Thank you all for following along in my Behind the Scenes series, where I am so excited to introduce you to the very important people who have been so instrumental to the success of my books. Be sure to read my interview with my editor

Yesterday, my literary agent called to share some incredibly exciting news: I sold foreign rights to The Violets of March, and my third novel, Blackberry Winter, (to be published by Penguin/Plume on September 27, 2012) to a major publisher in Italy! There was so much

So fun, right? Thank you Marie Claire! (A little known fact: Marie Claire was the first magazine to give me my first big assignment when I was starting out as a freelance writer years ago! That started a career in magazines (and now books!) that

If you're looking for a special gift for your mom, grandma, best friend, favorite aunt, yoga teacher, favorite hairstylist, babysitter---or other special gal in your life!---consider picking up a copy of The Violets of March (I'd be so thrilled!). Let me know, and I'll send

It's hard to take yourself seriously when you have kids. For example, I spend a lot of time on the floor with kids and babies crawling all over me. Here I am with 9-month-old Colby in the kitchen. (Photo taken by the lovely Jane Lee.)

Hello lovely readers! The Bungalow is out in less than a month (4 weeks and a day!), and because I'm so excited, I'm giving away one **signed** copy to someone here this week. Leave a comment below to enter. And, if you tweet the link

I'm so thrilled to announce that The Violets of March was chosen as a Best Book of 2011 by the prestigious Library Journal! I share the award with the fantastic authors Jennifer Weiner, Elin Hilderbrand, Claire Cook, Erica Bauermeister, Jennifer Close, Mary Kay Andrews, and

The Bungalow will be released in a little more than a month (can you hear my heart racing with excitement and anticipation all the way over here in Seattle?!), and the early reviews are starting to pour in. Each day I race to my computer

What do you think? Thanks to Keith Bubach for the fabulous production work!

I live in Seattle, and I love it here (most of the time). I'm a sweater and big-mug-of-coffee kind of girl, so this city suits me, and I really don't mind the rain (except ask me how I feel about gray skies in June!). Anywho,