the trouble to take it up.

If readers hate my works, that’s fair. I have a special word I use for bad reviews:

“NEXT.”

(This word is not trademarked nor patented; I encourage everyone to try it for themselves. It is delightfully neutral, so that energy isn’t wasted disliking the negativity of the bad review.)

But to make someone feel they aren’t smart enough to read my work? That stings. That I have to look at. That I have to wonder about. What am I trying to prove? How can I heal that within myself so the next book is better?

This is one reason why reviews are important. They can lead an author into a deepening and an enriching of his or her creative process.

Luckily, today, this evening, I got an email from Netgalley with feedback from a reader:

Title: TheLove of My (Other) Life
Link: 
Outlet:
Notes:
Full Text: I loved the story.  How true is it that life can be completely different when you make a few different choices.  I hope there is a second book, or at least the Tessa has the love of her life with the Brian in her world.  I highly recommend this book.
Thank you,
The NetGalley Team

 

Feb Blog Tour for THE LOVE OF MY (OTHER) LIFE
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Feb Blog Tour for THE LOVE OF MY (OTHER) LIFE

My uber-wonderful PR lady Sarah has been rockin’ and rollin’ on a Feb blog tour for my new novella, THE LOVE OF MY (OTHER) LIFE.

Here are the dates and blogs:

2/1: CHICK LIT PLUS (chicklitplus.com) for BOOK REVIEW
2/2: MY FICTION NOOK (http://myfictionnook.com) – for GUEST POST  + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/3: THE BOOKMARK BLOG (http://www.mybookmarkblog.com/) for BOOK REVIEW
+ E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/4: SIMPSON’S PARADOX (http://simpsonsparadox.com) for BOOK REVIEW + EBOOK
GIVEAWAY
2/5: OPEN
2/6: OPEN
2/7: OPEN
2/8: OPEN
2/9: OPEN
2/10: TIFFANY TALKS BOOKS (http://tiffanytalksbooks.com/) for BOOK REVIEW+ GUEST
POST + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/11: SALACIOUS READS (http://www.salaciousreads.com/) for AUTHOR INTERVIEW + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/12: TALK SUPE (http://www.talkingsupe.com/) for BOOK REVIEW + AUTHOR
INTERVIEW + GUEST POST + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/13: MY SECRET ROMANCE BOOK REVIEWS
(http://www.mysecretromancebookreviews.com/) for BOOK REVIEW + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/14: BOOK NERD ASH (http://booknerdash.blogspot.com) for BOOK REVIEW +
GUEST POST + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/15: OPEN
2/16: NIGHTSTAND NOVELS (http://nightstandnovels.com/) for BOOK REVIEW +
AUTHOR INTERVIEW + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/17: LIVE READ BREATHE (http://livereadbreathe.blogspot.com) for BOOK REVIEW +
GUEST POST + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/18: LILY’S REVIEWS (http://lilysreviews.xanga.com/) for BOOK REVIEW + GUEST
POST + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/19: THE WINDY PAGES (http://www.thewindypages.com/) for BOOK REVIEW + EBOOK
GIVEAWAY
2/20: BOOK TO BOOK REVIEWS (http://booktobookreviews.blogspot.co.uk/) for
BOOK REVIEW + E-BOOK GIVEAWAY
2/21: OPEN
2/22: OPEN
2/23: OPEN
2/24: OPEN
2/25: OPEN
2/26: OPEN
2/27: OPEN
2/28: OPEN
2/29: OPEN

How fun is this blog tour, with all these lively blogs?! I can’t wait!

For any bloggers who might like to book an open day, here’s the link to a google doc to fill out online.

The latest offering from critically acclaimed author and Yale and Columbia graduate Traci L. Slatton, The Love Of My (Other) Life follows the beguiling and uncompromising Tessa Barnum, a 30-something would-be painter struggling to find her rightful place in the city that never sleeps: the ever-bustling, always-magical backdrop of New York City. Frustrated by a world that champions meaningless post-modernism and money over truth, beauty and transcendence, Tessa is about to be evicted, too insecure in her own talent to let her Turner-esque landscapes leave her closet, and emotionally exhausted by a recent divorce. When she is suddenly faced with Brian Tennyson behind every corner – a disheveled yet devilishly handsome man who, out of virtually nowhere, claims to not only be a Yale physics professor who has uncovered a gap in the time-space continuum, but also her husband in an alternate universe (!) – Tessa finds herself on a rollercoaster ride the likes of which she never in her wildest dreams imagined she would have to be prepared for. A touching and immersive portrait of a young woman reconciling her passions, convictions and realities with an impossible love story unfolding around her, The Love Of My (Other) Life is a surprising, funny and engrossing addition to any romance lover’s bookshelf, digital or otherwise.

And a few comments from the latest bright and engaging Goodreads review:
This book is nerdy and artsy and quirky and funny and endearing….
 
Tessa is a big-hearted artist with some personal demons and a single digit checking account. Brian is a genius physicist from a parallel universe – of course she thinks he’s a crazy homeless man, albeit one with a certain appeal. Their series of interactions is madcap and harebrained, yet delightful.
 

But even in the throes of despair, grief and pain, they are vibrant and full of life. The end is wonderful and gives the whole story a soulfulness that it totally earned….”

Great Review on Goodreads of The Love of My (Other) Life
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Great Review on Goodreads of The Love of My (Other) Life

A smart reviewer on Goodreads thoroughly read, understood, and got my new novel, THE LOVE OF MY (OTHER) LIFE.

Here were some of her observations:

Twenty four hours is how long it took me to read this book. It is really that engrossing.

“From the very beginning, this novel is filled with the promise of interesting entanglements, delightful moments and new favorite literary bits….

This is the story that answers “what if?” Every day we make choices. This is the magic mirror look at what would have happened if certain choices were made…

This is a scrumptious look at love, art, science and the many pieces that link into a helix that sweeps the reader into its orbit. “

Read the review here.
The Love of My (Other) Life
by Traci L. Slatton (Goodreads Author)

5583246

Marcy Peskin-Larkin‘s review

Jan 16, 13
it was amazing
Read in January, 2013


“Five days, fours hours and 22 minutes” is the babbling of a stranger who suddenly appears everywhere in the messy life of Tessa. Twenty four hours is how long it took me to read this book. It is really that engrossing.

Tessa is creative, bohemian, empathetic and in trouble. Brian is floundering, unkempt, confusing and persistent.

You need not believe in parellel universes. You need not understand physics. You need not appreciate fine art. You need not ever been part of the audience at a classical music recital. If you relate to any of these, you may find yourself connecting to a specific moment, a mention, a scene. Perhaps a passing mention of Blue Oyster Cult is where your connecting moment comes. Whenever it happens, is up to individual experience. From the very beginning, this novel is filled with the promise of interesting entanglements, delightful moments and new favorite literary bits.

Tessa, in today’s world, is struggling to keep her co-op after her husband has left her. She works for an elder-care program based out of a church. She has a strong affinity for the church which is suffering its’ own struggles. Money would solve both of their problems. Tessa connects to her seniors but in particular we learn about her relationship with Mrs. Leibowitz. Tessa has another task of adversity. She is an artist who has been in a blocked period. She has been unable to paint.

She collides with Brian on the sidewalk. He does not make sense. He seems to be suffering delusions. And his mutterings of “five days, four hours and twenty two minutes” is doing nothing to convince her of his sincerity. But since meeting him she keeps seeing potential paintings as she goes through the day. Incredibly no matter where she goes, he is there. More outlandish than his perpetual appearances, is his claims to be part of a parellel universe where he and she are more than just casually acquainted.

Tessa is skeptical of everything Brian has to say. She is more concerned with paying her back co-op fees, helping the church and reclaiming her art. But beneath her cynicism. or perhaps parellel to it, is interest. How does he know about her birthmark? How is it that he feels to be more familiar than a threat? How is it that he has unlocked her passion for creating art?

There are wonderful moments where words open up Tessa to believing. When she is spending time with Mrs. Leibowitz, the elderly woman says “Doing what you want is the prerogative of the dying. Should be the prerogative of the living, too, but it doesn’t always work out that way.” Then Brian “You always think you have forever, then you find it over before you realize.”

This is the story that answers “what if?” Every day we make choices. This is the magic mirror look at what would have happened if certain choices were made.

There are interesting secondary characters that fill the story and make it meatier. A flamboyant gallery owner, a professor’s dedicated assistant, a best friend off on a yoga retreat, a hooker with a defined adam’s apple, today’s Dr. Brian Tennyson, a black market art dealer, a dedicated clergyman, Apple Geniuses and more cluster around Brian and Tessa. In the span of five days, four hours and twenty two minutes there is adventure, guilt, passion, soul searching, kindness, death, rebirth and so much more. It is your prerogative as the reader whether you believe in the possibility of paralel universes. You will learn a bit about physics in the process of reading this book; “reality is non-local, and once two particles have interacted, they’re forever intimately connected in some way”. You need not be familiar with New York City to appreciate the locations referred to throughout. However, if you are, then the marble plaza at Lincoln Center is a fabulous setting for Tessa and Brian to explore the what if conversation. I find part of the scene there to be silly but the background of the spirits of symphonies, operas and ballets is perfect.

I refuse to be any more detailed than this in my review. I care not to throw in spoilers. Read and experience it all for yourself.

 
And remember there’s a Goodreads giveaway going on!
 
 
 
 

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Love of My (Other) Life by Traci L. Slatton

The Love of My (Other) Life

by Traci L. Slatton

Giveaway ends January 31, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

COMING SOON: THE LOVE OF MY (OTHER) LIFE

COMING SOON: THE LOVE OF MY (OTHER) LIFE

What worlds would you move to be with your soulmate? 

 Painter Tessa Barnum is struggling. Her husband left, she’s broke, about to be evicted and has made some serious missteps in her career. 

When scruffy Brian Tennyson explodes into her life, claiming to be from an alternate universe, Tessa thinks he’s a crazy vagabond – albeit one with mysterious and undeniable appeal. 

Then he informs her that in his world, they’re married.

Tessa’s universe is turned upside down as the truth of love and loss, victory and humiliation, and second chances comes back to her. She has to choose love over logic to reach that state of anticipation where miracles unfold. The secret to her own life was always in her heart.

Good reads giveaway starting 1/14/2013!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Love of My (Other) Life by Traci L. Slatton

The Love of My (Other) Life

by Traci L. Slatton

Giveaway ends January 31, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Sabin Howard’s ‘Sculpting Gods’ by N. MacKay – The New Criterion
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Sabin Howard’s ‘Sculpting Gods’ by N. MacKay – The New Criterion

Sabin Howard’s ‘Sculpting Gods’ by Neilson MacKay – The New Criterion

Great article!

Sabin Howard has found his way into these pages before. Back in 2007James Panero visited the sculptor’s studio tucked away in the South Bronx. Last Thursday The National Arts Club raised the curtain on Howard’s latest exhibition, Sculpting Gods, showing through January 15 in the Marquis Gallery. It’s easy to see why The New York Times calls Howard “a sculptor of immense talent,” creator of “some of the last decade’s most substantive realistic sculpture.” Never mind the last decade. Howard’s work indubitably takes its place among the best examples of classical realism America has seen in half a century.

Entering Sculpting Gods, you’d be forgiven for thinking you had stumbled into Cellini’s studio. Busts of deities watch over figures crouched in deep repose. Rippling physiques meet eyes fixed earthwards in inert cogitation. An imperturbable Hermes holds his arms aloft without his Caduceus, the snake coiled around his wrist, eyes locked on the far distance.

beautifulgallery