My ARCs are in! Want one?

I was so happy to receive from Tyndale the Advance Reader Copies for my upcoming novel, Bees in the Butterfly Garden! The box arrived over the weekend, so I spent a couple of days floating on that happy-cloud that comes with having a dream come true. This is technically my twelfth book (counting three seculars from many years ago). I must admit seeing a story in print form that came purely from my imagination is, and I suspect always will be, an exciting moment. Especially when the covers are so lovely!

Bees in the Butterfly Garden is my most escapist book so far. Not that all of them haven't provided some form of that, but this one especially so. I guess because I laughed more with this book. Not that anyone else will—it's not really meant to be comedic. I laughed because of all my books, this puzzle-plot was not only the lightest, it was probably the most intricate. When each piece fit with another (even the little ones) I laughed right out loud nearly every time—particularly toward the end.

Here is the back cover blurb:

Raised in an exclusive boarding school among Fifth Avenue's finest, Meg Davenport has all she's ever needed . . . but none of the things she's wanted most—like family or dreams of a future that include anything other than finding a suitable husband. So when her distant father dies, she seizes the chance to throw etiquette aside and do as she pleases. Especially when she learns that John Davenport wasn't the wealthy businessman she thought, but one of the Gilded Age's most talented thieves.

Poised to lead those who were loyal to Meg's father, Ian Maguire knows the last thing his mentor would have wanted is for his beloved daughter to follow in his footsteps. Yet Meg is determined, and her connections to one of New York's wealthiest families could help Ian pull off his biggest heist yet. But are they both in over their heads? And in trying to gain everything, will they end up losing it all?

So there you have the gist of the story, and perhaps a peek into why it's a light, escapist story. In contrast, my book club selection this month is kind of a downer; it's a collection of one novella and several short stories. One story is just as nightmarish as the others (thus, the subheading ". . . and other nightmares"). While the stories are imaginative and emotionally evocative, I'm not finding this kind of escape to be very refreshing. That's likely why I don't write stories about murder and kidnapping and torture!

I don't know about you, but I prefer a happy escape—especially these days when the news on television is mostly bad, politics are more negative than ever, prices are going up as investment values are going down—and that doesn't even cover personal reasons to escape! Admittedly, I have a wonderful life. A great husband and three children who are easy to love and who love me in return (most days anyway). But with a wedding on the horizon and the hustle and bustle that comes with that (fun yet sometimes stressful), with my youngest son going to high school next year (and we all know when I turn around he'll be headed off to college!) not to mention all of the regular challenges that come with my lovable but challenging handicapped child, I need an escape! Regularly. That's what reading, and writing, provide for me.

What about you?

Tell me, briefly, why you love to escape into a book, or what kind of book provides your favorite escape. Leave a comment at the end of this blog posting, either here on my blog, on Goodreads, or on either one of my Facebook pages. At the end of the week (Sunday night, Feb 26th) I'll draw four random names, each to receive one of my Advanced Reader Copies. No obligation to buy anything, no strings attached. You don't even have to promise a review, I just want you to enjoy it. Make sure you let me know how to contact you privately via e-mail so I can ask how to mail the book to you. In the name of equal effort, only real comments will be included, so "Likes" on Facebook or Goodreads won't count. :-)

I hope your week ahead permits some time for a reading escape!