Camille Pagán is keeping it real...plus a book giveaway

We're pleased to welcome Camille Pagán back to CLC today. Her latest novel, I'm Fine and Neither Are You, recently published. Melissa A really enjoyed it and will be reviewing soon. Camille has one e-book and one print copy to give away!

Camille Pagán is the #1 Amazon Kindle bestselling author of five novels, including Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties and Life and Other Near-Death Experiences, the latter of which was recently optioned for film. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. A journalist and former magazine editor, Pagán has written for the New York Times; O, The Oprah Magazine; Parade; Real Simple; Time; and many other publications and websites. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with her family. (Bio courtesy of Amazon.)

Visit Camille online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Synopsis:
Wife. Mother. Breadwinner. Penelope Ruiz-Kar is doing it all—and barely keeping it together. Meanwhile, her best friend, Jenny Sweet, appears to be sailing through life. As close as the two women are, Jenny’s passionate marriage, pristine house, and ultra-polite child stand in stark contrast to Penelope’s underemployed husband, Sanjay, their unruly brood, and the daily grind she calls a career.

Then a shocking tragedy reveals that Jenny’s life is far from perfect. Reeling, Penelope vows to stop keeping the peace and finally deal with the issues in her relationship. So she and Sanjay agree to a radical proposal: both will write a list of changes they want each other to make—then commit to complete and total honesty.

What seems like a smart idea quickly spirals out of control, revealing new rifts and even deeper secrets. As Penelope stares down the possible implosion of her marriage, she must ask herself: When it comes to love, is honesty really the best policy? (Courtesy of Amazon.)

What is something new you learned about yourself while writing I'm Fine and Neither Are You?
I would describe myself as a positive person—I tend to be fairly optimistic and try to look for the silver linings in life. Yet writing about a couple struggling to make their marriage happier—even as midlife volleys one challenge after another at them—helped me see that sometimes I do focus on day-to-day difficulties rather than keeping my eyes on the positive aspects of my marriage and family life. So that’s been an eye-opener and has prompted me to work harder to count my blessings. After all, as the protagonist of I’m Fine learns, it can all disappear in a moment.

What do you do when you get writer's block?
I’ve never had writer’s block—I think nearly twenty years of working as a health journalist has trained me to meet deadlines, even if I’m the one making them! If my butt’s in the chair and I’m in front of my computer, I can at least come up with a semi-decent draft that can be fixed during editing.

If I'm Fine and Neither Are You were made into a movie, who would star in the lead roles?
Yes, I love brainstorming about film adaptations! I always want to answer Melissa McCarthy (because I adore her and would just absolutely fall over if she ever made one of my novels into a film). But for I’m Fine, Kal Penn would be perfect for Sanjay, and I could see Anna Kenrick or Rosario Dawson as Penny. And Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, or Minka Kelly would be great as Jenny.

What TV series are you currently binge watching?
I just finished Ricky Gervais’ After Life and it was stellar—funny, sad, and ultimately uplifting and life-affirming, which is exactly the kind of thing I want to be watching (or reading!).

What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?
Well, my eight-year-old son is convinced that the couple on the cover of I’m Fine and Neither Are You are his father and mother … which he’s happy to announce to anyone who will listen. It’s lead to a few uncomfortable dinner party conversations (which of course, are always funnier after the fact).

What are you looking forward to this spring?
New books, of course! I recently read Tracey Garvis Graves’ The Girl He Used to Know (April 2) and Kristy Woodson Harvey’s The Southern Side of Paradise (May 7), and they were just wonderful. I’m about to dig into Allie Larkin’s Swimming for Sunlight (April 23) and I’m so excited for that one—I love Allie’s writing.

Thanks to Camille for visiting with us and 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. 

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Giveaway ends April 9th at midnight EST.