Today’s post by this month’s featured author, Sarah Jio | @SarahJio

Sarah Jio

My heart broke a little when I heard the news, recently, that Maeve Binchy had passed away. The legendary Irish author dazzled readers with her heartfelt stories, many of which have been made into movies and anointed by the likes of Oprah Winfrey. But I didn’t know any of that when I stumbled upon one of her novels as a 15-year-old  in Poulsbo, Washington. Opening her books was like stepping into the pages of another world. I loved how she made me feel as a reader, and I loved how real her characters seemed, how relatable they were. I didn’t know it then, but in those early years of reading Binchy’s work, I was learning about the type of novelist I wanted to be. Someday.

I had always been interested in writing, perhaps since my first grade hand-written and illustrated book titled “A Tug Boat Dream” won a young author award (if the judges at Silverdale Elementary School only knew how that little award ended up propelling a future career in fiction!). Over the years, I experimented with different writing styles, different genres and voices. And, in the deep, dark depths of my computer, there may be a novel or two that I pray never sees the light of day. However, in all of my literary experimentation, I always came back to the things I learned through reading Maeve Binchy’s books. And before I sat down to write what would become my debut novel, The Violets of March, I thought about what made Binchy’s stories so beautiful, and I decided that I wanted to be an author who made you feel, who wrote from the heart (rather than wrote what would “sell”), and who created beautiful scenes, places and worlds that readers wouldn’t want to leave.

I thank Maeve Binchy for teaching me these lessons through her books.

If you haven’t had a chance to pick up a copy of Sarah’s latest novel, BLACKBERRY WINTER, now’s your chance. We’re giving a copy away today. Just leave a comment on this post.

The story, which takes its title from a late-season, cold-weather phenomenon, continues Sarah Jio’s rich exploration of the ways personal connections can transcend the boundaries of time.

Seattle, 1932. Single mother Vera Ray kisses her three-year-old son, Daniel, goodnight and departs to work the night-shift at a local hotel. She emerges to discover that a May snowstorm has blanketed the city, and that her son has disappeared into the heart of the storm. Outside, she finds his teddy bear lying face down in the cold snowy streets.

Seattle, 2010. Seattle Herald reporter Claire Aldridge is assigned to cover the May 1 “blackberry winter” storm and its predecessor that occurred on the same date nearly eighty years earlier. Learning of the unsolved abduction, Claire vows to unearth the truth—only to discover that she and Vera are linked in unexpected ways.

About Ariel Lawhon

Ariel Lawhon is the co-founder of She Reads, novelist, blogger, storyteller, and life-long reader. She lives in Texas with her husband and four young sons (aka The Wild Rumpus). Ariel believes that Story is the shortest distance to the human heart.

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Today’s post by the wonderful Sarah Jio | @SarahJio

Sarah Jio

Hi She Reads friends! I’m so honored to be back with the publication of my new novel, BLACKBERRY WINTER! This novel is tremendously special to me and as I shared in the author’s note in the back of the book, this was a story that really reached out and grabbed me. After hearing a beautiful song on the radio called “Blackberry Winter,” I immediately researched the phrase and lean red that it’s old-fashioned weather jargon for a late-season cold snap–think of plunging temperatures and snowfall in May, just when the delicate white flowers are beginning to appear on the blackberry vines. Before I knew it, I was sketching out the concept for this novel. The story came to me quickly and vividly: Vera and Daniel and the little apartment they shared in the 1930s; his beloved teddy bear, lying face-down in the cold snow; Claire and her curious reporter’s mind and her own deep pain and grief; snowflakes falling on the spring cherry blossoms.

For the next many months, I lived and breathed Blackberry Winter. At the heart of this story, for me, were the raw emotions of motherhood. I began writing the novel when I was pregnant with my third son, and I channeled Vera and Claire’s pain and often-heartbreaking experiences. I thought a lot about how it would feel to lose a child, and what I would do.

Then, in a heartbreaking turn of events, shortly before I finished the book, one of my dearest friends, Wendi, lost her two-year-old son to a rare form of brain cancer. It broke my heart to watch her say goodbye to her precious boy, and I wept with her on the phone as she held her son against her chest in the final hours of his life. But, I also saw her strength, and the light in her eye–the one that told me how thankful she is to have been the mother of this beautiful child, and how excited she is to know, with certainty, that she’ll be seeing him again, in heaven. Wendi reminds me, always, that motherhood–life–no matter how short, is a gift.

While my characters’ challenges are great and their stories tragic, like my dear friend, I like to think that they found their own sense of peace and truth–swirling in a late-season snowstorm and hidden amongst the protective thorns of the blackberry vines.

Thank you for reading.

BLACKBERRY WINTER is our October book club selection. Click here to learn more about the novel and to enter this month’s giveaways.

About Ariel Lawhon

Ariel Lawhon is the co-founder of She Reads, novelist, blogger, storyteller, and life-long reader. She lives in Texas with her husband and four young sons (aka The Wild Rumpus). Ariel believes that Story is the shortest distance to the human heart.

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The author of this month’s book club selection is a huge favorite around She Reads. She is smart and talented and generous and happens to be one of the cutest people on the West Coast. We first introduced her to our readers last year with her debut novel The Violets of March. And we heard from readers for months afterward about how much they loved the story. So it was no surprise that we were drawn to Sarah Jio’s latest novel, BLACKBERRY WINTER.

We’ve got some amazing things lined up this month: guest posts and interviews and behind the scenes glimpses of Sarah’s life and workspace (she’s writing her next novel on a houseboat–how cool is THAT?). And of course, in celebration of BLACKBERRY WINTER we’re giving away some really fun goodies:

Giveaways:

For our main giveaway: one winner will receive this “box of blackberry bliss.” Leave a comment on this post and we’ll toss your name in the hat.

For our online book club: one winner will receive signed copies Sarah’s two previous novels, The Violets of March and The Bungalow, and a box of Fran’s Gourmet Chocolates (a Seattle favorite). We’ll be discussing the book all month long and we would love for you to join us!

About the book:

The story, which takes its title from a late-season, cold-weather phenomenon, continues Sarah Jio’s rich exploration of the ways personal connections can transcend the boundaries of time.

Seattle, 1932. Single mother Vera Ray kisses her three-year-old son, Daniel, goodnight and departs to work the night-shift at a local hotel. She emerges to discover that a May snowstorm has blanketed the city, and that her son has disappeared into the heart of the storm. Outside, she finds his teddy bear lying face down in the cold snowy streets.

Seattle, 2010. Seattle Herald reporter Claire Aldridge is assigned to cover the May 1 “blackberry winter” storm and its predecessor that occurred on the same date nearly eighty years earlier. Learning of the unsolved abduction, Claire vows to unearth the truth—only to discover that she and Vera are linked in unexpected ways.

Sarah Jio is a journalist who has written for Glamour; O, The Oprah Magazine; Real Simple; SELF; Cooking Light; Redbook; Parents; Woman’s Day; and many other publications. For the past four years, she has been the health and fitness blogger for Glamour.com. She lives in Seattle with her husband, their three young children, and a golden retriever named Paisley, who steals rocks. Sarah is the author of The Violets of March, The Bungalow, and Blackberry Winter. Sarah is hard at work on her next novel.

About Marybeth Whalen

Marybeth Whalen is the co-founder of She Reads, mother of six, and life-long reader. She is also the author of two novels with a third out in July: The Mailbox, She Makes It Look Easy, and The Guest Book.

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