At home with Jamie Brenner...plus a book giveaway

We're thrilled to have Jamie Brenner back at CLC today to celebrate the recent publication of her latest novel, Drawing Home. Melissa A really enjoyed this novel and will be reviewing soon. Jamie has one signed copy to share with a lucky reader!

Jamie Brenner grew up in suburban Philadelphia on a steady diet of Norma Klein, Judy Blume, and Judith Krantz novels (more on that here). After studying literature at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Jamie moved to New York City where she started her career at HarperCollins Publishers, then later Barnes&Noble.com and Vogue.com before returning to books and becoming an author. Her novel The Forever Summer is a national bestseller. People Magazine says of her latest novel, Drawing Home, “the pages practically turn themselves.” Jamie lives in New York City and spends her summers visiting the beach towns that inspire her novels. (Bio courtesy of Jamie's website.)

Visit Jamie online:
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Synopsis:
Summer has started in idyllic Sag Harbor, and for Emma Mapson that means greeting guests at the front desk of The American Hotel. But when one of the town's most famous residents, artist Henry Wyatt, dies suddenly, Emma learns he has mysteriously left his waterfront home - a self-designed masterpiece filled with his work - to her teenage daughter, Penny.

Back in Manhattan, legendary art patron Bea Winstead's grief at her lifelong friend and former business partner Henry's passing turns to outrage at the news of his shocking bequest. How did these unknown locals get their hands on the estate? Bea, with her devoted assistant Kyle in tow, descends on Sag Harbor determined to reclaim the house and preserve Henry's legacy.

While Emma fights to defend her daughter's inheritance, Bea discovers that Henry left a treasure trove of sketches scattered around town. With Penny's reluctant help, Bea pieces them together to find a story hidden in plain sight: an illustration of their shared history with an unexpected twist that will change all of their lives.

Drawn together in their battle for the house, Emma and Bea are forced to confront the past while facing a future that challenges everything they believe about love, fate, and family. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

What were the most rewarding and challenging aspects of writing Drawing Home?
The most rewarding part was getting to know the people of Sag Harbor – the head of the historical society, the librarians, the owner of the book store, the owner of the water taxi. I made a lot of new friends. The most difficult part was just typical novel-writing challenges of getting the story to all come together in a satisfying way. I always have an idea in my head that makes perfect sense but having it unfold over 400 pages is a different matter entirely!

Which artists inspired the characters of Penny and Henry?
Henry was loosely based on the work of artist Donald Judd, but the story about the estate was based on the events surrounding the estate of late New York Times photographer Bill Cunningham (Here’s the original article that inspired it.)

Penny is based loosely on my own daughter who has struggled with anxiety and OCD. Writing Penny was a way to work through some of what I was going through as a mother.

If Drawing Home were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
Emma Stone as Emma, one of the Hemsworth brothers as Kyle, and Maggie Smith as Bea.

What are you looking forward to most this summer?
I visit some of the same book stores every summer and it’s like seeing old friends after a year apart. I am really looking forward to these visits!

What is the funniest thing you've seen or heard recently?
Someone in Sag Harbor posted a “Lost cat found” poster with info like: not friendly, etc – with a photo of a ferret on the street. It was so funny!

If we were to visit you in the town where you live, what are some must-see places you would take us to visit?
New York City is always best off the beaten path. I always tell people who have never been here that you should skip Times Square and head to the West Village of the Lower East Side to really experience New York City.

Thanks to Jamie for visiting with us and 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 May 28th at midnight EST.