Thursday spotlight

I love Lucy!

No, I'm not talking about that Lucy, but since today is Blog Me MAYbe's "May I tell you something about someone else?" day, I'm excited to introduce you to another Lucy: Lucy Banning, the heroine of Olivia Newport's debut novel, The Pursuit of Lucy Banning (Avenue of Dreams, Book 1).

From the publisher:

She has a secret to keep. But will she give her heart away?

Lucy Banning may live on the exclusive Prairie Avenue among Chicago's rich and famous, but her heart lies elsewhere. Expected to marry an up-and-coming banker from a respected family, Lucy fears she will be forced to abandon her charity work and squeeze herself into the mold of the well-dressed wife who spends most of her time and money redecorating.

When she meets Will, an unconventional young architect who is working on plans for the upcoming 1893 World's Fair, Lucy imagines a life lived on her own terms. Can she break away from her family's expectations? And will she ever be loved for who she truly is?

Get swept away into the lavish world of Chicago's high society as Olivia Newport brings to life an age of glitz and grandeur, stark social contrasts, and one woman who dares to cross class lines for what she believes.


When I begin a new book, I'm always drawn first to the main character: Is she likable? Is she portrayed realistically? Is there something compelling about her that makes me want to spend the precious few reading hours I have immersed in her world? And as I discovered from the first page of The Pursuit of Lucy Banning, without a doubt, Lucy is a character worth getting to know.

In fact, the thing I find most impressive about this debut is Newport's ability to create a strong, memorable heroine. In a time when women of her social class are expected only to marry well and devote their lives to their families and homes, Lucy decides she wants more--an education--and she takes the initiative to go out and get it, even though doing so means keeping a secret from her family and friends. But while she is passionate about following her dreams, for me it's Lucy's heart for others that truly makes her a character worth investing time in. She's very aware of the disparity between her world of privilege and the world of those less fortunate, and she works to better the lives of those in need. And when she learns that Charlotte, a member of the household staff with a secret of her own, is in need of help, Lucy unhesitatingly offers both friendship and support. (Charlotte herself is an intriguing character, and I was pleased to discover that the next book in the series will focus on her.)

The Pursuit of Lucy Banning is a love story, but it's more than that: Newport weaves in elements of suspense, intrigue, and humor in a way that had me turning pages late into the night. I enjoyed this well-paced debut. Lucy Banning is exactly the type of heroine I hope to find within the pages of any book, no matter the genre, and I'm looking forward to the next two novels in this series.

Olivia Newport's novels twist through time to discover where faith and passions meet. Her husband and two twentysomething children provide welcome distraction from the people stomping through her head on their way into her books. She chases joy in stunning Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, where daylilies grow as tall as she is.

Visit Olivia at her Web site.

(Thank you to Revell Publishing for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.)


So tell me, what criteria do you use for selecting the books you read? Have you read any great ones lately that you'd like to recommend?

Thursday spotlight

It's Thursday and time for Blog Me MAYbe's "May I tell you something about someone else?" day. Today I'm turning the spotlight on a woman who was a very early proponent of my writing career, my seventh grade writing teacher, Mrs. J.

Image courtesy of Steve Woods,
rgbstock.com

Mrs. J taught a required creative writing course in a tiny, triangle-shaped classroom wedged into a corner of the school's second floor. I remember walking into that classroom on the first day and noticing how cramped it was, how all the desks were pushed so tightly together, how warm it seemed... Even so, I couldn't wait for the class to begin! Most of the kids didn't want to be there, but I knew from the moment Mrs. J explained what the class was about that I would look forward to it every day. And I did.

As the semester went on, my friends would complain (loudly!) about the assignments--to write stories based on the prompts Mrs. J gave us--but I thought they were fun and not that difficult. After all, all we had to do was tell tales, something I loved and had been doing since I was too young to write. The bonus was that more people would be reading them--not only my parents and Mrs. J but my classmates as well. I was excited to have a bigger audience, even though I knew many of the kids in the class couldn't have been less interested.

Mrs. J was great about writing encouraging comments on my stories, but she also noted areas where I could improve. I appreciated those critiques. I wanted to get better at telling stories, and her advice helped me to do so. During parent-teacher conferences that year, Mrs. J told my mom that she thought I had raw talent, and she urged my parents to support my writing, which they did and still do now, nearly thirty years later.

Near the end of the school year, Mrs. J, who was also the high school art teacher, chose to feature a portfolio of my stories in the school's art show. To my knowledge, that was the first time that writing had been included in the exhibit, and I can't describe how proud I was as people looking at the art would stop at my table and read my stories. Seeing people react to what I had written was a high like no other. That was the day I truly understood the power of words.

Even though I had been telling stories since I was a child, without Mrs. J, I don't know if I would have had the courage to continue. Oh, maybe I would have written a story here or there, perhaps a poem, probably this blog--but I don't know if I would still have the passion for it if it hadn't been for her encouragement and support. She was a magnificent teacher and mentor, and someday when (fingers crossed) I do make it in this business and find myself holding a book contract in my hands, I will make sure to dedicate my story to her.


So tell me, who was your first cheerleader, the person who really made you believe that you could do whatever you wanted to do in life?