Covers coming soon . . .

This morning we got a sneak peek at our covers! They are fun and bright . . . and will make you want to move to Newport! Thanks to awesome designer Christina Ashby :-) We should be able to show Olivia very soon.

In other news, Olivia will be out Feb 2012 now.

Stay tuned . . .

Latest Update: Not to Be Cruel . . .

OLIVIA, by Julie Wright, is getting close to done and will be sent off to the press very soon. We hear it'll hit shelves sometimes in mid-to-late February, which will likely move the other books down the calender by a month. (We'll keep readers updated on confirmed release dates, for sure!)

In the meantime, this morning, our in-boxes held a delightful surprise: OUR COVERS!

They're all fun, similar enough to tie together, yet totally different.

And we can't show them to you. (Sorry! You'll have to wait in suspense.)

Here's a clue as to how awesome they are: The designer is the same gal as the one who designed my entire chocolate cookbook. (Yeah, that gorgeous thing. I know!)

We're lucky to have Christina on our team, and we're excited to unveil the covers as we're allowed, maybe one at a time, as the release dates solidify and we're closer to each book's release.

It's happening! The Newport Ladies Book Club is coming!

Release Dates & Book Clubs

Julie Wright's book, OLIVIA, will be the debut of the series. Official release date is January 2012.

We have a general idea of when the next books will be out, but will let you know when it's more concrete. But the good news is that they'll ALL be out in 2012, and released about 3 months apart.

We're also looking for book clubs who would like to be featured on our blog. We don't have all the details yet, but if you are interested, please email one of the authors or our general account: newportbookclub (at) hotmail (dot) com

How Does the Series Work, Anyway?

The four of us have had the idea of the Newport Ladies Book Club series in our minds for a long time now, coming on two years.

It all makes such perfect sense to us that sometimes we forget that others can't read our minds. At least, until we have interested readers asking questions, and we realize that maybe we haven't explained everything.

Here's the gist:

The Newport Ladies Book Club isn't a series in the typical sense of the word. The books are actually parallel novels. In other words, instead of taking place one at a time, with book 1, 2, 3, and then 4 chronologically, they all take place over the same period, and to the same characters.

But they're entirely different stories.

The title character in each book has her own story, with her personal set of problems and challenges. The other three women show up in each book, crossing paths and impacting one another's lives in various ways as their friendships grow.

You can read the books in any order, and one book doesn't ruin the end of another.

So you can read Olivia's story and meet Paige. You'll get to know Paige's character and what she's dealing with (at least, a little), but to see all of Paige's story (including how Olivia impacts her), you have to read Paige's book. And so on with Daisy and Athena.

To have a satisfying read, you do not need to read all four books. Each one stands alone as a complete story. Rather, each book supplements the others and enriches their stories.

On the other hand, if you do read all four, you'll see connections and stories that other readers will miss out on.

We didn't co-write the individual books, although we had to collaborate on characters, plots, time lines, geography, and a lot more so the four books would be seamless.

So each book will bear the name of one writer (this may be the release order of the books; we aren't sure yet):

• Olivia by Julie Wright
• Daisy by Josi Kilpack
• Paige by Annette Lyon
• Athena by Heather Moore

Between their lives and book club meetings, our characters interact enough that we've spent a lot of time getting to know one another's stories and the details behind them. We've collaborated on conflicts and back story and so much more as we figure out what works in one book and how that influences one story and then the other three.

We've spent weekends at hotels together hammering it all out (and having loads of fun, of course).

We have scenes where all four are present, and we have to be sure the dialogue and other details work. (Did Athena arrive at the October book club meeting before or after Daisy? How did Livvy phrase her commentary on Poisonwood? Wait, did Paige already eat her eclair?)

If you're a science fiction fan, you may be familiar with another parallel set of books: Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. They're parallel novels in the same way: same characters, same time period, totally different stories.

Only, of course, this is women's fiction, not science fiction, and we have four writers instead of one.

Right now, the series has four books accepted for publication in 2012 (all in the same year, so no long waits for readers!). The first, Olivia, comes out in January. (Dates for the other three aren't finalized quite yet.)

We hope that if the series does well, we'll be able to do a second set of books with some of the other book club members already in the club. (We're already formulating back stories and plot lines for them--so fun!)

This kind of project would never work if we a) hadn't already worked together in many professional situations and b) if we weren't already fantastic friends. There's a level of trust and understanding among the four of us that is something special.

Wherever the series leads us, I can say it's been not only an honor to be part of, but an absolute and utter blast.

ACCEPTED!!!

Today, August 31st, we received official word from our publisher today that our series has been accepted. We'll keep you posted on release dates & order of books!

Finished Olivia

Today I finished going over Julie's OLIVIA. It's the last of the four for me to read, and can I say it was so much fun to see how the very same scenes I'd been over in three other books came across fresh and new, and with new new meaning yet again.

While reading OLIVIA, I laughed and teared up, and I finished the last page with a happy, contented sigh.

At one point I came to a detail that appears in all four books, and I couldn't for the life of me remember who had the idea for it originally.

I think this is how true collaboration should be. I count myself so lucky to be part of this project. This could only work with close writer friends who know one another well and think in similar ways.

Now I'm getting eager to hear back from our editors!

Finished reading OLIVIA

by Heather Moore

I started reading/editing OLIVIA (by Julie Wright) this morning. And I just finished it about 7:00 p.m. I only took a break to go to a lunch meeting and to make sure my kids were where they were supposed to be. It is a fabulous read, full of emotional punch, and Livvy is a character who I wish I could go and help her spray paint "dragon lady" on her mother-in-law's house.

Now that I've read all four book in the series, I can't wait to hear the readers' response. But first, we have to get the official acceptance from our publisher/s, then minor details like editing/cover design/press deadlines . . . and THEN . . . it will be like one big book club.

Get ready . . . get set . . .!