Blog and Photos

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=25% BGCOLOR="#FFCC80" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="1328e8e3.jpg"> <div> Click below for blog archives.</div> <div> <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2007"><U>2007</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2006"><U>2006</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2005"><U>2005</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2004"><U>2004</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="2003"><U>2003</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FF9900" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="13800c82dwnjbj.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#336699" FACE="Arial" ><B>ClaireCook.com      </B></FONT> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#3366FF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>   |  <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#990000" FACE="Arial" ><B>  </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ClaireCook.com "><U><B>home</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <B>Blog and Photos</B><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SUMMER BLOWOUT GIVEAWAY"><U><B>SUMMER BLOWOUT GIVEAWAY</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events"><U><B>Events</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Novels"><U><B>Novels</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Stay in the Loop"><U><B>Stay in the Loop</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aspiring Writers"><U><B>Aspiring Writers</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="QA with Claire"><U><B>Q&A with Claire</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="For Book Clubs"><U><B>For Book Clubs</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Buy Books"><U><B>Buy Books</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Claire"><U><B>About Claire</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Translations"><U><B>Translations</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Voice Books"><U><B>Voice Books</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Info"><U><B>Contact Info</B></U></A></div> <div> Blog and Photos</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="4355e070.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="263" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="10" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Saturday, July 12, 2008 @ 8:52 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Boyohboy, do my readers like free stuff! I can barely keep up with the entries for my Summer Blowout giveaway. If you haven't gotten around to it yet, here's the <A HREF="id38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SUMMER BLOWOUT GIVEAWAY"><U>link</U></A>.</div> <bR> <div> Hope you're enjoying the summer. I'm heading out to my garden to catch up on all the weeds that were growing while I was on book tour.</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Wednesday, July 9, 2008 @ 12:44 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> A huge thank you to Brenda Klaassen of <A HREF="http://prairiemoonbooks.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://prairiemoonbooks.com/"><U>Prairie Moon Books</U></A> in Sheldon, Iowa for the following <I>Summer Blowout</I> BookSense quote: </div> <bR> <div> "<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#333333" FACE="Verdana" >This book was a breath of fresh air. The overall feel of this book was breezy and light, but serious enough to hold my attention the whole way through. I enjoyed the beauty tips scattered throughout the story.”</FONT></div> <bR> <div> And many many many thanks to the readers who've been posting reviews at places like amazon.com, borders.com, goodreads.com, gather.com, etc. You're absolutely responsible for Summer Blowout taking off, and I appreciate all of you sooooooooo much. Just about every time I check my email, I find a nice note like this:</div> <bR> <div> Hi Claire:</div> <bR> <div> Just wanted to drop you a note to let you know that I wrote a review of</div> <div> your new book on the amazon website. Take a look!</div> <bR> <div> I met you at the Cape Cod Writer's Group Master Class last summer. I am</div> <div> nearing the end of writing my novel right now. So, I pulled out the</div> <div> voracious notes I took during the seminar to get me motivated to finish.</div> <div> One note rang loud and clear with me as I wrote it in all caps. I'm not</div> <div> sure if it was you or Tina that said it but the jist of it was that</div> <div> creative people are good at lots of things- that's me - always something</div> <div> to steal my attention away from writing, gardening, reading, sewing,</div> <div> genealogy, traveling, even working etc, etc, etc. But, in order to get</div> <div> really good at something, or even great, you have to focus - so say no</div> <div> to faux painting the den and designing the garden and FINISH THE BOOK!</div> <div> I'm working on it.</div> <bR> <div> Thanks a lot for your support and for writing such great, fresh, funny</div> <div> and entertaining books.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Saturday, July 5, 2008 @ 11:56 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Summer Blowout is a a Borders Shortlist pick! Click here to watch the interview! </B></I></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.bordersmedia.com/shows/adviceforliving/cook.asp" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.bordersmedia.com/shows/advice"><U><I><B><IMG SRC="431fb100.jpg" border=0 width="763" height="272" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></U></A></div> <bR> <div> Thanks to the South Jersey Mom monthly mag for making Summer Blowout their July book pick! </div> <bR> <div> "A scrumptious toss-in-your-tote summer beach read...a great book to sit back, relax and laugh with." - South Jersey Mom</div> <bR> <div> And let's not forget our dental hygienists! This review is from the Los Angeles Dental Hygienist Society's book review section. I love that they didn't miss a single reference to the mouth! I'm going to have to get a dental hygienist into my next novel, I think. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Summer Blowout</B>-- Claire Cook (wrote the book MUST LOVE DOGS which became a movie) (Hyperion ISBN 978-1-4013-2341-0) Yes, this one involves a dog, also. This is not a mystery. I got a kick out of some scenes where they do make-up for a bridal party and for the male senatorial candidates.</div> <bR> <div> Outside Boston Bella Shaughnessy's father Lucky, who is very Italian inspired, owns a small chair of beauty salons which have done better than his three marriages. The interesting thing is all ex-wives, except his first, and all his children work in the salons. Bella works as a stylist and beautician in one. They are always looking for ways to expand. She and her brother Mario participate at a college fair doing make-up. Beside their table is Sean Ryan's, a young entrepreneur. He is there handing out college applications kits for high school students. He gives Bella his card telling her if she ever wants to do a make-up kit, he would be happy to give her advice. Bella is off men since her stepsister Sophia is dating her ex-husband.</div> <bR> <div> Scale into the dental with: 1. “I opened my freezer next and grabbed a tube of Sephora Fresh Gloss, which had a clean, minty scent that worked well with my toothpaste.” 2. She has a salon opening next to “those dentists.” 3. At a fair, Bella felt she survived but it felt like “a cross between a circus and a root canal without the drugs.” 4. One lipstick’s name is My Chihuahua Bites. 5. According to Bella to keep excess lipstick from “landing on teeth, you just pop your index finger into your mouth and pull it out.” Don’t worry about the looks. –Other tidbits exist.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Monday, June 30, 2008 @ 10:12 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> A huge thanks to the wonderfully supportive Candy Hammond, journalist and friend, for this blog entry: <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://candyonthecape.blogspot.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://candyonthecape.blogspot.com/"><U><U>http://candyonthecape.blogspot.com/</U></U></A></FONT><A HREF="http://candyonthecape.blogspot.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://candyonthecape.blogspot.com/"><U> </U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Sunday, June 29, 2008 @ 9:01 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Just catching up on my reading. Carole Goldberg, The Hartford Courant's fabulous books editor, had some great advice in last week's Sunday paper. According to Carole, if you're looking for a way to save money on gas, stay home and read a good book! She also had this to say about <I>Summer Blowout </I>-- thanks, Carole!</div> <bR> <div> "Nobody does the easy-breezy beach book with a lighter hand than Claire Cook...In Summer Blowout...you soon find yourself on another of Cook's delightful tours of the funny side of big family life." </div> <bR> <div> Read the whole article at this link: <A HREF="http://www.courant.com/features/booksmags/hc-beachbooks0622.art0jun22,0,6825199.story" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.courant.com/features/booksmag"><U>http://www.courant.com/features/booksmags/hc-beachbooks0622.art0jun22,0,6825199.story</U></A>.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Saturday, June 28, 2008 @ 10:51 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Thanks so much to Kelli Davis for sending this photo and mentioning me in her blog: <A HREF="http://www.kellimustarddavis.blogspot.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.kellimustarddavis.blogspot.co"><U>http://www.kellimustarddavis.blogspot.com/</U></A>. It was so nice meeting Kelli and her adorable daughters, who did a great job helping me sign books!</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="42d40f00.jpg" border=0 width="320" height="240" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> If you're heading to Cape Cod, you'll find signed copies of Summer Blowout everywhere! I had so much fun visiting all my old bookseller friends this week, and it was great to see tourists and townies alike crowding into those bookstores! Here are the stops where I remembered to take pictures! (If I forgot at your store, just send me a photo of your Summer Blowout display, and I'd be happy to post it!)</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="41ec8960.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="420c8960.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="422c8960.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <A HREF="http://titcombsbookshop.com/events.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://titcombsbookshop.com/events.html"><U>Titcomb's Bookshop</U></A></div> <div> 432 Route 6A</div> <div> East Sandwich, MA 02537</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="426c8960.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="424c80b0.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="267" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <IMG SRC="428c8960.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Co-sponsor <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.wherethesidewalkends.booksense.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.wherethesidewalkends.booksens"><U><U>Oasis</U></U></A></FONT> left free makeup kits and discount coupons for anyone who buys a copy of Summer Blowout a<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >t </FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.wherethesidewalkends.booksense.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.wherethesidewalkends.booksens"><U>Where the Sidewalk Ends</U></A></div> <div> 432 Main St.</div> <div> Chatham, MA 02633</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="42ac8960.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="42cc8960.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <A HREF="http://armchairbookstore.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://armchairbookstore.com/NASApp/stor"><U>Armchair Bookstore</U></A></div> <div> 619 Main St. (6A)</div> <div> Dennis, MA 02638</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Monday, June 23, 2008 @ 9:30 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Click here to hear my conversation with Ellen Sherman on WBZ radio's</div> <div> <A HREF="http://wbz.com/pages/9223.php?contentType=34&contentId=387" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://wbz.com/pages/9223.php?contentTyp"><U>Women's Watch</U></A>. Thanks, Ellen!</div> <bR> <div> Woman's Day (July 8 issue, on stands now) has named Summer Blowout one of their 7 Juicy Reads for Summer. And how cool that it's sitting on top of the pack! Thanks, Woman's Day!</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="41c8b5e0.jpg" border=0 width="395" height="350" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> And the August issue of Complete Woman magazine has this to say:</div> <bR> <div> "From Claire Cook, the author of <I>Must Love Dogs, </I>comes this hilarious comic novel <I>Summer Blowout </I>(Hyperion). Bella Shaughnessy is a woman scorned. One of her sisters snagged the heart of her husband, and, to make matters worse, she and her sisters have to work together at their family's beauty salon, too. Bella begins to think all is lost until a new business venture--and handsome Irish man enter the picture. Complete with laughter, tears and even a dog-napping, this novel will have you flipping the pages until you've finished the book."</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Tuesday, June 17, 2008 @ 4:02 PM</B></I></div> <div> Some more event photos...</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div>  <IMG SRC="3f72cb90.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="185" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> </div> <div> <IMG SRC="3fc2ccd0.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="205" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>  <IMG SRC="41aaf0a0.jpg" border=0 width="175" height="266" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="406af070.jpg" border=0 width="175" height="263" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="4082ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="40a2ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="3fe2cc60.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="198" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="40e2ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> More pictures from Buttonwood Books & Toys/Pipeline Salon event author event can be viewed on the Buttonwood web site. Go to <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Georgia" ><A HREF="www.Buttonwoodbooks.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.Buttonwoodbooks.com"><U><U>www.Buttonwoodbooks.com</U></U></A></FONT>, click on the link on the left side of the page, "Claire Cook pictures" and then click on the link at the bottom of the column of pictures that reads "Buttonwood Books and Pipeline Salon welcome Claire Cook".</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Tuesday, June 17, 2008 @ 10:02 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> What a great job Jodi Feinberg did on this The <A HREF="http://www.patriotledger.com/entertainment/x379968738/Scituate-author-Claire-Cook-spins-a-fresh-tale-of-love-and-lipstick-in-latest-novel-Summer-Blowout" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.patriotledger.com/entertainme"><U>Patriot Ledger article</U></A>. Thanks, Jodi! And thanks to everyone she interviewed for their kind and generous quotes! And how about all those great color photos by Lisa Bul -- thanks, Lisa!</div> <bR> <div> And another great one by Lauren Beckham Falcone in the <A HREF="http://bostonherald.com/entertainment/books/view.bg?articleid=1099663" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://bostonherald.com/entertainment/bo"><U>Boston Herald</U></A>. Thanks, Lauren!</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Monday, June 9, 2008 @  9:24 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Just home from my Pipeline Salon/Buttonwood event. So much fun! Thank you Tanya, <A HREF="http://charlottephinney.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://charlottephinney.com"><U>Charlotte</U></A>, <A HREF="http://dianedillonphotography.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://dianedillonphotography.com"><U>Diane</U></A>, and everyone at <A HREF="http://pipelinesalon.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://pipelinesalon.com/"><U>Pipeline</U></A>, plus Betsey, Totsie, Katherine and everyone at <A HREF="http://buttonwoodbooks.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://buttonwoodbooks.com/"><U>Buttonwood Books & Toys</U></A>!</div> <bR> <div> <B>So nice of David Ogden to play at the Pipeline event. If you didn't get a chance to hear him, go to his </B><A HREF="http://davidogdenmusic.com/MUSIC.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://davidogdenmusic.com/MUSIC.html"><U><B>website</B></U></A><B> to listen to No Better Place.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="3cca0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="3cea0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="3d0a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="3d2a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="3d4a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="3d6a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="3d82ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> </div> <div>  <IMG SRC="3dec8960.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="3ddc8960.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <I><B>Sunday, June 8, 2008 @  8:30 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Just home from my <A HREF="http://charlesdavidsalon.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://charlesdavidsalon.com/"><U>Charles David Salon</U></A> event. What a blast! Thank you Donna, Buddy, David, Kathy, Carole, and everybody at Charles David Salon, plus Peg, Maureen, Kendra and everyone at <A HREF="http://fontstreetbookshop.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://fontstreetbookshop.com"><U>Front Street Bookshop</U></A>!</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="3b2a0d50.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="213" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="3b4a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="3b6a0d50.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="213" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="3b8a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="3baa0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="3bca0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="3bea0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="3c2a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="3c6a0780.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="120" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="3c8a0d50.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="213" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="3ca2ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Sunday, June 8, 2008 @  9:59 PM</B></I></div> <div>  </div> <div> A few photos from this week before I rush off to one of my two sure-to-be-amazing Summer Blowout salon events. </div> <bR> <div> And if you're near Freehold, NJ or Atlanta, please come see me later in the week! FYI, people who buy a copy of Summer Blowout will receive a great MORE gift bag containing a really nice gift-boxed red MORE notebook, latest issue of MORE magazine, an advance copy of an upcoming Voice book, a 10-pack of South Beach Living Tide Me Overs (?!), some lotion, coupons, etc. – all easily worth the cost of the book. (TIP: They’ve had a good supply at my other events, but just be sure to grab a book early to make sure you get a gift bag!) </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Click here for my <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events"><U><B>events schedule</B></U></A>!</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="3aac8960.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="3aec8960.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="3b0c8960.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Saturday, June 7, 2008 @  2:05 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Just back from week one of book tour, trying to catch up on everything and then head out again. Here's a start! Keep those photos coming!</div> <bR> <div> Hi Claire- Ok, so it's not a dog and technically it's a backpack, but for my daughter's sake, I thought I'd give it a shot because I know she'd get such a kick out of seeing her beloved kitten as a "star". This daughter by the way is the one that you had your escort watch at that "Books on the World" T.V. show on the Cape for which I am forever indebted to you. Congratulations on your new book! I can't wait to read it. Am hoping to stop in to say hi and bring my daughters to one of your signings on the Cape! Happy Summer! It sounds like a whirlwind! Martha Zschock (Journey Around... Books) </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="3a8c80b0.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="267" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Hi Claire, </div> <div> My wiggleworm dogs won't stay in a beachbag long enough for a picture :) But I attached these photos of Daisy and Lily anyway. </div> <div> I enjoy your books so much and am really looking forward to your newest. </div> <div> Have and wonderful summer and thank you for so many hours of reading enjoyment! </div> <div> Debby from Richmond, VA </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="3a6c8870.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="135" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Thursday, June 5, 2008 @  9:14 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> I spent yesterday riding around with author escort extraordinaire, Sally Carpenter, signing a zillion copies of Summer Blowout, so I'm just catching up on email. This from the photographer More Magazine sent to cover my Boston Borders Downtown Crossing event. Check out her website -- she's really good! Thanks, Tsar!</div> <bR> <div> Hello Claire, </div> <bR> <div> It was very nice meeting you yesterday evening at the Borders Bookstore in Boston. I was thinking you are such an inspiration, not only for people trying to find their passion, but also for middle-aged women looking to empower themselves. You are a role model!</div> <bR> <div> I look forward to reading your book.</div> <bR> <div> Best,</div> <bR> <div> Tsar</div> <div> Tsar Fedorsky</div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.tsarphoto.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.tsarphoto.com"><U><U>www.tsarphoto.com</U></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Wednesday, June 4, 2008 @  8:29 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> So much fun at the Borders taping last night! And thanks so much for this email, Kari. It was great to meet you, and you brought so many interesting things to the conversation. How lucky your middle school students are to have you!</div> <bR> <div> "Just wanted to say I attended the event last night at Borders and it was very fun! The best part was meeting Claire. I have loved her books so it was exciting to meet her but how great is it that she is SUPER friendly, never stops smiling, seems genuinely happy to be there and also seems to be interested in other people too!! Claire seemed like a really normal, down-to-earth, smart, warm and interesting woman and it was such a pleasure to meet her and get my book signed!" - Kari S. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Tuesday, June 3, 2008 @  8:15 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Happy birthday to SUMMER BLOWOUT! I can't believe it's finally publication day! And a busy one! I'm off to Borders Boston Downtown Crossing for the launch event, which is at 6 PM. It's going to be pretty exciting -- filmed by Borders media to go out to 23 million people via the Shortlist. Also, More Magazine will have a photographer there, plus a More editor, and More readers will ask questions. And then I'll get to hang out with everyone and sign some books! And when I get home, we'll continue the conversation at <A HREF="http://voice.gather.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://voice.gather.com"><U>voice.gather.com</U></A> -- so stop by and say hi!</div> <bR> <div> Thanks to Jennifer Vido at Jen's Jewels for picking Summer Blowout as one of her Top Five Must Reads! Thanks so much, Jen! <A HREF="http://jennifervido.com/newtopfive.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://jennifervido.com/newtopfive.html"><U>http://jennifervido.com/newtopfive.html</U></A></div> <bR> <div> I'm blogging over at The Lipstick Chronicles this morning, which seems appropriate since the heroine of Summer Blowout has a serious lipstick addiction. Check it out at <A HREF="http://thelipstickchronicles.typepad.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://thelipstickchronicles.typepad.com"><U>http://thelipstickchronicles.typepad.com/</U></A></div> <bR> <div> Thanks to Candy Hammond for mentioning Summer Blowout in her Cape Cod Times Column: <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U>http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080602/LIFE/806020304</U></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Monday, June 2, 2008 @  4:01 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> How great of Lorrie Lynch to mention Summer Blowout -- and the dog photos -- in the USA Weekend blog!</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://blogs.usaweekend.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://blogs.usaweekend.com/"><U>http://blogs.usaweekend.com/ </U></A> </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Monday, June 2, 2008 @  10:20 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I>Summer Blowout</I> comes out tomorrow, and the Russian rights just sold today! I'm told AST Publishers in Moscow is a wonderful house, and I'm thrilled and honored they'll be translating <I>Summer Blowout</I>. And I know they won't change the story, but I have to admit, I kind of like the idea of a family of faux-Italian Irish <I>Russian</I> hair salon owners!!</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Sunday, June 1, 2008 @  5:23 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Apparently, it's not as easy to get a dog in a beach bag as one would imagine! I'm hearing lots of reports from people who have attempted it without success. It was no go for Sirius, below, but thanks for trying, Totsie!</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="3a4c81f0.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="287" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Saturday, May 31, 2008 @  10:06 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> I'm getting reports that <I>Summer Blowout </I>is already in bookstores. YAY!!! So exciting. And I just posted some new content over at Gather -- so check out <A HREF="http://voice.gather.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://voice.gather.com"><U>voice.gather.com</U></A> when you get a chance! Have a great weekend, everybody. Mine will be spent trying to figure out what to pack for book tour -- always the biggest challenge! Sometimes it feels like it's easier to write a book than to figure out how to cram a week's worth of clothes into a carry-on!</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Wednesday, May 28, 2008 @  12:13 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Thanks to Wendy Rodewald at More.com for doing such a fab job on this interview. So nice to chat with you, Wendy!</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.more.com/lifestyle/arts/books/claire-cooks-summer-blowout/ " TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.more.com/lifestyle/arts/books"><U>http://www.more.com/lifestyle/arts/books/claire-cooks-summer-blowout/ </U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Wednesday, May 28, 2008 @  10:17 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> What a great <I>Summer Blowout </I>review from Susan Larson of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. I liked her so much when I met her at the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival, so I'm doubly thrilled she liked the book!</div> <bR> <div> <B>SUMMER BLOWOUT </B></div> <div> <I>By Claire Cook (Hyperion/Voice Books, $23.95)</I></div> <bR> <div>       The exuberant and charming Claire Cook (ask anyone who saw her at this spring's Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival) is one of the sassiest and funniest creators of contemporary women's fiction. Her third novel, "Summer Blowout," is every bit as much fun as "Must Love Dogs" and "Life's a Beach."</div> <div>  </div> <div>        Bella Shaughnessy is a makeup artist who belongs to a large and complicated family of salon-owning Irish, headed by a patriarch who is an Italiophile, thanks to his (first) honeymoon in Tuscany with Bella's mother. Two more marriages followed, along with many more children with Italian names; time passed and "Lucky Larry" Shaughnessy built a beauty empire along the Irish Riviera of Marshbury, Mass., although he sports an intervention-worthy Trumpesque comb-over. </div> <bR> <div>    When Bella's husband, Craig, has an affair with her half-sister Sophia, it makes for some tense Friday night staff meetings at the family business, especially since things are never simple in the Shaughnessy family anyway. So when an adorable man named Sean Ryan shows some interest in Bella, her first impulse is to run away. She's through with men. But this being a Claire Cook novel, the result is never in doubt. Bella will find some success on her terms, and Sean Ryan won't get far. </div> <bR> <div>     This entertaining romp is filled with hilarious insights into love and lipstick: Sometimes the makeup artist is a rock star; sometimes she's the maid, Bella instructs us. And sometimes she ends up as an unwilling baby sitter and dognapper. When a wedding party goes slightly crazy, Bella finds herself in what she thinks will be temporary custody of an adorable mutt, but taking a dog to the beach is just the thing for a weary soul (so is giving a dog highlights), and getting attached to a pup is sometimes easier than getting attached to a guy. </div> <bR> <bR> <div>      Reading "Summer Blowout" is the perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon. Claire Cook is always good company, whether she's cracking wise about politicians, the environment (consider the irony of power windows in a Prius), or Miley Cyrus. After a summer blowout, the special at Salon de Lucio, you'll feel refreshed and rejuvenated, just the way you feel after a really great haircut or finding that perfect lipstick. Make mine La Dolce Vita. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Thursday, May 22, 2008 @  11:45 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Here's my latest newsletter, hot off the virtual press. If yours didn't arrive, try adding newsletter@clairecook.com to your address book or safe senders' list. And if you're not signed up, click <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Stay in the Loop"><U>here </U></A>to stay in the loop!</div> <bR> <div> Summer Blowout Countdown!</div> <bR> <div> Hi Everybody!</div> <bR> <div> My new novel, <I>Summer Blowout</I>, will be in stores everywhere on June 3rd! </div> <div> Everyone's telling me how much they love that dog on the cover! (Go to ClaireCook.com if you haven't seen it!) Well, I bet YOUR dog looks just as cute in a beach bag. Bring a photo to me at one of my book tour events and I'll post it on my website. (Please don't bring the actual dog, or I will be in sooooo much trouble!) Or email me a photo at <A HREF="mailto:clairecooknewsletter@comcast.net" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:clairecooknewsletter@comcast.net"><U><U>clairecooknewsletter@comcast.net</U></U></A>. Just be sure to put DOG IN BEACHBAG in the subject line, so I don't accidentally delete it.</div> <bR> <div> I can't wait till you read it! And thanks so much for spreading the word to your friends - and hair stylists! Your support means so much. In fact, this novel is dedicated to my readers, because I totally know that without you, I wouldn't have the best job in the world!</div> <bR> <div> <I>Life's a Beach</I> is already out in paperback, complete with a book club guide, an author Q&A, and a teaser chapter of <I>Summer Blowout</I>. There's also a video - <I>Life's a Beach for Book Clubs!</I> I made it myself, and if you came out to see me on my <I>Life's a Beach</I> book tour last summer, you just might see yourself in there! Go to <A HREF="http://clairecook.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://clairecook.com/"><U><U>http://clairecook.com/</U></U></A> to watch it.</div> <bR> <div> I've just started teaching a FREE writing workshop at Gather.com, so if you're an aspiring writer, wondering what's next for you, or you just want to find out more about <I>Summer Blowout</I>, go to <A HREF="http://voice.gather.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://voice.gather.com/"><U><U>voice.gather.com</U></U></A> and join the group Getting Better All the Time. (Just skip over any personal info you don't want to share.) Invite me to be your friend! And spread the word! </div> <bR> <div> There are some amazing <I>Summer Blowout</I> events and workshops coming up, so if you're</div> <div> in Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey or Georgia, go to my events page to find out when I'll be in your neck of the woods: <A HREF="http://clairecook.com/id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://clairecook.com/id18.htm"><U><U>http://clairecook.com/id18.htm</U></U></A> Thanks so much for sending your friends and family to see me, too!</div> <bR> <div> And now…drum roll…the winner of the <I>Summer Blowout</I> book club advance copy and phone chat giveaway! A huge thanks to each and every book club who took the time to enter -- there were TONS of great entries from all over the country! It was a tough choice, and one I'm glad I didn't have to make, but The Women in Need of Botox Book Club from Glastonbury, Connecticut won! Their group had already read <I>Must Love Dogs</I> and <I>Life's a Beach</I>, and some of them attended my R.J.Julia book tour event last summer. They also have a history of hair issues - one of their members even had a bat try to nest in her hair last summer, and they have coined the phrase “bat hair” to describe their crazy summer humid hair! Congratulations, TWINOBBC!</div> <bR> <div> I hope the rest of you will take a field trip to a <I>Summer Blowout</I> event for some group fun! Girls' Night Out anyone?? Or, if you can't make it in person, your book club can go to this link to schedule a phone chat to discuss <I>Summer Blowout</I> or <I>Life's a Beach</I>: <A HREF="http://www.everywomansvoice.com/node/404" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.everywomansvoice.com/node/404"><U><U>http://www.everywomansvoice.com/node/404</U></U></A> </div> <bR> <div> Again, thanks so much for your continuing support. Hope to see you on book tour -- or online at voice.gather.com!</div> <bR> <div> xxxxx,</div> <div> Claire</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Wednesday, May 21, 2008 @  12:40 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Thanks to <A HREF="http://jennifervido.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://jennifervido.com"><U>Jen Vido</U></A> for this great review in Fresh Fiction!</div> <bR> <div> "Claire Cook is back again with what surely will be this summer's biggest hit. Her fifth novel delivers not only a hilarious read, but also divulges tricks of the trade make- up secrets that every girl will love! Without a doubt, SUMMER BLOWOUT is the perfect styling tool needed to give you that coveted summertime look."</div> <bR> <div> And this from Booklist:</div> <bR> <div> “<I>Summer Blowout</I> is primed, like Cook's previous novel <I>Must Love Dogs</I>... to become a big-screen romantic comedy.”    </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> - Booklist</div> <bR> <div> And this from the June issue of Family Circle, on stands now:</div> <bR> <div> "You won't have to don your sunglasses for this sunny delight by the author of <I>Must Love Dogs</I>. Makeup artist Bella Shaughnessy has a thing for lipstick-with names like Catfight, Damaged and Revive-a family that gives new meaning to the expression blended (thanks to a half-sister who's dating Bella's ex-husband) and a ban on men (see half-sister). Which is too bad, because she's just met Sean Ryan, an entrepreneur with sparkling eyes and a proposal, business that is-or is it?-for Bella. As refreshing as an icy drink on a sultry day."                </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> -Family Circle</div> <bR> <div> And check out the June issue of MORE Magazine to see my More book tour events.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Sunday, May 18, 2008 @  11:01 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Such a crazy time! I'll send out a newsletter soon to update you! </div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Sunday, May 11, 2008 @  10:44 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Happy Mother's Day, everyone!</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="38c900b0.png" border=0 width="400" height="267" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Here's a photo of some LA dogs who are counting the days till they can read <I>Summer Blowout</I> and get pink streaks in their own fur! It was sent to me by someone I went to 4th grade with. He says I haven't changed a bit -- ha! Thanks, Steven!</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Friday, May 9, 2008 @  9:30AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> I know we all have a lot of websites in our lives these days, but this seems like a good one to visit. The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman. It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on 'donating a mammogram' (pink window in the middle) and it's free. </div> <bR> <div> This really doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate mammograms in exchange for advertising. </div> <bR> <div> Here's the web site. Pass it on...</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.thebreastcancersite.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.thebreastcancersite.com"><U><B><U>http://www.thebreastcancersite.com </U></B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Tuesday, May 6, 2008 @  10:33 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Check out the great Summer Blowout review at BookFinds! </div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://bookfinds.com/blog/2008/05/05/mothers-day-book-selection-day-2/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://bookfinds.com/blog/2008/05/05/mot"><U><I><B>http://bookfinds.com/blog/2008/05/05/mothers-day-book-selection-day-2/</B></I></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Monday, May 5, 2008 @  8:12 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I>Summer Blowout </I>is a June BookSense pick!!!! YAY!!!! A huge thanks to all the booksellers across the country who took time out of their busy lives to nominate it. And how great BookSense used this quote from one of my nearest and dearest booksellers! </div> <bR> <div> <B>SUMMER BLOWOUT, by Claire Cook</B> (Voice, $23.95, 9781401322410 / 1401322417) "<I>Summer Blowout</I> is vintage Claire Cook -- this funny and clever novel about a makeup artist beginning a new life is sure to be in beach bags this summer. Cook has a knack for turning the mundane into the unique, and her characters are eclectic and original." --<B>Kathleen McGonagle, Buttonwood Books & Toys, Cohasset, MA</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Click here to see the entire June BookSense list: </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://news.bookweb.org/booksense/6006.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://news.bookweb.org/booksense/6006.h"><U>http://news.bookweb.org/booksense/6006.html</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Friday, May 2, 2008 @ 12:30 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> One of my very favorite people in the world, Tina Wexler, started out five years ago as the assistant to one of my other very favorite people, my literary agent, Lisa Bankoff. Tina has been representing her own clients all along, but today she's officially moved from agent/assistant to ICM super agent! I will miss her terribly, but if you're an aspiring writer, my loss is sooooo your gain!</div> <bR> <div> Tina Wexler represents authors in both the children's and adult marketplace. On the adult side, she is looking to acquire narrative nonfiction, literary fiction and up-market commercial fiction. On the children's side, she’s interested in edgy young adult fiction and humorous middle grade fiction. She’s particularly interested in popular science, travel and food (not cookbooks), pop culture, memoir, religion, art history, women’s issues (however defined), and modernized retellings of popular myths and legends. </div> <bR> <div> Tina Wexler</div> <div> twexlerATicmtalent.com</div> <div> ----------------------------------------------------------</div> <div> ICM  | INTERNATIONAL CREATIVE MANAGEMENT, INC. | 825 Eighth Avenue | New York, NY 10019 | <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Georgia" ><A HREF="www.icmtalent.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.icmtalent.com"><U><U>www.icmtalent.com</U></U></A></FONT> </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Friday, May 2, 2008 @ 7:49 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Okay, here's a question from an aspiring writer: <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" >"What do you think of 'genre jumping?' Given your success in romantic comedy, would it be hard for you to publish a drama, thriller, etc., even if that was your passion?"</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Great question! Well, first of all, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about this kind of thing. I just write the book I'd want to read. I love character and dialog, and I find the world an endlessly fascinating and funny place. So I think there's a basic authenticity there -- who I am on the page is connected to who I am as a person -- and I'd take that with me to any book that I wrote. To me, that's the important part. But say I ever did want to write a dark, depressing, heavy book, I could always write it under a pseudonym. It would be kind of fun to be a debut author again! But then again, I'd probably need a personality transplant to write a dark, depressing, heavy book. So I guess it's a matter of wherever you go, there you are!</div> <bR> <div> Maybe your underlying question is whether I feel boxed in by expectations in terms of my writing. Not at all. I think, as long as I write the best book I can possibly write, my publisher will be happy and my readers will come along for the ride. But this is all theoretical, since my upcoming novel, <I>Summer Blowout, </I>is tons of fun, if I do say so myself!  </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Wednesday, April 30, 2008 @ 12:22 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> If you're an aspiring writer, make sure you check out the <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aspiring Writers"><U>writing workshop videos</U></A> I just posted. And I'm just digging out from under a draft of my next next novel, and I'm finding all sorts of interesting things, including some questions from aspiring writers I meant to answer ages ago. I promise I'll get to them soon.</div> <bR> <div> If you're in a book club, time's running out to win the <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Voice Books"><U>Summer Blowout Book Club giveaway</U></A>, so don't miss it. Also, make sure you watch <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ClaireCook.com "><U>Life's a Beach for Book Clubs</U></A>! Your photo might just be in there!</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Thursday, April 24, 2008 @ 9:36 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="3735e380.jpg" border=0 width="350" height="312" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> <div> This is Kai from Charles David Salon, and his streak matches the ones on the Summer Blowout dog! Ellen Archer calls it "a winning streak," which is why she's the president of Hyperion and I'm not! If you're anywhere south of Boston, make sure you come to one of the <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events"><U>Summer Blowout salon events</U></A> -- they're going to be sooooooooo much fun!</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Thursday, April 17, 2008 @ 1:02 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> In case you didn't receive my latest newsletter, here it is!</div> <bR> <div> Subject: Summer Blowout Book Club Contest!</div> <bR> <div> Hi Everybody!</div> <bR> <div> My oh-so-generous publisher, Voice, has agreed to give advance copies of my upcoming novel <I>Summer Blowout</I> (up to 20 copies) to one lucky book club! The winning book club will also get a <I>Summer Blowout</I> phone chat with the author - that's me!</div> <bR> <div> All you have to do is send an email with SUMMER BLOWOUT BOOK CLUB CONTEST in the subject line to claireATclairecook.com including:</div> <bR> <div> Name of book club</div> <div> Zip code of book club</div> <div> Name and email address of book club leader</div> <div> Names and email addresses of all book club members</div> <div> Why Voice should pick YOUR book club. (Did your group just read something seriously depressing and you could really use a good laugh? Has your club read all my other books, and you're just counting the days till <I>Summer Blowout</I> comes out in June? Do you simply need a good reason to get a new summer hairdo? Come on, have some fun, so I can post some of your comments on my website!)</div> <bR> <div> HURRY -- the deadline for entries is <B>April 30! </B></div> <bR> <div> Don't have a book club yet? Well, it just might be the perfect time to start one! And thanks so much for forwarding this email to your friends and family who already belong to book clubs.</div> <bR> <div> In other news, I had such a wonderful time at the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival in New Orleans. What a great festival for aspiring writers, and such a fabulous city, with so many warm, friendly people! To see photos, links, and answers to questions from aspiring writers, scroll down.</div> <bR> <div> I'm just starting to post my <I>Summer Blowout</I> book tour on my website, so click <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events"><U>here</U></A> to check out my events page.</div> <bR> <div> Okay, that's it for now. Thanks so much and talk to you soon!</div> <bR> <div> xxxxx,</div> <div> Claire</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Saturday, April 5, 2008 @ 8:10 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> A huge thanks to Peg Patten of <A HREF="http://www.frontstreetbookshop.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.frontstreetbookshop.com"><U>Front Street Book Shop</U></A> for this dazzling Summer Blowout quote:</div> <bR> <div> <B>"Book an appointment NOW for summer’s hot read: SUMMER BLOWOUT by Claire Cook. Bad hair day? Bella Shaughnessey’s repartee is the quick fix! Ask your bookseller to pencil you in for the laughs. Walk-ins welcome!"</B></div> <bR> <div> And the fabulous Darcy Jacobs has shared this from the review that will be in the June issue of Family Circle Magazine, on stands in mid-May:</div> <bR> <div> <B>"Summer Blowout </B><B>(Voice) by Claire Cook: You won’t have to don your sunglasses for this sunny delight by the author of </B><B>Must Love Dogs.</B><B> Makeup artist Bella Shaughnessy has a thing for lipstick—with names like Catfight, Damaged and Revive—a family that gives new meaning to the expression blended (thanks to a half-sister who’s dating Bella’s ex-husband) and a ban on men (see half-sister). Which is too bad, because she’s just met Sean Ryan, an entrepreneur with sparkling eyes and a proposal, business that is—or is it?—for Bella. As refreshing as an icy drink on a sultry day." </B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Wednesday, April 2, 2008 @ 4:09 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> I had such a GREAT time at the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival! So many fun, friendly people, and what a thrill to finally see New Orleans, which I loved! </div> <bR> <div> And again, that wonderful Susan Larson was kind enough to mention me in her coverage: <A HREF="http://blog.nola.com/susanlarson/2008/04/a_williams_fests_literary_wrap.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://blog.nola.com/susanlarson/2008/04"><U>http://blog.nola.com/susanlarson/2008/04/a_williams_fests_literary_wrap.html </U></A></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="35efabc0.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="188" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="364fa1e0.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="286" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="368facd0.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="205" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="36afaa20.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="162" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <IMG SRC="366fa960.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  </div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> So many great letters from the aspiring writers who took my master class. Here's a sample:</div> <bR> <div> "Like you, this year's was my first Tennessee Williams' Literary Festival and I had such a great time. I have to give you proper accolades for contributing to its success.  Your master class was very informative and inspiring. Thank you for your words of advice on getting an agent, marketing your own book and, most of all, for your upbeat, encouraging attitude in general.  You are obviously a very caring, talented and sincere person. It's no wonder your books are selling like boiled crawfish on Good Friday!</div> <div> I purchased Life's a Beach and got my bonus Summer Blowout advance copy and I can't wait to dive into them. I loved Must Love Dogs, so I know I'm in for a treat!</div> <div> Anyway, take care and good luck on that sixth novel. I'll be on the lookout for it!”</div> <div> Carolyn</div> <bR> <div> “Many thanks for an inspiring, witty, entertaining and useful master class at the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival last Friday on how to get my book noticed. Your suggestions are right on the money. </div> <div> I look forward to reading your two novels I purchased after the session. Good luck with all your future endeavors. I hope to meet you again one day as a fellow published writer!”</div> <div> Laura</div> <bR> <bR> <div> “I just wanted to email and tell you how much I loved your presentation. It was great to see someone so genuine and honest and just thrilled to be published. Of all the master classes I attended, you brought the most life to the podium. Anyway, I just wanted to email and tell you that your lecture was inspiring, and I can't wait to read Summer Blowout.</div> <bR> <div> Thank you for writing all the great things that you do!”</div> <bR> <div> Samantha</div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <I><B>Tuesday, March 25, 2008 @ 11:22 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> I've just started adding Summer Blowout events to my <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events"><U>events page</U></A>. I can't believe the amazing salon events being planned! Such great enthusiasm and so many creative ideas -- what a blast we're going to have! And lots of book clubs are planning to go en masse! What a perfect girls' night out to kick off the summer!</div> <bR> <div> I can't wait for book tour... Just a little matter of finishing a draft of the next book first!</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Wednesday, March 19, 2008 @ 2:43 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> It's the last day of winter, but it sure didn't feel like it as I walked through the snow at 7:30 this morning. I keep checking the weather in New Orleans, where I'm heading next week for the Tennesee Williams Literary Festival. So nice of Susan Larson to mention me in her article in today's Times-Picayune: <A HREF="http://blog.nola.com/susanlarson/2008/03/stellar_a_firsttimers_guide_to.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://blog.nola.com/susanlarson/2008/03"><U>http://blog.nola.com/susanlarson/2008/03/stellar_a_firsttimers_guide_to.html</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Monday, March 17, 2008 @ 8:33 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="350aaab0.png" border=0 width="170" height="171" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Happy St. Paddy's Day, everybody!!!!!</B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Monday, March 10, 2008 @ 11:51AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="34ea0c50.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="197" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> <bR> <div> What a difference those clocks springing forward makes, doesn't it? It was so nice to be out walking after 6 pm last night. And so great to see the snowdrops blooming in my garden this morning.... Such an optimistic time of year!</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Saturday, March 8, 2008 @ 8:51AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Just another week to enter the Family Circle giveaway sweepstakes to win a copy of <I>Summer Blowout, </I>which will be published on June 3rd. So if you haven't done it yet, send an email to <A HREF="mailto:summerblowout@familycircle.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:summerblowout@familycircle.com"><U>summerblowout@familycircle.com</U></A>, including your name, address and phone number. Good luck!</div> <bR> <div> Here's the final version of the Summer Blowout cover. I love it those pink streaks they added to the dog's hair!</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="349c82e0.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="302" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Monday, March 3, 2008 @ 1:06 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B><IMG SRC="34bfab80.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="184" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="5" VSPACE="0"></B></I></div> <bR> <div> So, so sad that Laureen Grady-Robinson, aka Laurie Keyes, lost her battle with cancer last night. She was so sweet to me at the Amelia Island Book Festival back in October, and I'm so lucky to have had some great laughs with her there. Laurie/Laureen stories will ripple around the world forever. What a kind, funny, amazing woman, who touched so many hearts. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Sunday, March 2, 2008 @ 10:50 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="34578900.jpg" border=0 width="120" height="144" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="5" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> I'm really excited that I've been invited to the <A HREF="http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/schedule.php" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/schedul"><U>Tennessee Williams Literary Festival</U></A> later this month!</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> I shared some writing tips with Family Circle magazine. Click here to read them online and to post a comment: <A HREF="http://www.parents.com/parents/story.jsp?storyid=/templatedata/fc/story/data/1201809382360.xml&_requestid=46696" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.parents.com/parents/story.jsp"><U>FamilyCircle.com</U></A></div> <bR> <div> How can it be March already? How will I ever finish a draft of my next novel before I go on book tour for <I>Summer Blowout?</I> Stay tuned....</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Wednesday, February 27, 2008 @ 5:14 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Thanks so much to Jill Miner for sending some early feedback about my upcoming novel, <I>Summer Blowout</I>! </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="17bd0500.jpg" border=0 width="208" height="80" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Saturn Booksellers</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> 133 W. Main St.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> Gaylord, MI 49735<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> Tel: 989 732 8899<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.saturnbooksellers.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.saturnbooksellers.com"><U><U>www.saturnbooksellers.com</U></U></A></div> <bR> <div> "Claire Cook is one of our favorite authors.  We love her fun, goofy, big-hearted reads filled with comfortably, familiarly, mildly-flawed characters that most often pass for family. <I>Summer Blowout</I> is Claire Cook's best novel yet. From My Chihuahua Bites lipstick to Italian/Irish family 'staff meetings' to a dyed-and-highlighted incognito pooch, <I>Summer Blowout</I> is poised to blow OFF the shelves -- with the paperback <I>Life's a Beach</I> sailing right behind it!!" - Jill Miner, Saturn Booksellers</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Monday, February 19, 2008 @ 7:27 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> So nice of Candy Hammond to add this site to the favorites at her blog:<A HREF=" http://candyonthecape.blogspot.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" http://candyonthecape.blogspot.com"><U> </U></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF=" http://candyonthecape.blogspot.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" http://candyonthecape.blogspot.com"><U><U>http://candyonthecape.blogspot.com</U></U></A></FONT></div> <div> Thanks, Candy!</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="34496b40.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="180" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="5" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> And how kind of the folks at Pillowcap to send me some samples to protect my own summer blowout!! Even though I haven't actually blown dry my hair in about a decade, the pillowcap sure feels great to sleep on, and I'll definitely take one with me on book tour this summer. Thanks, Pillowcap! Here's a link to check them out: <A HREF="http://www.pillowcap.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.pillowcap.com/"><U>http://www.pillowcap.com/</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Thursday, February 21, 2008 @ 5:14 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Well, I certainly never thought I'd make an election blog! Thanks, Shannon Ogden -- you rock! </div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/politics/election2008/blog.aspx" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/polit"><U>http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/politics/election2008/blog.aspx</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Wednesday, February 20, 2008 @ 3:14 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Here's my latest newsletter, hot off the virtual press. If you're signed up and you didn't receive it, try adding newsletterATclairecook.com to your address book or safe senders' list. If you're not signed up yet and you'd like to stay in the loop, just click <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Stay in the Loop"><U>here</U></A>.</div> <bR> <div> Subject: Win a Copy of Summer Blowout!</div> <bR> <div> Hi Everybody!</div> <bR> <div> Well, how nice is Family Circle magazine to do my work for me! I judged a fiction contest for them along with my wonderful literary agent, Lisa Bankoff (Jodi Picoult and her agent judged last year and Sara Gruen and her agent will do it next year -- pretty amazing company!) and so now they're doing a <I>Summer Blowout</I> giveaway sweepstakes.</div> <bR> <div> About a gazillion people entered the <I>Life's a Beach</I> giveaway I did about this time last year, which was really great, but also a ton of work, so this year I'm just going to put my feet up and enjoy the fact that you'll still get a chance to win a free copy of <I>Summer Blowout</I>, but I won't have to do a thing! (Actually, I won't really put my feet up, but it'll give me some extra time to work on my next-next novel!)</div> <bR> <div> All the sweepstakes info is in the March issue of Family Circle, at your grocery store and newsstand now. But here's the Cliff Notes version, just so you'll have the info in front of you. Send an email to <A HREF="mailto:SummerBlowout@familycircle.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:SummerBlowout@familycircle.com"><U><U>SummerBlowout@familycircle.com</U></U></A> between now and March 15, and include your name, address and phone number -- and that's it. Twenty-five people will win copies of my upcoming novel, <I>Summer Blowout</I>, which will be published on June 3<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#990000" FACE="Arial" >rd</FONT>.</div> <bR> <div> And if you're an aspiring writer, you can find all the info to enter the next Family Circle fiction contest in the March issue, too. So start polishing those short stories -- and good luck!</div> <bR> <div> Thanks to everyone who's emailed to ask about <I>Summer Blowout</I> book tour information. My fabulous publisher, <A HREF="http://everywomansvoice.com/?q=node/363" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://everywomansvoice.com/?q=node/363"><U><U>Voice</U></U></A>, has lots of exciting things in the works, and I'll fill you in as soon as they're confirmed!</div> <bR> <div> A huge thanks to all of you who have taken the time to watch my <I>Summer Blowout</I> video at YouTube and post a comment - I appreciate your support so much. If you haven't watched it yet, just go to this link: <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzNZlYeqhMs" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzNZlYeqh"><U><U>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzNZlYeqhMs</U></U></A> </div> <bR> <div> Okay, that's it for now. Talk to you soon!</div> <bR> <div> xxxxx,</div> <div> Claire</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Friday, February 16, 2008 @ 8:00 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> The nice thing about having a birthday on Valentine's Day is that everyone remembers it! I had such a wonderful day yesterday. Lots of cool presents, and I have to say that the coolest one of all was that my son sent me flowers from college -- all by himself. Aww...</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="341c80b0.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="267" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Tuesday, February 12, 2008 @ 2:32 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> I had such a great phone chat with the Books & Bites Book Club in Jupiter, Florida yesterday! What a nice group of women. (I heard rumors of men, too, but they never materialized.) And they hardly rubbed it in at all that it was only 13 degrees or so where I was, and a perfect Life's a Beach day in Florida....</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="33dc8b20.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="178" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="339c8940.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="148" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">    <IMG SRC="33bceb70.jpg" border=0 width="206" height="183" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Thanks, Pam, for inviting me. And thanks, Susie, for taking photos. I'll put some more up soon!</div> <bR> <div> “We thoroughly enjoyed your <I>Life's A Beach</I> book and review phone conversation and sincerely hope there will be other books in the future that we can discuss. Your warm, spirited personality was appreciated by all our members and certainly seems to have an impact on the characters you write about. We are all looking forward to <I>Summer Blowout</I>.” </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> -"Books & Bites" Book Club, Jupiter, FL, a subgroup of Who's New In North County (West Palm Beach, Fl)</div> <bR> <div> If you'd like to schedule a phone chat for your book group, just send an email to EmailClaireATClaireCook.com.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Wednesday, February 6, 2008 @ 12:08 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Well, I'm just in blurb heaven. How generous of Elin Hilderbrand to write a quote for Summer Blowout:</div> <bR> <div> <B>"</B><I><B>Summer Blowout</B></I><B> is as intoxicating as a seat at the top of the Ferris wheel. Reading Claire Cook might be the most fun you have all summer."</B><B> </B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>- Elin Hilderbrand, author of </B><I><B>Barefoot</B></I></div> <bR> <div> I don't know Elin, but when I was on Nantucket for book tour last summer, everyone on the island kept telling me how wonderful she is. She's amazingly prolific and such a good writer. I don't think she has a website, but her books are everywhere!</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Tuesday, February 5, 2008 @ 8:08 AM </B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I>SIt Ubu Sit</I>, a wonderful memoir written by my friend, and the director/producer/director of the <I>Must Love Dogs </I>movie, Gary David Goldberg, comes out today! Happy publication day, Gary! Gary and some of the cast from Family Ties, will be in NY tonight and in Boston on Thursday: <A HREF="http://www.wbur.org/support/detail.asp?w=432" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.wbur.org/support/detail.asp?w"><U>http://www.wbur.org/support/detail.asp?w=432 </U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Friday, February 1, 2008 @ 11:25 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> The talented and wonderful Amy Cohen has just written a totally blurbalicious quote for Summer Blowout:</div> <bR> <div> <B>"As someone who struggles with humid, willful, occasionally explosive summer hair, I only wish every Summer Blowout were so completely satisfying. Claire Cook is at her irresistible, charming, dishy, can't put it down best." - Amy Cohen</B></div> <bR> <div> So nice, and I'm told it's her very first blurb, so I'm especially honored. Amy Cohen was a writer/producer on the sitcoms Caroline in the City and Spin City. She's also the author of The Late Bloomer's Revolution, which I LOVED, and I'm so grateful to Amy for taking the time to do this! Here's a link to her website: <A HREF="http://byamycohen.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://byamycohen.com"><U>byamycohen.com</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Thursday, January 31, 2008 @ 9:02 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div>  So nice to know you're out there reading this! I can't believe how many people emailed me to ask where I got my French lavender. Trader Joe's -- great big about-to-bloom plants for $5.99 each. Here are some photos...</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="336c8960.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <IMG SRC="332c8960.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <IMG SRC="334c8960.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Sunday, January 27, 2008 @ 4:24 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div>  The wind was whipping so hard today that it was rattling the range hood in my kitchen. Two snowy walks, and then home to the five pots of French lavender that are getting me through the New England winter. The next-next novel is coming along well, I think, I hope, and I'll share some more Summer Blowout updates soon.</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Thursday, January 17, 2008 @ 10 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Summer Blowout has received its first blurb, and from Meg Cabot, no less! Here it is....</div> <bR> <div> "Charming, engagingly quirky, and full of fun, Claire Cook just gets it. SUMMER BLOWOUT is irresistible!"  - Meg Cabot</div> <bR> <div> This from her bio: Meg is the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 <I>New York Times</I> bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two <I>All-American Girl</I> books, <I>Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx,</I> a series of novels written entirely in email format (<I>Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl</I>, and <I>Every Boy's Got One</I>), a mystery series (<I>Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned</I>), and a chick-lit series called <I>Queen of Babble</I>. </div> <bR> <div> But, even more importantly, Meg Cabot just has to be one really nice person, and I'm so grateful to her for this support. Here's a link to her website: <A HREF="http://megcabot.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://megcabot.com"><U>http://megcabot.com</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Wednesday, January 16, 2008 @ 6:24 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> What a nice email. I remember that day so clearly. I could easily imagine being in this poor author's shoes. And I also remember at the time I had a flashback to teaching a fitness class in front of an audience with my own then two-year-old literally hanging onto my ankles the whole time. No one jumped in to help me out, so I just dragged her around, kicking and screaming. I was sure I was going to get fired, but afterwards a woman came up and said, "You were so great the way you didn't give into that little girl's temper tantrum. That was the perfect strategy." Apparently nobody realized that little girl was mine! But I hope I never forget how important it is to help a mom in need whenever the opportunity arises.... Anyway, thanks for writing, Martha!</div> <bR> <div> "Hi Claire- I hope it's ok to e-mail you... I write and illustrate the "<A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/105-3799814-9062850?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Martha+Zschock&x=18&y=11" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/105"><U>Journey Around</U></A>" series of books for children) and I met you at a reunion type event at the Cape tv station about five years ago. I picked up your "Life's a Beach" book the other day and was so impressed to realize it was you and then to read how well you've done! I don't know if you would remember the event, but it was very hot out and I had my daughter with me who was two and very active at the time.</div> <div> [They] had told her she could be on tv with me so she was all dressed up (and because of the heat very quickly covered with melted chocolate chip cookies). We never actually made it on to the show because we had to wait so long and my daughter didn't last, but you offered to let your escort watch her while I went in to the tv area. I was so touched that you, the most well known and successful person there, were the most kind and understanding to me and my daughter. Anyway, I just wanted to congratulate you and to let you know that I have never forgotten your kindness to me that day... Thank you! Best Wishes!Martha Zschock</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Monday, </B></I><I><B>January 14, 2008 @ 7:55 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> I read like crazy while I was taking a break from novel writing, but now that I've started the next one, I've been walking and listening to lots of music from old and new friends. Here's a little Blue Monday to start the week from that great <A HREF="http://music.moneda.com/store.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://music.moneda.com/store.html"><U>Doc Roberts</U></A> of Atlanta and Hawaii fame....</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://music.moneda.com/audiosamples/docroberts/Blue%20Monday.mp3 " TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://music.moneda.com/audiosamples/doc"><U><U>http://music.moneda.com/audiosamples/docroberts/Blue%20Monday.mp3</U></U></A></div> <bR> <div> Actually, it's kind of a snowy Monday here. A flaky Monday? Okay, back to work for me....</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> </B></I></FONT><I><B>Sunday, </B></I><I><B>January 6, 2008 @ 1:42 PM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Sorry I haven't posted anything lately, but I've jumped into the next-next novel. I always forget what a slog those first pages are! Thanks so much to everybody who has emailed to say nice things about the video trailer I made for SUMMER BLOWOUT, and an extra HUGE thanks to those of you who have taken the time to go to YouTube and post a nice comment. I really appreciate it, and here's the link again in case you've been meaning to get there: <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzNZlYeqhMs" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzNZlYeqh"><U>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzNZlYeqhMs</U></A>. Lots of great email from aspiring writers, too. Here's one:</div> <bR> <div> "You probably don't remember me, but I had written to</div> <div> you following your writers' workshop to thank</div> <div> you for your "two pages a day" suggestion. It has</div> <div> really worked well for me. When I attended your</div> <div> seminar in October, I had been working on my novel for</div> <div> about a year and half and had written 18 chapters. In</div> <div> about two months, I wrote 12 more chapters and am</div> <div> happy to report that, as of this morning, I have</div> <div> finished my first (rough!) draft of my first novel! </div> <bR> <div> "So I just wanted to say thanks again (and share the</div> <div> good news!). Now I see that it really can be done, and</div> <div> I'm ready to start the revision process..."</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Tuesday, </B></I><I><B>January 1 , 2008 @ 9:01 AM</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Happy New Year! Here's my latest newsletter, which I'm just sending out. If you're signed up and you didn't receive it, try adding newsletterATclairecook.com to your address book or safe senders' list. If you're not already signed up, click <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Stay in the Loop"><U>here</U></A>.</div> <bR> <div> Happy New Year from Claire Cook!</div> <bR> <div> Hi Everybody!</div> <bR> <div> Happy 2008! I hope you've had the best holiday season ever, and I wish you a fabulous year ahead, filled with fun, friendship and exciting new adventures. One of the big highlights of 2007 for me was seeing so many old friends (not that you're old!) and meeting some great new ones on my Life's a Beach book tour. And thanks to all of you, the word just keeps spreading. Believe it or not, the book rights just sold in Siberia! Life's a Beach in Siberia - now that has a nice ring to it!</div> <bR> <div> Well, I never did get around to sending out holiday cards this year, but I did redesign my website and make a video trailer of me reading an excerpt of my next novel, SUMMER BLOWOUT, which my wonderful publisher, Voice, will publish on June 3<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >rd</FONT>. You can watch the video by going to this link: <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzNZlYeqhMs</U></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FF00FF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> I hope you'll be blown away by it (pun intended!) and take a minute to post a few kind words at YouTube. I also hope you'll email the video to all your friends and family. It's such a great way to create buzz for the book, and not only will I be forever grateful to you for doing it, but you'll also impress everybody in your life with your YouTube savvy. (Don't worry, it's easy. You just click on  the Share link.)</div> <bR> <div> Here's a bit more about the novel from the Hyperion catalog:</div> <bR> <div> SUMMER BLOWOUT by Claire Cook. A string of faux Italian beauty salons run by a lovably insane Boston Irish family makes SUMMER BLOWOUT as head-turning as a fabulous new do.</div> <bR> <div> Bella Shaughnessy is addicted to lipstick with names like My Chihuahua Bites and Kiss My Lips, an occupational hazard, since she works at Salon de Paolo, her family-run beauty salon, along with her four half-brothers and sisters. The owner is her father, Lucky Shaughnessy, a gregarious, three-times divorced charmer with Donald Trump hair who is obsessed with all things Italian. After Bella's own marriage flames out spectacularly when her half-sister runs off with her husband, Bella decides she has seen enough of the damage love can do. She makes a vow: no more men.</div> <bR> <div> But then Bella meets a cute entrepreneur, and despite their bickering, they can't seem to stay away from each other. He also gives her the business idea of her life: a makeup kit for everyone. A small, well-tressed dog also finds her way into Bella's life, and her heart, and she decides to chance that, too. When the whole clan heads to Atlanta for a big Southern wedding, sparks fly - in a summer blowout no one will ever forget.</div> <bR> <div> I had a blast writing it, and I hope you'll have fun reading it this summer!</div> <bR> <div> As always, I'm blown away by your support. Happy, Happy New Year -- and talk to you soon!</div> <div> xxxxx,</div> <div> Claire </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>