I recently listened to an interview with Susan Wiggs, an author who has been around for quite awhile and yet I have only just discovered her with her newest release Just Breathe. During the interview, Susan said that she makes a creative art collage for her stories to inspire her while she is writing. It allows her to come right back into her story just by looking at the images that she has found in magazines, books, online and catalogs. It is her take on an inspiration board. I would love to see what her collage for Just Breathe looks like. She also writes her books in long hand! For a woman who has been steadily producing books since 1987, that is quite a feat!
Here is Booklist’s review of JUST BREATHE:
Sarah Moon’s life abruptly changes when she surprises her husband with a pizza and is surprised, in turn, to find him with another woman. Sarah has subsumed her true self to become the wife her husband wanted. She moved to Chicago, dressed stylishly, and bent her needs to his. She nursed him through a bout with cancer and underwent fertility treatments. She even put up with his denigration of her career as a cartoonist, the only thing uniquely hers. But at that shocking juncture, she channels her spunky cartoon alter-ego, Shirl, and splits. She arrives back in her northern California hometown, feeling adrift and humiliated, only to discover that she is finally pregnant. With twins. Sarah’s efforts to become part of the community once again shouldn’t include falling for former classmate turned fireman Will Bonner, but she can’t resist him, his generosity of spirit, or his stepdaughter, who reminds Sarah so much of herself at that age. Wiggs’ exceptionally touching and evocative novel will capture readers’ hearts as they fall for her beautifully rendered characters. — Maria Hatton
I have just started reading Just Breathe and already I can’t put it down! It’s the perfect read for these last few days of Summer.
