Is it Friday already? The 3/18/11 update ...

Wow. Last Sunday my NPR interview aired and the response knocked me out. I got wonderful emails from friends, family and strangers. Tweeters, bloggers and other kind folks linked the NPR podcast all over the Internet.  And it looks like sales got a big boost. On Sunday morning, THE OTHER LIFE's Amazon ranking was in the 38,000s; by late afternoon it was in the 500s.

Also, I was shocked to discover that Nook sales took off like a rocket. At one point in the day THE OTHER LIFE was the #1 ranked Nook on B&N's "Flying Off the Shelves" page!

Of course, the rest of the week was anticlimactic in comparison, but I'm still thrilled about the interview and the outcome. Huge thanks to NPR's Liane Hansen for the thoughtful, probing questions ... and for the chance to be on her acclaimed Weekend Edition show.

A few other highlights this week ...

• THE OTHER LIFE got an intense and outstanding review from BookPage, a popular industry publication. Here's a sample: "The choices in this novel are heartbreaking, and thoughtfully show the value of a mother’s support, guidance, steadfast love and sacrifices. How Quinn decides she’ll live at the novel’s close and with whom is never obvious, making for a riveting tale of love and choices."  Read the rest here.

• I'm extremely grateful to the Robin Kall for the terrific interview on her Saturday morning radio program, Reading with Robin, broadcast on WHJJ in Rhode Island, and streaming live everywhere. Robin is smart, down-to-earth and a great champion of books. And she has a way of making you feel like an old friend right from the start. I really enjoyed our chat, and will post a link to the podcast when it's available.

• Warmth and thanks to Liz and Lisa at chicklitisnotdead.com for the fun feature, which included a suitably ridiculous photo of me. And a special shout-out to all the wonderful folks who entered the drawing for a free book!

• Hugs and thanks to my sweet and supportive friend, Jill Thomas, for posting a review of THE OTHER LIFE on her blog.

• LonelyFriday.org posted a review that I loved from start of finish. One of my faves! You can read it here.

• Some nice quotes this week. From The Midwest Book Review: "The Other Life" is an exciting and suspenseful novel of choosing ones path in life, highly recommended."  And from the San Francisco Book Review: "This is a gripping tale about choices and self discovery."

• I also love this quote from a blog called Debbie's Book Bag: ""This was an amazing book! Ellen Meister has given readers a book that will touch them to their core ... great for book clubs, mothers and daughters and for those who have issues with their own choices in life. I recommend this one to my readers whole-heartedly. It's contemporary fiction at it's best!"

• I got some kind of a shout-out on the Indie Bestseller List. No, THE OTHER LIFE is not actually ON the list, but it's near it. Sweet to be a "favorite." Click here and scroll down.

• By now even I'm getting sick of myself, so I can only imagine how you must feel. Time to switch gears and give a few shouts for friends ...

     ♦ I don't read much nonfiction, but I'm DYING to read Laura Snyder's THE PHILOSOPHICAL  BREAKFAST CLUB, which is getting outstanding reviews everywhere.

     ♦ Susan Henderson is the featured author at Smith Magazine. Click it and read those few sentences and you'll immediately understand why I adore her so.

     ♦ So thrilled that my pal Michael Palmer is burning up the bestseller lists (again!) with his newest thriller, A HEARTBEAT AWAY.