Allison Larkin's Blog, page 2

Two Weeks! New Giveaway!

Two weeks left until the Gallery Books edition of The People We Keep is on-sale! I’ll send a custom soft enamel mayflower pin to 25 readers who email preorder receipts to info(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)allielarkinwrites.com. Winners will be selected using a random number generator. Hardcover, ebook, audiobook and Book of the Month receipts are all eligible. Thank you so much to everyone who entered the previous preorder giveaways! If you didn’t win the last one, your entry is automatically rolled over into this new giveaway. This giveaway closes on Monday, July 26th at midnight PST. Stay tuned for one more giveaway on July 27!

Preorder links here: http://bit.ly/PeopleWeKeep

THREE WEEKS UNTIL PUB DAY FOR THE PEOPLE WE KEEP! + A NEW PRE-ORDER SURPRISE!

Three weeks left until the Gallery Books edition of The People We Keep is on-sale! I’ll send a custom TPWK guitar pick to 25 readers who email preorder receipts to info(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)allielarkinwrites.com. (They’re also pretty handy as bookmarks). Winners will be selected using a random number generator. Hardcover, ebook, audiobook and Book of the Month receipts are all eligible. Thank you so much to everyone who entered the first preorder giveaways! If you didn’t win the last one, your entry is automatically rolled over into this new giveaway. This giveaway closes on Monday, July 19 and stay tuned for a new giveaway on July 20! Pre-order links here: http://bit.ly/PeopleWeKeep

3Ws – Reagan Pasternak

I owe Reagan a huge apology. I’ve been sitting on her 3Ws interview for awhile. At first because as the owner of an older dog, I couldn’t bear to think about dog loss. And then because losing Stella was so painful, I put it off a little longer. But I think Reagan has put her experience and empathy to great use in creating a journal that honors the great friendships we have with our pets and the grief we’re left to process when they’re gone. Thank you so much, Reagan, for your patience, and for sharing your kindness and insight with the world. ~Allie What do you create?

I have been a performer since I can remember. When I get to bring a character to life I’m in my happiest place. When I’m expressing that interpretation, whether it be on film or on stage, I feel that I’m communicating and connecting in the way I was meant to. More recently I created a book! An interactive guide about mourning our pets that have passed. It is part memoir, part journal and part keepsake — It was also born from my need to connect with people.

Why do you create?

I am pulled to constantly create with such an intense force that I find my body shuts down when I’m not accessing that creativity. It sounds dramatic but it’s actually 100% true. I create because I have to. It’s just who I am.

What do you consume?

I consume books! I pretty much never stop reading. I also consume carbs and a chilled glass of Rosé (keeping it real).

Links

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reaganjpasternak/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/griffinsheartbook/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ReaganPasternak

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griffinsheart

Website: https://www.griffinsheart.com

 

Four Weeks Until Pub Day for The People We Keep! + A New Pre-Order Surprise!

Four weeks left until the Gallery Books edition of The People We Keep is on-sale! I designed 25 different bookplates with personal photos or found images specifically related to the book, and I’ll sign and send one each to 25 readers who email preorder receipts to info(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)allielarkinwrites.com. I won’t print these designs again, so each bookplate will be one-of-a-kind! Winners will be selected using a random number generator. Hardcover, ebook, audiobook and Book of the Month receipts are all eligible. Thank you so much to everyone who entered the first preorder giveaway! If you didn’t win the last one, your entry is automatically rolled over into this new giveaway. This giveaway closes on Monday, July 12 and stay tuned for a new giveaway on July 13! You can pre-order the book through this link or wherever you buy books!

The People We Keep is a July Book of the Month!

So excited THE PEOPLE WE KEEP is a July pick from Book of the Month! And huge huge thanks to Rachel Bilson for choosing TPWK and sharing a beautiful write up of the book on the BOTM website. BOTM members can get a special edition of The People We Keep before publication day! And if you’re new to BOTM, there’s a code on the site to get your first book for $9.99!

 

Pre-Order Surprise!

There’s only SIX WEEKS until my new novel, The People We Keep, is published by Gallery Books!

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who is preordering my book! I’ll have some fun things for readers in the coming weeks, but I wanted to start with something special for writers.

I’m offering a free virtual workshop for ten writers on Thursday, July 22nd at 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific. We’ll be discussing character development and techniques you can use to get to know your imaginary manuscript friends.

This workshop is great for any level of writer, anyone who wants to start writing, or any reader who is curious to learn more about how characters are made.

To throw your hat in the ring, pre-order a copy of The People We Keep from your favorite bookstore and email the receipt to info(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)allielarkinwrites.com by midnight PST on July 5th. (You’ll have to be able to attend the workshop via Zoom at the scheduled date and time). I will pick ten workshop attendees using a random number generator. If you’re not chosen for the workshop, I’ll roll your entry into the next round of fun I have planned!

Thank you so much for all of your support. The friendship of other readers and writers is what kept me fighting for this book over the years. You mean the world to me.

 

Stella

Our dear friend Stella passed away yesterday. She was thirteen years, four months and seven days old. We were fortunate to be hers for more than twelve of those years.

She had degenerative myelopathy and spinal stenosis and we were told well over a year ago that she would rapidly begin to lose mobility. Stella did everything her way, including this. She had some back leg stiffness, but we were still walking a mile a day (on hills) until Friday morning when it all seemed to catch up with her at once. I am so sad, but also thankful that she got to be her full Stella-self right up to the end of her long life.

She was a master of being a friend. She was afraid of everything and (mostly) came around to doing it anyway. She never ever let her fears get in the way of being there when a friend needed her. She conquered her terror over cardboard boxes by eating one. She was goofy and sweet and weird and stubborn and herded us around like it was her job. Every walk we took was a mission to survey the neighborhood. She loved stuffed animals and was great at puzzles. She wore her heart on her face and I swear to you she had a droll sense of humor. She loved to dance to Rancid. She loved to bark at Jeremy like she was trying to tell him something. I could speak to her in full sentences and she picked out the words she needed. When she lost her hearing, she seemed to know how to read lips or expressions. I couldn’t wear sunglasses around her because she always wanted to see my eyes, and she picked up on everything I felt.

It is a powerful thing to be witnessed so intensely. She followed me around the house all day, every day, and since I work from home, I spent more time with my friend Stella than I have with any other being. It was an absolute blessing and a privilege to be her friend. I am a better person for it. We loved her fiercely and she made certain we always knew she loved us that way too. She was always on alert, ready to save us if we needed it, determined to keep us from getting lost. She had the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. What luck we’ve had to be her people! What a gorgeous time we spent together!

I miss her so much.

A Few Hours Left! Goodreads Giveaway!

There's still a few hours left to enter to win one of 50 Advance Reader Copies of my new novel, THE PEOPLE WE KEEP!

You can enter here:

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

"This book is for everyone who has known or has been the tough and troubled outsider in search of their place and their people. It's a story so true and tender-hearted that I want to wrap it in a hug and buy it some soup. Read it! You'll be so glad you did." —Therese Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald and A Well-Behaved Woman

Goodreads Giveaway for my new novel, THE PEOPLE WE KEEP!

I’m thrilled to tell you that my publisher, Gallery Books, is giving away 50 advance reader copies of my new novel, THE PEOPLE WE KEEP on Goodreads!You can enter here, or you can find the giveaway by searching for Allison Larkin or THE PEOPLE WE KEEP on Goodreads. I hope you’ll enter! I hope you win! I hope you enjoy this book. I’ve been working on it since before I finished STAY and these characters feel like they come from every piece of my heart. I’m so excited to share them with you.

Goodreads Giveaway for THE PEOPLE WE KEEP!

I’m thrilled to tell you that my publisher, Gallery Books, is giving away 50 advance reader copies of my new novel, THE PEOPLE WE KEEP on Goodreads! There’s a link below, or you can find the giveaway by searching for Allison Larkin or THE PEOPLE WE KEEP on Goodreads. I hope you’ll enter! I hope you win! I hope you enjoy this book. I’ve been working on it since before I finished STAY and these characters feel like they come from every piece of my heart. I’m so excited to share them with you.


https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...