13 Reasons Why You Should Read Clover Blue

At first glance this photo looks like most any author talking up her new book on a tour of multiple radio shows, media interviews, bookstore signings and library events. She's trying not to look tired, despite having flown in from across the country late the night before and getting up on her west coast body clock's 4:00 AM to drive almost an hour for a ten minute segment on local public radio. The truth is she's exhausted, and yet she'd do it again. And again and again and again. Not because it will sell tons of books (although she hopes so) or because she enjoys being in the limelight (soft light, maybe) or even because it makes her publisher happy. The reason she invests so much time, energy, and, yes, her own money, into promoting her book is because she prays this new novel finds a home within the heart of a hungry reader. After all, she spent the last two years creating a patchwork of diverse characters, building their unique outdoor world, and weaving a story about a free-spirited tribe of seekers who reject cultural norms in order to live in nature and follow what they call The Peaceful Way.

On my way back to California from Michigan last week, I had a freak-out moment. With so many fabulous books releasing every single day, why should readers choose my book? I started doubting myself, all the time I'd spent crafting this story and how it might slip through the cracks along with all the other wonderful books that never make it from the store shelves into readers' hands. Why on earth did I quit my job? How would I survive financially and emotionally if the book failed? Who was I kidding, thinking people would want to read about a bunch of hippies in a 1970s commune instead of a thriller or a sizzling romance or a People magazine? 

And then something wonderful happened. The passenger next to me closed her paperback, so I offered her one of my bookmarks. This led to a conversation about books, and that led to us exchanging tidbits about our lives. She shared memories of her time spent in Borneo with the orangutans, including the time when one named "Princess" stole a canoe and hand-paddled her baby to the other side of the river toward a fruit-laden tree. We chatted for over two hours, exchanging stories and eventually, emails. By the time the plane landed in Denver this woman and I were no longer strangers. I promised to watch the orangutan documentary she'd recommended. She said she was headed straight to Tattered Cover to pre-order Clover Blue. Much like the lilting movements of the airplane, my emotions had swung up and down and back up again. 

It was nearly midnight when my last plane finally touched down in San Luis Obispo. I thought about my new friend driving through several inches of fresh snow to her cabin in the mountains over Denver. I couldn't help but smile, remembering some of the outrageous adventures she'd shared. I suddenly felt like Princess the orangutan, that I'd courageously paddled my way across this river of uncertainty to reach the fruit, my nascent novel in tow.

As I rolled my suitcase toward the parking lot,  it occurred to me that people don't buy books, they buy experiences. A story is an opportunity to escape into other worlds where we might recognize ourselves and others within the pages. Reading allows us to ponder the character's choices and connect with the emotions they feel. A good book takes us through hope, fear, sadness and joy via tragedy and triumph, just like in our own lives. My greatest success as an author is not determined by sales numbers, but by the number of people who are moved by the experience of reading my stories. 

I grew up in a preacher's home where we were raised to be modest and humble. Tooting your own horn was considered boastful. But we creatives need to start owning our talents. I wrote a damn good book and I'm really proud of it. Over the past few months I've slowly introduced the characters in Clover Blue here in this blog.  I wanted you to recognize your young selves in their youthful, idealistic ambitions. I hoped you'd begin to care about what happens to them. And now I'm asking you to take a chance on this story, their stories, with an assurance that your reading experience will be worth the cover price, about the same as a movie ticket and snacks.

I promised thirteen reasons why you should read Clover Blue. They are Goji, Willow, Wave, Jade, Coyote, Rain, Doobie, Gaia, Sirona, Harmony, Moon, Aura and Blue. A guru, a yogi, a surfer, beekeeper, an army deserter, a runaway teen, a pothead. a deadhead, a midwife, a friend, a son, a daughter, and a boy searching for his place among them. And here's a couple more reasons. If you pre-order the book from Amazon or your favorite Indie Bookstore,  I'll email you the link to a themed Clover Blue Playlist with over 120 song titles and send you a signed bookplate for your book, along with my deepest gratitude.

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Don't miss my Facebook Clover Blue Online Release Party! You could win a signed book, a Kindle PaperWhite, or one of several fun prizes! And if you're local, I'll be at Barnes & Noble in San Luis Obispo this Saturday, June 1 at 2:00 PM. 

AND...I hope to see you on my West Coast Summer Book Tour!

Meet Coyote: The Loner, The Lover, The Leaver

The wolf pack will die when scattered by man, lonesome coyote survives. --El Coyote, Kris Kristofferson

Of all the characters within the pages of my forthcoming novel CLOVER BLUE, Coyote was the most unknown to me. Usually when I start a book, I acquaint myself with each person, learn their history, let them tell me their story so I can tell it to you. In Coyote's case, his story was more of a quiet reveal as I got to know him through his actions. This is partly because he's a man of few words, and usually only speaks when he has something worth saying. 

Because of this, the best way to introduce Coyote is to share some excerpts that might offer a few clues about this father, protector, army deserter, and loyal friend. In the following scene, young Clover Blue shares his thoughts in the midst of a powerful storm lashing outside their tree house shelter:

Coyote’s hammock hangs empty across from my bed. He’s an insomniac and often disappears on walks at night. On nights like this, you’d think he’d want to take shelter in the tree house, but Coyote loves storms. Nobody knows where he goes but he usually comes back long after I’m asleep.

Coyote is also a beloved father. His daughter Aura makes her appearance within the first few pages of the book during a home birth with his loving partner, Jade. Aura calls him Yo-Yi. Here's glimpse of Coyote and two-year-old Aura at Saffron Freedom Community.

Aura runs behind Coyote carrying a basket of wild berries in her chubby arms. She follows him everywhere. Half the time Coyote has Aura’s little legs curled around his neck as he moves around the compound with her on his shoulders. She hangs on to his dreadlocks like reins, leaning this way and that as if they’re two heads on one body. Coyote often has bits of food in his hair from her munching on apples or carrots while she floats around on his shoulders.

Blue often seeks  answers to his many questions from his older brother and confidant. In one of the most telling scenes from the book, Clover Blue wonders about Coyote's motivations for leaving boot camp and fleeing to the commune:

“I was just wondering if you ever wish you didn’t go AWOL. I mean wouldn’t it have been easier to just do your stint and be done? Or turn yourself in and take the punishment now that the Vietnam war is over?”

Coyote lets the truck door gently swing back closed. He looks me up and down while he chews a little on his lower lip. “You know we live in a bubble here, right? Things are crazy different out there in the real world. They sent all the brothers to Nam, put ’em on the front lines. Most of them came home in body bags. My ‘stint,’ as you call it, meant I’d have to kill people, you realize that?”

 “It was a stupid question.”

“No, it’s not. You need to know this. That war was for the military industry. Most are. But the war against the black man is far from over. What they most want to take away from us is our dignity and our freedom.”

Finally, Coyote is also quietly compassionate, as revealed by newcomer Rain:

“My first day here, everything was so, I don’t know, different. I was scared. Coyote sat here on the other side of me. My hand was shaking so bad the food kept falling off the fork. He put his hand over mine and held it. He said, ‘It’s cool, sister. Everyone here is your friend.’ His words calmed me down. I’ll never forget that.”

To be frank, as a white woman who grew up in the Midwest, creating a believable character like Coyote, a black man from Oakland, CA, was challenging. But it also presented a unique opportunity to underscore the issues of the day, and give voice to the disparity in African American military recruits who were sent to the front lines, and the unrelenting bigotry they endured. I don't for a minute profess to know what it would be like to walk in Coyote's shoes, but I hope that I've imprinted the reader's heart with one man's indelible footprints.

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Only 39 days until the release of CLOVER BLUE. I hope you'll pre-order your copy today, currently 34% off the cover price! 

And don't forget, my debut novel This I Know will be out in paperback on April 30. 

Finding Harmony: Every Protagonist Needs a Best Friend

Your heart and my heart are very good friends. --Rumi

We've all had that one friend. She's more daring than you. She laughs loudly at her own jokes and doesn't hesitate to make you the butt of some of them. She's a little bit wild or maybe a lot wild and she often makes you uncomfortable but you secretly admire her temerity. Above all she's that fiercely loyal friend that champions your successes and mourns your losses. She would probably go to jail for you, if not lay down her life.

Today we'd call that person our BFF but Clover Blue simply calls her Harmony, the one person who understands him better than anyone else at Saffron Freedom Community. Harmony was just  five, the same age as Blue, when she and her mother, Gaia moved to SFC in the fall of 1969. Here's how he describes their arrival in my forthcoming novel, CLOVER BLUE.

I remember Harmony running out from behind her mother’s legs to give me a hug. Unlike me, she was used to being around strangers. She grabbed my hand and said, “Let’s go play!” so I took her to see our new chickens. She wasn’t the least bit afraid. She cornered one of the hens, picked it up, and kissed it. “I love you!” she said, and squeezed the squawking bird before letting it go and chasing after the next one. From that day on I’ve spent as much time as possible trying to absorb her courage, her bright fire. 

I loved writing this character, the charming foil to my earnest protagonist's more staid and careful personality. She's an artist who carries her sketchpad everywhere. She pushes Blue, often to the brink of embarrassment, possibly terror, as she romps wildly through the pages of Blue's life. Although all "Youngers" in the commune are considered siblings and the rivalry between Blue and Harmony is apparent, they forge a friendship that goes beyond family, a bond so closely interwoven that each feels lost without the other. When Harmony runs off in a fit a anger, it's Blue who always knows where to find her.

When nobody’s paying attention, I slip behind the outhouse and over the hill and race toward the woods. Just inside the cover of trees, I hook a quick right along the edge to our secret deer path. I follow it to a wooden bridge that Harmony and I made from a fallen log, and cross the creek. I stop when I get to the hollowed-out trunk. It used to be big enough for us both to curl up inside together and tell stories. I drop to my knees and poke my head inside. Sure enough, there she is, looking as mean and stubborn as that rooster we had for a while before it got eaten by a bobcat.

Blue knows that Harmony's roughshod rebelliousness and unpredictable temper is an attempt to hide the pain she feels after Gaia abandons her. Harmony is just eight years old when her mother leaves for a Grateful Dead concert and doesn't return. Blue understands all too well what it's like not knowing where one's mother is, as he's never been told who his biological parents are. With the urging of his fearless best friend, Harmony, he's finally able to risk everything in his quest for truth.

What about you? Do you have a fiercely loyal friend like Harmony who is the fire to your water, the woo-hoo to your uh-oh? Give them a shout out here, or on my Facebook author page where I've linked this post. I'll be drawing a name for two decks of CLOVER BLUE playing cards, one each for you and your friend.

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I'm blogging about the characters leading up to the release of CLOVER BLUE, now available for pre-order online or better yet, pre-order from your local bookstore! Be sure to follow my blog by clicking on the link in the upper right column to be notified of new content and future giveaways!