Laura Wiess's Blog

Today is my birthday, and anyone who knows me knows how important I think birthdays are. Maybe it's a holdover from childhood when my parents made sure that the birthday girl/boy was always celebrated, parties were thrown and fun, love and laughter was the order of the day.

What a great feeling that was, and still is, as I've been known to claim the entire month of May as my birthday month, and celebrated accordingly. I'm not talking about an endless round of parties, I'm talking about a feeling, the delightful feeling of being brand new again and happy to be in my own skin, grateful for the chance to start another year of laughing and loving and learning, of being aware and choosing a path, sometimes many paths just for the sheer joy of it. Of looking close at things and maybe getting new flashes of insight that could never have happened without all the potholes and curves of previous path. Of making my own choices and accepting the wins/loses, of year by year clearing away the clutter of thoughts and inner dialogue and outward expectations that don't serve anymore, and finding new ways or things that do, and being amazed, over and over again, at how wonderful people and moments can be.

Celebrate your birthdays. What a grand thing it is to be in this world right now, and how lucky you and I are to love, and to be so loved.
 
This is no small thing. This is everything.

Have a wonderful May!

Forget how old you are, and be your fabulous, exuberant self however you want to do it.

And speaking of delights, yesterday turned out to be one of those days.


Last night I'm standing in a hotel lobby carrying a box of Dunkin Donuts when three Russian gentlemen, only one of who speaks English, come in. (This sounds like the beginning of a joke, doesn't it? It's not, though. It was just delightful.)

They tell me they've traveled across 14 countries so far, just came into NY from Iceland and are spending the next 6 weeks driving across the U.S. on a scientific expedition collecting hats of the world. They show me their international driver's license and I try to pronounce their last names (or what I thought were their names but may actually have been their streets) sending all of us into much merriment. They discover it's my birthday and give me a Russia hat from Sochi, then line up across the lobby and beaming, sing me a loud and cheerful Happy Birthday.

This tickles me, so I give them the donuts and sign them a copy of ME SINCE YOU, and now they're tickled, too. (Who knew how much fun improving international relations could be?)

So thank you Oleg, Valery and Albere, for the enchanting experience of having three native Russians stopping by chance in a lobby in rural Pennsylvania, sharing a laugh, a song, and a fine memorable moment for this birthday girl.

One of the best things about life is that you never know what's coming next.

Exciting news!

Simon and Schuster's Simon Teen has a new contest up over on Facebook. They're giving away 5 copies of ME SINCE YOU and all you have to do to enter is Like and leave a comment.

Too easy.

Go for it.

https://www.facebook.com/SimonTEEN?fref=photo 

Good luck and enjoy!

So, I'm thinking you guys know that ME SINCE YOU (my twentieth novel!) came out on February 18th, 2014, because so many of you read it and tweeted reviews, which I really appreciate.

And for those of you who cried while reading it, not to fret. I cried while writing it, too, like with HOW IT ENDS and ORDINARY BEAUTY.

It's just what happens.

Also, I'm really happy to say that on Saturday, May 3rd I'll be one of the participating authors signing books up at the always wonderful Hudson Children's Book Festival in Hudson, NY again this year. It's such a great event and the author line-up is very exciting this year, so I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

And finally, in less stellar news, I just got word that this blog will be breathing its last on June 25, 2014 so in the event I don't make it back here before then, I just really want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to drop in and visit. I know I haven't been a constant blogger -- the universe, with its quirky sense of humor has made sure of that -- but please know that I have very much appreciated the love and support sent my way.

Thank you, sincerely, for everything. And please feel free to wander over to Facebook and friend me there. You have two options: Search Laura Wiess for mainly author news or search Laura Battyanyi Wiess for all sorts of posts including book news.

You know I'll be happy to see you.

Yes, for real.

ME SINCE YOU is the twentieth novel I've written that has been accepted by a house for publication.

That number astonishes, humbles, and exhilarates me because way back when I started learning how to write, I never thought something as amazing as having twenty novels published could happen. Not to me, at least.

But come Tuesday, February 18th, 2014, ME SINCE YOU's release date, it will be true.

I've written more than twenty novels, of course -- not everything an author writes is good enough to published, and some are still only half-finished or need massive revisions before even submitting to my agent for an opinion -- but that's just part of the chance you take being an author. Like everything else in life, there are no guarantees.

But if you love to write, if you need to do it, you'll do it anyway.

And that love may lead you to a place you never imagined you could get to.

You readers. Thank you. 

Wishing you all best, always.

ME SINCE YOU is being released on February 18th and it's getting exciting around here!

Enter to win a free galley over at Goodreads:

http://bit.ly/1dKTJvQ 

Good luck!

Happy 2014!

And to those of you with an outside temperature worse than mine, which is currently hovering around zero with a -25 wind chill, my thoughts are with you. Unless, of course, you actually enjoy this weather which, in that case I say: you're a heartier soul than I am.

Mother Nature has cowed me with this cold, and I surrender. Totally and unequivocally. I'll just stay inside and catch up on all the correspondence and sociability I've missed. I'm not looking to go out and freeze my face off.

So... I'm excited about ME SINCE YOU being released on February 18th but let's face it, it's going to be cold and maybe even snowy, and so to battle snowflakes with confetti, I'm setting up a signed book giveaway to celebrate the release. All the details will be posted soon over at my Laura Wiess Facebook page (if you Like it, the updates will be added to your feed ) so good luck!

Happily, my wonderful agents have sold ME SINCE YOU Italian translation rights, and it will be really great to see this book out in both Italy and Brazil. Not sure of the release dates yet, but I'll post them when I find out.

Sending all good thoughts your way for a wonderful new year full of love, laughter and dreams come true!

Christmas finally comes for Sayre, in Ordinary Beauty Christmas: Part Three:


I'd never had a Christmas like the one up on Sunrise Road before and the laughter and hugs, presents and cookies, sparkling lights and carols were so overwhelming that I cried three times that day.

The first was when I opened my surprise gift from Beale, my mother and Aunt Loretta, which was a laptop of my very own.

I took one look at it and burst into tears.

"Uh-oh," Beale said, glancing at his mother.

"No, I'm just happy," I blubbered, and it sounded so funny that I started laughing through my tears. Someone handed me a tissue and when I could breathe again I fumbled the box open and slid out the beautiful, brand-new laptop. "Wow."

"Look at the stars in her eyes," Aunt Loretta said to Beale, nudging him and smiling in my direction. "Do you like it, Sayre?"

"I love it," I said, running a hand across its sleek top. I'd never had a computer of my own before, I'd always had to use the ones at the library and at school. "And it's silver, my favorite color!"

My mother glanced at Beale. "You were right," she said and then to me, "So what do you say, Sayre?"

I knew what to say, I always did because manners had been really important to Grandma Lucy, and my mother's premature nudge annoyed me, but the laptop was so cool that I just said, "I know," and scrambled up to hug and kiss Beale and Aunt Loretta, and called, "Thanks, Mom," because she'd gotten up and gone to the bathroom before I could get to her.

The second crying jag happened when my mother opened Aunt Loretta's gift to her, which was the rich, plush, embroidered ruby velvet blazer.

"Well," my mother said, lifting it slowly up out of the box and watching it unfold. "This is amazing, Loretta. Feel how soft. And look at these flowers stitched onto the lapel. I never saw anything like this."

"And you won't, because I did the embroidery myself," Aunt Loretta said, leaning over around Beale and patting my mother's hand. "I hope you won't think it's silly, but in the language of flowers, Queen Anne's lace represents sanctuary, and that's what I hope you and Beale and Sayre always find in each other, Dianne. This is a one-of-a-kind piece now, and when Sayre grows up you can hand it down to her, and then she can wear it, too. That's how family heirlooms begin."

Family heirlooms.

My family.

We finally had something beautiful worth passing down.

The thought made me tear up all over again, and I quick grabbed my stocking and rummaged back through it like I was searching for something, but really, I just wanted to keep the feeling to myself because I knew I could never explain it.

The third time I cried there was no way I could hide it and I didn't even try.

"This is a gift from Santa to all of us," Aunt Loretta said near the end, picking up a thin, rectangular box wrapped in silver paper and pausing for a moment, as if wondering who to hand it to. Her gaze fell on me and she smiled. "Let's let Sayre open it."

"Okay," I said eagerly, pulling off the bow and sticking it on the front of my shirt. I pried up the tape on each end -- I was a slow unwrapped, always wanting to make things last -- and opened the paper. "Oh, how pretty!" It was a piece of needlepoint in a wooden frame, like a little poem, with all kinds of holly leaves and berries embroidered around it. "Did you make this, Aunt Loretta?"

"Santa brought it," she said, lips twitching. "What does it say? Read it aloud."

"Okay," I said, and taking a deep breath, read:

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree:
the presence of a happy family
all wrapped up in each other.
                     -- Burton Hillis

Our first family Christmas
Loretta Galen, Beale Galen, Dianne Huff, Sayre Bellavia
And our beloved Baby-in-Waiting


By the time I got to the end my voice was wobbling and my nose running and I couldn't see the needlepoint anymore, so I thrust it at Beale, threw my arms around Aunt Loretta and, hugging her, whispered, "Thank you." 

"Merry Christmas, honey," she whispered back and held and rocked me...

©Laura Battyanyi Wiess


**Sayre's search for love and a real family isn't over, of course, but that Christmas, the one when she was ten and had more than she ever dreamed possible becomes a place of comfort she can return to and draw strength from...to make it through what comes next.

I hope you enjoyed, and if you want to read all of Sayre's story, Ordinary Beauty is available over on amazon.com, bn.com, simonandschuster.com and your indie bookstores.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

We left off with ten year-old Sayre admitting her deepest desire to Beale, her mother's boyfriend and the kind, stable man Sayre loves and desperately wishes was her real father.


Ordinary Beauty Christmas: Part Two


"Whew. You had me scared there for a minute," Beale said finally, and came over and gave me one of his quick, solid, one-armed hugs. "I'm not ready to be a grandfather yet, Bellavia. Maybe in another twenty years." He gazed down at me and his smile grew thoughtful. "You know what's so great about tomorrow, Sayre? There's not a mark on it. You can get out there and be anyone, go anywhere, do anything. The sky's the limit. The only thing that ever really holds you back is yourself, and what you're afraid of..." He paused, staring out toward the frozen field. "I don't think I ever told you this but when I graduated high school I figured I'd just work on the farm with my father, but he wouldn't let me."

"Really?" I said, glancing up at him.

"Really." His mouth curved into a reminiscent smile. "God, he was stubborn. He told me he'd been setting aside money for me ever since I was born so I could go to college and learn about something I was interested in, get out of Dug County and live on my own for a while, meet different kinds of people and see other parts of the country and then, after all of that, if I still wanted to come back and work the farm at least I'd be doing it of my own free will, instead of just doing it because I didn't know any better or didn't think I had any other options."

"So did you do it?" I asked. "Go away, I mean."

"Oh yeah," he said, nodding and smiling slightly, still lost in the past. "My father didn't give me a whole lot of money, just enough to get going, so I had to go to school and work at the same time, but yeah, it was great. A real eye-opener. I did more and learned more than I ever thought I could. And I met a lot of great people, too." He refocused on me. "The point is that my father wanted more for me than he'd had, a better life, and I want that for you, too. That's what all parents want for their kids."

"But I'm not really your kid," I said, staring up at him.

"Well, maybe not in the normal way, but I couldn't be prouder than if you were my own daughter." And when I didn't answer, just lowered my head and let my hair swing forward around my face, he teased, "Oh, c'mon, you don't think you're like a daughter to me? Who else sits next to me at breakfast every morning, hogging the maple syrup, and gets to help me load all this backbreaking wood--"

"Big deal," I mumbled, trying not to smile.

"And who sneaks her cat in from the barn to sleep with her at night--"

I shot him a surprised look.

"Oh yeah, your old man knows more than you think," he said, giving me a stern look and then ruining it by waggling his eyebrows. "Who else in this family gets nothing but As and Bs and gets to pick her own dessert every marking period, hmm? Not me, that's for sure. Who else is getting a big surprise for Christmas--"

"Who?" I demanded, breaking into excited giggles at his guilty look. "Me, Beale? Me? I'm getting a surprise? What is it?"

"Time to zip the lip," he said, making the motion.

"Tell me," I said, tugging on his arm. "Please? I promise I'll act surprised."

"No, you'll be surprised because that's all I'm saying. Now come on, let's get this wood done so we can get out of this cold. Brr." He glanced up at the silvery-gray sky, and launched into a hearty "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas."

I didn't know all the words but I chimed in when I could, and by the time we finished moving wood Aunt Loretta was home, it was snowing, and the warmth from the fiery woodstove was second to the warmth glowing inside me.


©Laura Battyanyi Wiess


Ordinary Beauty Christmas: Part Three will post on Tuesday, December 17th.

Enjoy!

I'm watching the snow fall, caught between a moment of peace and an urgent backlist of everything that still needs doing to prepare for the upcoming holiday, and I started thinking about the Christmas scenes in How It Ends , Ordinary Beauty and Leftovers , where the holidays find the characters, their struggles and hopes, and how they feel going into them.

In Ordinary Beauty , Sayre Bellavia knows she was a mistake, an unplanned, unwanted pregnancy. Her mother is an addict and she's never known her father, doesn't even know where she got her last name. She's stuck by her mother, been cold, hungry, homeless and poor, exposed to dangerous situations, and in and out of foster care. She desperately wants to know if her mother loves her, wants a home, a father and a family, and to actually belong to someone, somewhere.

She wants to matter.

When Sayre is ten year's old, her mother is sent to rehab and when she comes out, she and Sayre are reunited. Sayre has never known her mother sober before, and during their tentative and rocky re-learning of each other, something wonderful happens that will change the course of Sayre's life forever.



Here is Ordinary Beauty Christmas: Part One

An excerpt from Sayre Bellavia's tenth Christmas:


I was also mad at my mother for being so happy this time, for resting her hand protectively over her belly even though she wasn't showing yet, for going to the doctors and taking vitamins and eating right, and deciding to give this baby Beale's last name.

That part hurt the most.

The baby would belong to this family and the world would know it while I, who not only loved them dearly but who had also brought my mother and Beale together, was stuck with a last name that kept me separate, unattached and unclaimed.

It wasn't fair, and if I thought about it too much it would make my stomach hurt so I tried not to, getting all caught up in the excitement of the holidays, and relishing the hours when my mother was at work and it was just the three of us again.

One cold, gray Saturday morning before Christmas when the air was heavy with the promise of snow and my mother was sleeping after working the night shift, Aunt Loretta went into town for groceries and I went outside to help Beale refill the bird feeders and bring in wood for the stove.

"So, Miss Sayre Bellavia," he said, capping the last feeder and leading me over to the woodpile. "What do you think about this whole new baby thing?"

"I wish it was me," I said without thinking, hefting a piece of split wood that must have weighed ten pounds and staggering over to dump it in the wagon behind the quad. It fell with a hearty thud and when I turned to get another one, I found Beale looking at me in alarm.

"Uh, don't you think it's too soon to be thinking about having a baby?" he said, tilting up the brim of his cap and rubbing his forehead. "You're not even eleven yet and you've got your whole life ahead of you. You want to go to high school and have fun, graduate and maybe even go to college, get out there and see the world, meet a good guy who'll do right by you and fall in love with him, get married and then maybe think about starting a family. Not now. Jesus." And then he looked even more alarmed. "Wait a minute. You haven't... those boys in school better not have messed with you because if they have, I swear to God I'll--"

He was talking too fast and his voice was getting louder and I didn't want him to wake up my mother, and so even though it was mortifying, I had to tell him what I'd really meant. "No, that's not what I meant. I don't wish I was having a baby. Ew. I wish..." Face flaming, I bent down for another piece of wood so I wouldn't have to look at him and said in a rush, "I wish I was being born now. I mean, that this baby was me instead of..." My throat tightened and it was all I could do to speak. "If I was born now then you would be my real father instead of...nobody, and I would be your real kid." I dropped the chunk of wood in the wagon and grabbed another. "That's what I meant."

I stood there for what felt like a thousand years, embarrassed by admitting my deepest desire and kind of scared that he would tell my mother what I'd said, and so all I could do was stare down at the piece of wood, my face hot and huge, my fingers picking at a piece of bark stuck to the otherwise smooth log.


©Laura Battyanyi Wiess


**Me again.

Sayre at ten years old is so torn between awe at the thought of becoming a big sister and so desperately wanting to belong, and to be part of a real family...

These quiet, beautiful, fragile Christmas wishes, and the courage it takes to wish them out loud.
 

Ordinary Beauty Christmas: Part Two will be posted here on Friday, December 13th.


 

SUCH A PRETTY GIRL is a Kindle Daily Deal over on amazon.com. Enjoy! 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=sv_kstore_2?ie=UTF8&docId=1000677541