Blisscraft Life With Christina Katz

I would have loved to give every author in this giveaway their own day. Certainly ever single author in this giveaway deserved her own day. But on days like today I can only say, you get double the awesomeness when I feature Christina Baker Kline and Jessica Maria Tuccelli. Please help me welcome them!

Introducing Christina Baker Kline

Christina Baker Kline is the New York Times bestselling author of five novels: Orphan Train, Bird in Hand, The Way Life Should Be, Desire Lines, and Sweet Water.  She is co-editor, with Anne Burt, of About Face: Women Write about What They See When They Look in the Mirror and co-author, with Christina L. Baker, of The Conversation Begins: Mothers and Daughters Talk about Living Feminism. She has edited three other anthologies: Child of Mine, Room to Grow, and Always Too Soon. Writer-in-Residence at Fordham University from 2007 to 2011, Kline has also taught literature and creative writing at Yale, NYU, UVA, and Drew University.

A graduate of Yale, Cambridge University, and the University of Virginia, where she was a Hoyns Fellow in Fiction Writing, Kline is a recipient of several Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Fellowships and research fellowships, and has been a Writer-in-Residence at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Born in Cambridge, England, and raised there as well as in the American South and Maine, Kline lives with husband and three sons in Montclair, New Jersey. She is at work on another novel and an anthology.

Learn about Orphan Train

I asked Christina three questions about our giveaway’s theme topic, self-expression:

1.  Is self-expression an important part of your life today, why or why not?

Exactly a year ago I discovered a lump in my breast and entered a bewildering world of treatment, from chemotherapy to surgery to radiation. In the intervening months I have learned more than I ever wanted to about my own capacity to endure uncertainty and illness. One of the things I’ve learned is that being sick and vulnerable gives you a kind of authority of experience. I move with less hesitation now. I am more sure of my beliefs, more direct, more willing to step forward to help. Rumi said that the wound is the place where the light enters you. As a result of this experience (which seems to be over, thank goodness) I am both more aware of joy in the world and the depth of people’s sorrows. I understand, in a way that I never did before, the value and the power of self-expression.

2.  What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?

There are many ways to address this question, but I’m going to give one specific answer: When I was in treatment I was astonished by people’s generosity in ways large and small. I’d wake up to find fresh-baked muffins at my front door, care packages of body lotions, cheerful Gerbera daisies in a vase. One friend organized a meal train that chugged along for months; another set up a blog to post updates. I wasn’t surprised that my close friends came through for me (though I was amazed by their stamina through the marathon length of my treatment and recovery). But the gestures from near-strangers humbled me. People I barely knew reached out with a hand or a hug, gave of their time, anticipated my needs without being asked. Having learned first-hand how much even the smallest gesture can mean has definitely made me a better friend.

3.  How does your self-expression impact the world — your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?

As far as my writing goes, it will be interesting to see how my experience in the past year affects the way I tell stories. I’m just beginning a new novel about a lonely, misunderstood woman who is afraid to let go of the familiar and head into the unknown. I’m certain that the story I tell will be different than it would’ve been a year ago. I’m eager to find out how.

Introducing Jessica Maria Tuccelli

Jessica Maria Tuccelli is a writer and filmmaker. Her debut novel, Glow (Penguin 2013), was named a Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Okra Pick, its highest honor. According to the Fredericksburg Freelance Star, Glow is “full of love, hate, discrimination, heartbreak, hardiness, ghosts and hoodoo. Every page seems to introduce a new twist to draw the reader in and keep the pages turning. You won’t be disappointed.”

In film, Tuccelli’s lighting finesse can be seen in over 100 film shorts, commercials, and documentaries, most notably the Sundance Film Festival Audience Favorite Hoop Dreams, the Emmy Award-winning How Do You Spell God? (HBO), and Sesame Street (PBS). A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in anthropology, Tuccelli travels the globe, where she finds inspirations for her stories.

Learn about Glow from Penguin 2013

October 1941. Eleven-year-old Ella McGee sits on a bus bound for her Southern hometown. Behind her in Washington, D.C., lie the broken pieces of her parents’ love story—a black father drafted, an activist mother of Scotch-Irish and Cherokee descent confronting racist thugs. But Ella’s journey is just beginning when she reaches Hopewell County, and her disappearance into the Georgia mountains will unfurl a rich tapestry of family secrets spanning a century.

Told in five unforgettable voices, Glow reaches back through the generations, from the eve of World War II to the Blue Ridge frontier of 1836, where slave plantations adjoin the haunted glades of a razed Cherokee Nation. Out of these characters’ lives evolves a drama that is at once intimately human and majestic in its power to call upon the great themes of our time—race, identity, and the bonds of family and community. Lushly conceived, cinematically detailed, and epic in historical scope, Glow announces an extraordinary new voice in Southern fiction.

I asked Jessica three questions about our giveaway’s theme topic, self-expression:

1. Is self-expression an important part of your life today, why or why not?

Self-expression is present in my life everyday, from the moment of waking to the moment of sleep, perhaps even within sleep, if you consider the fantastical realm of dreams and nightmares, which, now that I think of it, could be the most authentic form of self-expression.

When we dream, we don’t intrude upon our expression with our conscious thoughts; it includes all that we’ve absorbed through a lifetime, an expression of our deepest hopes and fears and everything in between. For example, many years ago, in December 1988 to be exact, I had a dream in which I was looking for my high school friend, Danny Rosenthal, in a thickly wooded forest in Scotland. Danny had been, in real life, a passenger on Pan Am 103 when it exploded in a terrorist attack over Lockerbie, Scotland.

My dream brought me solace as I found him in the forest, and we hugged, and I was able to tell him how much we all missed him and how devastated we all were. When I awoke, I could still feel the warmth and weight of his embrace. This visceral experience was so deeply moving to me that I needed to give it to one of my characters in my debut novel, Glow. I needed to share it with the world. I wondered if anyone else had had this kind of experience.

2. What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?

In the home sphere, I pour my self-expression into everything from the meals I cook for my family to how I decorate our apartment. Of course, there must be a balance at home, one must allow for all family member’s self expression, and that’s not always easy. Different tastes, different beliefs all in one small New York City apartment!

In the public world, I put my self-expression into my work in theatre, film, and now novels. Before making my debut in the world as an artist, I tried to be a scientist—I went to MIT to study molecular biology. But science wasn’t my calling, and once I acknowledged this, I felt an immense weight lifted from my shoulders.

People often ask about how I transitioned from MIT to writing. All I can say is that science and art are both forms of self-expression: The difference, of course, is that a scientist is working on a new theory of physics, and the writer is working on inventing the physicist who is working on the new theory of physics!

3. How does your self-expression impact the world—your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?

Hmm. That’s a good question. I don’t know how it impacts the world, but I hope it adds to it in a positive way, that it creates dialogue that leads to a deeper understanding and tolerance of differences, be they ethnic, gender, racial, cultural, sexual, or religious differences.

I grew up in a bi-ethnic, bi-religious household, which resulted in a lot of emotional tumult within my family. I like to think I can take those experiences, add a bit of alchemy and craft to it, and create something that provides solace or comfort for someone else, as well as good story that stays with you after you read the last page.

And Now, Your Turn…

You remember how this works right?

Please read the complete rules at least once!

I ask you a question.

You answer in the comments for your chance to win a book each day.

Please just respond once, even if you make a typo.

Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books).

What are the things you know you were put on earth to do and be? Past, present, future…answer any way you like.

Ready, set, comment! I will hold the drawing tomorrow and post the results here in my blog.

Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway!

And thanks for spreading the word. We will be giving away great books by wonderful women authors all month.

View the complete list of authors and books.

View the giveaway Pinterest board.

I have known Krysty for over five years and she is one of the most committed and passionate writers I know. Krysty doesn’t just skim the surface when she opens up an topic. She dives in deep and doesn’t come up for air until she has something precious to share with the rest of us.  And then, when she does share, she does so thoroughly and conscientiously. Please help me welcome Krysty!

Introducing Krystyann Krywko, Ed.D.

Krystyann is a writer and education researcher who specializes in hearing loss and the impact it has on children and families. She offers both a parental, as well as a personal perspective, as her and her son were diagnosed with hearing loss one year apart. She holds an Ed. D in International Education Development from Teachers College, Columbia University. With ten years of early childhood teaching experience, Krystyann’s current research interests include: hearing loss, brain development and the impact on literacy; hearing loss in the classroom and making schools hearing-accessible; raising public awareness of hearing loss detection and treatment; and community and parent involvement.

Krystyann’s writing has recently been featured in Brain Child, and Volta Voices. She blogs about hearing loss, children, and families at www.lateonsethearingloss.org.

Learn about Late Onset Hearing Loss: A Parent’s Perspective

Your child has been diagnosed with late onset hearing loss, now what? I am sure you are feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and a million questions are racing through your head.

I am here to tell you that it will all be okay. Sit down and take a deep breath. There is a long road ahead of you, I won’t tell you that it will be easy, but I will tell you that both you and your child have strengths that you have not even recognized yet. My e-book offers a “from the trenches” perspective that will walk you through the emotions that are involved from the moment of diagnosis and will help you learn to cope with these emotions so that you are able to move ahead and be there for your child.

This e-book is geared towards parents whose children have some residual hearing and who will be aided – either through hearing aids, cochlear implants, or a baha device. The intent is to educate and inform, without overwhelming.

I asked Krysty three questions about our giveaway’s theme topic, self-expression:

1. Is self-expression an important part of your life today, why or why not?

Self expression has always been an important part of what I do and I have always tried to bring part of it to whatever project I am involved in. There have definitely been times in my life where it has been more difficult to figure out what it is that I am trying to say or express. I am very much at a stage in my life where deep, creative self-expression is becoming more important to the work that I do. I now have the confidence and the wisdom to attach myself to projects that support and nurture my self-expression and to turn from those that don’t. I am fortunate enough to be in a position where I spend a large part of my day focused on self-expression and what I want to share with the world.

2. What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?

To me self-expression has a lot to do with believing in yourself and allowing yourself the room to create. It also has a lot to do with following that voice inside that knows what is best for you, but that can be easy to ignore. Self-expression is really at the root of all that I do, not just in my writing, although that might be the place where it is most powerful. I believe self-expression comes through in all aspects of my life through the books I choose to read, the decisions I make in raising my children, the way I connect with my husband, the food, the friendships I become involved in – everything is connected to everything.

3. How does your self-expression impact the world—your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?

Tough one – because some days I wonder if I make an impact at all. But, I think that’s where staying true to yourself comes into play, where you repeat yourself a million times and then there is that one blog comment, or you see your teaching reflected in a choice your child makes and you know that all is right in your world, at least for that moment. You never know how your work is going to impact anyone and I think in today’s world where we are constantly bombarded with information and sound bytes it’s more important than ever to earn the respect of those you interact with – whether that’s your family or your readers. Authenticity is such an important part of self-expression, you can only fake it for so long before cracks begin to appear. It’s too easy to become involved in superficial relationships, but in order to have an impact you need to dig beneath the surface of the work you do and to fully believe in yourself.

And Now, Your Turn…

You remember how this works right?

Please read the complete rules at least once!

I ask you a question.

You answer in the comments for your chance to win a book each day.

Please just respond once, even if you make a typo.

Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books).

What do you love to listen to? Is it your favorite band, you child’s voice, the sound of the birds outside your window? Name ten of your favorite sounds. Describe them but do not analyze them.

Ready, set, comment! I will hold the drawing tomorrow and post the results here in my blog.

Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway!

And thanks for spreading the word. We will be giving away great books by wonderful women authors all month.

View the complete list of authors and books.

View the giveaway Pinterest board.

Today is publication day for Laura Whitcomb and we will be giving away both of her latest books to one lucky winner!

Laura has an amazing imagination. I also like her writing instruction books for Writer’s Digest, Novel Shortcuts and Your First Novel written with her agent, Ann Rittenberg. If you like YA and any kind of supernatural writing, you really must check out Laura’s books. Please help me welcome Laura!

Introducing Laura Whitcomb

Laura Whitcomb is the author of the supernatural YA novels A Certain Slant of Light (a Discover Great New Authors pick at Barnes and Nobel) and its companion novel Under the Light (published May 14) as well as The Fetch (in the Top Ten YA books of 2009 by the Indy Next List.) She has also written two books on the craft of writing, Novel Shortcuts and Your First Novel which she co-authored with her literary agent, Ann Rittenberg. Laura’s fiction has been published in nine foreign languages, produced as audio books, and Slant is optioned for film by Summit Entertainment, the producers of the Twilight movies.

Laura grew up in a mildly haunted house, which may be why she writes about ghosts, death escorts, and (soon) fairies. She got her English degree from California State University at Northridge and taught Language Arts in California and Hawaii. She has won three Kay Snow writing awards and once was runner-up in the Bulwer-Lytton contest for the Best First Sentence of the Worst Science Fiction Novel Never Written.

She broke in as a professional novelist after writing twenty manuscripts over a period of twenty years. To keep her life interesting she works with the Portland Christmas Revels and sings madrigals with the Sherwood Renaissance Singers at fairs across Oregon and Washington. In August she will be teaching a workshop called “The Ten Day Revision” at the Willamette Writers conference. She lives in Wilsonville, Oregon with her son.

Learn about Under The Light

Helen needed a body to be with her beloved. Jenny had to escape from hers before her spirit was broken. It was wicked, borrowing it, but love drives even the gentlest soul to desperate acts.

And Helen, who has returned to help Jenny, finds herself trapped, haunting the girl she wished to save. Jenny and Billy’s love story begins out-of-body and continues into the tumultuous realm of the living, where they are torn apart even as they slowly remember falling in love.

Learn about A Certain Slant Of Light

In the class of the high school English teacher she has been haunting, Helen feels them: for the first time in 130 years, human eyes are looking at her. They belong to a boy, a boy who has not seemed remarkable until now.

And Helen — terrified, but intrigued — is drawn to him. The fact that he is in a body and she is not presents this unlikely couple with their first challenge. But as the lovers struggle to find a way to be together, they begin to discover the secrets of their former lives and of the young people they come to possess.

Here is an example fan trailer made for A Certain Slant Of Light.

I asked Laura three questions about our giveaway’s theme topic, self-expression:

1. Is self-expression an important part of your life today, why or why not?

Yes, self expression is important in my life. Absolutely. It’s what it’s all about.

2. What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?

Being a novelist and being a mom, the two jobs that take up most of my time, are all about self expression. Telling stories draws on my true self and beliefs, my most personal ideas and deepest emotions–it’s a big messy wonderful self expression circus. And being with my son, loving him, showing him what I find delightful in life, opening up to him every day my flawed self and yet saying by demonstration, “It’s okay to look up to me and be like me, because I survive life well and I’m a happy person who loves myself” . . . these things are all about self expression, too.

3. How does your self-expression impact the world—your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?

If you spend most of your time storytelling and learning all over again from a three-year-old how to live in The Now and to enjoy the wonder of simple things, you are rewarded with mountains of blessings. People who get and love what you write tell you why when they run into you at book events, or when they send emails or FB messages, or even when they send snail-mail letters, or fan-made videos. They give you a piece of themselves–they tell you the secret of what made them cry or why they fell in love with your fictional hero or which chapter was like a painful chapter of their own lives. Or if they’re fellow writers they’ll start up fabulous conversations with you over tea about how they struggled with the same bit of self expression you dealt with in your last draft. And if you walk around with your self expression set on “maximum silly” because of hanging out with a preschooler all the time, you become almost impossible to embarrass and people will let their hair down around you, even strangers, and give you wonderful gifts: smiles, shared jokes, spontaneous anecdotes, cool advice, and sudden inexplicable friendships.

And Now, Your Turn…

You remember how this works right?

Please read the complete rules at least once!

I ask you a question.

You answer in the comments for your chance to win a book each day.

Please just respond once, even if you make a typo.

Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books).

Quickly, without censoring or over-thinking write your top five favorite movies of all time. Then pause, and look at the list. What are the themes? What do the themes mean in connection to you? Whatever you notice quickly counts.

Ready, set, comment! I will hold the drawing tomorrow and post the results here in my blog.

Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway!

And thanks for spreading the word. We will be giving away great books by wonderful women authors all month.

View the complete list of authors and books.

View the giveaway Pinterest board.

We are giving away three copies of Family Bucket Lists today!

The first time Lara Krupicka mentioned the idea of family bucket lists, I was charmed by the idea. But Lara showed me how family bucket lists are more than just a fun idea. She demonstrated and continues to demonstrate how working on family bucket lists is a powerful tools for empowering families.

When is the last time that you found one fairly simple technique that could improve the quality of life for your entire clan? It may sound like a tall order, but Lara can show you how to integrate family bucket list living into the life you are already living, and your whole family will be the richer for it.

Introducing Lara Krupicka

Lara Krupicka is a one of those people who, as a child, dreamed of being a writer when she grew up. Fast-forward several decades through business school, a short marketing career, and the birth of three kids and finally she is living her dream job as a journalist and speaker. She wrote Family Bucket Lists to encourage others to seize everyday opportunities to life out their life dreams. Lara’s writing has been published in over 75 publications across the United States and Canada and online on nationally known sites such as mops.org and kyria.com. She and her husband, Mike, live with their three daughters in the suburbs of Chicago.

Learn about Family Bucket Lists, Bring More Fun, Adventure and Camaraderie Into Every Day May 2013

Do you have a list of “someday” things – a list of what you’d like to do or see, famous people you’d like to meet, roles you’d like to fill? A bucket list of goals for your lifetime?

What if you combined that “someday” list with today’s list of things “to do”? If you’re thinking it sounds too expensive or would take too much time, think again. When you allow your bucket list to converge with everyday life, you’ll find a whole host of benefits unfold in your life. And when you bring your family along… well, let’s just say your life will never be the same.

Family Bucket Lists gives families a chance to:
•    dream together of what they want to do before the children are grown
•    set off on adventures, big and small, together and individually
•    enliven weekends and vacations with plans that match what they want most from life
•    discover new things about one another as each person unearths and shares their dreams and aspiration
•    find simple ways to incorporate life goals into everyday living
•    make the most of the years they have together

Why not invite more adventure into your family’s life? Purchase your copy of Family Bucket Lists for immediate download – available starting May 13th (and with your purchase you’ll receive a free printable download of family bucket list brainstorming questions).

I asked Lara three questions about our giveaway’s theme topic, self-expression:

1. Is self-expression an important part of your life today, why or why not?

Self-expression is definitely an important part of my life. I see self-expression, particularly through telling stories, as a way of connecting to other people. I began telling stories when I was a child during long walks alone, to and from school. I thought at the time that writing meant only short stories or novels. But I’ve come to see that being a storyteller isn’t limited to those types of self-expression. No matter what I write, I’m telling a story and I’m inviting the reader to find themselves in the story – whether it’s a lesson I’ve learned from life expressed through an essay, or guidance on how to live a better story through an article of tips and advice. Self-expression through writing is a life dream and now that I’m living it every day, I can’t imagine life any other way.

2. What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?

In my work, self-expression means writing and speaking. I like that activities I do for myself – reading, synthesizing, and processing the meaning of events in my life – can benefit other people. But those aren’t the only ways I express myself. I’m also an avid sewer and crafter and I find those wordless acts of self-expression to be a perfect complement to my work life. Naturally I gravitate toward crafting gifts for other people because I think what’s most satisfying to me about self-expression is sharing the results with others.

3. How does your self-expression impact the world—your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?

There is often a very practical bent to the writing I do. Readers come away with something new to try in their life or their family, or they identify with and find encouragement from what I say. It’s fun to hear from friends how they have put to use something they learned from what I’ve written. I would like to think that my self-expression as a writer is making the world of moms and families a better place. Also I’m often able to incorporate lessons from my life into my writing – so my family benefits from me being able to process on the page (hopefully without exposing them too much). Plus, I think it’s good for my girls to see their mom engaged in work that she enjoys. They get to see up close the rewards of having a career that matches your heart’s desires. And that being a mom and having a career don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

And Now, Your Turn…

You remember how this works right?

Please read the complete rules at least once!

I ask you a question.

You answer in the comments for your chance to win a book each day.

Please just respond once, even if you make a typo.

Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books).

Go ahead, dream big. Share some of your personal bucket list with us. Name five things you dream of doing some day, that you would like to make come true.

Ready, set, comment! I will hold the drawing tomorrow and post the results here in my blog.

Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway!

And thanks for spreading the word. We will be giving away great books by wonderful women authors all month.

View the complete list of authors and books.

View the giveaway Pinterest board.

I am very pleased to announce the launch of my next new e-book, The Art Of Making Time For Yourself, Inspiration For Moms.

This e-book has been a long time coming. I started writing on this topic in 2000, before I was even a mom myself, and I have been writing about it steadily ever since.

Making time for you is crucial for every mom trying to navigate the complex and constantly evolving role of mother. And because no two moms are exactly alike, The Art Of Making Time For Yourself presents multiple approaches to find time for you.

This e-book fulfills a longtime dream of mine to collect all the tips and advice about how to make time for yourself that I have shared in magazines and online over the past thirteen years and offer it all in a condensed, affordable e-book collection.

This e-book makes a great gift for a mom-to-be or a new mom, for a mom who is choosing to stay home with her kids, or for a mom who is trying to juggle work and home life, for a WAHM, and even for a veteran mom with kids in school or leaving the nest.

Moms who read this book will gain:

• Multiple approaches to finding time no matter much time you have
• Enduring, encouraging advice about the benefits of taking better care of yourself
• A questionnaire to help you re-connect with your values and self-expression
• A clear understanding of the meanings of self-love and deservingness
• Less admiration for self-martyrdom and more admiration for self-care
• The opportunity to create a custom plan for making more you-time
• A complete list of multimedia resources to inspire self-care
• Over one hundred custom gift ideas for moms

Written expressly for moms, this e-book collection is written in short, inspirational selections.

Readers who follow the advice in this e-book will find themselves reclaiming their personal power as individuals and creating more happiness and satisfaction in their day-to-day lives without neglecting their responsibilities as a parent.

So what are you waiting for? Purchase your copy of The Art Of Making Time For Yourself now and you will receive the Beta-version of the PDF on launch day and each PDF update thereafter.

Thanks for telling all your mom friends about The Art Of Making Time For Yourself.

We will have one lucky winner for all five books today.

I’m very happy to welcome Yona McDonough as our Mother’s Day author. The author of over two dozen books, including children’s books, novels and collections of essays. Yona has written several children’s books in collaboration with her mother, wherein she wrote the stories and her mother illustrated the covers. One of those collaborations  is included in our giveaway today. Please help me welcome, Yona!

Introducing Yona McDonough

Yona Zeldis McDonough was born in Chadera, Israel and raised in Brooklyn, New York.  She holds degrees from Vassar College and Columbia University, and is the author of four novels and twenty-two books for children, several of which are collaborations with her mother, painter Malcah Zeldis.  She is also the editor of two essay collections and her articles, fiction and essays have appeared in many literary and national magazines. She now lives in Brooklyn–again!–with her husband, their two children and two small, yappy dogs.

Learn about A Wedding In Great Neck, New American Library, 2012

The Silverstein family is coming together in Great Neck, Long Island, for the nuptials of the youngest daughter. Always considered the favorite—and the object of much envy and resentment—Angelica has planned a fairy tale wedding to her fiancé, a former fighter pilot. But there are storm clouds on the horizon.

Gretchen, Angelica’s sister, is dealing with a failed marriage and her moody teenage daughter Justine. One brother is a callous businessman while the other is struggling with his search for love and a career. Her mother is in a battle of wills with the wedding planner, while her father, a recovering alcoholic, struggles to confront his ex-wife’s lavish new life in the Long Island manor of her dreams. And her grandmother Lenore has decided it’s high time to take charge and set her grandchildren on their proper paths.

Then an impulsive act by Justine puts the entire wedding at risk and brings the simmering family tensions to the boiling point. Before vows are exchanged, this day will change more than one life forever…

Learn about The Doll Shop Downstairs Viking, 2009

Nine year old Anna and her sisters like helping out in their parents’ doll repair shop, because once their chores are done, the fun can begin. The girls are allowed to play carefully with the dolls until they’re fixed and ready to be returned to their owners. But when World War I begins, and an embargo on German-made goods threatens to put the shop out of business, it’s up to Anna to come up with an idea to save the day.

Learn about The Cats In The Doll Shop Viking, 2011

When Anna sees a family of stray cats behind her parents’ doll shop, she knows she must rescue them. But her papa’s rules are strict: No pets allowed. Meanwhile, Anna’s cousin Tania is coming from Russia to stay with Anna’s family. Anna can’t wait for her to arrive and become her new best friend. But when Tania moves in, she’s shy and nervous, and Anna’s sisters don’t seem to like Tania at all. Luckily, Anna finds a creative way to use her love of dolls and cats to bring everyone together.

Learn about All The Available Light: A Marilyn Monroe Reader by Touchstone 2002

No star in any genre has affected the world as deeply or has lasted as long without fading as Marilyn Monroe. This thought-provoking and wide-ranging collection of essays examines the undiminished incandescence of Marilyn Monroe — the impact she has had on our culture, the evolution of her legend since her death, and what she tells us now about our lives and times — and includes previously unpublished work from some of America’s best writers, such as: Joyce Carol Oates, Alice Elliot Dark, Albert Mobilo, Marge Piercy, Lore Segal, Lisa Shea, and many more.

From her troubled family beginnings to the infamous $13 million auction held at Christie’s in New York City, All the Available Light paints an unforgettable portrait of Marilyn as you’ve never seen her before.

This extremely rare cover photo was taken c. 1954, on the set of The Seven Year Itch.

Learn about Eve And Her Sister: Women Of The Old Testament illustrated by the author’s mother, Malcah Zeldis, by Greenwillow 1994

Here are 14 women of the Bible–wives, mothers, and daughters, but also prophets and judges, warriors and queens–whose names and deeds echo through history. Sarah, Rachel, Deborah, Ruth, Esther, and others are brought vividly to life in this collection of simply-told Bible vignettes. Full color.

I asked Yona three questions about our giveaway’s theme topic, self-expression:

1. Is self-expression an important part of your life today, why or why not?

Self expression is vitally important to me and has been so to me all my life but I don’t think of that as so unusual or different. I believe everyone has the yearning for self-expression; it seems to be hard-wired into the species.  What’s different is the forms that self expression can take. And here’s something I find interesting: when my writing is going well and I am “in the zone,” so to speak, I don’t feel like I am expressing my “self” at all. Instead, I hear a character urgently whispering her (or his) story into my ear.  In these moments, I feel like am a conduit rather than a creator, and a vessel for some larger force outside the confines of self.

2. What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?

I express myself in many ways–through my words, my actions and evens seemingly small things, like what I wear or how I decorate my home.  But I chiefly express myself through my writing. Writing enables me to organize my thoughts, make sense of my experience and gives coherence to my life.  When I write, I experience a supreme sense of order in the world both within and without–the act of putting the words on paper (or screen) makes everything fall into place.

3. How does your self-expression impact the world—your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?

I hope that the impact is a positive one. I know that on a personal level, writing is essential to my equilibrium. Even if everything else is going well, if I am not actively engaged in one project or another (and since I write across genres, I tend to have a few things going at a time), I experience a kind of quiet, internal despair. Writing banishes all that. As for the impact on others, it is harder to say. I would like to think my words have made a difference and certainly I have received enough enthusiastic feedback to suggest this is the case. In the largest sense, I feel that by writing, I am contributing my small drops to the vast and inexhaustible river that is literature.

And Now, Your Turn…

You remember how this works right?

Please read the complete rules at least once!

I ask you a question.

You answer in the comments for your chance to win a book each day.

Please just respond once, even if you make a typo.

Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books).

We think that “mothering” is a simple word. I think we all assume that we understand the shared meaning of the word. But mothering is a diverse concept, and all people define it uniquely, often colored by the way they were themselves mothered or not mothered. What does mothering mean to you? How do you mother others? How do you mother yourself?

Ready, set, comment! I will hold the drawing tomorrow and post the results here in my blog.

Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway!

And thanks for spreading the word. We will be giving away great books by wonderful women authors all month.

View the complete list of authors and books.

View the giveaway Pinterest board.