Guest Post and 2 book Giveaway: Robyn Carr

I am so thrilled to welcome Robyn Carr to Pudgy Penguin Perusals today. She is one of my favorite authors and I know she has a multitude of fans so this will be a big treat for us all.

Several months ago, I was privileged to review two of Robyn's books; Angel's Peak and Forbidden Falls. The two books Robyn is so generously giving away are stand alone novels: The House on Olive Street and A Summer in Sonoma. Let's see what Robyn has to share with us and then we'll get to the giveaway details.

By Robyn Carr

"If you enjoyed The Virgin River Series, then you know my not so secret passion - to follow a community rather than just a person or a couple. And what is community, really? Not a place or even a group, but a collection of relationships that intersect, intertwine, grow and ultimately embrace each other. I particularly enjoy looking closely at women - women like me, like you, like your sister and mother and daughter, like your crazy next door neighbor, your difficult boss. I'm interested in what bonds them, what feeds their hearts and souls, what threatens to tear them apart, whether within themselves or from each other.

To that end, I'd like to introduce you to a couple of new books that share the community of girlfriends, their relationships with each other,their families, their lovers, their struggles and their triumphs.

The first went on sale May 25th. The House On Olive Street, a 1999 reissue, is about a group of five women writers who range in age from thirty-five to fifty-five. They've shared the creative bond for years when one of their number dies, leaving behind a request that her surviving friends take on the task of sorting through her posthumous papers. Each one of them has her own secret burdens to carry - Sable, a fame that has come at an enormous price; Elly, trapped in a lonely academia; Barbara Ann, surrounded by a family of sloppy, inconsiderate men and a writing career that appears to be failing; Beth, a mystery writer whose only way to fight back against the tyranny of an abusive spouse is to kill off characters in her books. But when these women begin to study what their departed friend has left behind, they find a stunning work in progress, something they never knew existed. It's in the house on Olive Street, where they spend the summer finishing that brilliant work, that they make individual discoveries of their own, unlocking each personal passion and finding, in the end, true value, self-worth, love and friendships that will last beyond a lifetime.

Next, on sale on June 29th, a new women's fiction, A Summer In Sonoma. In this story four friends since junior high are perched on the brink of turning thirty - and for each it is a watershed year. Cassie has sworn off men after yet another disastrous date, but doesn't know quite what to do about her deepening friendship with Walt, a scruffy, tattooed biker; Julie married her high school sweetheart, the love of the century, but three kids and too many bills later is wondering if love will be enough to get them through; Marty's firefighter husband has forgotten what romance is right at the time her first love reappears and tempts her; andBeth, a physician trapped in a body that keeps betraying her, might have found the perfect doctor to save her life, and rescue her heart. These four women find that one summer of leaning on each other can bring everything into focus for them because sometimes best friends make the best therapists.

I love reading and writing books that force the characters to resolve really big issues and come to some point of self-awareness and a satisfying conclusion. I'm fascinated by the insights people have and find myself asking people I've barely met how they met their spouse, who is their best friend, are they close with their family, who are they most likely to turn to in times of turmoil. In both of these coming books the women are facing issues that seriously challenge their happiness and peace of mind and find their answers through strong relationships and through reaching deeply within themselves for the break through they need.

I want my reader to feel better at the end of the book than they did before they picked it up. My goal is that when the last page is turned, the reader feels like she just spent some quality time with close, trusted friends."

Thank you so much, Robyn, it has truly been a pleasure having you visit with us. These two books sound absolutely wonderful!

To enter this drawing you must be a verifiable follower of P.P.P and have a US or Canada mailing address.

As always, please be sure to leave an e mail address in your comment.

+ 3 Bonus entries can be earned by posting a link to the drawing (sidebar is fine) or tweeting. Either way, leave me a link please in your comment box.

Deadline is June 12th at 5 P.M. EST

Good luck!

To read more about Robyn and her books, you can find her website here.