Skipping A Beat by Sarah Pekkanen

Julia and Michael Dunhill are high school sweethearts living the good life. Julia runs a successful party planning business, but Michael is the real bread winner, worth millions thanks to the launch of his company DrinkUp. But when Michael goes into cardiac arrest and his heart stops beating for four minutes and eight seconds until he is revived, something changes between the husband and wife. Julia’s marriage was based on love and commitment in the beginning, but once money got involved, that had changed. Julia and Michael were business partners and sometime lovers, but the fun loving marriage they once had was taken over by business deals and corporate events. Julia had become accustomed to rarely seeing her husband, plastering fake smiles on her face at fancy dinner parties, and going to the opera. Because on the flip side, she had a gorgeous house with heated floors, a brand new car, and a wardrobe to die for.  The money seemed to make her dissolving marriage worth it.

But after Michael’s cardiac arrest episode, it seems he wants to change their relationship. He wants to be the old Michael, before he became so rich and famous. He wants to donate his money and the beautiful house with the heated floors and the news cars to charities. But does Julia? Can she handle giving everything up for Michael, after so many years in stale marriage?

Skipping A Beat, the sophomore novel from Sarah Pekkanen, is a masterful piece of writing. I cried multiple times while reading, because my connection with the characters felt so real. This is a modern novel at its best, making the beautiful heroine choose between money and true love. Even though Julia’s character wasn’t likable at all times, she was honest. She made me think. And the ending….well, you’ll just have to read that for yourself! Chick lit fans will fall in love with Pekkanen’s honest and complex writing all over again.

**Note: This novel is available for preorder, and will be released in February 2011.**

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Best Debut Novel Nominees

The nominees for Best Novel from a Debut Author:

The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen

I’ll Have Who She’s Having by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

Reunion by JL Penn

Hook Line and Sink Him by Jackie Pilossoph

Perfect on Paper by Maria Murnane

Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win!

Best Tear Jerker Nominees

The nominees for Best Tear-Jerker Novel:

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Promises to Keep by Jane Green

The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen

The Lies We Told by Diane Chamberlain

On Folly Beach by Karen White

Please vote for your favorite by commenting below. Everyone who votes is entered to win!

Chick Lit Plus Awards: Day 3 Nominations

Categories: Best Novel from a Debut Author, Best Novel Written by a Celebrity, Most Intriguing Concept

Prizes: 2 winners will receive Tonya Planks debut novel Swallow

Winners will be announced August 23^rd.

Please post below to enter your nominations, or email me directly at Samantha@chicklitplus.com. The top 5 from each category will go on to the final voting process.

Some early nomination votes for these categories include:

The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen- Best Novel from a Debut Author

LA Candy by Lauren Conrad- Best Novel Written by a Celebrity

Tuesday Tells it Slant by Holly Christine- Most Intriguing Concept

Click here to vote for Day 1 Nominations

Click here to vote for Day 2 Nominations

Chick Lit Plus Awards: Day 2 Nominations

Categories: Best Villain in a Novel, Best Scandal in a Novel, Best Tear Jerker Novel

Prizes: 2 winners will receive both novels from Micheline McAllister- Welcome To My Life and Love You, Love Your Work, Let’s Do Lunch!

Winners will be announced August 23^rd.

Please post below to enter your nominations, or email me directly at Samantha@chicklitplus.com. The top 5 from each category will go on to the final voting process.

Some early nomination votes for these categories include:

Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner- politician’s affair- Best Scandal

I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk- Cici- Best Villain

The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen- Best Tear Jerker

Click here to see Day 1 Nominations

Book Giveaway: The Opposite of Me

Time for another book giveaway! Lovely author Sarah Pekkanen has agreed to host a giveaway through Chick Lit Plus, and one lucky winner will receive a copy of her debut novel The Opposite of Me. To get entered, leave a message on this post, comment on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter (be sure to send me a message if you follow me on Twitter so I can enter you)! The winner will be announced on Friday, April 30^th. Good luck!

 

UPDATE:

We have a winner! Congratulations to Carleen McElroy! Please email me your mailing address at Samantha@chicklitplus.com. Thanks to everyone who entered.

Interview with Sarah Pekkanen

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

 

Yes, ever since I was a kid, when one of my favorite things to do was to sit in my bedroom and write books on three-ring binder paper. A few years ago, my niece borrowed one of my old Nancy Drew books and discovered a letter tucked inside – I’d written it on Raggedy Ann stationery (oh so professional!) and it was addressed to a publisher, asking when my book, titled, “Miscellaneous Tales and Poems” would be in stores. Now I carry that faded old letter with me every time I go to New York to meet with my publisher, as a reminder that dreams really do come true.

 

 

Q: Your debut novel, The Opposite of Me, was a hit! Where did the inspiration for Lindsey’s story come from?

 

Thank you! I’ve always been intrigued by the complex relationships my friends have with their sisters – and I always wanted a sister of my own. Since my parents didn’t cooperate (though they gave me two terrific brothers) I imagined what it would be like to be a sister – a twin, no less – and I tried to make the relationship of my main characters, Lindsey and Alex, as juicy and competitive and loving and tangled as possible. I’ve heard about twins who are so close that they create their own language, and can feel each other’s pain from miles away – but I wondered what would happen to twins who were completely different. What if two sisters had nothing in common, but were constantly being compared? How would that shape their relationship?

 

Q: Do you plan on writing another novel continuing the story of these two sisters?

 

I don’t have plans for a sequel at the moment, but definitely wouldn’t rule one out! My second book, which is scheduled to be published next spring, tells the story of a 32-year-old woman named Julia Dunhill who discovers her husband has woken from a dramatic and sudden medical trauma as a completely transformed man. It’s similar in voice and genre to The Opposite of Me, so I hope readers who liked my first book will enjoy it every bit as much.

 

Q: You had the opportunity to work with Jennifer Weiner when your book was set to be released. How great was it having her to help promote your work, and how flattered were you that you had her on your side?

 

Oh, my gosh, it was beyond any story I could ever dream up! Jen Weiner is simply the most amazing, generous woman in publishing. Perhaps even in the world! We have the same editor, and Jen read an early copy of my manuscript – then she endorsed it in an incredible way. She actually gave away hundreds of copies of her books to people who pre-ordered The Opposite of Me a week before it was published. I’ve never even met Jen in person, but she sponsored this huge giveaway – which prompted USAToday to interview me –  because she remembered what it was like to be a debut author  (excited and anxious and overjoyed!) and she wanted to help out another female author. I’m in awe of her kindness and I can only hope to pay it forward some day. And I’m dying to meet her in person, even though I’m such a fangirl I’m sure I’ll embarrass myself by getting all weepy, or I’ll spill a drink on her in my excitement.

 

Q: How were you able to break into the writing industry?

 

I didn’t have any real connections, so I just wrote my book, then I wandered around bookstores reading the acknowledgement sections of books I liked to find out the names of agents (authors usually thank their agents in the acknowledgements section – and if they don’t, you probably don’t want that agent). I complied a list of names, came home and Googled the agents to get their addresses, then sent off a one-page query letter which described my book to the agents. Most agents have public websites that tell you, step by step, how to submit a query letter for a book. They’re not in hiding; they really want to discover new writers and if you write a good query letter, you’ll get a good response.

 

Q: I saw on your website that you have a humiliating story of how you got a literary agent. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to open the page, but I am quite curious to hear this story! Can you give us a little background?

 

One author I admire is Karin Slaughter, and in her book she thanked her agent Victoria Sanders. So, I sent a query letter to Victoria and a week or so later, she emailed me back and requested my manuscript. Then I thought, “I’d just better check out this Victoria Sanders.” So I wrote a note to Karin via the address on her website, introducing myself and asking if Victoria still represented her. Literally two minutes later, I got an email back that began, “This is Victoria Sanders. I check Karin’s email when she is on her European tour….” I literally froze and even stopped breathing, but thankfully the next line said, “Don’t worry, I’m checking you out, too!” I ended up signing with Victoria – and we still laugh about it!

 

Q: How long did it take you to write The Opposite of Me?

 

Nine months – but I had long stretches of time because my two older kids were in elementary school. Now I have a baby, and the writing is coming more slowly because my schedule is so much busier! Still, I squeeze it in whenever I can.  

 

Q: Where would your dream vacation be?

 

Any place that can provide a sunny beach, an unending stream of fruity frozen drinks with little umbrellas, a stack of books, and David Beckham to rub oil into my back! My husband can come along, but he is not allowed to complain about David Beckham. If he does, he’ll be sent back home (the husband, not the Beckham).

  

Q: What is your advice to aspiring writers?

 

Write one page a day. You’ll finish your book in a year! Sometimes it’s hard to write because the self-doubt sets in – the voices in our heads can be really cruel, can’t they? – but the main thing is to get those raw words down on the page. Once you’ve got a draft, you can reshape it into something special – but just getting the words down in the first place is the key. 

Click Here to Visit Sarah’s Website!

Chick Lit Author Sarah Pekkanen

Sarah Pekkanen was born in New York City, and moved to Bethesda, Maryland as a young girl. From the start, Pekkanen wanted to write, often writing her own stories and poems, and after college she began work as a journalist for Capitol Hill coverage. Before the birth of her children, Pekkanen married and took on jobs as at Gannett New Service/USAToday, covering Capitol Hill, and writing features for the Baltimore Sun. Sarah Pekkanen now stays home full-time with her three sons, Jackson, Will, and Dylan, and her debut novel, The Opposite of Me, was published in 2010.

The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen

Lindsey Rose is a true workaholic. With virtually no friends besides a co-worker, she spends the nights sleeping in her office and is constantly trying to get further in her promising career as a top New York advertising executive. When she is passed over for a promotion and then fired after getting caught in a compromising position with another employee, Lindsey has no choice but to pack up her belongings and head back home to Maryland to live with her parents.

Lindsey is the complete opposite from her twin sister, Alex. While Lindsey is the smart one with mediocre looks, Alex is gorgeous, flirty, and completely selfish. With her upcoming nuptials to a wildly rich and successful man, Alex’s life dominates in greatness over Lindsey’s. Lindsey clutches furiously to hold on to her friendship with Bradley, who crushed on her all throughout high school, but she finds out Bradley has moved on- to the complete unexpected. Lindsey throws herself into a new friendship and a new job- as a matchmaker for singles. When a devastating medical diagnosis hit the family, Lindsey is forced to take a closer look at her and her twin’s lives and the stereotypes they have been leading- and finds an unexpected twist that makes her re-evaluate the way she has been living her life.

The Opposite of Me, the debut novel from Sarah Pekkanen is a heartwarming tale that brought me to tears at the end. It did seem slightly slow-paced at times, but I thought each plot twist was unpredictable. When I was positive I knew what was coming next, the opposite happened, making me enjoy this book even more. I will definitely look forward to Pekkanen’s next novel, and I am hoping maybe there will be a spin-off that follows Alex’s journey.

 

In My Mailbox Week of March 7

In my Mailbox: Week of March 7

 

Title: Scot on the Rocks

Author: Brenda Janowitz

Received: Borders

Synopsis: Planning a wedding can be a trying experience…

A little prewedding anxiety is normal for every bride, and Manhattan attorney Brooke Miller isn’t worried. She’s got the loving support of the world’s greatest guy, so planning her nuptials should be a piece of cake.

But that was yesterday.

Today, Brooke’s landed her first big case and has just discovered that the opposing attorney is none other than her fiancé, Jack. But that’s okay. These two professionals aren’t going to let a little courtroom sparring get their legal briefs in a bunch…. Right? Wrong! Now Jack’s pulling every dirty trick in the law books, and Brooke’s starting to suspect that maybe he isn’t the man she thought he was. Warring with her fiancé at work and at home, Brooke realizes that she’ll have to choose between the case of her life, or actually having a life.

 

 

Title: Still Thinking of You

Author: Adele Parks

Received: Borders

Synopsis: Rich has always been skeptical about falling in love. Natasha has always fully expected to. And when these two find each other, they win the entire True Love package–tenderness and hot sex and open-eyed kisses. Long weekends in bed and talk of marriage and babies. The kind of love where there’s no room for secrets. That, after all, is what Tash says will keep them going strong: total and complete honesty.

Now Rich and Tash are engaged, and Rich’s old school friends crash into their love cocoon with big plans of celebrating, along with spouses and significant others, on a trip to a stunning French ski resort. But a lot can happen in a week that’s meant to capture the free-spirited fun they all shared a decade ago. And in the glare of a whiteout on the slopes, Tash crosses paths with the one secret Rich should have kept: his colorful, vivacious, needy ex-lover, Jayne…

 

 

Title: The Opposite of Me

Author: Sarah Pekkanen

Received: SheKnows.com

Synopsis: Twenty-nine-year-old Lindsey Rose has, for as long as she can remember, lived in the shadow of her ravishingly beautiful fraternal twin sister, Alex. Determined to get noticed, Lindsey is finally on the cusp of being named VP creative director of an elite New York advertising agency, after years of eighty-plus-hour weeks, migraines, and profound loneliness. But during the course of one devastating night, Lindsey’s carefully constructed life implodes. Humiliated, she flees the glitter of Manhattan and retreats to the time warp of her parents’ Maryland home. As her sister plans her lavish wedding to her Prince Charming, Lindsey struggles to maintain her identity as the smart, responsible twin while she furtively tries to piece her career back together. But things get more complicated when a long-held family secret is unleashed that forces both sisters to reconsider who they are and who they are meant to be.