And the winner is...

Congratulations SpadesHigh!  You have won a digital copy of Lia Fairchild's In Search of Lucy.

Please email Alice your information so we can get the novel to you.

As always, Girls Just Reading uses Random.org to choose our winners.

Giveaway: In Search of Lucy

We are pleased to have one digital copy of Lia Fairchild's novel In Search of Lucy for giveaway. 

Please fill out the form below by Tuesday, May 24th at midnight EST.  Since this is an ebook, this giveaway is open internationally.



Thank you Ms. Fairchild for providing us with a copy of your novel.

Author Interview: Lia Fairchild

Earlier today I reviewed In Search of Lucy, the debut novel by Lia Fairchild.  Ms. Fairchild has taken the time to answer a few questions for us:

GJR:  A coming of age story can happen at any age, what inspired you to tell Lucy’s story?


Lia Fairchild (LF):  My first thought was that it would be an interesting story to have a character that seemingly had no reason to live, but suddenly was forced to go on. In this story, Lucy must carry one with a life she is unhappy with just so she can save her sister’s life. I also wanted to show that there are many people in the world that feel lost and alone, and won’t let others inside to show them how wrong they are.

GJR:  There were times when I was genuinely heartbroken for Lucy’s circumstances. I wanted to reach into the words, give her a hug and a cheeseburger. How do you detach yourself from writing a character like her? I imagine she stays with you long after you shut the laptop off for the day.

LF:  While writing the story I really tried to put myself in her position and see how she must be feeling. Even though Lucy, along with the other characters, was in my imagination, it still felt very real to me. There were times that I would be crying just reading back a chapter to myself.

GJR:  My favorite relationship of Lucy’s is with her sister. Do you have a sister? How did your relationship with her influence the relationship between Lucy and Katie?

LF:  I did not have a sister growing up, and I always wished I had a big family. Maybe that was part of my motivation. There were many times growing up that I felt alone and didn’t have anyone to talk to. I really could have used a sister.

GJR:  Anne was a hoot, happy without being annoying. Will we see more of her in the future?
LF:  At this point I really don’t know. There has always been a part of me that wants everyone to be part of me that wants everyone to be happy and get along. I think that’s what I was trying to do with Anne.

GJR:  What is the most difficult aspect of being an independent author?

LF:  The hardest part for me is not being able to write every day full-time. In this economy it seems like a lot of writers do other work to make ends meet. You also have to spend a lot of time marketing, doing other types of writing, basically finding ways to help people find your book. I actually enjoy that part, but it does take time away from actual writing.

GJR:  What are you working on now? Can you tell us the premise?

LF:  I love to laugh, which seems strange given my first book. So, my second book is going to be lots of fun. I don’t want to say too much at this point since I’m just getting started, but I can tell you it’s a romantic comedy set at a magazine.

GJR:  Who are your favorite authors?

LF:  I don’t really have favorites, but lately I have been enjoying Sophie Kinsella and Elin Hilderbrand. Like a lot of people, I just like to hear my friends’ recommendations and then get a book. However, the authors I really admire are those Indie authors that are out there without publishers and agents, working hard to share their books with the world.

GJR:  What are you currently reading?

LF:  I always have at least two or three books going at once. Right now I’m finishing up “Be Careful What You Wish For” which is a very cute and fun chicklit mystery and starting “Second Chances,” a romance with suspense. Next on my list is “Feathers” an Anthology of feel good stories.

GJR:  If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?

LF:  I’ve had quite a few career changes in my life, so that’s a good question. I love helping kids and already have my credential, so that’s a possibility. If I could paint, I’d do that.

GJR:  Something different: What makes you laugh, I mean serious from the gut laughing?

LF:  My daughter is hilarious. She is very different from other girls her age and sometimes she says something so creative or simply offbeat that will make me laugh so hard. I think it’s the makings of a great writer.

Thanks Ms. Fairchild.

Alice's Review: In Search of Lucy

Summary:  Thirty-year-old Lucy Lang is lost. She spent most of her young life sacrificing her own needs to care for her half-sister and deal with their alcoholic mother. Now abandoned by both of them, Lucy struggles to find her own purpose in life; a struggle that is laden with wretched memories and regret. With no family, no relationships and an unfulfilling job Lucy becomes depressed, cynical and self-destructive. At times she’d even contemplated suicide as the only way out.

When she is just about to hit rock bottom, Lucy finds out that her sister is ill and needs a kidney transplant. Lucy is found to be the only match and has no choice but to live, trapped in a lonely existence to save her sister’s life. And, she must battle with her emotions; her bitter resentment for her sister’s heartless departure and her longing to be needed again by the person she once loved most in the world. With the help of new found friends, Benny and Anne, and a struggling romance, Lucy sets out on a journey to reunite with her sister and search for the answers she needs to find her own identity.

With simply genuine and endearing characters, In Search of Lucy pulls you right into the story and into the characters’ lives. You’ll find yourself truly inspired and rooting for the happy ending that these characters are working so hard to obtain. This dramatic, romantic novel about the power of relationships and how they affect our identity will appeal to anyone that has ever experienced love, loss, and friendship.

Review:  I have read many books lately in which the heroine is just about perfect with a flaw that is endearing and problems that you know will be solved by the last page because that’s the way it has to be. Lucy Lang is not that woman, she’s not even close. She’s sad, damaged, broken.  She has a life that she is not living.  Every time she has opened her heart to someone, she gets hurt. 

At the beginning of the novel, we find Lucy in a dead end job in spite of having a love of art.  She is a loner, a drunk.  She doesn't have any friends and a list of regrets an arms length long.  She was abandoned by the person she loved the most, her sister.  She in alone.  Thankfully there are a few people in her life who have not given up on her, two unlikely friends who join her on a life changing journey.

I really enjoyed this novel. I loved following Lucy on her journey. I thought Ms. Fairfield did an excellent job adding realism to this novel. Lucy was the perfect balance of hope and despair.  I enjoyed how she grew as a person, finding herself in the love and acceptance of others.  I loved the relationships she had with her sister.  I loved reading how their relationship evolved. 

I think this is definitely worth the read.  In my search of Lucy, I really like what I found.

Final Take: 3/5