Guest Post by Kelly O'Connor McNees + 2 Copy GIVEAWAY of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

In honor of the paperback release of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott I am pleased to bring you a guest post by author Kelly O'Connor McNees, as well as a 2 copy giveaway of her fabulous novel (to enter please scroll to the bottom of this post)!

Take it away Kelly....

History is about stories

To all those boring, droning history teachers out there, ruining this fascinating subject for thousands of students, listen up! History is about stories. That means it has drama and suspense and comedy and tragedy and plenty of the unexpected. There are blood and guts, love and betrayal--and lots of great clothes.

A couple years ago I started reading biographies of Louisa May Alcott with an eye toward writing a novel about her. I had always loved Little Women, and I knew Louisa also had a life as a suffragette and abolitionist, alongside her philosopher father Bronson Alcott. The more I read about Louisa--what she dreamed of and how those dreams were complicated and thwarted and sometimes fulfilled by circumstance and choice--the more I wanted to build a story around her life.

Louisa May Alcott
I kept reading, but I felt my imagination stalling out. I couldn’t find an entry point into the story. It was kind of like being back in one of those boring history classes, copying down the dates. I was reading about her, but I wasn’t getting to the heart of who she was. I had lots of information, but I didn’t have a story.

What I needed, I could see, were Louisa’s own words. So I checked her collected letters and journals out of the library and combed through to find her voice. I wanted to know: What was the Louisa-ness of Louisa? Boy, did I find out! Here I was, reading the very words she wrote in the long, difficult years before she had any success as a writer, reading about her true and deep devotion to her sisters, her sadness at Elizabeth’s death, her loneliness after Anna’s marriage. She became a real person to me, a person with a story. And that was where my novel about her came from—not from her history but from her story, the story she told about herself.

Here is the passage I love more than all the rest, from a letter she wrote to her sister Anna in 1858:
I’m disgruntled with this letter; for I always begin trying to be proper and neat; but my pen will not keep in order, and ink has a tendency to splash . . . I have to be so moral and so dignified nowadays that the jocosity of my nature will gush out when it gets the chance, and the consequences are, as you see, rubbish. But you like it; so let’s be merry while we may, for tomorrow is Monday, and the weekly grind begins again.
A lot of the scenes in my novel and many of its characters are fictional, but the one aspect of the story I hope adheres to historical fact is Louisa’s own voice. Nothing I invented could possibly compete with the true spirit of this remarkable woman.

Kelly O’Connor McNees is the author of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, on sale in paperback May 3. She lives in Chicago and blogs at http://kellyoconnormcnees.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK

SYNOPSIS

Millions of readers have fallen in love with Little Women. But how could Louisa May Alcott-who never had a romance-write so convincingly of love and heart-break without experiencing it herself? 

Deftly mixing fact and fiction, Kelly O'Connor McNees imagines a love affair that would threaten Louisa's writing career-and inspire the story of Jo and Laurie in Little Women. Stuck in small-town New Hampshire in 1855, Louisa finds herself torn between a love that takes her by surprise and her dream of independence as a writer in Boston. The choice she must make comes with a steep price that she will pay for the rest of her life. 

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

- To enter, please leave a comment below and include your email address.
- Giveaway is open to US entries ONLY!
- For +1 additional entry each, please help spread the word by blogging, posting on sidebar, tweeting or posting on Facebook.  You can use the SHARE buttons below.
- Giveaway ends on May 13th.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

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60 comments:

  1. This sounds like a great story!!! Sharing it on Facebook too!

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  2. Very interesting - I'm intrigued. Thank you!
    Kristi Koopman
    kristikoopman@yahoo.com

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  3. This sounds like an amazing story. I can't wait to get to know Louisa.
    mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I shared on fb-mamabunny shelor
    http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/permalink.php?story_fbid=160032380727971&id=100001199655476
    mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  5. tweet
    http://twitter.com/#!/mamabunny13/status/65669647114059776
    mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

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  6. Hi-I would love to win this-thanks for offering it-I just tweeted your post

    rereadinglives (at)gmail.com

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  7. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Rachelhwallen@gmail.com

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  8. Alcott is one of my favorite authors. I'm glad someone has finally wrote a story about her....

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  9. I really want to read this book. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com. I am a follower and email subscriber

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  10. I would love to win this book!
    amandarwest atgmaildotcom

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  11. Having read Little Women several times, and being a big fan of Louisa May Alcott, I'm anxious to read this novel. Thanks for the giveaway.
    lcbrower40(at)gmail(dot)com

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  12. The book sounds very interesting, though it would be somewhat painful for me to read because “the choice she must make comes with a steep price that she will pay for the rest of her life”.
    elena.cacahuete(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  13. tweet:
    https://twitter.com/spelena/status/65772676865728512
    elena.cacahuete(at)gmail(dot)com

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  14. What a terrific review! I loved "Little Women" and read it many times in my youth. A novel about Ms. Alcott herself would be an awesome read!

    Connie Fischer
    conniecape@aol.com

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  15. I just ADORE that cover!

    I shared on:
    facebook
    twitter
    google buzz

    thank you
    kaiminani at gmail dot com

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  16. It sounds like the author really worked to make this book come alive. I loved the Little Women books when I was a child.
    seknobloch(at)gmail(dot)com

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  17. Little Women is my all time favorite story and I have read it again and again. I have also watched all the movies and tried to get my hands on as many other books by or about the author as I can find. This one has been at the top of my list and I cannot wait to read it...I love the idea of hearing Ms. Alcott's "real" voice and getting into her psyche...if even for a short time.
    candc320@gmail.com

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  18. I shared on Facebook!
    candc320@gmail.com

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  19. I really like that you got fed up with the dry history stuff and went out to seek the real Louisa May Alcott. What better place that her own words in her le88tters? I have always loved her writings and this would be a treat to read. Please enter me in this contest.

    My Twitter name is Carolee888 and I tweeted:

    http://www.passagestothepast.com/2011/05/guest-post-by-kelly-oconnor-mcnees-2.html? Giveaway of 'The Lost Summers of Louisa May Alcott'

    CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  20. I have heard so many wonderful things about this book. Would love to own it!

    tmrtini at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  21. I really enjoyed this interview! Thanks for sharing. :) Excited to read the book.

    maxinita (at) gmail (dot) com

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  22. Enjoyed interview. Looks like fun book. Please count me in.

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  23. Thanks for the interview and giveaway! It looks like an interesting book, and I'm glad that the author seems to have done her research on Alcott before she wrote it.

    Tweet: http://twitter.com/#!/SusieBookworm/status/65891880042373121

    susanna dot pyatt at student dot rcsnc dot org

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  24. My name, Amy (btw, Amy, you have a great name), was inspired by my mom's love of LITTLE WOMEN. I would love to read this book.

    Amy // amyismyfriend at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  25. Tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/ArtsyBookishGal/status/65898106193059840

    Amy // amyismyfriend at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  26. FB Share: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=543401866#!/permalink.php?story_fbid=206428442721727&id=543401866

    Amy // amyismyfriend at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  27. I wish you had taught my history courses! It wasn't until I was an adult as well that I developed my interest in history and only because of amazing historical fiction novelists.

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    Ashley
    ashley.l.mikowski@gmail.com

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  28. Intriguing!
    mkbrow at sbcglobal dot net

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  29. I would enjoy reading this book. Thanks!
    pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

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  30. I have been interested in this book - I have never read Little Women but it is something I have been hoping to read someday.

    I tweeted - http://twitter.com/#!/dolleygurl/status/65945176593539073.

    dolleygurl[at]hotmail[dot]com

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  31. Oh yeah...it's just the storyline but...poor thing stuck in New Hampshire...I'd have to have an affair just to know I was alive...lol Great guest post Kelly and really enjoyed learning about the research and the found letters and finding the real Louisa. Fondly, Roberta
    rlphilbr13@aol.com

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  32. Just shared this giveaway on facebook and twitter.
    rlphilbr13@aol.com

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  33. Have added this giveaway on my sidebar.
    http://con-tain-it.typepad.com
    rlphilbr13@aol.com

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  34. The more I hear about this book, the more intrigued by it. I agree whole heartedly with the statement about history being about stories. If it were taught that way, more people would enjoy it and learn it.

    librarypat AT comcast DOT net

    ReplyDelete
  35. I shared this on Facebook as Patricia Barraclough.

    librarypat AT comcast DOT net

    ReplyDelete
  36. I shared this on Twitter as pbbearclaw.

    http://twitter.com/pbbearclaw/status/66024315308621824

    librarypat AT comcast DOT net

    ReplyDelete
  37. I loved Little Women as a girl. I can't wait to read a book with Louisa May Alcott as main character!
    rlawrence110 at yahoo dot com

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  38. I am passionate about LM Alcott and I just love McNees attitude about Louisa's voice -- so looking forward to this book. thank you for the giveaway!

    unabridgedchick at gmail.com

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  39. What a great idea! I was always curious about Alcott as a kid. I tweeted this @teralynpilgrim

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  40. You always find the best books to giveaway!
    Melanie

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  41. i want to read this!! the cover looks amazing and it sounds like it's a great read!!

    afren07[at]gmail[dot]com

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  42. would love to read this book! booksintheburbs@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  43. I love Louisa May Alcott and Little Women so much. This sounds like an incredible idea for a novel.

    samanthalstevens [at] yahoo [dot] com

    http://twitter.com/#!/SamLauraStevens/statuses/66746260371156992

    ReplyDelete
  44. What an awesome giveaway!!!!!!
    Thanks for the opportunity to win this book!!!!!!!!!
    Many Blessings and Smiles:)
    Charlotte Kay
    charlovesmark at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  45. Oh this looks good!

    thebookfaeryreviews @ gmail . com

    ReplyDelete
  46. Wow what an interesting story idea.
    Thanks for the giveaway.
    Love & Hugs,
    Pam
    pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  47. i'd love to read this! thanks!

    inthehammockblog at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  48. I'm intrigued by this book and would love to read it. Thanks for the chnace to win!
    Zoe0825@verizon.net

    ReplyDelete
  49. I loved this book and ended up buying 3 copies for my family. However, I forgot to pick up a copy for myself (I'd much rather have the paperback version anyway!)

    ReplyDelete
  50. I like the cover. :o

    pikachao@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  51. I'd like to enter this contest please! =)


    TValeros18 @ gmail [dot] com
    SpadesHigh @ http://SpadesHighReads.blogspot.com

    Thank you!!

    ReplyDelete
  52. Sounds like a great book! Please enter me in the drawing :)

    bharbin07[at]gmail[dot]com

    I also posted it to my facebook!

    ReplyDelete
  53. I love the Little Women story & this book sounds like a perfect mesh - also perfect summer reading!

    tmyoung at rochester dot rr dot com

    ReplyDelete
  54. shared on twitter
    https://twitter.com/#!/tmy56/status/68463731385958400
    tmyoung at rochester dot rr dot com

    ReplyDelete
  55. shared on FB
    http://www.facebook.com/#!/permalink.php?story_fbid=129934490415534&id=1344807770

    tmyoung at rochester dot rr dot com

    ReplyDelete
  56. please count me in...if it's not too late :)

    karenk
    kmkuka at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  57. Think I may have got in by the skin of my teeth on this one! As Little Women is one of my favorite books, I really must have this one. thanks for the chance!

    tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/truebookaddict/status/69224427862241280

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michellestockardmiller/posts/129458200465306

    Google Buzz: https://profiles.google.com/thetruebookaddict/posts/8aTttxEWaz1

    truebookaddictATgmailDOTcom

    ReplyDelete
  58. I'm probably too late but I love this book! I want to own it!

    ReplyDelete

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