Thursday, May 27, 2021

A Special Sisterhood

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Susan Mallery, Susan Mallery! Can you believe it? Whoa. Here’s how this happened.  In one of those life serendipities, a local library was hosting a big multi-library event, and the organizer emailed me and said: Do you know Susan Mallery? Would you like to interview her for our event? 


And I  think I yelped. I said--well, YES!  I don't personally know her, but yow, everyone knows her! She’s a rockstar, a total writing rockstar, with a million bestselling novels beloved by bookclubs and legions of fans. That Susan Mallery? 


Yes, indeed. And we had an incredible event, and as a result, I discovered a lot about her. First you should know--she’s very funny, with lots of stories and a wonderful husband and a gorgeous life and pets and she’s an amazing cook and tells hilarious anecdotes and has adoring fans following her wherever she goes. And her books sell, like, billions each.  All that.


But here’s the scoop. This woman is a serious serious writer. She knows her craft, she knows her skills, and she works harder than anyone could ever imagine. She has an organizational  technique with notecards that made my brain fry. She is lovely, of course, and authentically wonderful and truly engaging--but she is also a true professional.  And a brilliant storyteller.


I was so impressed by our evening, and she is now my idol and writing goddess.  And her newest book THE STEPSISTERS came out Tuesday! YAAY! And I am so honored to introduce her to you!



What Makes a Family

by Susan Mallery

#1 New York Times bestselling author of The Stepsisters



A theme I return to again and again in my books is “Finding Family.” It’s endlessly fascinating to me because there are infinite variations on that theme. There are always new relationships to explore, new nuances and emotions to dig into. The idea of finding family, of making a family, resonates with me on a soul-deep level. I think we humans are hard-wired to feel connected, to be part of something bigger than ourselves.

 

I’ve written a lot of sisters in my books—probably a form of wish fulfillment, since I’m an only child. (Sisters by Choice, Daughters of the Bride, The Summer of Sunshine and Margot.) And I’ve written about lots of blended families. (When We Found Home.) But I was really interested in exploring a relationship I’d never tackled before: former stepsisters.

 

When this idea first came to me, it came as one scene that kept playing through my mind like a scene in a movie. Sage is at Daisy’s wedding reception, a little drunk, talking a little too loudly. And just as there’s a lull in the conversation, she tells a friend that she’s still in love with the groom.

(Fiction is so much fun when it’s messy!)



Daisy and Sage were stepsisters for six years, from about age seven to thirteen. They were strangers, then forced together as family, then . . . nothing. Except that their parents had a child together, so they shared a half-sister.

 

As the book starts, they haven’t seen each other in years. And that’s just fine with them—more than fine. They didn’t get along when they lived together, didn’t miss each other when they didn’t. But now their little sister needs them both, and their forced togetherness is going to make them look at each other through new eyes. And somehow, these three women who were thrown together and torn apart by forces beyond their control, will move from strangers to friends to family.

 

I think a lot of readers will relate to this, having lived through similar real-life family dramas. What happens to the relationship between kids of a blended family when the marriage doesn’t last? And what about the relationship of each kid to the stepparent who isn’t there anymore, and who doesn’t have any right to shared custody? How would the loss affect that person into adulthood?

 

I’m curious to hear about your family. Do you have siblings, stepsiblings, half-siblings? Were you close as kids, and are you close as adults?


HANK: Oh, yeah. I grew up with my mom, and my stepfather. At some point, when we finally got to be friends, he reminded me that my favorite taunt to him (at age 6) had been “You’re not my REAL father so you can’t tell me what to do.”  The poor guy. And my poor Mom. I apologized later. (I’m talking years later.)

Oh, and when my step-grandmother, his mother, told me, on an occasion separate from the above: “I love you just as much as if you were my real granddaughter.”

I’m sure this all had its roots on the day of their wedding, when my sister and I (ages 4 and 6) had been dressed up in our pink dresses with white pinafores, and my mother suddenly said--WHAT? WHAT? And turned out Nina and I both had chicken pox.

So what say you, Reds and readers? 

And I’ll give a copy of THE STEPSISTERS  to one lucky commenter!


 ********

SUSAN MALLERY is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women's lives—family, friendship, romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations," and readers seem to agree—40 million copies of her books have sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live.

Susan grew up in California and now lives in Seattle with her husband. She's passionate about animal welfare, especially that of the two ragdoll cats and adorable poodle who think of her as mom.




ABOUT THE STEPSISTERS


#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery pens a love story of a different sort...a heartfelt tale of friendship between two women who used to be sisters.

 

Once upon a time, when her dad married Sage's mom, Daisy was thrilled to get a bright and shiny new sister. But Sage was beautiful and popular, everything Daisy was not, and she made sure Daisy knew it.

 

Sage didn't have Daisy's smarts--she had to go back a grade to enroll in the fancy rich-kid school. So she used her popularity as a weapon, putting Daisy down to elevate herself. After the divorce, the stepsisters' rivalry continued until the final, improbable straw: Daisy married Sage's first love, and Sage fled California.

 

Eighteen years, two kids and one troubled marriage later, Daisy never expects--or wants--to see Sage again. But when the little sister they have in common needs them both, they put aside their differences to care for Cassidy. As long-buried truths are revealed, no one is more surprised than they when friendship blossoms.

 

Their fragile truce is threatened by one careless act that could have devastating consequences. They could turn their backs on each other again...or they could learn to forgive once and for all and finally become true sisters of the heart.

 

BUY NOW

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BN - https://bit.ly/37Ccq9Y

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99 comments:

  1. Hank, that's an interesting story and thank you for sharing. Did you remember your Mom marrying again when you were six years old?

    Susan, welcome to Jungle Reds! First time I heard of you was today on social media. I saw something about the Stepsisters novel either on Facebook or Instagram today.

    The title of your novel for some reason reminded me of the children's fairytale Cinderella story.

    In my generation, I am the only child and my cousins all have siblings. However, in my parents' generation, many of their cousins were only children.

    Diana

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    1. Oh, Diana! The classic stepsister story… Got to wonder how those two dealt with each other.

      And yes, I absolutely remember the chicken pox discovery part of it it…But then ... My sister and I were banished to our bedrooms. and that’s actually all I remembe. . My mother used to laugh about it—. But she must’ve been so frustrated that day! She looks beautiful in her wedding pictures, though, so things must have turned out…

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    2. Thanks for the welcome, Diana. And yes, I'll confess we played with that connection a bit with the book's blurb. But it's not really a Cinderella story, so we didn't want to take it too far. (There is a wicked stepmother, though, come to think of it! ;) ) If you're intrigued, you can read a free excerpt here: https://susanmallery.com/book-the-stepsisters.php

      Hank, OMG, chicken pox for both of you ON your mother's wedding day? Bless her heart. Your poor mom. And a trial by fire for your stepdad, too. Sounds like he made it for the long haul. <3

      Thanks so much for hosting me here today! This is going to be fun.

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  2. Congratulations on your newest book, Susan . . . it sounds as if it’s full of intrigue and mystery. I’m looking forward to reading it.

    We are three girls and one boy in our family; Jean and I are twins; we have a much-younger [nine years] sister, and an even younger [twelve years] brother. We are closer as adults than we were growing up because of the age difference; Jean and I off to college while they were still in elementary school . . . .

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    1. Oh, yes… I can see why that would be almost 2 different generations!

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    2. That is a really interesting dynamic, Joan. I'm glad you were able to grow closer as adults. I could see it going the other way, if people didn't make an effort.

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  3. I've got one brother - he's seven years younger than I am. I'd say we are much closer now than we were as kids. We were close, but I wanted to have some of my own life back then, and he didn't quite get the age difference. But, as adults, the age difference isn't nearly what it was as kids.

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    1. Oh, that’s so difficult… I’m sure he worshiped you!

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    2. That's so true. Age difference stops mattering so much once you're both in your twenties. But I can certainly see why a teenager wouldn't want his much younger brother hanging around all the time.

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  4. Susan, your new book sounds so interesting. I love books about family relationships. I am the youngest of four children, three girls and one boy, and, sadly, my two sisters are both deceased. My older sister was ten years older than me, and since she got married while in college and started a family and moved a considerable distance away, we weren't especially close. Although when I was a baby, I know she was a little mother to me. My next sister was eight years older, and we became very close when I was a teen, because she came back home for a while after college. We stayed pretty close even after I married and moved away, but when she died, we weren't that close. She had some mental issues and imagined her family was against her (we weren't), so it became challenging to have a relationship, although I tried because I knew that's what our parents would have wanted. My brother was rather a lone wolf to the girls in the family, but we keep in touch now, as we are all that is left of the family. Although we all seemed to go our separate ways and were separated geographically as adults, my childhood was lovely with having three siblings to fill the house.

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    1. Family dynamics are so fascinating! As we get older, it’s a conscious decision whether to continue a relationship…

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    2. I'm so sorry both your sisters are gone, Kathy. I know you'll always feel a little pang in your heart when you think about them, even if you weren't close as adults.

      I was an only child, and I always longed for siblings. I think my books are wish fulfillment in a way.

      I hope you'll love The Stepsisters! Family drama is what I do. ;) It's endlessly fascinating because every relationship is unique.

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  5. The new book sounds intriguing, Susan. And I love your stories, Hank.

    I had a stepfather and a stepmother, but only after we kids were all well out of the house. I met my step siblings. They seemed nice enough but didn't I spend much time with them. Nothing became fraught until my mother's older years, when her husband had Alzheimers, his sons were accusing my mom of squandering HIS money (yeah, they'd been married for 25 years, plus she was the most modest spender you could imagine), and it got messy and so stressful for her. It was a blessing when Fred died and we didn't have to deal with those jerks any more.

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    1. Oh - my actual sibs - I have two older sisters and a younger brother. Our alliances changed around as we grew. For a while I felt closer to my oldest sister and not my next-oldest. My brother and I played -and fought - a lot. But in high school and college my next-oldest sister and I became close and still are, although I cherish the times the three sisters get together. We four are now on both coasts, Indiana, and Ottawa, though, so reunions are hard to manage.

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    2. Oh, when you bring money into the equation it can get very unpleasant.... such is the stuff of so many mysteries, right?

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    3. Oh wow, Edith, that sounds awful. I'm so sorry they put your mom through that. Yeah, after 25 years of marriage, it's not "his" money anymore. It's theirs.

      You and your siblings spread out a lot. That would be hard to coordinate a reunion. Everyone is busy, with different priorities.

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    4. We all met up at my son's wedding three years ago - what a treat!

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    5. Oh, that's great! That must've been so much fun.

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  6. Congratulations on your new release!
    We manage one holiday get-together a year with all our far-flung kids and have a great time.

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    1. Oh, that’s a wonderful way to handle it – – every year must be so interesting!

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    2. That's a great way to reconnect! Must be fun to look at the pictures from year to year, watch everyone grow and change.

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  7. Welcome, Susan!

    I have two brothers and a sister. I was four, six, and eight years older (respectively) when we were growing up, so we weren't particularly close. In fact, in a lot of ways, I was a pretty horrible older sister. Now that we're all in our 40s, we're much closer (except for one brother, but he's a force unto himself).

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    1. Oh my goodness, I am sure you were not a horrible older sister! You were just… Older!

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    2. I have one of those brothers, Liz...

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    3. Thanks for the welcome, Liz! I'm glad your siblings have forgiven you. ;) If you're close now, you must not have been all that horrible.

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  8. Wow, family dynamics are endlessly interesting, so there's a mother lode of angst to be mined from them!

    I'm the oldest of four in my family, two girls and two boys, and have had two stepdads. My parents were divorced not very long when my dad died, so my mom has in essence been widowed three times. From her second marriage she acquired an adopted stepson, which had tons of complications--he resented everything and was borderline criminal (but has apparently straightened out his life in recent years).

    My second stepdad had a daughter who has very much become a beloved older sister to me. My own sister and I were never close, but Chris and I fell right into a close relationship that has continued long after her dad passed away. She was an only child, and we always say her dad gave her a family for after he was gone.

    My oldest daughter's dad has also been married three times and she has step-sibs galore, plus her two half-sisters who are my younger daughters. Just from observing her family dynamics an author could have material for generations. Her stepmom of the last 35 years has been married a whopping five times, and her three kids have two different dads, plus one of her daughters has had a checkered love life, as well. It's exhausting to keep up with.

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    1. Wow… You are so right. You have a wealth of story material :-)

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    2. Karen, I have a friend who grew up in a blended and re-blended family like that. She calls it a "blendered" family. Each parent has been married multiple times, and I think she has more than a dozen "steps" and "halfs" and "formers." She is only close to a few.

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    3. Gigi, that's my oldest daughter. At one point in her childhood she had no fewer than 13 grandparents, since her dad's parents were also divorced and remarried, and my grandmother was still alive. She is an only child, an oldest child, and a middle child, and loves all her many permutations of siblings, possibly not equally. "Family" has a very fluid concept to us.

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    4. That's really fascinating, Karen! That's exactly the sort of dynamic I had in mind when I set out to write The Stepsisters. I felt that a lot of readers would be able to relate. Daisy and Sage were only stepsisters for about six years, but because their parents had a child together, Cassidy, Daisy and Sage remained connected through their shared half sister. I thought that was about as far as I could go in a novel, without confusing readers irreparably. LOL

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    5. My daughter and her first stepsister are a year apart, and they lived as sisters for 13 years. They were close for decades and had a falling out, but they are closer again now. They went through a lot together.

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    6. I'm so glad they've reunited.

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    7. I just love all these complicated relationships--steps and halfs and in-laws and out-laws and so on. There's also the complications that arise with very young parenthood. I just got back from an in-law visit and a celebration of five generations in the family. Ages 97 to 7 months. This family has aunts younger than their nephews. But, we all love each other, even when there are folks on the outs with each other. One nephew even described a conflict between his aunt and older brother (the two are almost the same age) with this: Bebhinn is crazy and Jaimie is a jerk! All made up quite soon.

      Susan, the book sounds great--I'll add it to my summer reading list!
      -Melanie

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  9. Welcome, Susan. The new book sounds great.

    I was the youngest of four children, but there was an 11-year gap between me and the youngest of them. My sister and I managed to remain close in spite of that gap, but my brothers, 12 and 15 years older than me, always felt more like distant cousins than like siblings. Like, we cared what happened to each other, but not with that visceral intensity of a sibling. The more likable of the two brothers died about five years ago, and we have only the loosest connection remaining with the other.

    My husband, on the other hand, was one of eight siblings and amazingly, they are all close to this very day. It has been a lot of fun marrying into those relationships.

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    1. So inexplicable, right, how these things happen? But there does seem to be a through line of closeness in age…

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    2. That's what I find so endlessly interesting about families--each one is unique. And within it, each relationship is unique. Infinite stories to tell!

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  10. Susan, welcome to JRW and congratulations on your new release. I do have a step story or two.

    My mother died when I was a freshman in college in December 1965. Carol's dad died in September 1967, she was a freshman in college. We had attended the same high school but had never met. Her mother, Irene, had promised her that they'd travel thoughout Europe the next summer so they would not be sitting at home with that sadness and Irene began to plan their trip.

    My dad bumped into Irene at the supermarket that winter and they started to see each other. By April 1968, they were engaged to marry, but Irene was still taking Carol to Europe for the summer.

    I'll never forget the first time we met. I went to their house where Irene had just overflowed the bathtub and the two of them shouted and laughed and cursed as they mopped it up. I was gobsmacked!

    That day Irene invited me to join them on their European trip. (Third wheel here.) I had already signed up for a couple of summer school classes which finished about 4 weeks into their 10 week trip. What an opportunity to travel! I met them in London in July.

    Dad went over for the first 2 weeks that I was with them, and he and Irene sent Carol and me off on our own. They rented a car and we took the train. What a way to get to know someone! We had one adventure after another traveling alone through Switzerland and Italy. We still crack-up when we talk about the things that we did and saw and the people we met. My step sister and I are still close.

    On the other side of the coin, when I met my husband, he was divorced with a 3 year old daughter. She loved me at first, until she realized that I was going to be sticking around. Then she was just awful to me for years. There were days...but I was the adult. Also, I knew that I held the key to everything good, and that if I was always helpful and kind, eventually it would work out. And it did. She has two wonderful sons whom I love to pieces and now, I have to go bake and freeze some more goodies to bring with us when we travel to see them next month.

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    1. Judy! Wow! Those are fascinating stories. And yes, kids can really be distressing— and it’s an extremely difficult challenge to fight. Good for you for persevering!

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    2. My step-daughter pushed back hard when I married her father. She was still in high school. Her mother (long-divorced from my guy) somehow felt she had the right to her opinions without ever having met me, so tried to poison the well every chance she got. But Warren loved his girl and I never wanted to come between them, so I gave him all the room he needed to work out his relationship with her. By the time she was an adult they were very close, and got to come along for the ride. Now, with him gone, I'm his stand-in at family events, and I'm happy to say my step-daughter and I get along really well.

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    3. How lovely, Judy, to have Carol in your life. Your parents did the right thing by helping you rely on one another in a strange-to-both-of-you situation.

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    4. Oh, that sounds like SUCH a fun adventure! And what a way to get to know each other. In a strange country where you don't speak the language (I assume). Sounds like you were good travel buddies.

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    5. That's lovely, Gigi. Good for you for hanging in there.

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  11. These stories are also fascinating! Keep them coming!

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  12. My story is a little bit different - about the step-grandchildren I have lost. Both of my sons had married women with young children and since these were my "first" grandchildren I was thrilled. But things got ugly in both cases and that was the end of those relationships. One former DIL actually told my son "and I'll make sure your mother never sees Josh again!" (Not sure why my son felt the need to repeat that to me!)

    Then one of the sons had a live-in arrangement with a woman and a young son. He was wonderful and we had such a good relationship but after about a year he and his mother had both moved on.

    I suppose all of that would be considered collateral damage. it was sad for all concerned but I'm not sure the main characters even considered how others might be affected. Or if they did, they didn't care.

    Luckily, I have since become an actual grandmother twice and I'm doing everything I can so that those relationships remain intact.

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    1. And so many people trying to do the right thing..but how do we ever know? We just do the best we can, right, and try to be good.

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    2. Oh, Judi, how hurtful that must have been! I hope you take comfort from knowing that you were a blessing to those children, albeit briefly. <3

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  13. I come from a family of eight kids--I'm number two daughter and number 4 child. There was a gap of about 4 years between the first 5 and the youngest three. But we were always pretty close until this past year, sad to say. One brother and one sister (the next two down from me) are rabid drinkers of the current political kool-aid. Visits/phone calls are always strained and becoming fewer as time goes on. Very close to my older sister, though.

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    1. It's really sad when politics get in the way of relationships, but I completely get it. I've had to block a couple of relatives on Facebook, because I just don't want to know how nasty their "humor" can be. We get along fine in person, however, because we all take the "don't talk politics" pledge. And because the visits are short.

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    2. Oh, dear. I remember one particular Thanksgiving where ..well, let's just say it want that festive. Now it's family lore, but that one day, it was the stuff of a bad movie. Yup, politics.

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    3. This year has been hard on everyone. I hope your family will be able to heal the rift, Flora.

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  14. I have a brother and sister whom I no longer have any relationship with. Parents were wonderful and devoted but it is hard to fathom that we were all brought up in the same era and family. We are all old now but probably will never get together again at all. I have tried with both siblings many times but they refuse to have anything to do with me and my family. So they lose out.

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    1. Exactly. There's the "you can't choose your family" mantra--and sometimes you just have to let go. xxx

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    2. Sounds like you've experienced a lot of pain over this. Sometimes moving on is the healthiest thing to do, but I'm sorry you had to go through that.

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  15. When we were growing up my bother and sister and I were close and got along even though we were different personalities. Things changed over the years unfortunately. I have been there for both of them many times especially helping my sister and being very thoughtful and generous. All my overtures now are ignored. Pity.

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    1. People are so predictably unpredictable. And personal battles are hard to understand. All we can do is try. xxx

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  16. I have one sister. We've always been close, and now we run a little indy press together, so that's all fun.

    On the flip side, I have no children but, thanks to my step-daughter, I have six grandchildren and two great-grands. Two of the grands are actually my step-daughter's step-daughters, so it all gets complicated. I don't see them very often but I keep in touch, and we all got together last weekend when the youngest granddaughter graduated from high school. They are growing up to be the most remarkable people, and I'm proud of them all.

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    1. That is SUCH a great feeling! My sep-grandson (though I don;' think of him that way) is off to college this fall! YAY! And nearby, so that's terrific.

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    2. I don't use "step" when describing my grandchildren either, Hank. My father adored Irene's grandchildren and he was the only poppi they ever knew. He was a good model for being a grandparent.

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    3. That's so sweet, Gigi. Glad you were all able to get together to celebrate your grand's milestone. <3

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  17. I have one brother whom I lost in February of this year. There were nine years between us - he being the elder. Despite that, and despite the fact that my parents made him my primary babysitter, including forcing him to take me along on dates - can you say a unique take on how to calm the teen boy libido - and my mother made it plain that he was her favorite - we were close. My brother was always there for me. Helped me through the bumps and bruises of my own awkward teen years and provided a built in posse of elder brother surrogates for me that still exists today. I miss him, although we didn't see each other often.

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    1. Oh, I am so sorry, dear Kait. What a raft of funny memories! On a DATE? Whoa.

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    2. I'm so sorry for your loss, Kait. Sounds like you have many happy memories. That's lovely.

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    3. Thank you, Hank and Susan. I do have an arsenal of great memories of the two of us. It helps soften the blow.

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  18. Ah, yes, family and siblings in particular give a writer so much to work with. It’s too painful for me to delve into these days but a sibling who is also your best friend is truly one of life’s greatest gifts.
    Susan, that scene is brilliant! The Stepsisters is going right into the beach bag! Bring on summer!

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    1. Yes, Jenn, you talked about beach bag contents yesterday--isn't this perfect? A THEME!

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    2. LOL It is the perfect book for a beach bag! Amusingly, my publisher came up with a tagline for an event that talked about the "sun & sand" on the cover of The Stepsisters... but there's no sand. They're at a pool. Even so, it definitely makes you think of the beach.

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  19. Ah, yes, family and siblings in particular give a writer so much to work with. It’s too painful for me to delve into these days but a sibling who is also your best friend is truly one of life’s greatest gifts.
    Susan, that scene is brilliant! The Stepsisters is going right into the beach bag! Bring on summer!

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  20. I'm the first three; girl, boy, girl. We are about 14 months apart and are/were as different as night and day. Different colored eyes, hair, different physical build and temperament. Though I am the oldest, most outside the family would, at first, put my brother as the oldest. Introvert, charmer, extrovert. We were just different. When dad walked out I was 21 so step siblings did happen until mid 20's and they are older than me. My mom tried to be inclusive, remembering birthdays for John's kids and grandkids but we were never close.

    Mom was good with the step/blended multiple parent dynamic. She was one of ten. She share one sister with her mom and dad, the rest are results of grandma's multiple marriages and grandpa's second. Multiple family dynamic was normal for her.

    Your new book sounds good, Susan. I'm adding it to my list. Just don't tell my sister, okay?

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    1. LOL! I'll let you tell your sister for me, Deana. ;)

      I'm always fascinated by how different siblings can be, despite sharing genes and being raised in the same household. Humans are complex.

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    2. SO agree. Just..different is so profound. It seems like we are programmed to think there's a thing like "siblings" and how that's supposed to be. But--no.

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  21. Loved The Stepsisters. I am an only child as was my dad, my mom's family all lived in another state so I did not see my cousins except for special occasions I really do enjoy reading stories with sibling dynamics, and am a big fan of Susan's books. Thank you both for all your wonderful books

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    1. Thank you! I'm so glad you loved The Stepsisters. This being release week, I'm tied up in knots wondering whether readers will love Daisy and Sage as much as I do. Theirs isn't an easy relationship, but I think (hope) that makes the ending all the more satisfying. I think of it as a story of two women falling into friendship.

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    2. YES! Susan is a rock star--with a special skill for understanding what connects us all. Only child--what an interesting road you must have had. xxx

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  22. Late getting on. I was on the phone talking to an Ohio friend who is a grandma again! There were 5 kids in our family. I am the oldest daughter, second born. My big brother is 3 years older and we were close for many years. Not so much now. The second crew were 2 girls and a boy, 6,9, and 12 years younger than me. As adults we girls were all good friends. My little brother is autistic so he is comfortable with whoever lives close by that he sees a lot. He and my youngest sister shared a house they bought together until she died. I've always been a bit resentful that my big brother escaped all the family health issues and worries by leaving the nest early on while I was still home and sucked into them. He's been living in his bubble in Colorado for years and we used to see him once a year when he'd come down to visit my parents and his inlaws. Last time I saw him was 3 years ago at Mom's memorial service. Oh well. There is no animosity between us, just indifference.

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    1. Indifference can bring its own kind of pain. So sorry. <3

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    2. So agree, Susan. It's so complicated, and can be so heartbreaking. Honored to be in your Jungle Red family, dear Pat D.

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  24. Love the idea of this book, Susan, and even though I don't have a beach trip planned, I think it will be required "deck" reading. I am fascinated by family relationships, whether biological, blended, or "made."

    My brother was almost ten years older than me, so we weren't very close growing up--I was seven when he went off to college. But we became close as adults, although we were always geographically separated. One of the bonuses is that my niece is only thirteen years younger than me, so is more like a cousin. Sadly, I lost my brother to cancer three years ago.

    On the flip side, my husband is the oldest of five, and there is enough drama for many stories there!

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    1. Drama or comedy, Debs? You get to choose how you tell the story. That's why Carol and I can laugh so hard now, at our adventures and misadventures then!

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    2. I'm so sorry to hear about your brother, Deborah. Cancer is a beast. :( It takes too many people far too soon, and leaves a hole in our lives.

      I hope you'll enjoy The Stepsisters. Yes, perfect for a deck! (I'll confess, I'm more of a deck girl than a beach girl myself. I enjoy the cleanliness and conveniences.)

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    3. LOL Judy, that's an excellent point!

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    4. Oh, Debs, I feel as if I learn more about you every day. xx

      And sign me up as a deck person. (with no sand, and possibly bathrooms)

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  25. The news book sounds fascinating. As I've observed blended families, I really have wondered how it all works out for the children. There was a kind of scandal right next door some years ago. In my own family, there were 3 of use, very close in age. Good childhood, but the late years with ailing parents slowly created a lot of ill will. I'm close to both but they are not close to each other, what we swore would never happen. Interestingly, the next generation seems to be preserving those relationships in spite of their parents! Then there are the cousins who stopped speaking to their siblings...and each told me an entirely different story about why. And...and...Ahh, families.

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    1. Infinitely complex. So many ways that feelings can be hurt. But also an amazing source of support for the lucky ones.

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    2. Yes! It all depends on who is telling the story. And that is why you are so good at what you do, Triss!

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  26. I can't believe I forgot to add Susan Mallery when we were talking about beach books the other day! And I should stress I say beach book as a high compliment. I can escape into ANY book when I'm huddled by the fire and it's below freezing. But it takes a really good read to compete with the, what, fifteen days of summer we have here in Maine...

    Yes, I am both a step-sister, as my parents married after both having families and divorcing, and I'm also a half-sister, although that designation's pretty irrelevant, since we've been together as a family since their birth (I am, of course, the oldest.) I'm not particularly close to my stepsibs, since we never lived together, but we all have fond memories of Christmases and summers, and I always enjoy meeting up with them again.

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    1. It's certainly a different dynamic when you never lived together. Nice that you can enjoy holidays together, though.

      Thank you for the high compliment. :) <3 I'm honored, truly.

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    2. I'd love to go to the beach just to see how many people are reading your book,Susan! That must be such a treat...xx

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  27. One brother two years younger who died in 2017. I miss him every day. When we were kids, we fought, mostly because he HAD to have someone to play with instead of reading like normal people. LOL When I was a kid, I didn't think I knew anyone who was divorced, although I knew Mom's real dad had died when she was little. My step-grandfather had been divorced with a daughter whose mother was so bitter that Mom saw the daughter cross the street to avoid her father. Dad's Uncle John had two families, and the first wife was bitter also, not letting her daughter write to Uncle John. The second daughter would have liked a relationship with her step-sister but it never happened. Also when we visited my only great-grandfather, the lady who lived with him wasn't his wife. I think she gave us cookies so who cared? Stay safe and well.

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    1. And there you have life. Wow, crossed the street. That is bitterness.

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  28. LOL on wanting to read when your brother wanted to play! I'm glad you got past those irreconcilable differences. But very sorry your brother has passed, Sally.

    Sounds like there was a lot of trauma in your family. Very sad when one parent poisons a child's mind against the other.

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  29. Thank you so much for the warm welcome here today! I had a wonderful time, and your family stories have my head swimming with ideas.

    Hank, thank YOU for being such a gracious host! I appreciate your generosity and friendship.

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    1. Oh, you are SO wonderful! I truly enjoyed our tie together in the interview--let's do it again. okay? And you are SO welcome here at Jungle Red ANY time! xxx

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  30. So one little crisis in the day job--and I miss ALL this! Reading now! xx

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  31. And hurray, Susan--congratulations on the wild success of THE STEPSISTERS! We will choose a winner at midnight ET! And thank you, all, for a wonderful day.

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  32. And the winner is SALLY FROM PA! YAAAY! Message me your address! xxoxo And thank you, darling Susan!

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  33. Thank you both, Hank and Susan, for these stories. Congrats, Sally from PA! I loved reading everyone's family stories. I have a sister 6 years younger, and as she says, I was more a mom to her than our mom. But over the years we have done away with that. Our favorite times are riding and driving in the car and singing along with our fave tunes. Good night all! I'm sure most of you are on East Coast time and are snuggled down in bed. I'm on Pacific time so still up reading. Sweet dreams!

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  34. Hi ladies, this book sounds like a very good read, I love to read books about sisters having 2 sisters myself. I also have 3 older brothers and then there's me and then my 2 younger sisters. All my life there was 6 of us kiddos and so on my mom's death bed at the hospital one of our cousins went up to her and thanked my mom for leaving her in perfect hands (of which was our aunt, and uncle ( my mom's sister and my mom's brother in law) yep, we found out we all had an older half sister. Thank you for sharing your story Hank. Thank you for the chance of this awesome and great sounding book. You all have a great long weekend and stay safe. aliciabhaney(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

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