Hello!I’d like to introduce myself!
I’m Lisa Dale and my first novel, Simple Wishes, just came out this month. Needless to say it’s been a very exciting New Year! As of today, the book is on the list of top 100 romances sold so far this year. A dream come true.
Simple Wishes is a love story that explores the mysterious connectivity between mothers and daughters, cities and mountains, the future and the past.
I’ve always thought that the landscapes people live in affect who they are, and so I wanted my first novel to be set somewhere fascinating—someplace with lots of textures and layers to explore. The problem was that being in graduate school meant I didn’t have much of a budget. So the setting needed to be accessible and close to my New Jersey home.
That’s when my grandparents came to the rescue. They own a small cabin in the mountains of Pennsylvania. It’s on a dirt road so secluded that sometimes their only neighbors are the kind who walk on hooves and paws.
Below is a little video of their cabin—please forgive the “cheese” factor! I made it myself. You can see me and my Pop and Gram in it too.
If for some reason the video doesn't work, here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrPTgT33Hew
Here’s the scoop on the plot: My heroine Adele makes a terrible mistake that forces her to leave New York City and return to the backwoods mountain cottage she inherited from her mother. There, her friendship with a Korean-American grandmother challenges her to rethink her difficult youth. Just when she thinks she has healed enough to fall in love with the reclusive but sexy artisan who lives next door, dark secrets from her mom’s past threaten to ruin everything.
You can see a trailer for Simple Wishes by clicking here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFcUWTrK33o&feature=channel_page
Simple Wishes (Forever, $6.99) is a different kind of women's fiction/romance novel. When I was a kid, I used to think the word “provocative” meant “sexy” because of how people said it in sexy commercials. Simple Wishes is sexy, but it’s provocative in other ways as well. It’s emotionally complex and the language is deliberately lyrical. The characters in Simple Wishes are survivors who have been pushed to their limits. Oh—and there’s a big bombshell ending too!
Do you have a place that’s important and special to you? I’d love to hear about it! Post a comment about your meaningful place, and you could win a FREE COPY OF SIMPLE WISHES!
Happy reading!
Lisa Dale
http://www.lisadalebooks.com/ – Official Homepage
MySpace
http://www.bookanatomy101.com/
*P.S. Sign up for my mailing list on my homepage and get in the loop for great contests yet to come. I’m cooking up a biggie that you just might want to be in on. But that’s all I can say about it right now!
UPDATE
Thanks to everyone for your good cheer and for sharing your thoughts! It was a lot of fun reading about your getaways and as a new writer I especially appreciate your support!
The free copy of Simple Wishes will go to Michele L. this week--I love a woman who uses exclamation points with the same enthusiasm that I do! Michele, please email me at lisa (at) lisadalebooks.com.
20 comments:
Congratulations! That's amazing news. Can't wait for the next book.
Congrats on your new book. It sound like it is a wonderful read. I would love to read it.
My special place is a small country community where I grew up. I love the place. It is so peaceful there in the country with all the trees and it was near a river. I still visit this place from time to time.
Congrats! I love the video, your book sounds great!
Happy 2009
Penney
Congrats on the book Lisa I loved the video such a beautiful place and the book sounds great.
When I was young my grandparents had a little farm on the central coast of NSW here in Australia and I loved going there it was so peaceful and I always had so much fun exploring and just relaxing.
Have Fun
Helen
Congratulations on your new book. Your video is great. When my parents retired they built a house on a mountain and it is a quiet peaceful place to visit and I love the lack of traffic.
Congratulations on this lovely book. The cover is delightful and the video wonderful.
My special place is my favorite beachside retreat where it is peaceful and tranquil.
Hi, Lisa,
It's nice to meet you! Simple Wishes
sounds like a great book - I'll be
looking for a copy. Good luck in
your writing career!
Pat Cochran
@ Virginia, I think there's something about a river that is so captivating: I think it's the strength of it being so unassuming and quiet. Your place sounds wonderful.
@ -d, Thanks! I'm really excited about the new book too. It's about two sisters who own a wildflower farm in Vermont. Really fun!
@ Penny, Thank you for the congrats! Glad you liked my silly video!
@ Helen, Australia! That sounds like a great location for my new project. Burlington VT will have to do for now!
@ Maureen, Your comment cracked me up! Since I'm from Jersey, "lack of traffic" has almost the same implications for me as "bigfoot" or "Loch Ness Monster." LOL! Maybe that's why I like to write about the country.
@ Traveler, Your beach retreat sounds lovely. Writing a book about the beach would be a great excuse to "research!"
@ Pat, Hi! Nice to meet you too! Thanks for dropping in.
Congrats on your new book! The video is very good.
My favorite place is anywhere I can walk on the beach.
I love the connotation of your cover - lazy hazy days of summer and picnics.
The video was just fine; what a nice place to relax.
I don't go far at all; I go out on my patio, sit in the canopied swing with a glass of Iced Tea. There I relax, listen to the birds singing and until a few months ago, used to have my trusty dog Sam swinging with me.
Hi Lisa,
I loved your blog post! Congratulations on your new book! WOOHOO! I bet you are on Cloud Nine!
My favorite, special place is close to my home here in Indiana. It is along the shore of Lake Michigan. There is a secluded cove of trees where the wind has hollowed out a dip in the sand revealing a cozy spot for a picnic or a great place to read a book. It is close enough to shore that you hear and see the waves lapping, you feel the wind and sun on your face while it invigorates senses. It is my favorite place to relax and enjoy the beach in the summer time.
@ Estella, The beach is wonderful. All that open space. Thanks for sharing!
@ Robynl, That sounds lovely! The cover of Simple Wishes reflects the heroine's feelings about the country in the end, but she walks a hard road from city life to country life; she learns to see the beauty in what's simple.
@ Michele L. What evocative description. Your comment sounds like a postcard from somewhere I'd like to be!
The video is great!
When I was young we used to rent a cottage for the summer. It was in the country, next to lots of farms. I loved it out there, so peaceful.
Hi Lisa,
My special place is a vacation home that my family owns at the beach. I go twice a year for some relaxation. I love to watch the waves of the ocean and look at the beautiful skyline. It's a really beautiful place.
Congrats on the release of Simple Wishes. It sounds like a great book and now I really want to know what the "big bombshell ending" is.
Congrats the book sounds fantastic.
Our special place is to rent a cabin in the mountains in Gatlinburg TN. We love the beauty of it is is so relaxing.
@ Maria, That sounds wonderful! Sounds like the area where I grew up.
@ Raven99, I'm always interested if people see the end coming. My new project has a surprise ending too. I just think they're fun!
@ sarabelle, That cabin sounds great; I could go for that right now, given that it's negative zero here today. Brrr!
Hello Lisa and congratulations on your book release.
I really liked the video. Seeing the bear reminds me of the cabin my family had when I was growing up. It was on a mountain in West Virginia.
There was a club house, a pool and a lake all down in the valley. I used to love going there, everyone always seemed more relaxed.
I enjoy reading new authors so CONGRATS!! "Simple Wishes" sounds great! Best of luck.
We head north to Wisconsin every summer. I too enjoy the peacefulness of the back yard... watching the action on a small lake... birds, fishermen, swimmers.. .a good book!!
@ Laurie, I LOVE black bears too. I saw my first wild one at my granparent's cabin when I was a kid, and I still remember it was one of the most moving moments of my life.
@ Laurie, LOL! You're so right to say there's got to be a good book in that special place picture. Nice!
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