CHOCOLATE AND MUG GIVEAWAY!!

I'm trying to lead more readers to THE OTHER MOTHER, which is garnering rave reviews and sparking much discussion. Just a few highlights:

Five stars on Amazon.com reader reviews. THE OTHER MOTHER has been in the top 100 psychological/suspense novels since its release.

"Gross paints an electrifyingly complex and explosively gripping portrait of contemporary, have-it-all motherhood." — Carol Haggas, BookList..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

"I'm not a mother (I'm not even a woman) and, frankly, I'm not that sold on the idea of having kids--ever, but that didn't stop me from compulsively reading this novel any free chance I had." — Book-of-the-Month Club.

"Richly layered and highly readable. I loved it."
 — Literary Mama

"Inside this mesmerizing and suspenseful world, Gwendolen weaves a brilliant tapestry that cleverly depicts motherhood rivalry and inner turmoil."
 — WOW! Women on Writing

"A thoughtful, multi-faceted look at what divides and unites mothers."
 — Karen Grigsby Bates, National Public Radio

"Not everything is resolved, but some things are better understood, which is asking for, and getting, a lot."
— The New York Daily News

"Gross has crafted a novel that succeeds on an emotional level as well as an intellectual one."
— The Toronto Star

Now the chocolate and mug bit:

Send me your picture (to my myspace mail or ggross@gwendolengross.com) with your new copy of THE OTHER MOTHER (it's more than 30% off at Amazon! Buy two and get free shipping! Or go to your local store and get it...) and I'll put your photo in a hat. Next Friday (the 28th) I'll pick the lucky winner of a tiled OTHER MOTHER MUG (we call the jacket "the eyeball" and it's very cool) filled with CHOCOLATE!

So show me your mug and I'll show you mine!
You know you want a copy....or two, or three (you can also contact me for personalized bookplates--get your mom a copy!), and now's the time!!

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/culture/2007/08/26/2007-08-26_gwendolen_grosss_the_other_mother_has_mo.html

I love the New York Daily News. This was my present while on vacation--a fantastic review. Vacationed in Rhode Island--which may be tiny, but has great beaches, and is impressively low-key and lovely. Also went to Cape Cod for a reading: Inkwell Books really, really rocks. They advertised and were very creative with displays and posters and made me feel welcome and THEY READ BOOKS. Plus, the crowd of regulars had some excellent discussion-blossom questions. All around, a treat.

Plus, my son and my dad got to ride the tandem together. I spent many hours and pedalled many, many miles on the back of that bicycle built for two. I even rode a century (100 miles) and many rides of less quad-cracking intensity. I would get up at 4 or 5 am (I hate getting up early) to do this--power of Dad's attention at its best.

Anyway, it was a rite of passage to see my son pedalling away. Here's to the bike folk everywhere, and here's to my wonderful dad.

Have you picked up your copy of THE OTHER MOTHER yet? Why not?

Here are some bloggers who've read THE OTHER MOTHER--click through to hear their words about the words (how I love words), and stay to read their charming, sassy, or otherwise entirely entertaining blogs!

http://theurbanmuse.blogspot.com

http://virtualwordsmith.blogspot.com

http://lisaswritespot.blogspot.com

http://jillswritestuff.blogspot.com

http://giftofgreen.blogspot.com

http://www.patti-o.blogspot.com

And check out the blog tour at www.mother-talk.com

Oh, and please, let me know if you see THE OTHER MOTHER in your local (or vacation-spot) bookstore. Better yet, buy a copy! And send me a message if you want a free fridge magnet! Who can resist "the eyeball"?

So, last night was the launch event for THE OTHER MOTHER. My myspace and real life friend LisaLisa was there, and it was such a pleasure to see her (and meet her mom) and take in all the shining, supportive, wonderful faces. I read a little from the book, did a q&a (which I love), and SOLD OUT OF BOOKS! WAHOO! This is my third book, but my first event sell-out.

Then we did a little workshop--I had a list of rules for writing practice (available at http://gwendolengross.typepad.com) and we made a list of things we used to love to do (stare out the window, eat hard boiled eggs, dance on Daddy's feet, make pineneedle houses), and then chose one to write about. In 11 minutes, there was some spectacular writing. If you were there, or if you weren't, and you want to share your 11 minutes of pleasure refound, feel free to post it at the blog (above).

And thank you, thank you, friends, family, and complete strangers who came to hear and share! What a thrill!

And if you haven't got yours yet, THE OTHER MOTHER hit the shelves yesterday, so go take a peek at your local, or dial up Amazon, and read the book that will be featured in Redbook, reviewed in OK Magazine, and featured on NPR's Day to Day. How's that for a combo?

This man at BOMC totally rocks. Tracy over at Cafemom brought this to my attention, so I'm sharing it with y'all! Perfect balm for the pre-release jitters!

"This may be the wrong way to sell a book but there should have been no reason for me to enjoy The Other Mother. I mean, I'm not a mother (I'm not even a woman) and, frankly, I'm not that sold on the idea of having kids—ever, but that didn't stop me from compulsively reading this novel any free chance I had.

With a great chapter structure that focuses on one mother's thoughts and life at a time we first meet Thea, a stay-at-home mother of three who lives in the same house she grew up in. Then there's new neighbor Amanda, a successful career woman having her first child and determined to get back to work as soon as she can. The two women form an uneasy friendship when a disaster forces them to live under the same roof and a high-voltage undercurrent reaches a tragic outcome.  

The writing here is so real that I ended up agreeing with each mother's positions and totally different ways of seeing the same situations. This book reminded me a lot of Tom Perrotta's Little Children because it shows how even if we think we're adults, we still carry the same insecurities and damages we gathered as children."—Michael Phillips, Senior Staff Writer

Here comes release week. Okay, I'm excited, because it means after all those years of working on THE OTHER MOTHER it can get out there in the world and get read--and hopefully start some discussions about this thing we call the mommy wars, and about the choices we make, and the guilt we feel...

Meanwhile, I have three groovy events planned, and I'd love to meet some myspacers there, so please come, or tell a friend in NJ or MA. You know you're dying to come to NJ, I mean--Cape Cod, that's the tough sell, but NJ, well, everyone loves NJ...

PLEASE COME:

TUESDAY, AUGUST 7th at 7:30 pm B&N Paramus, NJ a miniworkshop, book signing, refreshments, and excellent air conditioning.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 12th at 2pm BENNETT BOOKS, Wyckoff, NJ BOOKS AND BROWNIES and one of the best indie bookstores in NJ.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 30th, INKWELL BOOKS, Falmouth, MA 6:30pm wine, cheese, and books. You know you're going to be on Cape Cod anyway, and what does everyone need for the last hurrah of summer? A good book!

Let me know if you're coming, so I can bake (or order) enough goodies!

http://lorilynh.typepad.com/between_dreams/2007/07/the-other-mothe.html

check this out. You SO don't have to be a mom (though Lori-Lyn is a pug-mom, and aunt extraordinaire) to get THE OTHER MOTHER.

My sister Claudia is a long-distance ocean swimmer. She's swum the Catalina channel, and all sorts of fund-raisers and other long swims. Now, while I'm not going out to California to dodge sharks and diesel fumes to swim 23 miles across the sea (but I'm very proud that she has!), yesterday my husband and I saw an opportunity for a little grown-up time, so we went to the local pool (an artificial lake), and swam a mile.

Ever since then, I've been thinking about these things: high school (I was on swim team. I was definitely more of a distance than speed person) (I think this remains true in many realms, for me), lake swimming (Vermont), ocean swimming (Maine. Skinny-dipping with my whole family when the bioluminescent whatever-they-ares were all over the waves, dazzling us as we swam. There were other families there. This is abstract, I know, but it made a big impression), and how my sister has amazing will, stamina, and obviously skill. She also has unbelievably strong shoulders.

My husband's hoping to do a triathalon, so he's in training. Me, I just swam a mile in her shoes (okay, our pool has no Garabaldi or sea lions or kelp, but we do get some slime on the sandy bottom sometimes!). I hope we get to do it again; it feels great.