The Ocean Between Us', Susan Wiggs Guest Blogs

The Ocean Between Us is being released today in soft cover and I recently had the pleasure of reading this novel by Susan Wiggs' and welcome her guest post today as part of a blog tour in celebration of this event!The Synopsis:Steve Bennett is a perfect navy officer with a perfect navy family, and he's confident that his world is just the way it should be. But his son wants to be an artist instead of attending the U.S. Naval Academy, and his stalwart and capable wife of 20 years, Grace, is tired of being the perfect navy wife. She wants her own home, and she wants her own career. She's feeling altogether unsettled, but nothing is more unsettling than the secret her husband has hidden from her their entire marriage. Nothing, that is, until the accident on the carrier.My thoughts:As an Air Force wife, this story about a navy family rang true for me on a number of levels. More importantly this is a story that can be enjoyed by anyone. It made me laugh, and cry, hold my breath and when I turned the final page I felt a little like I was saying good bye to a friend-which in true military life fashion, always happens right when we've really got to know one another. I highly recommend this novel and personally can not wait to get my hands on some of her other work.

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Susan was kind enough to write a guest post. Please read her thoughts on her favorite books she read as a child.My favorite children’s and middle grade booksby Susan WiggsSo often, your first is your fave. For me, anyway.The first book I remember being read to me is The Watchbirds by Munro Leaf, a large children’s book about manners. I would love to find that book again–I can still see the simple illustrations and hear the bouncy rhythm of the text: "The Watchbirds are watching a cry-baby..." My early fascination with bad kids probably started with that book.Listen up, guys! This book was read to me many times by my father. Studies show that one of the most reliable predictors of school success in children is that the father read to the child. It’s crucial for both parents to read to the kids, but the dad holds a special key. We always knew it.First book I read on my own? The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss. Clearly I’m partial to simple line drawings I love the theme of the tenacious, hopeful child. You kind of need that if you plan to pursue a writing career, or some other path that requires tenacity, hope and magic.First book I bought with my own money? Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss. I bought it at Thrifty Westie’s in Portville, New York and cherished it for years. This story has a subversive subtext, but what I loved was the playful rhymes and made-up words.Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White was the first book I remember finishing, then turning back to the first page and re-reading. It’s one of the best books of all time.Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh was first read to me by a teacher who started each day by reading to the class. Harriet was my role model. She was a writer’s writer.You Were Princess Last Time by Laura Fisher is probably out of print, but the book resonated with me. It was about a girl with long, beautiful braids who had them cut off by her naughty sister. I too had long, beautiful braids, and I too had a naughty sister.I’ll Get There. It Better Be Worth the Trip. By John Donovan was my first exposure to gay literature. I had no idea there was such a thing. When the boys kissed in the book, I showed it to my mom and said I thought it was a typo. She said, "Yes, it’s probably a mistake." Wonderful coming-of-age story.Diary of Anne Frank. My mother gave me this book to read without telling me anything about it. Think about this. I did not know the ending of this book. I just thought I was reading some girl’s diary, and I would get impatient with her, wishing she would just get over the guy! I was devastated by the ending. I loved Anne and read the book many times. But the experience of knowing her without knowing how she ended up only happened once.Books are magic, something I found out at an early age. It’s been true all my life.

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Susan Wiggs is a New York Times best selling author. She "lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and family. Her lively Web site can be found at www.susanwiggs.com."Please check out the other blogs on the tour.

Stop 1 Seeryus Mama April 21Stop 2 Blog­gin Bout Books April 23Stop 3 5MinutesForBooks April 25Stop 4 The Pink Chan­de­lier April 27Stop 5 New Girl on Post April 29Stop 6 Har­le­quin Blog May 3Stop 7 Book­ing Mama May 5Stop 8 The Ever Chang­ing Life of a Mil­i­tary Wife May 7