As I have written before, Tuesday is not my favorite day of the week. In fact, Tuesday is my least favorite day of the week. On Tuesday, I usually look for a little pick-me-up (aside from the inevitable extra caffeine). And a few weeks ago, I decided to share those (non-caffeinated) pick-me-ups with you, in the likely event that you, too, have a day of the week where you simply can not function with a little outside influence.
And today, I have the best outside influence of all. Because today is the day that Susan Elizabeth Phillips' new book, The Great Escape, hits bookshelves. As I write this, my brand new copy, procured from Barnes and Noble bright and early this morning, sits next to me on my desk. And I can hardly wait to open it because I know exactly what awaits me.
The Great Escape is the much anticipated follow-up to last year's Call Me Irresistable, which featured Lucy Jorik running away from her wedding and her best friend Meg Koranda taking the heat. Meg falls in love with Lucy's ex-fiance, and he with her, and all is right with the world. Except we were all left wondering, "what happened to Lucy?" The Great Escape is Susan Elizabeth Phillips' answer to our questions, and I could not possibly be more excited. I am so excited, in fact, that I am saving the book for this weekend so that I can read the entire thing, from cover to cover, without interruption. Willpower of immense proportions, I tell you.
I feel like I have been looking forward to this book more than I have any new romance novel in recent memory. And I know the exact reason why. About a year ago, I discovered that Susan Elizabeth Phillips has a Facebook page. I "liked" her page one day on a whim, and am now treated to a delightful daily dose of her musings. She writes about her family, her house, her daily routine, and, most importantly, she writes about writing. She has been posting about Lucy's story for the better part of the last year. She has posted about plot, characters, re-writes and editing, and has even crowd-sourced some ideas as she motored along. I have loved having this window into her life and her writing process, and know that I will love the book even more because of it.
Another fun reason I am looking forward to Lucy's story? Because I met Susan in person just as she was starting to write it. Last year, I attended an evening meet-and-greet at the Romance Writers of America Convention in New York City. It was predictably amazing. The entire ballroom of the Marriott Marquis in Times Square was filled with writers. Every square inch was occupied with a romance novelist ready and willing to sign books and talk to fans. The line for Susan's table was long, but when we finally reached her she was sparkly and cheerful, and happy to sign the (many) books we brought for the occasion.
It was so fun to meet her last year that I e-mailed her last week to find out if she would be making a stop in New York this year on her Great Escape tour. Alas, she e-mailed me back yesterday to say that she is by-passing the city this summer and heading west instead. Wishing her lots of luck on her tour, and counting the minutes until Saturday morning when I crack open The Great Escape and read Lucy's well deserved and much anticipated story.
Happy Tuesday to all...Will you be spending this weekend immersed in The Great Escape, as I will be?
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