Sonoma Rose picks up at the climax of The Quilter's Homecoming (2007), when Rosa Diaz Barclay flees from her abusive husband with her four children and her childhood sweetheart, Lars Jorgensen. On the run from her husband, his mob associates, and the federal agents investigating his crimes, Rosa and Lars make their way north—first to San Francisco where they seek medical care for two of the children, who suffer from a mysterious ailment that has already claimed the lives of four of their brothers and sisters, and then on to Sonoma County, where they find work and sanctuary at an idyllic vineyard and winery struggling to stay afloat despite the contraints of Prohibition.
As longtime fans know, my Elm Creek Quilts pins have become so popular that I've decided to create a new pin for each new novel. The pin for Sonoma Rose features two original quilt blocks of my own design, Sonoma Rose and Arboles Valley Star.
You can receive a limited edition Sonoma Rose pin of your very own if you come see me on my book tour from February 21-March 3, 2012. I'll be visiting several of my favorite shops and libraries across the country and will give away a pin with each copy of Sonoma Rose you have me sign at that store, while supplies last. For book tour locations, dates, and times, please see the Events page on my website. You can also find a list of events on my Facebook fan site by clicking on the "Events" link in the left sidebar.
Can't make it one of my events? The wonderful booksellers at the Next Chapter Bookshop in Mequon, Wisconsin are ready to help. If you pre-order Sonoma Rose from the Next Chapter Bookshop website, they will include a Sonoma Rose pin with your book when they ship it to you. I will autograph the books when I visit the store on February 27, 2012, so all orders need to be placed before then. If you would like your book to be personalized, please be sure to indicate the name of the person to whom the book should be addressed.
Quantities are limited, so make your plans to attend one of my book tour events or place your order with the Next Chapter Bookshop soon.
Thanks, and Happy Reading!
Jennifer
]]>
Why is it so important to shop small? Well, when you purchase something from a locally-owned shop, your dollars stay within your community. You help pay your neighbors' salaries and contribute to local taxes, an important source of revenue for services that benefit us all. You help preserve the unique character of the small town downtown, and you usually enjoy better customer service along the way!
To encourage you to support independent bookstores and quilt shops on Small Business Saturday, I'm offering my highly coveted, limited edition Elm Creek Quilts pins to you if you purchase my newest novel and/or pattern book as a holiday gift for that special reader or quilter in your life—or for yourself!
Here's how to participate:
1. Purchase THE WEDDING QUILT or TRADITIONS FROM ELM CREEK QUILTS from an independent bookstore or quilt shop on Saturday, November 26, 2011. Don't know of an independent bookstore in your area? You can find stores near you on the IndieBound website. Prefer to shop online? You can do that through the IndieBound website too!
2. Send me a copy of your dated receipt as proof of purchase. If you shop online, simply forward your email receipt to me at web@elmcreek.net. If you shop at a bricks-and-mortar store, you can scan in and email your receipt, or you can send it (or a photocopy) to me at Elm Creek Quilts, P. O. Box 620824, Middleton, WI 53562. The receipt must include the date of purchase.
3. You will receive a Wedding Quilt pin for each copy of THE WEDDING QUILT and one Elm Creek Quilts pin for each copy of TRADITIONS FROM ELM CREEK QUILTS, as well as one autographed bookplate per book. Please remember to include your postal address when you submit your receipt so I know where to send your pins and bookplates.
4. Offer is good only for books purchased on Small Business Saturday (November 26, 2011) from an independent bookstore or quilt shop. Not sure whether your favorite store qualifies as an independent? If it's a member of IndieBound, it does. If you're still not sure, write to me first and check! (Please provide the full name of the store and its address.)
5. Offer is good only while supplies last. These are limited edition pins, so please don't wait until the last minute to submit your proof of purchase. I would hate for you to be disappointed.
6. Purchases must be made on Saturday, November 26, 2011 and all receipts must be submitted by December 20, 2011 to qualify. I'll send out the pins and bookplates as soon as I receive your proof of purchase. Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery, longer if you live outside the USA.
7. Offer is void where prohibited. (I don't know where or why this offer might be prohibited, but that sounds important so I thought I should include it.)
8. You don't have to live near that independent bookstore or quilt shop for it to count. You don't even have to live in the US! I'm happy to send pins and bookplates overseas to Elm Creek Readers who are willing to support small businesses in the US. As long as the United States Postal Service can deliver packages to your country, you can join in the fun!
Thanks for thinking of small businesses and their employees this holiday season, and thanks for being an Elm Creek Reader!
Jennifer
]]>Congratulations to the winner of the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 4 giveway!
Michelle B — November 9, 2011 8:08:55 AM CST
Please email me your postal address so the generous folks at Quiltmaker can send you your copy of this fabulous new issue.
Thanks to all who participated!
]]>
I'm pleased to announce that one of my original quilt block designs, Gettysburg, will be included in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 4, which will be available November 15.
The Gettysburg block is featured in the Loyal Union Sampler, a quilt that plays a significant role in my novel, The Union Quilters (Dutton, Feb 2011). I used fabrics from my Red Rooster Fabrics line, "Elm Creek Quilts: Anneke's Collection," for this version of my block.
Just for fun, I experimented with some different fabric possibilities for Gettysburg. The autumnal hues of my fabric line, "Elm Creek Quilts: The Cross-Country Quilters Collection" suits the season well.
This soft, romantic version uses my newest fabric line, "Elm Creek Quilts: Caroline's Collection," which is inspired by a lovely bride in my most recent novel, The Wedding Quilt (Dutton, November 2011).
A block using my "Elm Creek Quilts: The Christmas Quilt Collection" fabric line would deck the halls beautifully!
Appealing secondary patterns appear when you arrange the blocks into a quilt top. These Gettysburg blocks are arranged in straight sets with sashing and cornerstones:
The patriotic colors of this version suit the quilt block's name well:
The blocks are set on point in this rendition:
I think this version, with the blocks set on point with sashing, is my favorite:
Wouldn't you like to to try your hand at this fun block, and the 99 other patterns in this special issue? The creative folks at Quiltmaker have graciously offered to give away a free copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 4 to one lucky person who visits my blog today. All you have to do is comment on this post, describing how you would select colors or fabrics to make a Gettysburg block that has special meaning to you or to an important person in your life. A winner will be selected at random from those who comment on this post before 11:59 PM Central Time tonight. The deadline for entries has passed. Thanks to all who participated!
Don't forget to follow the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour November 7-11 for inspiration, conversations with some of your favorite quilt designers, and lots of great giveaways. Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 4 will be available in your local quilt shop by November 15th, or you can order it directly from Quiltmaker.
Thanks, and Happy Quilting!
Jennifer
PS: In addition to this virtual blog tour, I'm also traveling on a "real life" book tour to promote my new novel, The Wedding Quilt. Please see the "Events" link above to see where I'll be. If I'm coming to a town near you, I hope you'll come see me!
]]>I’m pleased to announce the publication of my eighteenth Elm Creek Quilts novel, The Wedding Quilt, which goes on sale today.
Sarah McClure arrived at Elm Creek Manor as a newlywed, never suspecting that her quilting lessons with Master Quilter Sylvia Bergstrom Compson would inspire the successful and enduring business Elm Creek Quilts, whose members have nurtured a circle of friendship spanning generations. As the wedding day of Sarah's daughter approaches, Sarah's thoughts are filled with brides of Elm Creek Manor past and present—the traditions they honored, the legacies they bequeathed, and the wedding quilts that contain their stories in every stitch. Within Sarah's reminiscences, Elm Creek Quilts fans will be delighted to witness the birth of Sarah's long awaited twins, the resolution of the Anna-Jeremy-Summer love triangle, and the development of Bonnie's long-distance relationship with her Hawaiian sweetheart, Hinano.
Please click here for more information about The Wedding Quilt, including an excerpt from Chapter One. While you're browsing my website, please stop by the Events page to see if my book tour will bring me to a town near you, and click on the Quilts Gallery link to see a photograph of Caroline's Wedding, a quilt that plays an important role in the story. If you'd like to make your own version of this quilt, the pattern is offered in my new pattern book, Traditions from Elm Creek Quilts, which was published in October by C&T.
The pins I designed for my previous three novels were so popular that I decided to create a new pin to celebrate The Wedding Quilt. You can receive one of these limited edition pins if you come see me on my book tour from November 1-17, 2011. I'll be visiting several of my favorite bookstores and libraries across the country and will give away a pin with each copy of The Wedding Quilt you purchase at my events, while supplies last. (For book tour locations, dates, and times, please see the Events page.)
Can't make it one of my events? The wonderful booksellers at the Next Chapter Bookshop in Mequon are ready to help. If you pre-order The Wedding Quilt from the Next Chapter Bookshop website, they will include a Wedding Quilt pin with your book when they ship it to you. I will autograph the books when I visit the store on November 2, 2011, so all orders need to be placed before then. If you would like your book to be personalized, please be sure to indicate the name of the person to whom the book should be addressed.
Quantities are limited, so make your plans to attend one of my book tour events or place your order with the Next Chapter Bookshop today.
Thanks, and Happy Reading!
Jennifer
]]>
You can receive a limited edition The Wedding Quilt pin of your very own if you come see me on my book tour from November 1-17, 2011. I'll be visiting several of my favorite shops and libraries across the country and will give away a pin with each copy of The Wedding Quilt you have me sign at that store, while supplies last. For book tour locations, dates, and times, please see the Events page page on my website. You can also find a list of events on my Facebook fan site by clicking on the "Events" link in the left sidebar.
Can't make it one of my events? The wonderful booksellers at the Next Chapter Bookshop in Mequon are ready to help. If you pre-order The Wedding Quilt from the Next Chapter Bookshop website, they will include a The Wedding Quilt pin with your book when they ship it to you. I will autograph the books when I visit the store on November 2, 2011, so all orders need to be placed before then. If you would like your book to be personalized, please be sure to indicate the name of the person to whom the book should be addressed.
Quantities are limited, so make your plans to attend one of my book tour events or place your order with the Next Chapter Bookshop soon.
Thanks, and Happy Reading!
Jennifer
]]>
You'll find the magazine on newsstands, or you can order one online here.
Quiltmaker is also sponsoring an Elm Creek Quilts contest from now until November 30! You can win the Caroline's Bouquet quilt featured in the magazine, fabric from Red Rooster, and an autographed book. Click here for more information.
Good luck!
]]>For more information about Traditions from Elm Creek Quilts, including photos of quilts featured in the book, please click here.
]]>The 5 winners from my blog:
Colleen_NY
mcoppola
Moneik Stephens
Chiquita
gretchenj
The five winners from my Facebook page:
Kimberly Mills
Laurie Taylor
Carolyn Kane Moffit
Jen Jones Houck
Jennifer Sill Willing
Please send your postal address to me at jen AT elmcreek DOT net so Touchstone can send you your autographed copy of Gabrielle Donnelly's THE LITTLE WOMEN LETTERS. (To protect your privacy, please do not post your address on this website.) Thanks for playing, and happy reading!
]]>A few months ago, Touchstone sent me the manuscript for Gabrielle Donnelly's forthcoming novel, The Little Women Letters, in hopes that I would read it and enjoy it enough to offer a quote they could use in their publicity. You've no doubt seen these sort of quotes on book jackets before, brief reviews praising the story and author—but you won't find many from me. Sadly, there aren't enough hours in the day to read every manuscript publishers send me, and of those advance readers' copies I do read, I provide quotes for only a small fraction. That's because I want my readers to know that when I recommend a book, I loved it and believe they will too.
That's exactly how I felt after finishing Gabrielle's book. The Little Women Letters tells the story of three contemporary sisters, descendants of Jo March, the beloved heroine of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. If, like me, you include Little Women in your list of favorite classic novels, you'll love Gabrielle's homage to the March sisters, their family, and friends. If you've never read Alcott's beloved novel, you'll enjoy the story of contemporary sisters exploring their heritage and their relationships with one another.
As I wrote in my review, "Marvelously entertaining, Gabrielle Donnelly's The Little Women Letters evokes the spirit of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women with warmth and affection. I thoroughly enjoyed every word of this wonderful book." Thanks to Touchstone, ten Elm Creek Readers will win a copy of this charming novel so you can see for yourselves why I loved it so much.
To enter, take the "Which March Sister Are you?" quiz on Gabrielle Donnelly's website to see which March sister you most resemble. Then post your results here in the comments. Five commenters chosen at random will receive a copy of The Little Women Letters. I'll select five winners from this page and five from my Facebook page, so feel free to enter on both sites. The contest closes at 11:59 PM Central Time on Sunday, June 19, 2011, so be sure to enter soon.
After you take the quiz and enter the contest, you can read an excerpt from The Little Women Letters and learn more about Gabrielle Donnelly on her website. Good luck and happy reading!