Interview with Sarah Jio and book giveaway

By Melissa Amster

**Giveaway is now closed**

Sarah Jio is a debut author for 2011, featured on The Debutante Ball blog (where Sarah Pekkanen was featured last year). She has an amazing new novel that just got published a few weeks ago, called "The Violets of March" (reviewed here). She is also a health and fitness blogger for Glamour magazine and a mother of three (she and I had our new babies in the same month, but she probably lost all the baby weight faster than I ever will). Her next novel, "The Bungalow" will be released in the spring of 2012. We hope she'll come back to visit us then, as I have enjoyed our conversations!

She's here today to talk about "The Violets of March" and other fun topics and she has a copy of this novel to give to one lucky reader in the US or Canada.

If you want to know more about Sarah Jio, you can find her on Facebook, Twitter, or at her blog.

Watch the trailer for "The Violets of March," which totally captures the feel of the novel:



What inspired you to write "Violets of March?"
I was both inspired by my love of Bainbridge Island (I grew up a few miles from the island)--it is truly a beautiful and unique place—and also a song called “The Waters of March,” which was actually the early title for the book. The song, sung by the late Susannah McCorkle, was so gorgeous that I decided I had to imagine a story that would be fitting for it, and so ... The Violets of March was born!


How did you find time to write with two young boys to chase after?
Good question! I wrote in bits and pieces, which wasn’t easy! I would get a few pages written when they watched Sesame Street in the morning and more done during the nap out. I also limited my TV watching to just about zero. It’s amazing how much writing you can get done at night if you limit TV time and really discipline yourself. Fortunately, I happen to love writing, so it felt a little like playing. I should also add that I have a very supportive husband who is a child-wrangling pro! (You should see this man! He can juggle the 2 year old, 4 year old, and baby all by himself—and everyone is happy!)


What was your journey to publishing like?
I started off in magazines, so this helped me exercise my creative muscles daily. I write for a long list of women’s magazines, including Glamour, Real Simple, Redbook, Health and others. It was a natural progression to move to novels. I’ve been a reader forever and have always had stories brewing in my head. I finally just sat down and started writing them!


Any advice for aspiring novelists?
My favorite advice to give is to only write what you’re passionate about. If you are not 100 percent smitten with your novel idea, if it doesn’t keep you up at night and haunt you during the day, then readers won’t be captivated with it either.

If "Violets..." was made into a movie, who would play the lead roles?
Ooooh, such a fun thing to daydream about. I haven’t given much thought to all the characters, but I’d really love for Rachel McAdams to play Emily!


Who is your celebrity doppelganger?
This is a toughie, but I have been told that I resemble Charlize Theron, and yes, it totally made my day!


How did you celebrate Mother's Day this year?
I got to sleep in, which was lovely. And, I made vanilla bean cupcakes with my boys and then we went out for dinner as a family. They made me feel like a queen all day!


What's one thing that made you laugh out loud recently?
Oh, probably something that my 2 year old, Russell, said. He’s a born comedian. He makes up silly words and whispers them in my ears all the time to make me giggle. I just love the boy.

Special thanks to Sarah for this interview and for providing a book for the giveaway.

How to win "The Violets of March":

Please comment below with your e-mail address.
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US/Canada only. Giveaway ends May 24th at midnight EST.