Are you hoping to add autographed copies of THE LOST QUILTER and SYLVIA’S BRIDAL SAMPLER to your Elm Creek Quilts collection, but aren’t able to attend any of my book tour events? The booksellers of the Next Chapter Bookshop in Mequon, Wisconsin are happy to help!

To place your order, please e-mail Sharry at sharry@nextchapterbookshop.com or call the store at (262) 241-6220. Shipping is $8 (within the US), or FREE if you spend over $40. I will autograph the books when I visit the store on April 30th, so all orders need to be placed before then. If you would like your book to be personalized, please be sure to tell Sharry the name of the person to whom the book should be addressed.

I hope this helps you take care of some Mother’s Day gifts—or to treat yourself!

Happy Reading,
Jennifer

I’m pleased to announce the publication of my fourteenth Elm Creek Quilts novel, THE LOST QUILTER, which continues the story of Joanna, a fugitive slave introduced in THE RUNAWAY QUILT. After her capture and forced return into slavery, Joanna longed to return to Elm Creek Farm where she left behind her infant son in the care of the Bergstrom family. THE LOST QUILTER tells the story of Joanna's courageous quest to reach freedom and to reunite with her son.

Advanced reviews for THE LOST QUILTER have been exceptionally positive. The Historical Novel Review writes, “The Lost Quilter transcends an objectified view of slavery; it’s a tribute to a terrible historical period and the noble, all-too-human beings attempting to fulfill promises and dreams. Readers will be swept into this heart-rending, beautiful story, a fine example of great historical fiction, and will definitely remember the cost of precious freedom.” Publisher's Weekly says, "This satisfying and redemptive narrative unfolds with cinematic clarity, and Joanna's journey is sure to have readers holding their breath for her until the last page." And Booklist adds, "This is an outstanding series of novels about a fascinating craft. Quilting, in the hands of Chiaverini, allows us to explore human relationships in all their complexity."

Please visit the "Books" section of my website for more information about THE LOST QUILTER, including a sneak peek at Chapter One. Please also click on the “Events” link to see if my book tour will bring me to a town near you.

Hugs and Stitches,
Jennifer

Last month, Elm Creek Readers from the Milwaukee area were dismayed by the news that the wonderful independent bookstore, Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops, will be closing at the end of March. As readers who have attended any of my many appearances at the Brookfield store will confirm, this is my very favorite bookshop, and my events there have been the highlight of every book tour.

Please join me and authors Elizabeth Berg and Jane Hamilton as we bid a fond farewell to one of our favorite places and some of the best booksellers I've had the good fortune to meet. Here are the details:

HARRY SCHWARTZ GOODBYE BASH
with authors Elizabeth Berg, Jennifer Chiaverini, and Jane Hamilton
Thursday, March 12 at 7:00 PM
Harry Schwartz Bookshop
17145-D W. Bluemound Rd
Brookfield, WI 53005
262-797-6140
brookfield@schwartzbooks.com

The new Elm Creek Quilts novel, The Lost Quilter, will not be available at this event, but it will be available at an event that I hope will become a new tradition. The Harry Schwartz Bookshop in Mequon will be reopening as a new bookstore, Next Chapter Books, and they're eager to welcome Elm Creek Readers from the Milwaukee area and beyond to celebrate the launch of my new novel.

THE LOST QUILTER with Jennifer Chiaverini
Thursday, April 30 at 7:00 PM
Next Chapter Bookshop (formerly the Harry Schwartz Bookshop in Mequon)
10976 N. Port Washington Rd.
Mequon, WI 53092

I hope to see lots of Elm Creek Readers as we say goodbye to one favorite bookstore and celebrate the opening of the Next Chapter.

Hello, Elm Creek Readers! My wonderful editor, Denise Roy, is working on an exciting new project and she needs your help. Please read her message below and write to her if you’d like to share your stories of marital bliss (or otherwise) for the book, Whom Not to Marry.

Thanks in advance for helping my dear friend with her new book!

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Calling all readers: I'm teaming up with one of the most famous priests in America to bring you the best dating and relationship advice. Want a piece of the action? Here's the story:

Last summer Maureen Dowd wrote a column titled "An Ideal Husband," featuring love advice from Fr. Pat Connor, a 79-year-old Catholic priest born based in Bordentown, N.J., who has spent his celibate life mulling what it takes to achieve marital bliss.

The next day, Fr. Pat charmed the world with more advice for young adults (who you should and shouldn't marry, why you can't change a man, etc.) on the Today Show (Watch the segment here). And in the spring of next year, his book Whom Not To Marry: 50 Years of Wisdom From America's Most Beloved Priest will be in stores everywhere.

Fr. Pat is looking for your stories – the good, the bad, the ugly and especially the funny.
• When did you start thinking seriously about getting married?
• What advice did your Grandmother give you about dating and marriage
• What advice did your parents give you about meeting Mr./Ms. Right?
• In previous relationships, when did you realize that s/he wasn't "the one"?
• If you're engaged or married, when did you realize that this was "the one"?
• What advice would you give to an engaged couple?
• What advice would you give to a newlywed couple?
• If you've been married for a few years, what advice do you wish you'd received?
• Any dating and marriage questions for Fr. Pat or me? Send those, too!

Email your stories, with your age and name (it doesn't have to be your real name – priests are good at keeping secrets, so you can trust in the anonymity here!), to whomnottomarry@gmail.com.

Most of my Wisconsin readers are probably already aware of the sad news that the Harry Schwartz Bookshops will be closing at the end of March. Unfortunately, this means that my April 7th visit to the Brookfield store will not go on as scheduled. I know many of you count on my regular visits to the Brookfield store, and I too am terribly disappointed to see those wonderful events sponsored by Schwartz come to an end.

We're working to reschedule an event in the Milwaukee area, and I will post the details here and on my events page as soon as I know more. In the meantime, if you'd like to learn more about the passing of an icon of the independent bookselling world, please see this piece in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"Bookselling was and is for me a cultural and political expression, an expression of progressive change, of challenge to oppressive authority, of a search for a community of values which can act as an underpinning of a better world. The true profit in bookselling is the social profit; the bottom line, the measure of the impact of the bookshop on the community."

-A. David Schwartz (July 15, 1938 - June 7, 2004)