I'll Take What She Has by Samantha Wilde

I'LL TAKE WHAT SHE HAS


by Samantha Wilde


Women's Fiction
Bantam Books
www.SamanthaWilde.com


5 autographed copies will be given away on Friday, March 8, 2013!



About the Book:

Perfect for fans of Marisa de los Santos and Allison Winn Scotch, Samantha Wilde’s new novel is a funny and heartfelt look at friendship, marriage, and the dynamics of modern motherhood.

Nora and Annie have been best friends since kindergarten. Nora, a shy English teacher at a quaint New England boarding school, longs to have a baby. Annie, an outspoken stay-at-home mother of two, longs for one day of peace and quiet (not to mention more money and some free time). Despite their very different lives, nothing can come between them—until Cynthia Cypress arrives on campus.

Cynthia has it all: brains, beauty, impeccable style, and a gorgeous husband (who happens to be Nora’s ex). When Cynthia eagerly befriends Nora, Annie’s oldest friendship is tested. Now, each woman must wrestle the green-eyed demon of envy and, in the process, confront imperfect, mixed-up family histories they don’t want to repeat. Amid the hilarious and harried straits of friendship, marriage, and parenthood, the women may discover that the greenest grass is right beneath their feet. 

Check out the Book Trailer here!



Exclusive Interview with the Author! 

1) If Oprah invited you onto her show to talk about your book, what would the theme of the show be?

Women and Envy. Show me a woman who hasn't envied and I'll show you a mannequin! The plot of the novel and my own interest in envy ask one central question: does anyone have the greenest grass? Let's take, Oprah, a woman so many admire and adore and long to be like, do we think she doesn't experience that sense of wanting what someone else has? I'm sure she does. I'd love to ask her how it's come up in her friendships. Do we choose friends who are more successful than us? Less successful? I like to write with humor and wit about the big truths. And the big truth is, we *do* want what she has AND there's a cure for that envy--right beneath our feet.

2) When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer? Have you had other jobs along the way?

I have always written. I am the daughter of a novelist. Nancy Thayer, author of 22 novels and counting, a New York Times bestselling novelist, raised me in a house of books. As a young child, it barely occurred to me that people had other jobs! At different times in my life I imagined the kind of writer I would be, the genre, the style. In the end, the first book I had published came from what I knew, and I still think that motherhood and friendship and marriage and love and envy and making peace with the life we have, and laugh-out-loud lines and books with happy endings are what I want to put out into the world right now. However, I should say, besides being a mother, I teach yoga--one class a week, used to be 18. I'm an ordained minister! And I give sermons and marry people and bless babies now and then. Although I always wrote, I certainly didn't always get paid for it! I once was a chambermaid (sounds like children's book title!), a turn-down girl, worked in a factory in Indiana, at a chocolate shop, in a book store, selling newspaper ads, giving end of life care, at a pharmacy...I could go on! Motherhood's my best gig. My kids say, "Mama, you're good at tying my shoes." I say: "That's what they pay me for!"

3) No matter how many books you write, I’m sure each one has it’s own challenges. How was this book more challenging to write than your others? How was it easier?

I can tell you that hands down the central challenge of this book came through a series of changes beyond my control. My first editor, who I loved, moved to another publishing house. Then my second editor, who I loved, took a job in another industry. Then my third editor, who I loved, left for another major publishing house. Then my fourth editor, who I loved, moved across the country. My fifth editor is awesome! Having so many editorial changes is a pretty unique situation. I benefited from all those eyes shaping the novel, though at moments the book felt a bit like a foster child. I like to call it "the little book that could," because there was a time when I thought it would never make publication. And it did!

4) What has given you the discipline to ignore the rest of the world and prioritize writing?

Technically, I am a full-time stay-at-home mother. That is my real job. I can't tell you how disciplined a person becomes when the time you have to work can be counted in nap-times. I also write after bedtime. Sometimes, at 8:30 at night, the last thing I want to do is look at the computer screen. I'm a great cheerleader for myself, though! And I also love writing. Once I get started, it's hard for me to stop. In a way, I don't ignore the rest of the world. I let it come in and I write about it. "Go, go, go," is my mantra. I've learned how to be good at using scraps of time to accomplish my work and that only happened out of necessity--a good teacher!

5) Who’s your favorite character in the book and why? Who was the most fun to write?

Nora's cousin, Elle. An outrageous, outspoken sex-therapist, Elle shows up at Nora's doorstep one day with a suitcase and no explanation. Although she gets to say some of the book's funniest lines, she has also endured a real trauma--which she can't speak about at first. Writing her lines was so fun! During a Thanksgiving meal, Cynthia Cypress, the object of Nora's envy, is having dinner with Nora and her husband and Elle. After Elle says "A-men," Cynthia asks, "Are you religious." Says Elle, "not strictly speaking. Although it seems like such a good idea during the holidays, doesn't it?" Then she touches the turkey: "I doubt this one's a believer."

About the Author: 

Samantha Wilde is the author of I'll Take What She Has and This Little Mommy Stayed Home. Mother of three and confessed chocoholic, she is also an ordained minister, a yoga teacher, and the daughter of novelist Nancy Thayer. Wilde graduated from Concord Academy, Smith College and Yale Divinity School and lives now in Western Massachusetts with her husband and children. Visit the author online at: www.SamanthaWilde.com.

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