Pieces of My Sister's Life is now a USA Today Bestseller...I always have my nose in a book-usually read about three at the same time-read while I'm eating, watching TV, sometimes even driving (don't try this at home.) I live in New Jersey farm country, with my husband and two cats, and my husband and I are in the process of adopting a baby from Vietnam, who should join the family within the year.
My first novel, Pieces of My Sister's Life, was published by Bantam this summer. Check out the reading group guide, on ReadingGroupGuides.com, and feel free to invite me to your (online or in-person) book club. I *love* speaking to readers.
My second novel, Promise the Moon, will be released on May 20. The story is told from the perspectives of a Marine’s wife and his young daughter as they uncover the secrets he left behind, struggling to understand the reasons behind his death, their journey towards learning to trust again. In writing the story, I wanted to ponder the question of how well we can really know the people we love, and to study the effects of the Iraq war in a way I feel hasn’t been done before.
Check out my website... http://www.ElizabethJoyArnold.com
I messed around for hours and hours with the HTML, and I'm still not completely happy with it. Next time I think I'll hire a designer.
I have degrees in Chemistry (of all things). I worked for years in labs and then in lovely orange cubicles, reviewing studies performed to meet environmental, and then pharmaceutical regulations. I realized pretty early on that chemistry wasn’t my “calling” (although it did pay the rent), and started writing on the side to keep myself happy. The more time I spent writing the more addicted I got to it, creating characters and worlds, getting inside characters’ heads to understand their personality, and learn how they’ll react to the crap I’m putting them through–and yes, I know they’re not real, but while I’m writing them they feel as real as my own friends and family.
The plot and structure of both my novels have gone through many, many permutations. I’ve calculated that with the amount of time I’ve put into writing, and the size of my advance, I’ve made about 2 cents an hour. But it’s work I love (and, as I’ve said, am addicted to), so honestly I’d do it for free.
Bookpage Review: "ELIZABETH JOY ARNOLD'S accomplished and stunning first novel…is the poignant and riveting tale of twin sisters who love the same man—and the tragic, long-ranging consequences of their rivalry….In prose both elegant and direct, Arnold delivers a piercing, highly readable tale of mystery and loss, longing and redemption as haunting as the last dusk of summer.”
Publishers Weekly Review: "[A] winning debut…This well-observed story is vibrant and rich with the subtleties and nuances of family life...Clear a space in [your] beach tote.
Luanne Rice, NYT Bestselling Author : "Pieces of My Sister's Life is filled with salt air and summer breezes, the dares and secrets of island life, and the mysterious bond that exists between twin sisters. Elizabeth Arnold has written an unforgettable first novel, so beautiful and poignant it will take your breath away." ”
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