I would like to welcome Michael Schiavone, author of Call Me When You Land to So Many Precious Books. I asked Michael to write about the following question:

How did you come to write about a mother/son relationship, and is any of it autobiographical?
Michael:  I did not set out to write about a mother/son relationship when I began this novel.  Call Me When You Land started with the image of the pod—I liked the idea of this mystery box arriving on-scene uninvited, upsetting the world of my characters.  I suppose I must have conceived of Katie well before I began this book because once I placed her on the page, her personality and predicaments came to me quite naturally.  Relationships form the framework of all my work and it’s the characters who drive my stories.  Inserting an increasingly volatile teenaged son into the mix seemed a logical choice for the story, a way to challenge Katie and push her out of her comfort zone.  While the book does focus on the mother/son relationship, I feel that it’s ultimately Katie’s story.  This book belongs to her.
Call Me When You Land is not autobiographical, but some characters do represent elements of real personalities.  For example, my mother is a painter like Katie, but she’s never been a drinker.  Unlike Craig, my father is alive and well and has no interest in motorcycles, drugs, or extreme skiing.  Like C.J., I was a moody teenager, but I’ve never harmed anyone physically.  Dr. Walter Olmstead is loosely based on my grandfather, Dr. Walter Scott.  Caroline is based on the invented personality of my dog, Isabel.  The town of Newquay is modeled after Rockport, MA, where my in-laws reside.  Little details based on truth can be found throughout the pages of this book, but the story within Call Me When You Land is complete fiction.

Book Description: 

On the brink of her fortieth birthday, Katie Olmstead is in no mood to celebrate. Still tending bar to support a stalled art career, she continues to struggle with her temperamental teenage son, C.J., who wants less to do with her every day. When Katie gets word that C.J.’s estranged father has died and willed C.J. his Harley-Davidson, the gift quickly becomes a wedge driving C.J. and Katie even further apart. With the past parked in the driveway of their New England home, C.J.’s increasing outbursts and Katie’s self-sabotage resurrect memories of Katie’s own troubled childhood, one plagued by a mentally ill mother and a neglectful father. As Katie’s notion of motherhood is tested, her artistic ambitions dwindle and she begins to feel like an imposter amongst her seemingly refined neighbors. Suddenly faced with a bullying, overachieving sister she hasn’t spoken to in years, an on-again, off-again boyfriend she just can’t love, and a drinking habit that’s spiraling out of control, Katie finds support in an unlikely place– her eccentric and ailing great uncle, Walter. From his room on the third floor, Walter watches over them, encouraging both Katie and C.J. to do the work they fear in order to redeem their family.

 About the Author:

Michael Schiavone has been writing professionally since 2000.  After graduating from Dickinson College, he worked as a stockbroker in San Francisco and Boston during the late ’90’s dot-com boom.  Following that bubble’s burst, he tended bar in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Currently he works as a day trader and emergency medical technician on Massachusett’s North Shore.  Michael plans to earn his paramedic license by 2013.

When not writing, Michael practices mixed martial arts (gets his ass kicked) and obsessively cleans his house.  He lives with his wife, Abbie (an artist), their son, Colton, and three temperamental rescue dogs.

His first novel, Call Me When You Land, is forthcoming from Permanent Press in October, 2011.  His story collection, You’d Be Crazy Not to Love It Here, is represented by Barbara Braun Associates, Inc. 

Thanks to Allison Kirby of JKS Communications, I am giving away one copy. 


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That’s 31 or more possible entries! Sorry, this giveaway is only open to U.S. and Canada.
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Only one entry per household/IP address
Winners will be subject to the one copy per household rule, which means that if you win the same title in two or more contests, you will receive only one copy of the book.

This giveaway will end on Friday September 16th, 11:59 P.M. E.S.T. The winners will be notified by email. Winners must respond within TWO days or will be disqualified.


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