In which Tracy and I admit to wanting to be grandmas. . .

First, let me say how awesome it is for me to be sharing this amazing week with Tracy! I got my copy of A Taste of Magic a few days ago, and though things have been a bit crazy and I haven’t had much time for reading, I have read the first few chapters and I’m loving it. As for me, this week has felt surreal, exciting, overwhelming – I’ve been doing lots of interviews and guest posts around the blogosphere, so if there’s anything you want to know about me or The September Sisters – it’s probably out there now. Just check out my personal blog for links.

So for my question, I asked: If you could be one character in your book for a day, who would it be and why?

Tracy said: At first, I thought this was an easy question, but the more I thought about it, I realized it wasn't. I love all of the characters in A Taste of Magic, so choosing one wasn't easy--at all.

Elizabeth, the heroine in the book, is awesome AND she has magic, so that's a very compelling reason for me to pick her, because I'd love a little magic. Plus, she has these hot men clamoring after her...so that's another great reason. Even so, I realized that while being Elizabeth for a day would be FUN, there is another character even more compelling to me.

Grandma Verda, Elizabeth's grandmother, is my choice. She's so quirky that being her for a day would be a blast! She also has this right-on-target instinct about people, about life, that would make being her so very interesting. In addition, she seems to bring out the best in everyone around her. And let's not forget her perfect manipulation skills (which, of course, she only uses in the most dire of circumstances!).

Yeah, I can definitely see enjoying a day spent as Grandma Verda.

And here’s my answer: Even though I asked the question, I had to think about my answer for a little while, too! It seems like the obvious answer for me would be, Abby, the main character in The September Sisters. I love that she’s strong and quiet and smart, and that she has this amazing ability to see people for who they really are, underneath. But I sort of feel like I’ve already spent a day in Abby’s shoes. Actually, a lot of them. Having spent months writing from her point of view meant I thought about her and dreamed about her and day-dreamed about her constantly.

So I decided I would also want to choose the grandmother in my book, Grandma Jacobson. Grandma Jacobson actually has a very small role in the book and only in flashback as she died a few years before the story takes place. You know that pretty sapphire blue heart you see on the cover? Grandma Jacobson bought them for Abby and her younger sister Becky a few years before the book begins, when she was on a trip to Madagascar. She was the kind of crazy old lady who traveled the world, said whatever was on her mind, and loved her granddaughters fiercely. She was brave and interesting and didn’t let anything stop her. Actually, in a lot of ways, she’s my opposite. I tend to be more quiet and reserved and afraid of more things than I’d like to admit. And that’s why I’d choose to be her for a day – just to experience life from a totally different place.

Both A Taste of Magic and The September Sisters are officially out in the world now! Pick them up, read them, enjoy them! And don’t forget, comment on this post or any of the others this week, and be entered to win a signed copy of A Taste of Magic and The September Sisters.