Keeping Up with Daisy
My novel Daisy officially launched on October 18 with the release of the hardcover version (digital and audio versions were already available), and I’ve been doing a lot of “extroverting” to promote it, thanks to my publisher’s publicist, who’s booked me on numerous radio programs and podcasts (shout out to Javier Perez at Page-Turner Literary Publicity).
I enjoy talking about writing, about Daisy, about themes in it relating to women’s empowerment, but as I expressed in this Publishers Weekly piece, “I veer between wanting to sing the song of my stories and wanting to sit quietly in my home without saying a peep about them, hoping somehow the world discovers them.”
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The weeks surrounding Daisy‘s launch, I’m definitely singing its song far and wide. So far, I’ve appeared on Patricia Raskin’s program “Positive Living” — you can find the interview here — and on a public radio station in Salisbury, MD (interview hasn’t been posted yet), programs in Fairfield, CT and Kingston, NY, and I’ll be doing interviews on radio programs in Ohio, New York, Minnesota, Virginia, and Kansas very soon.
I’ve done interviews at websites, too, including Fresh Fiction, Deborah Kalb’s book blog, and at Books By Women.
These are on top of a book signing at my local Barnes and Noble here in Lancaster, PA and an upcoming talk at Lancaster Public Library.
It’s been both fun and nerve-wracking, and I’m getting to the point where I’m really looking forward to sitting quietly in my home just writing and editing.
All writers hold their breath, at least a little, waiting for reviews, and I’ve been more than happy that Daisy has been getting some good ones, even great ones. Here are some clips:
“The author writes with a poised composure that reads like a continuation of Fitzgerald’s prose…(and) reconstructs a timeless American novel by adding compassion to Fitzgerald’s superficial relationships…A delightful portrayal of a female character claiming the story as her own, repossessing her own voice.” Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize Contest “Sternberg tells Daisy’s side of the story with signature Fitzgeraldian banter and adds to the source material by imagining what happens off the page during the original tale’s events…Sternberg’s take on the classic is original and charming.” Booklist “Based on the classic Fitzgerald characters, but assuming a life of its own, Daisy is an exceptional example of a sequel to a classic story. It should be profiled alongside Gatsby as a fitting and memorable adjunct to that tale…While it deserves its own limelight in libraries profiling women’s fiction, literature and experiences, Daisy is at its best when read along with The Great Gatsby. Its complimentary and alternative views of those lives and times make it recommended for classroom assignment and book club reading where Gatsby is of special interest and women of the times the focus.” D. Donovan, senior reviewer, Midwest Book Review “You don’t have to read the original or be acquainted with Fitzgerald to appreciate this novel for its own sake, with its tight writing, crisp dialogue, and a protagonist with brains, poise, and boldness. Sternberg has created a delicious story, ambitious in scope and absorbing.” Norm Goldman, BookPleasures.com “Must Read. Stunning and beautifully crafted, Daisy is both a love letter to Fitzgerald’s original and a fresh and enriching take on the classic… I love this book. It manages to capture the tone and style of Fitzgerald while carving out a deep and rich story of its own.” Five stars. Maia Keeley, Reedsy Discovery. “A fresh take on the Fitzgerald classic, Daisy is an enchanting story with a few new twists…” One Book MoreThanks to all who’ve read my book so far, and especially to those who’ve posted reviews!
You can find Daisy here:
