The Widow's Season

A couple months back while searching the many rows of fiction at Borders, I came across a paperback that robbed my attention at first glance: The Widow's Season. Do I judge book by their covers? You bet I do. I know it’s terrible but for this circumstance it proved to be a good thing (ahem, well it's proved to be a good thing more then once actually). I read the book’s summary and a content me purchased it and took it home and placed it on my bedside table. It’s blue tones on the newly fresh cover completely ironed of any damaged looked so pretty while illuminated by my nightstand table. After about a week I still had done very little but glance at the cover. When realizing that I was not going to read it with all the hustle and bustle going on in my life, I perched it atop one of my bookshelves, next to Collected Stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and The Mathematics of Love by Emma Darwin. And there it stood. For months.
The beginning of 2010 rolled around with much anticipation from my part and the book still stood untouched, gathering little particles of dust. I had gone without reading for such a long time and my mind craved a story of interweaved words and imagery. So I glanced up at my bookshelf and my eyes met the untouched paperback. I pulled it out, snuggled into my bed, broke into its sturdy binding and began reading.
I was spellbound.
I was not even three-fourths of the way through with it when my curiosity led me to Google Laura Brodie, the author of the book. I found her website, read her biography and was elated to connect many characteristics and facts about the characters in the novel to the biography of the woman who had created such beautiful prose. I then saw that her email address was provided and my mind surged at the possibilities.
So I emailed her with a rather unorganized account of how much I was in love with the book I was reading. I went on and on until I finally asked her if she would be willing to participate in an interview for my blog. I clicked the little send button and laughed at my naïveté. Why would a three-time published author take time to write back, let alone agree to be interviewed by an eighteen year old blogger with 100 plus followers?
So just imagine my surprise when the following morning she had replied stating that my email had made her morning. That alone was enough to make me wet my pants a little (which I came close to but I assure you I didn‘t actually wet my pants). Anxiously reading through her response I then came across these glorified words: “I'd be happy to answer your questions”.
Oh my goodness.
I spent the next two days trying not to rush and finish the novel. I wanted to slowly and surely absorb every detail, every beautiful connection and image that was written. And when I reached the end my heart was pumping like I just had a forty-five minute workout in the dead summer heat of July and my eyes were filled with tears to such an exxagerated level that I could barely even make out the last words of the novel. When I finally did reach the last sentence I was confused and then surprised and fulfilled. So yea, maybe I really get into the books I read but I assure you I had every excuse for this one.

If you get the opportunity I definitely recommend for you to pick up your own copy of The Widow's Season which you can do so here or here or here. And hopefully sooner then later the much awaited (by me, at least) interview will be posted!