Help Wanted

A week from today (April 2) is the day Love Water Memory will be officially published and available to readers (except for in Barnes & Noble stores, read the NYT story.) This is my fifth book, my fifth labor of writing love. When people ask me which of my books is my favorite, I ask, “Do you have children?” There is no favorite. There are only stories that arose from particular periods and moods and thoughts and skill levels I possessed at the time. They are each precious in their own way.

Love Water Memory started with a newspaper clipping and a question. The true story was about a man who went missing for six weeks before his fiancée found him states away with amnesia. She brought him home and they continued their love story, even though he no longer knew her. “I remembered her heart, but not her face,” he said. I thought, "What on earth happens next?" And then I wrote my answer.

My beautiful (thank you, Simon and Schuster) book is in danger of going missing. With a cover that was designed to be picked up and touched, it will not be on B&N tables and shelves. Yes, we have wonderful independent bookstores that will sell the heck out of it (thank you, indie booksellers). And yes, it's available at all online outlets, including B&N.com, but roughly a third of potential readers are lost now, because in some parts of the country, the only bookstores they have are B&N.

I hope you find, read and enjoy the book. And if you do enjoy it, I hope you share it with your friends and tell people about it, because this one is going to need a little extra help out there in the world. I’ve always been able to count on the kindness of readers, and I do now, more than ever.

I dedicated this book to my three sisters, but as always, it’s dedicated to you, too, because without you, there is no book.

Links you can post to spread the word:

www.jennieshortridge.com

http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Jennie-Shortridge/65784755

http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781451684834

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Water-Memory-Jennie-Shortridge/dp/1451684835/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364330990&sr=8-1&keywords=love+water+memory

New Book Smell

I take the whole New Year thing seriously. I'm a sucker for opportunities to reflect and renew and take stock, to revisit old dreams, set new goals, find inspiration. And there's that feeling that—come January 1st—anything is possible, again. Sure, nature provides its own new beginning every year at spring time, but still, the new year holds its sway, as it did on Tuesday when hubby and I sat at the dining table and mapped out our paths for the coming year.

In 2013, that path includes the release of my new book, both thrilling and daunting, knowing the work ahead of me as I go out into the world to give public birth to it this spring. I loved writing the book, the story behind the story (listen here), and now the experience of working with my new publishing team at Gallery Books/ Simon and Schuster. On the eve of Hurricane Sandy, I visited New York to meet with them, and I was blown away by their incredible devotion to the book, and their intention to get it into the hands of as many readers as possible starting April 2.

This is how much they love it. They commissioned an artist to create this beautiful cover.

I cried when I saw it because it so thoughtfully reflects the story inside the pages. You can read more about the story here. If you pre-order a copy at the bottom of that page, your support will be noticed by the book industry, in a good way. Love Water Memory represents a brand new path for me with my writing career, and I'd love your help.

On April 2, there will be a launch party at Elliott Bay Books in Seattle. (Notice that I'm inviting you to come with plenty of notice?) Of course, if you can't make it, I'll be traveling through the Northwest and Bay Area and Denver to do readings and book clubs. I hope to see you somewhere, so check my schedule, which will be filling in very soon.

It's a brand new year and an opportunity to reconnect. As always, I thank my lucky stars for all of you who've been with me for all or part of this journey, and I wish you wonderful things in 2013 and beyond. Dream big!