If you missed the hardback of The Bitch Posse, the debut novel by Martha O'Connor, don't miss the paperback!




"Astonishing and truly remarkable ... tough, subtle, tense, authentic
and very beautiful. If this isn't really Alice Sebold, Donna Tartt or
Barbara Vine writing under a pseudonym, then Martha O'Connor is a huge
new talent who is already about as good as it gets."

–Lee Child, author of The Enemy

Here's what folks are saying:

Novelist Martha O'Connor makes a remarkable debut with THE BITCH POSSE
(St. Martin's Press; May 12, 2005), the dark and thrilling story of
three young women, their passionate friendship, and the terrible
secret that inextricably binds them together. Bestselling author
Jacquelyn Mitchard called the novel "dark, poignant, and only too
believable…a book that will walk alongside you, and haunt your dreams,
long after you turn the last page." Her contemporaries have compared
her to Alice Sebold, Donna Tartt, and Joyce Carol Oates.

With bold and unflinching language, O'Connor weaves past and present
from the perspectives of three best friends, Rennie, Amy, and Cherry –
as rebellious teens and then as grown women in their mid-30's coping
with the repercussions of their actions. As high school seniors, the
girls form a tight circle of friends – which they name the Bitch Posse
– in order to lash out against tumultuous situations in their lives.
But as steadfast as their friendship is, it's not enough to protect
the girls from circumstances that cause all three of their lives to
spiral out of control. Rennie has a doomed affair with her married
drama teacher, which results in her bearing the psychic weight of an
abortion and a blighted love. Amy's parents think their daughter has
thrown over her bad-news friends, and upon learning their daughter has
become a drug and alcohol addict (not unlike themselves) they turn
their backs on her. Cherry's mother finds solace in cocaine, then
heroin, leaving her daughter to target her rage at someone, anyone,
over whom she has control.

Flash-forward to the present, where one girl is now a wife and
mother-to-be, trying to uphold a life of normalcy for herself and her
family. One is a writer with a sexual addiction that sucks her into
destructive relationships. And one is incarcerated in a mental
hospital – and has been since one fateful night fifteen years ago,
when a betrayal led them to commit a crime that profoundly changed
their destinies.

Fascinated by the struggle between good and evil within the human
spirit, Martha O'Connor delves into the dark side of human nature, the
intensity of female friendship, and the possibilities of redemption in
THE BITCH POSSE. Emotionally raw, upsetting, and provocative, this is
the introduction of a huge new talent and will leave readers reeling
this season. As Edmund White says, "The Bitch Posse is a debut worthy
of Joyce Carol Oates."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Martha O'Connor grew up in Illinois and earned a BFA in Creative
Writing from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, graduating Phi
Beta Kappa, summa cum laude. Her poetry has been published in the
literary journals Stand, Poetry London Newsletter, Confrontation, and
Midwest Poetry Review, among others.

By turns a department store clerk, waitress, latte-maker, and
eighth-grade teacher, Martha O'Connor now lives and writes fiction and
poetry full-time in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband,
award-winning novelist and short story writer Philip F. O'Connor, and
their children.

Here are Martha's answers to my GCC questions:

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”?
Before I start my day, I read and study passages about addiction and recovery from a daily email list to which I subscribe. This helps me to center my mind and prepare myself for the inevitable challenges in my day. Then, I drop the children off at school. After I drop them off, I check email and spend some time in quiet meditation. This again helps me to focus on what I need for the day and helps me to gather strength and motivation.

Then, I write out a schedule for myself. If I don’t have a schedule, I’m doomed. I mix writing and housework throughout the day. If I am doing a first draft, I tell myself I am not “allowed” to go and clean before I have written 1000 words. (Of course, if I’m on a roll, I keep going!) When I am cleaning, I am not “allowed” to go and draft before I have done certain things. (Sadly, I never get “on a roll” with cleaning.)

By alternating projects that way, it all gets done and I don’t get too fatigued with either thing. Sometimes, if there is too much going on at home, I will go to a café to work. Fewer distractions! About three times a week, I will put the kids to bed early (~9 pm) and work from then until midnight.

DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
I had a very close relationship with a few other girls in high school. Over the years, we eventually lost touch, but I still always felt like they were right next to me, in my heart, no matter where I was. I’ve never recaptured that intense feeling of friendship as an adult. So I suppose you could say that relationship was the inspiration behind the book—although we never did any violent crimes together!


PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.
The three girls/women in my book are really all aspects of me. Amy is a mother like me—I can definitely relate to her desire to protect her baby. When you have a baby (or in my case, twins), it changes everything. You no longer live for yourself, but for someone else. Rennie is an author, so that comparison is obvious. However, I hope I’m not as dysfunctional as she is—at least, not anymore! Finally, Cherry’s a writer too, and has had to struggle against forces beyond her control. In struggling against addiction, I have had to do the same. In the end, I can’t pick a favorite. I love them all. ☺

IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?
A magical trunk with limitless books, because I would be able to wish for books on survival skills, foraging food, and getting rescued.

BEER OR WINE?
I’m a recovering alcoholic, so I don’t drink either one. However, I do obsess over flavored juices if I am craving something unhealthy. I really like the sparkling blueberry juice from Trader Joe’s!

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?
Chocolate all the way-

WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?
I would have to say it’s The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous by Bill Wilson. It has saved not only my own life, but many others as well. If I was not in recovery, I’d be dangerously insane right now. I would not have a writing career or much of anything else, either.

Although this book was written long ago (1939), it is timeless and so true. The Big Book showed me that there is a solution to addiction, which seems like a hopeless state. What’s more, it’s very informative from a medical and psychological point of view. I recommend it not just to those struggling with addiction, but to anyone who would like to learn some facts and read some fascinating stories. The Big Book is available for free online in English, French, and Spanish. http://www.aa.org/bigbookonline/


Visit her website at http://www.marthaoconnor.com