Erika Raskin delivers her best...plus a book giveaway

Photo by Eden Raskin Jenkins

We're pleased to introduce Erika Raskin today. Her sophomore novel, Best Intentions, comes out in one week from today. Thanks to St. Martin's Press, we have TWO copies to give away!

Erika's debut, Close, was called “a page-turner of significance.” She has done essays for print and radio and is currently working on a novel-in-stories.

Erika grew up in Washington, D.C., the daughter of a novelist and human rights activist. She has been with her husband since they started dating when she was 18. They have three children, two sons-in-law, a grandboy and many siblings, nieces and nephews. When everyone gets together, they turn touch football, gin rummy and ping-pong into blood sports.

Visit Erika at her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Synopsis:
Marti Trailor—social worker on hold, mother of three, wife of a successful obstetrician, daughter of a Congressman—is ready to go back to work. She’s thrilled when the perfect opportunity falls in her lap. The catch? The job is at her husband's hospital and he seems not to share her enthusiasm. Undeterred, she takes the position counseling vulnerable young women as they prepare to give birth.

Marti quickly begins to feel like she is making a difference in the lives of her clients. Soon, though, she finds herself caught up in the dark side of the medical center—with its long hours, overworked doctors and entrenched practices. When she witnesses something she can't unsee, Marti, who has always done her best to keep a low-profile, finds herself thrust under a dangerous spotlight with all of Richmond, Virginia watching.

In her captivating domestic suspense novel Best Intentions, Erika Raskin weaves together high stakes hospital politics, the pressures of family life, and the consequences of trying to do the right thing, particularly in a city with a history as fraught as Richmond's. (Courtesy of Amazon.)


What was most challenging thing about writing Best Intentions? Most rewarding?
The many years before I actually got it right were hard creatively. The book went through iteration after iteration (I started it during the dark ages, when printer paper had perforated edges) and I kept going back and forth between thinking:

If at first you don't succeed (etc., etc.)

and

Insanity is repeating the same thing again and again, expecting different results.

That said, finally having it out from my computer into the world is a wonderful thing.

What is your favorite compliment that you've received about your writing?
That my dialogue is really natural. (I attribute this to being a compulsive eavesdropper.)

What piece of constructive feedback from readers have you used towards writing Best Intentions?
“Start out with the dead body on the first page.”

Do you base any of your characters on yourself?
Marti and I share a characteristic or two. She’s a tad younger though.

If Best Intentions were to become a movie, who would you cast in the lead roles?
Not that I’ve spent any time thinking about it...but, Rachel McAdams as Marti, Elizabeth Banks as Colby, Bradley Cooper as Elliot. And a Hemsworth would do nicely as Win.

What was your favorite thing about growing up in Washington, D.C.?
It was a company town sort of place, which made it interesting.

What empowers you the most?
Family, nature, television.

Thanks to Erika for visiting with us and St. Martin's Press for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway ends August 13th at midnight EST.