Alison Pace

Reading With Robin

Get up early!  Again!

I'll be a guest tomorrow morning, Saturday, on the radio talk show, Reading With Robin -the place to tune in for all of the latest book and author info! A show about books and the people who love to read and write them.

The show airs from 7-8AM on WHJJ Talk Radio 920AM.  Click on that link to listen live, and if you'd like to call in, the number is 866-920-9455.

You can also check out the Reading With Robin blog, here

p.s...my reading and author/editor discussion at McNally Robinson went wonderfully last night.  I think a good time was had by all.  I will post a few pics shortly...

Gothamist Interview

There's an interview with me up on Gothamist today.  Click right here to read it...

Notes from the Lockdown

Well, hola.

I left the city right before the 4th, and haven't been back since.  Partially this is due to the fact that it was really hot in the city, partially due to the fact that I was, very uncharacteristically, getting a bit tired of the city, but mostly due to the fact that I felt the time was nigh for a lockdown. 

The lockdown is the part of the novel-writing process which for me means not seeing anyone, not going out, not really doing anything other than being virtuous and writing, the goal being 2000 words a day, which I've been told is insane.  But I read that Jesse Kellerman aims for ten new pages a day, which is more like 5000 words a day, so when you look at it that way, not so insane.  Since my third book, as you know, or at least as I hope you know, comes out AUGUST 7, August is not a good time for lockdown.  So, here I am.  Ironically writing a book called THINGS TO DO IN THE CITY WITH YOUR DOG, away from the city, but of course with the dog.

Some things that are new:
*I finished reading Cathleen Schines' The New Yorkers, which is also about New York City, and dogs, and quite charming.  Very well written, I recommend it.
*I've started reading Alexandra Fuller's Don't Lets Go To The Dogs Tonight.  I'm not actually trying for a theme of dog books (though I could see how one would think that), rather I'm reading this fascinating book about an African childhood for my new bookclub.  My downstairs neighbors asked me to join and I'm very much looking forward to it.  Haven't had the best luck or longevity with my previous bookclubs, more on that later.
*Carlie went swimming for the first time.  Didn't love it.
*I have some good pictures of Carlie communing with nature, but don't have the thingy that connects my camera to my computer
*THROUGH THICK AND THIN received a five star review from Harriet Klausner on Barnes & Noble.com.  Hi Harriet.
*The Romantic Times, which had previously been put on my bad list for not being super jazzed about PUG HILL, has been put back onto the good list for saying this about THROUGH THICK AND THIN: 
Pace's revealing tale about the bond between two sisters reflects the very real and complex nature of relationships.  Her novel is simultaneously heartwarming and emotionally charged, and the author's depiction of each sister's outwardly perfect life propels the storyline with fascinating detail.

Okay, back to work...

Kirkus!

THROUGH THICK AND THIN has received a completely positive review from KIRKUS!  Really.

Thrilled though I am, I'm not going to post it in its entirety as a few plot points are given away.  But here's my favorite line:

"Sensitive and knowing exploration of the trickiness—and value—of meaningful relationships."

They also use the word "gratifying," they touch on the "melancholy of making adult decisions" (was I not just speaking of my fondness for melancholy but two posts ago?), and they say "Pace's latest has its share of bright spots."

And I'm also quite keen on the headline for the review:  Two sisters with very different lifestyles come together, then fall apart, when they team up to try and lose weight.

Go, Kirkus...

Publishers Weekly

The very first review for THROUGH THICK AND THIN is in!  Notice I have changed the main blog picture in celebratory transition.

Publishers Weekly says Through Thick and Thin is "an endearing third novel" and that I craftily portray the balancing act between work and play, family (be it four-legged or two) and friends, and food and fasting.

Then they say I "write the ordinary well."  Good?  Bad?  I'm going with good...

Reading With Robin's 10 Favorite Books of 2006

Robin Kall, who hosts "Reading with Robin" on WHJJ in Providence, RI has selected her top 10 favorite books of 2006.  I'm so happy to see that PUG HILL is one of them.

Here's the complete list:

SWEET RUIN by Cathi Hanauer
THE REAL ANIMAL HOUSE by Chris Miller
THE GUY NOT TAKEN (short stories) by Jennifer Weiner
PIECE OF WORK by Laura Zigman
THE ABORTIONIST'S DAUGHTER by Elizabeth Hyde
PUG HILL by Alison Pace
ELEMENTS OF STYLE by Wendy Wasserstein
HAPPINESS SOLD SEPARATELY by Lolly Winston
THE MEN I DIDN'T MARRY by Janice Kaplan and Lynn Schnurnberger
LOVE AND OTHER IMPOSSIBLE PURSUITS by Ayelet Waldman

Many thanks to Robin...

Lovely Pug Hill Review

Every now and again, another writer tells me he/she never reads reviews of his/her books.  Sometimes I consider this, even though I know I won't ever actually adhere to it.  Especially because if I didn't read reviews, I'd miss out on the especially lovely ones like this one just in from The Joplin Globe.

The Pampered Puppy Profile

Click here to read some more about me and Pug Hill (and even a little on If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend, too.) 

This was my first in-person, sitting in a cafe interview and I was slightly nervous going to it.  What will I say?  Will I be too chatty?  Or will I overcompensate for my chattiness and seem taciturn?  What will I wear?  Will there be cocktails? No, not really, just somewhere between that and the calm, cool, and collected version of myself I often aspire to be.  It was actually a lovely experience, and it turned out very well: the interviewer (who was very nice herself) has some very complimentary things to say about my writing, and even, about my hair :).

And, if you have a dog of your own, or are even just an admirer of dogs, Pampered Puppy is a terrific site, featuring a charming pug, Merry, who tirelessly evaluates new products, holds photo contests, and even has her own photo-blog (updated daily, and fabulous.)

La Isla Bonita!

Click here to read a Local Girl Does Good (and then Googles herself!) article about me in my home-island paper, Long Island Press.

The Miami Herald

Click to read a great review of PUG HILL in today's Miami Herald.

My favorite line: "Pace is enjoyable and clever, throwing in sly commentary on our current social scene, a la Jane Austen." And I'm also quite partial to, "Pace delivers a final chapter as delightful as the rest of the book. So many books end predictably, and the sheer unexpectedness of this is a treat."