Sara J. Henry's Blog, page 10

Why I Love to Hear from Readers

Because I get emails like this:

After being assigned to read a mystery/detection novel for my English class I chose Learning to Swim. I thought the assignment would take a long time because for a freshman in high school 300 pages is a lot! But I was proved wrong because I wasn't able to put the book down and was always wondering what happened next! I finished the book in 2 days, now all that's left of the project is to write a book review which will say nothing but good things! Thank you for...

What a Lovely Christmas Gift for Me (Yes, That's My Book Mentioned in the NY Times)

In today's New York Times Book Review section - there I am. Or there's my paperback. Last mentioned, but there it is.

LEARNING TO SWIM, by Sara J. Henry (Broadway, $15.) In Henry's tense first novel, a young woman rescues a boy from the waters of Lake Champlain, only to see her unruffled life abruptly give way to an unfamiliar world of wealth, privilege and danger. - from Paperback Row, New York Times, by Ihsan Taylor

And there's my book, on the Emerging Author shelf at Target:





Mine...

Oh, This is Way Way Cool

Just noticed Sarah Weinman's list of Crime Novel Favorites of Mine in 2011 - and there I was. OK, there my book was. On a list with some amazing writers, including Sara Gran, who now shares an agent with me.

Sara J. Henry, LEARNING TO SWIM (Crown) — My doppelganger (long story, see here) wrote a book that, when I got the galley at my old UPS drop, I went to a park around the corner, started reading a few pages and the next thing I knew I was 100 pages in and was done not too long after...

And Today is Paperback Launch Day

So the paperback of Learning to Swim comes out today, and you can find it at $15 or less, at bookstores (call ahead first), Target, and of course Amazon. At Target it will be on the Emerging Authors shelf - along with books from my friends Meg Waite Clayton (The Four Ms. Bradwells) and Jael McHenry (The Kitchen Daughter). If you're looking for holiday gifts, you can't go wrong here.



There's something wonderfully lovely about the fact that my first novel ends up on a shelf with one by Meg, w...

Such Good News It Took Me a Day to Post

This was such good news I couldn't even post it yesterday. I was flabbergasted to find my novel on the Boston Globe's best crime books of the year list, in the company of some amazing writers, including my friend Taylor Stevens, also from Crown (THE INFORMATIONIST). Here's what reviewer Hallie Ephron wrote:

"Learning to Swim'' by Sara J. Henry (Crown)

A single woman dives headlong from a ferry into Lake Champlain to rescue a child, and then must figure out what to do with him. Compulsively...

What You Could Do For Me

You don't of course, need to do anything for me. But if you have the slightest inclination ...



The paperback edition of Learning to Swim will be in stores Dec. 20. Many different things determine the success of a book, whether a series continues, if an author is lucky enough to continue having books published. I've heard from a lot of people who have found my book at their public library and enjoyed it, and I'm hoping some of them will want a copy once it's in paperback.



Suffice it to say...

Apparently, I've Married Mr. Holt without Realizing It

Because suddenly I've become Sara J. Holt.

Her life is made very nicely on the head

This is the Google Translate version of my interview on my German publisher's website (which they translated from English into German), and it amuses me greatly. (Apparently, I am very easily amused, but this makes me laugh out loud ... every time I read it.)

How would 'A heart beat to death' [German title of Learning to Swim] described in three lines?



The very brief description: A woman rescues a baby from then on, her life is made very nicely on the head.



But in three lines: A single...

No, Adobe Doesn't Generally Call Me 'Dear'

Guess this spammer hasn't figured out normal modes of addressing customers, and that Adobe (although I'm fond of them) does not call me Dear.



Hello Dear,

Adobe is pleased to announce new version upgrades for Adobe Acrobat Reader
Advanced features include:

- Collaborate across borders
- Create rich, polished PDF files from any application that prints
- Ensure visual fidelity
- Encrypt and share PDF files more securely
- Use the standard for document archival and exchange

To upgrade and...

Do NOT Click - It's Not Really From Facebook

Here's the thing - this email looks real, as if it's a genuine Facebook notification. And it's clever - because your first instinct is to click on the comment to see why this person is dissing you. But if you run your cursor over the link - without clicking - you'll see that the URL (web address) it leads to ain't a Facebook one. (This is how accounts get hacked, folks - sites can install viruses or steal your email address book or your stored passwords.) Just never, ever click on something w...