Celebrating spring with Vanessa Diffenbaugh's "flowers," plus a book giveaway

Photo courtesy of Infinity Portrait Design

Introduction by Kathryn Hamilton

**Giveaway is now closed**

Today, Vanessa Diffenbaugh is visiting us and we are celebrating the early April paperback release of her debut novel "The Language of Flowers" (reviewed here). Vanessa Diffenbaugh is a native Californian now residing in Massachusetts with her husband and three children. Aside from teaching arts programs to children living in low-income communities after completing her college degree, Vanessa is also the founder of the Camellia Foundation, which assists youth making the transition out of the foster care system.

To celebrate the paperback release of "The Language of Flowers, Random House is offering a copy to TWO lucky readers anywhere in the US.

To find out more about Vanessa visit her at her website, The Camellia Network, The Language of Flowers Pinterest Page, Facebook and Twitter pages.

Who are three authors who have inspired you?
Toni Morrison
Jeanette Winterson
Sandra Cisneros

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Peppermint

What inspired you to want to become a writer?
I have wanted to be a writer since my mom gave me my first diary when I was 6 years old. My first entry: I have 206 chicken pox!

If "The Language of Flowers" were made into a movie, who would you cast in the lead roles?
Victoria: Jennifer Lawrence
Grant: Ryan Gosling
Elizabeth: Julianne Moore
Renata: Meryl Streep

If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future?
Past—it would make research so much easier!

What's one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?
Find one or two writers (or readers) whose opinion you trust, let them read your work, and then listen to what they say. Really listen—even if (and especailly if) it is exactly the thing you don’t want to hear. Then go back to your draft, and keep working.

Characters really make the story for us. What 3 words would best describe your hero, and what about her called out to you and made you want to write her story?
I would describe Victoria as tough, resourceful, and loving (even though this last one she doesn’t believe about herself!). I wanted to tell her story because I wanted to explore what it is like to learn how to love and trust when you haven’t been loved as a child.

What is your guilty pleasure?
Eating ice cream in bed!

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
Co-founding a non-profit, Camellia Network (camellianetwork.org) with a mission to create a national network that connects every youth aging out of foster care to the critical resources, opportunities and support they need to thrive in adulthood.

What project are you working on now?
I’m writing a new novel—stay tuned!

Special thanks to Vanessa for a lovely interview and to Random House for sharing "The Language of Flowers" with our readers.

How to win "The Language of Flowers":
Please comment below with your e-mail address. (Please note: Entries without an e-mail address will NOT be counted. You can use AT and DOT to avoid spam. Or provide a link to your facebook page or blog if you can receive messages there.)

Bonus entries (can be listed all in one post):
1. Please tell us: What is your favorite kind of flower?
2. Follow this blog and post a comment saying you are a follower (if you already follow, that's fine too).
3. Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter or in your blog, and leave a comment saying where you've posted it.
4. Join Chick Lit Central on Facebook. Edit settings if you don't want to receive a lot of messages at your e-mail account. Please read our posting guidelines as well. (If you're already a member, let us know that too.)
5. Add a friend to our Facebook group. (Tell us who you added.) Be sure to remind them to edit their settings.

US only. Giveaway ends May 1st at midnight EST.