Lea Geller has nothing to hide...plus a book giveaway

Today, we are pleased to welcome Lea Geller to CLC. Her sophomore novel, The Truth and Other Hidden Things, publishes tomorrow. Melissa really enjoyed it. Check out her review. Thanks to Kathleen Carter Communications, we have TWO copies to give away!

Lea Geller, recipient of the 2019 Kathryn Gurfein Writing Fellowship at Sarah Lawrence College, lives in New York with her husband and five children, for whom she frequently wakes up and makes five separate breakfasts. Lea began her writing career by blogging about her adventures in the trenches of parenting and got the idea for her first novel, Trophy Life, when her two sons were in middle school. When Lea’s not writing and eavesdropping on her children, she can be found running, drinking diner coffee, and occasionally teaching middle-school English. She is a graduate of Columbia University and Stanford Law School. (Bio courtesy of Lea's website.)

Visit Lea online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Synopsis:
On the same day Bells Walker learns that her IUD has failed, her husband, Harry, is denied tenure at his Manhattan university. So Bells, Harry, their two adolescent children, and her baby bump move to New York’s Hudson Valley, where Harry has landed a job at Dutchess College in the town of Pigkill.

When the farm-to-table utopia Bells envisioned is anything but, she turns to the blogosphere. Under the pen name the County Dutchess, she anonymously dishes about life in Pigkill, detailing the activities of hypercompetitive parents and kombucha-drinking hipsters. Suddenly, Bells has a place to say all the things she’s been secretly thinking about being a wife and mother. As Bells turns the focus of her blog on her new neighbors, her readership continues to grow, but her scandalous posts hit closer to home: she puts Harry’s new job in jeopardy, derails her children’s lives, and risks the one real friendship she’s built.

When Bells uncovers scandals right under her nose, the Dutchess goes viral, and soon everyone is asking, Who is the County Dutchess? Now Bells has to ask herself if it’s worth losing the people closest to her to finally feel noticed by everyone else. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“What do you do when life throws a bunch of less than welcome surprises your way? If you’re Bells, the plucky protagonist of The Truth and Other Hidden Things, you make a string of questionable (if hilarious) choices…that land you exactly where you were always supposed to be. Lea Geller’s latest novel is a clever, witty, and insightful novel that just may inspire you to look at your own plot twists in a whole new light.” —Camille Pagán, bestselling author of This Won’t End Well

“The Truth and Other Hidden Things is a perfect escape, whether you’re a city mouse like the hilarious and lovable narrator, Bells Walker, or used to the bucolic settings that amaze the Walker family so. As Bells navigates a whoops baby, a career tumble, two surly teens, and that PTA lady we all know, you’ll laugh—with and at her—and cheer for her every step of the way. I loved this romp and you will, too!” —Kelly Harms, Washington Post bestselling author of The Overdue Life of Amy Byler

“In this humorous, smart novel, Geller brilliantly tackles one woman’s need for approval and the desperate lengths she’ll go to to get there. Bells Walker is the imperfect mom and friend we can all relate to and eventually root for. Readers will devour this book in one sitting. I did.” 

—Rochelle B. Weinstein, USA Today bestselling author

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?

A reviewer just told me that I write narratives which are “relatable with the perfect amount of humor and substance.” I will definitely take that compliment!

What is something you learned from writing Trophy Life that you applied to The Truth and Other Hidden Things?

I learned, and am still learning, the importance of plot points and a protagonist who may be flawed but is both relatable and understandable.

If The Truth were made into a movie, who would you cast in the lead roles?

Casting: I think I’d cast John Krasinski as Harry Walker, because he has a ruffled, sweet professorial air to him. As for Bells herself, back in the day I’d have cast Diane Keaton or Debra Winger, but from today’s actresses I would choose someone with comic chops – Maya Rudolph comes to mind. So does Phoebe Waller Bridges, but that is mostly because I am an enormous fan and would love meet her!

What is something you've learned about yourself during the pandemic?

That quarantines and lockdowns only work for introverts when they (we) actually get to be alone. Also, I apparently need to leave the house regularly to write well – I hadn’t realized how important writing trips to coffee shops and bookstores were to me.

What is the last movie you saw that you would recommend?

I just saw the Sound of Metal which was terrific and the Joan Didion movie, The Center Cannot Hold, which I loved. 

Who was your role model when you were growing up?

I used to write fan mail to Judy Blume!

Thank you to Lea for visiting with us and to Kathleen Carter Communications 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 11th at midnight EST.