The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton released in paperback! And a giveaway!

I'm happy to announce that Meg Waite Clayton's national bestseller, The Wednesday Sisters, will be released in paperback tomorrow! I had the privilege of reading Meg's book last year as an early reviewer, and instantly fell in love with it. This is what I had to say about the book then:

I received The Wednesday Sisters through the Early Reviewer at LibraryThing. It's an excellently written story about friendship and family (and especially how friends can grow into being more than just friends, they can become family too). From the moment I started reading, I knew that this was going to be a great book.

The story revolves around no-nonsense, athletic Linda, super smart Brett, quiet Frankie, Southern Belle Kath & shy Ally, friends who first meet every Wednesday in the park for play time with their kids, but where they eventually start to discuss what books they've been reading and the general small talk of forming friendships. Later, they discover that each has had a small desire in one way or another to become writers, so the Wednesday meetings change to writing critiques, as they each try to help the other into becoming better writers. The book is so much more than just about their writing, though. It's also about the hopes, dreams and challenges of young families and budding friendships. We get a glimpse into 5 years of their friendship and watch through their eyes as the world is changing around them (the story starts in the summer of 1967) and how they themselves grow as individuals with the rest of the world.

This was a delight to read; smartly written and nicely paced, with believable characters living real lives. I think Meg Waite Clayton describes her own book best, when the Wednesday Sisters are critiquing Brett's book and Frankie asks, "How did you make it so funny and so touching at the same time(?)... It's a little bit of magic, that." When I read that line, I thought the exact same thing about The Wednesday Sisters.

And I stand behind every word of that review now. I also had the good fortune to meet Meg shortly after the publication of her book! We spent a loverly evening talking books and getting to know each other. I felt like I'd found an long lost friend. You can also check out Meg's website by clicking right here!



I am so thrilled and happy for her that her book is doing so well and in celebration of the release of the paperback edition, I want to share The Wednesday Sisters, so I'll be giving away a brand new copy of the paperback to one lucky reader. And as an extra surprise, Meg has offered to autograph the copy for the lucky winner! All you need to do is leave a reply on this thread. Let your friends know, too! This book is all about friendship, and the more of your friends you let know about the book, the better your chances are. If you have a book blog, just mention the book and/or contest there, and you'll get another chance at winning. If you don't have a blog, just email your friends and tell them about it. I'll keep the contest running through this weekend, and announce the winner in my next Sunday Salon post. (OK, I know I was going end this on Sunday, but I decided to leave it open for about another week to include the people that are participating in the LibraryThing author for the next week.)

So, go check out The Wednesday Sisters. Stop by your local bookstore and support them at the same time! Or if you don't have a local store nearby, click on the handy-dandy Amazon link below. Either way, get yourself a copy of The Wednesday Sisters. You won't be disappointed!