So originally this post was going to be about what I did with my summer vacation, and a lengthy explanation about why I haven't blogged in quite a while, but then I remembered–aha!–I have an author interview with the amazing, lovely, and fabulous Allie Larkin about her amazing, lovely, and fabulous book STAY that I still needed to post.  Which means I can procrastinate even further my discussion of my summer of procrastination and how naughty I have been on the (not) writing front, and instead introduce you to a writer that you should absolutely already know about.

I often get asked to blurb books, and I often say no, not because I don't want to help a new up and coming writer–in fact, there is nothing I enjoy more than helping a new up and coming writer and paying forward all of the generous help I've received (and still receive) along the way–but because the truth is I'm terrible at managing my time, and these days, there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day.  (Case in point–that last sentence should be edited down to a more manageable length, but am I going to?  No, I'm not.  See, that's me being ruthless with my priorities, which is what a life coach would tell me to do to feel more on top of things, if I had the time to hire a life coach.  Which I don't.  A life coach would also tell me to stop all my freaking digressions and focus.  SCREW YOU life coach. I'm going to digress all I want, because I haven't even hired you yet.  Are you worried about me now?  Don't be.  Blame the cold medicine mixer I'm downing like Kool Aid these days.)

Back to my original point: blurbing.  About two years ago, I made an exception when STAY arrived at my door.  I was about eight million months pregnant at the time, and so distracted and bloated, I couldn't do much other than lie down on my couch and cry while watching babies being born on TLC.  And all of a sudden a book with a cute dog on its cover arrived unannounced on my doorstep, and before I knew it, somehow, during a time in which I couldn't focus long enough to read a recipe, I was reading an actual book.  Even crazier, I could not put it down.  Not even for a What Not To Wear marathon.  Here's my blurb that ultimately landed on the cover: "Charming, witty, and surprisingly touching, Larkin deftly examines what it means to be family. A pleasure from start to finish, but buyer be warned: after closing the final pages of this compulsively readable novel, you might just find yourself ordering a one hundred pound German shepherd from the internet."

I'm so glad I picked up STAY and I'm even happier that I've gotten to know Allie Larkin over the last two years. And before I finally getting around to posting, huge apologies to Allie who got me this interview weeks–make that months–ago, and for only putting it up now.  This time, I can't even blame pregnancy or TLC, so, instead I'm going to blame that life coach I haven't hired yet.  See, he told me to focus on my book, and so the blog fell by the wayside…Wait?  What's that you say?  I haven't been working on my book?  Oh, I mean he told me to spend the summer away from work and the internet, and instead spend all of my time with my beautiful daughter.  Which I did.  And it was awesome.

See what I just did there?  I multi-tasked!  Now you know what I did with my summer vacation AND I introduced Allie Larkin. I'm amazing!  If this writing thing doesn't work out, I'm totally becoming a life coach…

1.  Where were you the first time you saw your book in a bookstore and who did you call first?

I'm a regular at the Greece Barnes & Noble (Greece, NY, not Greece the country). They called me when STAY hit shelves, and I ran over to see it for myself.  I bought a copy and had the bookseller who sold it to me sign my copy.  It was a really weird and wonderful moment. I'm not sure who I called first.  My husband was with me, so probably my sister-in-law.

2.  I'm convinced all writers are a little bit crazy. Do you agree, and if so, what kind of crazy are you?

There's probably something not normal about playing with imaginary friends as a grownup.  And I can't deny the fact that I'm on the quirky side of things.  I am dreamy and neurotic and require insane amounts of alone time (even though I love being around people), I talk about my characters like they're real (I swear, I know they aren't), and I have a constant (and irrational) fear that I've left the oven on.

3.  If you were going to have another author write your biography, who would you choose to write it and why? Any title ideas?

Oh, that's a terrifying thought – having someone else write my story.  If I had a choice in the matter, I'd have my friend, Neil Gordon, write it.  He's a ghostwriter, among other things, and has the most amazing talent for finding the story in any information you pass his way. Plus, I'm assuming that would give us plenty of excuses to chat without feeling like we both need to be getting back to work.  I'd let Neil title it.  He's better at those things than I am.

4.  When did you start to take yourself seriously as a writer?

I always took my writing seriously, but that's a different thing from taking myself seriously as a writer.  My dedication to my writing was really just about my characters for a long time.  I loved them and wanted to write the best story I could for them. I was in it for the long haul, and I was very serious and business-minded about navigating the process of finding an agent, but there's something about calling yourself a writer that's a little daunting. It's an admission.  It's not just telling people what you do, it's telling them who you are and what you hope for.  Once I had an agent, I finally got to the point where I could tell people I was a writer without too much hesitation, but it's certainly something I had to grow into.

5.  If your house was burning down, and you had time to rescue only three books from your library, what would you choose and why?

My dogs are safe, right?  Because that's the first concern (and probably what's up with the whole oven thing).  But if they're safe, then I think my three books would be:

1.     The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy – My copy is so worn out that the cover has almost disintegrated, but it has notes and underlined passages from my high school self.

2.     The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye– It was my favorite book as a child. I lost that copy, which was a paperback, but my publication present to myself was to splurge and track down a hardcover copy.

3.     The copy of Stay that my bookseller friend signed.

I'm finding it impossible to stay on top of my own life at the moment, and really don't have the time to read purely for pleasure lately.  BUT, All