Today we are honored to be hosting the illustrious and critically acclaimed Caroline Leavitt, who is now touring for her most recent novel, Is This Tomorrow. We are giving away three copies of the book to three winners. Here’s a little taste:
Introducing Caroline Leavitt
Caroline Leavitt is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Pictures of You, which was also on the Best Books of 2011 from the San Francisco Chronicle, The Providence Journal, Bookmarks magazine and Kirkus Reviews. Is This Tomorrow is an Indie Next Pick.
Caroline is a book critic for the Boston Globe, People and the San Francisco Chronicle and she teaches writing privately and at UCLA and Stanford online. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Salon, More, New York magazine, more.
Learn more at www.carolineleavitt.com.
Learn about This Is Tomorrow from Algonquin Books May 2013
In 1956, Ava Lark rents a house with her twelve-year-old son, Lewis, in a desirable Boston suburb. Ava is beautiful, divorced, Jewish, and a working mom. She finds her neighbors less than welcoming. Lewis yearns for his absent father, befriending the only other fatherless kids: Jimmy and Rose. One afternoon, Jimmy goes missing. The neighborhood—in the throes of Cold War paranoia—seizes the opportunity to further ostracize Ava and her son.
Years later, when Lewis and Rose reunite to untangle the final pieces of the tragic puzzle, they must decide: Should you tell the truth even if it hurts those you love, or should some secrets remain buried?
I asked Caroline 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?
I would go completely crazy if I couldn’t express myself or show the world who I really am. I learned early on, when I was a sickly, bullied little girl, that being able to escape in story, saved my life I so many wonderful ways. I spent years in high school trying to get my wild curly hair straight so I could be like everyone else. I ironed it, I used chemicals, I even once Scotch taped my whole head to try and set it straight (it was a disaster)! But no matter what I did, I couldn’t look like others and to my amazement when I let my hair do what it wanted, it was the first time I ever got compliments on it!
When I first started to write, I tried to emulate the masters and my work was sort of stiff. But when I sat down and poured out what was haunting me, I never thought anyone else would want to read it. I wrote it for myself, but I ended up selling it and it became a sensation. I’ve found that by being brave enough to go into some of those dark places, I can understand both myself and the world much better.
2. What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?
I grew up being made to feel that who and what I was was wrong: I was Jewish in a Christian working class neighborhood. I was smart in a high school where only 10 percent went on to college. And I was sickly. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I began to celebrate who I was, to dress flamboyantly, to talk about wanting to be a writer, and to steel myself against the negative comments I would hear.
When I got out in the world, I began to realize that the more I was myself, the more honest and brave I was, the more I could really connect with people. It’s been my honor to talk to people at readings about things that would have shamed me before, and have people come up to afterwards and tell me that they felt the same way and had always been too afraid to talk about it–but now they would! We owe it to everyone to show who we are. To share it.
3. How does your self-expression impact the world—your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?
I think being able to be brave and really open up to people, sometimes jumpstarts others to do the same. That old chestnut “the truth will set you free” is really true! I, of course, express myself through my work, but I also express myself in the clothing I wear, the cowboy boots I have to have on, the way I let my hair be wild and curly, even as hair stylists trail after me and beg me to tame it!
Not everyone likes me or my work–but I have learned it is a much more joyful life for me to not hide who I am or what I want, but to be fully present all the time. The most wonderful thing for me is when I get emails from readers or readers come up to me and tell me that they felt my books were speaking directly to them. In digging deeply into what haunts or obsesses me, I had reached others and impacted their lives. What could be more magical than that?
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).
Do you dig deep? Are you brave? Do you go into your dark places? Do you think you will ever share 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
