Category Archives: Books

Post-BEA Post

Posted on May 15, 2016 by Laura Stanfill

My friend Kevin Smokler, whose Brat Pack America is forthcoming from Rare Bird Books in October, said to reserve Monday for catching up with people and sending follow-ups. That’s the kind of important advice that I picked up as a first-timer … Continue reading →

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BEA bound!

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Laura Stanfill

I have my hotel and plane tickets arranged for Book Expo America next month in Chicago. It’s been on my to-do list to walk the floor and meet people and get that wider sense of the industry, but until now, … Continue reading →

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On Books, Fathers, and Travel

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Laura Stanfill

I’m in Santa Fe for PubWest’s annual conference, with the theme “A Passion for Books.” My traveling companion is H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald, a tightly written, stunning, visceral memoir about training a goshawk in the wake of her … Continue reading →

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Query Tips: Give Us a Road Map

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Laura Stanfill

Our editors at Forest Avenue Press are continuing to receive submissions that don’t include a paragraph about the manuscript in the query letter. In these cases, there’s usually no introduction either. No introduction means the author couldn’t be bothered to personalize a letter, but … Continue reading →

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Holiday Reading, and Hurray for Indies

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Laura Stanfill

My husband says I have become harder to buy books for in the past decade; part of that is because I read so much and attend so many bookstore events, and I attend more events, and buy more books, than … Continue reading →

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Poets & Writers

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Laura Stanfill

I have always, always wanted to pick up a copy of Poets & Writers with my name in it. Of course I’ve had several dreams like this that seem to be coming true in ways I never expected lately. One was … Continue reading →

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Summer Reading: My Bingo List

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Laura Stanfill

I’m playing book bingo through my local indie bookseller, Annie Bloom’s Books, this summer, and have completed all 25 slots for the chance to win a $50 gift card. It’s been a great challenge to read outside my zone–literary fiction. … Continue reading →

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Trends: WWII

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Laura Stanfill

I had the extreme reading pleasure of devouring Tony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See and The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah one after the other. They’re both epics about World War II. Nuanced, heartbreaking, gorgeous, suspenseful novels, both. Important, both. The books themselves feature … Continue reading →

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Interview: Valerie Geary, Author of Crooked River, on Raising the Stakes, Ghosts, and Celebrating Her Debut Novel

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Laura Stanfill

Valerie Geary’s impressive debut novel, Crooked River, will be released tomorrow by William Morrow. A twisty literary thriller, peopled with eccentrics and ghosts, Crooked River delves into grief, suspicion, and what it means to be a family. Protagonists Sam and … Continue reading →

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Interviews and List Love

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Laura Stanfill

I’ve had a big week or two! Kate Gray’s new novel, Carry the Sky, which I’m publishing Sept. 1 (hint, it’s available online already), tops a recent list of 11 high school books on Bustle. Read “11 High School Books That Will … Continue reading →

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