Welcome to the final day of the 2013 giveaway! I am so pleased to welcome Jennie Shortridge, who is generously sharing her complete body of fiction with one lucky winner. Jenny is on tour now for her latest novel, Love Water Memory, but she took a few moments to share with us what self-expression means to her. Please help me welcome, Jennie!
Introducing Jennie Shortridge
Jennie Shortridge has published five novels: Love Water Memory, When She Flew, Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe, Eating Heaven, and Riding with the Queen. When not writing, teaching writing workshops, or volunteering with kids, Jennie stays busy as a founding member of Seattle7Writers, a collective of Northwest authors devoted both to raising funds for community literacy projects and to raising awareness of Northwest literature. Learn more about Jennie at http://www.jennieshortridge.com.
Learn about Love, Water, Memory from Gallery Books, April 2, 2013
A bittersweet masterpiece filled with longing and hope, Jennie Shortridge’s emotional novel explores the raw, tender complexities of relationships and personal identity.
Who is Lucie Walker? Even Lucie herself can’t answer that question after she comes to, confused and up to her knees in the chilly San Francisco Bay. Back home in Seattle, she adjusts to life with amnesia, growing unsettled by the clues she finds to the selfish, carefully guarded person she used to be. Will she ever fall in love with her handsome, kindhearted fiancé, Grady? Can he devote himself to the vulnerable, easygoing Lucie 2.0, who is so unlike her controlling former self? When Lucie learns that Grady has been hiding some very painful secrets that could change the course of their relationship, she musters the courage to search for the shocking, long-repressed childhood memories that will finally set her free.
Learn about When She Flew from NAL Trade 2009
Police officer Jessica Villareal has always played by the book and tried to do the right thing. But now, she finds herself approaching midlife divorced, estranged from her daughter, alone, and unhappy. And she’s wondering if she ever made a right choice in her life.
But then Jess discovers a girl and her father living off the radar in the Oregon woods, avoiding the comforts—and curses—of modern life. Her colleagues on the force are determined to uproot and separate them, but Jess knows the damage of losing those you love. She recognizes her chance to make a difference by doing something she’s never dared. Because even though she’s used to playing by the rules, there are times when they need to be broken…
Learn about Love and Biology At The Center Of The Universe from NAL Trade 2008
Upon learning that her college sweetheart husband has been seeing another woman, Mira Serafino’s once perfect world is shattered and she wants no one, least of all her big Italian family, to know. She takes off—with no destination and little money—heading north until her car breaks down in Seattle. There she takes a job at the offbeat Coffee Shop at the Center of the Universe, where she’ll experience a terrifying but invigorating freedom, and meet someone she’ll come to love: the new Mira.
Learn about Eating Heaven from NAL Trade 2005
Nothing gets Eleanor Samuels’s heart racing like a double scoop of mocha fudge chunk. Sure, the magazine writer may have some issues aside from food, but she isn’t quite ready to face them. Then her beloved Uncle Benny falls ill, and what at first seems scary and daunting becomes a blessing in disguise. Because while she cooks and cares for him-and enjoys a delicious flirtation with a new chef in town-Eleanor begins to uncover some long-buried secrets about her emotionally frayed family and may finally get the chance to become the woman she’s always wanted to be.
Learn about Riding With The Queen from NAL Trade 2003
Take the long way home…
Full of big dreams of the fast life, Tallie Beck hit the road at the age of seventeen to become a rock ’n roll star—and vowed never to look back. Now, at thirty-four, she’s little more than a down-and-out singer who smokes and drinks too much and knows better than to make promises she can’t keep. Dumped by her latest band and low on cash, Tallie has no choice but to go back to Denver. Back to her crazy mother, and her resentful younger sister, Jane, who’s never forgiven her for leaving.
But seeing her family again after all these years stirs something unexpected in Tallie. And after so many miles on that long, exhilarating, scary—and often lonely—road, she’s looking back to trace some wrong turns, and figure out the way to where she really wants to go…
I asked Jennie 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 a big part of my life, in one way or another. I’ve written stories and poems since childhood, and drawn pictures. I’ve been a singer most of my life as well. There’s something about being able to express your “you-ness” that feels vitally human. Ants and rhinoceroses don’t necessarily seem to have this desire (that we know of), so there’s something that drives us to do it beyond survival. I’m going to guess it’s all about connection, in addition to self discovery.
2. What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?
Obviously these days I publish novels, but I’ve written my entire life even when not publishing. I will say that being published brings an incredibly satisfying dimension to the experience. When I wrote my first novel, I didn’t know I would have readers beyond my friends and family, so when readers started to be in touch, telling me that my book had touched them in some way, had some impact on their thinking or emotions, I was astounded. And pleasantly so. My early life was hard, and I feel that I learned a lot very early on. It feels amazing to be able to tell stories that might help others understand what it means to survive and grow and thrive through hardships.
3. How does your self-expression impact the world—your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?
It’s been my mission to write honestly about difficult topics, things like mental illness and infidelity and death. These aren’t uncommon topics, of course; they affect most of us in some way. I want to infuse these experiences with raw and tender realism while providing hope for those of us going through them. I’ve written about things that I first had to ask my family if it was okay to write about, and they’ve always been one hundred percent supportive, encouraging me to write the tough stuff. I recently joined a group called Professionals Affected by Mental Illness, and we support each other in going out into the world to talk openly about mental illness in a real way, and in so doing, help to destigmatize it. It’s very much part of what I think I’ve been trying to do all along.
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).
Connection is something that can happen in surprising ways. What are some of your favorite ways to connect authentically with others via self-expression? In what ways does any of your self-expression lead to more and deeper connection(s) in your life?
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.
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