Blurb:
Single mom Grace Mason doesn’t believe in miracles, magic, or love at first sight. She likes the quiet life, complete with her eight-year-old son, their tiny house, and her teaching job. For Grace, happiness means that nothing much ever changes in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
Then, one thousand miles away, tragedy strikes. A massive heart attack leaves Grace’s estranged father comatose in an Upstate New York hospital. While a team of doctors fight to keep Henry Mason alive, Grace and Evan rush to his bedside to say their final goodbyes.
Henry’s passing brings little closure for Grace, but she finds herself inexplicably drawn to her new surroundings. What begins as a short trip results in an entire summer spent with Henry’s second wife, Kathleen, and her next-door neighbor, Ryan Gordon, the town doctor. When a series of unlikely events lead to Evan’s disappearance, Grace must face her worst fears to find her son and bring him back home.
Stardust Summer explores the complexities of forgiveness, what it means to be a family, and the fabulous possibility of falling in love—again
Where to find Lauren:
Website: http://www.laurenclarkbooks.com/
Blog: http://www.laurenclarkbooks.com/blog/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lauren-Clark/235315706518284
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenclark_bks
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/laurenclarkbooks
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5280308.Lauren_Clark
Buy Links:
Guest Post:
The Crazy, Confounding Writing Life
It always makes me giggle (just a little) when anyone equates glamour or mystique with the writing profession. Any spotlight that’s shining—or red carpet rolled out—is definitely for the Emily Giffins or Jennifer Weiners of the author universe.
That said, it wasn’t always easy for those writers who are now well-known household names. After reading Giffin’s latest novel, Where We Belong, the author graciously acknowledges her public relations team, who (many years ago) begged readers to stop on the second floor of a Borders book store and meet author Emily Griffin at her book signing.
Jennifer Weiner was an unknown in the literary world when her agent tirelessly shopped around Good In Bed. Her chick lit manuscript was considered a bit scandalous at the time, not because of the sexy content or steamy title, but because the main character was a real girl with real curves.
Both women pursued a college education, both spent years in another profession—Giffin as a lawyer, and Weiner as a reporter for a small newspaper and then as a freelance writer. And there was the rejection. During her time as an attorney, Emily Giffin wrote a YA novel that was given a solid thumbs-down. To my knowledge, she’s never published it. (Read more about Emily Giffin’s writing journey here: EmilyGiffin.)
Weiner, who admits that she had connections to the coveted inner circle of New York literary agents, sent out thirty query letters for Good In Bed. The replies trickled in, among them a lot of No’s, and one YES from an agent who proceeded to comment that “nobody wants to see a movie about a lonely fat girl” and “why don’t you change the title to BIG GIRL?” It’s true. (check out the fascinating story here: JenniferWeiner).
There are plenty of other stories out there about the hard-won path to publishing. Believe me, I know from personal experience that just about any author’s road is littered with rejection letters, as I have a stack of my own for Stay Tuned. A few of the notes were personalized, with “Keep trying!” or “Liked the story, but didn’t quite love it enough” scribbled on the side of an agency’s stationary. Most of the rejections were standard issue. Black and white, photo-copied, unsigned letters that spelled N-O.
My point is this. If you love writing and you’ve always dreamed of becoming an author, there are very few cases of overnight success. Read Stephen King’s On Writing if you need more proof. His family practically starved while he worked several jobs and cranked out Carrie—and that was before the days or word-processors and laptops.
Much of being an author lies in belief in one’s self. It’s about confidence in your work; that the story that’s living inside you must be told. Being a writer is about dedication—deciding that you will finish a manuscript, no matter how horrible or disjointed the 80 thousand words appear after bleary nights of drinking lukewarm coffee and pounding away at a keyboard that sometime tricks you into missing the letter “M.”
And don’t let anyone tell you that writing is anything other than a solitary profession. You can spend time in weekly writing groups, participate in lively critique sessions, and attend one hundred and one conferences designed to get your work out the door and in the hands of an agent who will cherish and adore it. While those activities can be helpful, it’s all about moderation. Shoulder-rubbing with well-known writers and copious note-taking from keynote speakers won’t help YOU get another chapter finished.
Being an author is about putting your derriere in a chair, almost every day, focusing on the task at hand, and getting those words to flow from your heart and your brain onto the screen or notebook. For me, sometimes those mornings are a struggle. Sometimes the words flow like magic. But I will tell you that it feels fantastic to make progress. It’s a rush to nail a great scene or craft funny, sassy dialogue, it’s thrilling to cross that thirty-thousand word threshold—and it’s even better to type “The End.”
A writer’s life isn’t an easy one. There isn’t a formula or a secret code that unlocks the perfect author-success equation. (If I knew it, I would share it here!) And getting the manuscript done is just part of the publishing journey. But it’s a job I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.
Lauren Clark writes contemporary novels sprinkled with sunshine, suspense, and secrets. A former TV news anchor, Lauren adores flavored coffee, local book stores, and anywhere she can stick her toes in the sand. Her big loves are her family, paying it forward, and true-blue friends.
Lauren is the author of three novels—Stardust Summer, Stay Tuned, and Dancing Naked in Dixie. She’s a member of the Gulf Coast Writers Association, the Mobile Writers Guild, and a regular contributor to Parents & Kids Magazine’s Mississippi Gulf Coast Edition. Check out her website at www.laurenclarkbooks.com
My Review:
I just loved Stardust Summer. I had a few tears happy ones and sad ones.
Grace lives in Mississippi with her son Evan. Her Dad in New York. Grace hasn’t seen her Dad in years and then all of the sudden he dies. She and her son travel to the funeral and plan on spending 9 days with her stepmother Kathleen. Once she is there she meets Dr. Ryan Gordon, her Dad’s doctor who happens to live next door. The first meeting was at the house after the funeral when Ryan spilled punch on Grace - not a very good first meeting. Then Ryan saves Kathleen when she gets stuck in the sailboat so she invites Ryan for dinner as a thank you. Grace isn’t too sure about the dinner is Kathleen matchmaking? Then a tree falls on Kathleen’s house and they need to stay at Ryan’s for a few days. Are there sparks? Does Grace go home early or stay longer? You will need to read Stardust Summer to find out. I am sure you will love this book as much as I did. It is worth picking up and reading.
I received a Copy of this book from the author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for the review, and the review is honest and my responsibility.
This sounds really good! Thanks for sharing!