Interview, Review and Giveaway of Forgive Me Martha by Becky M. Pourchot!!

BOOK DESCRIPTION

After the birth of Ms. Pourchot’s twins six years ago, life seemed to slip into chaos.  The family was eating Toaster Strudels for dinner, the house smelled of dirty diapers, and an infestation of moths descended on the kitchen like a team of unfed sumo wrestlers.  She did what she could, but in her mind it was never enough.  Rather than crumple under the unreachable demands of her new life Pourchot began a blog, confessing all of her hilarious shortcomings to Martha Stewart the “Great Goddess of Domesticity.”

The result became Forgive Me Martha an outrageously funny collection of short stories and poems full of honesty, humor, and humility, sending hope to those of us who fall short of being perfect.

LINKS
AMAZON

THE REVIEW!!

I could totally relate to this book!  My house is definately not neat as a pin, and yes... I have also dreamed of  an organized crafting room that looks exactly like Martha's Stewarts.  Sadly, the room also went to my oldest once my little one was born.  

This book had me laughing so hard!  I, like many, have watched Martha on tv, wondering how hard it would be to cook like her, or craft like her, or keep an organized house like her.  I loved the poems of self deprecation about her cooking and the kids getting into the eggs in the fridge.  There was an incident where mine got into the fruit punch kool-aid mix, so I totally knew where she was coming from.  

I think we have all thought we are secretly Martha deep down.  I certainly have... but have fallen short terribly.  I also use the plug-in Babysitter with Wreck it Ralph playing on it, just so I'm able to clean the kitchen.  I loved the many Goddess names she gave Martha, and found myself excited about reading the next poem just to see what the title would be!  Martha is the quintessential homemaker we all strive to be at some point in our lives.  She is able to do everything, and still make an amazing table.  My dining table... it's covered with my sewing projects at the moment, and is not able to be used as a dining table.  Hence... my craft room.  

I found myself laughing throughout the whole book, because I could see myself in a lot of the stories.  I have also planned a party where out of about 60 invites on FB only three people came.  So, I no longer plan anything like that anymore.  

The stories about her children had me feeling like I was reading about myself!!  It was nice to know someone else has children who like to run, be loud, tend to have bad manners, and make messes that may not always get cleaned up quickly.  My little one had a mishap this evening in the bathroom that needed to be cleaned up, but didn't like when I told him to call me the next time he wipes!!!  He's Mr. Independent now at the age of four!  I just sighed, cleaned him up and sent him on his way... 

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THE INTERVIEW!!

Who are the main characters in the book?

Forgive Me Martha is a collection of mini stories about my life raising my toddler twins, so I suppose the main character is me….and the twins!

What is the book about?   Forgive Me Martha is about a time in my life that was very stressful.  I lived in a suburban neighborhood, where everyone’s lawns were perfect and their kids always looked like something out of a J Crew catalog. I’ve never been good at keeping the house clean, cooking, and entertaining and when the twins came around there was absolutely no hope for me.  Forgive Me Martha started as a humor blog—a collection of confessing all of my domestic misdeeds to Martha Stewart.  In some way it made my mounds of dirty laundry not feel so bad.

What or who was the inspiration for the book?
My own misery was the inspiration for the book 


When did you start writing the book? 
I wrote Forgive Me Martha in 2008. The twins were a year old ( they’re six now!). When I finished it sat on my computer for five years, then on a whim I gave a copy to my friend Lisa and she loved it. I started talking it up and people were excited to read it. With my husband’s encouragement, I decided to send out into the world.   

How long have you been writing? 
I’ve been writing my whole life, but started writing professionally eight years ago.


What or who inspires you to write in general?
I know this sounds weird, but like I said above, misery inspires me to write.  And not in a bad way either.  We all suffer, make mistakes, embarrass ourselves and when we can read about it, write about it, and laugh about it doesn’t feel so bad.  All four of my books in some way poke fun at the awkwardness of being human. When we start taking life too seriously, that’s when it stops being fun.


Who is your favorite author?
Every one always asks me this.  It honestly changes from day to day.  I love Ursula LeGuin but I also adore Dr. Seuss.

What do you like to do while writing?  Ex. Listen to music, watch tv
When I’m writing I like it as quiet as possible.  The less distractions the better. (My son Pip is in here now telling me all about how rocket ships work as I type…thus I try to work when the kids are at school)

What is your favorite genre to read?  
I love reading children’s books…the silly, rhythmic, playful ones. I like these best when I’m reading these out loud with my kiddos on my lap.

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THE AUTHOR:

AUTHOR BIO:

Becky M. Pourchot is the author of two semi-autobiographical humor books and the Hungry Ghost Series, a collection of paranormal books for young adults. She lives in Flagler Beach, Florida with her husband, fourteen year old son, and six year old twins and completely blames her demanding writing career for the state of her messy home.

LINKS:
FACEBOOK
GOODREADS
WEBSITE
HUNGRY GHOST BOOKS

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THE GIVEAWAY!!

Click HERE to find out more about the giveaway!!

For this giveaway, all you have to do is write down below what your worst Mommy moment was. Mine?  Well, I think it was when I thought my oldest son, Colin was missing.  It was the worst 45 minutes of my life, which I never want to repeat!  

One Tuesday, I was sitting at home with my four year old, and I happened to be looking through a magazine.  When I happened to look at the clock I noticed it was 4:15.  Colin was always home by 4:04 like clockwork.  I decided to give it five more minutes, on the off chance he had a different bus driver.  By 4:30, I was calling the school, starting to slightly panic, but trying to be calm.  Imagine my surprise when I got no answer at the school; only a generic voicemail, telling me to call back the next day.  I called the bus depot, got no answer there.  I called the school again, and again got no answer there.  

I called my MIL, and told her what was going on.  She told me to call the school again and see if they answered.  If I still didn't get an answer, to call the police.  So, I promptly called the school, and again got no answer.  I then called the bus depot again, and got the answering machine.  This is when I was in full on panic mode, terrified about where he could have gone.  I honestly thought he had gotten off at a friend's house, not thinking about what would happen.  I just didn't know which friend, since no one was answering at school.  I called my HB, told him what was going on, and then called the police.  I was a basket case while on the phone with them... crying and freeking out.  The police were amazing, and told me with a doubt, they would find him.  It wasn't my best moment at the time... 

Wouldn't you know, soon after I called the police, his bus pulled up to the house and he got off.  He had been at an afterschool program that I had thought had started the next week.  I had never been so happy to see his bus pull up!!  The police came to the house to make sure he was ok and that he was home, and they even called the house!   My HB had ran into the one they had sent to the school, and he told him I had just called to say he was home.  I was amazed with the police, by acting so quickly to find him... and felt like a moron when I realized he was at school the whole time I was panicking!!  If only they had answered the phone in the first place!!  

Colin promptly told the next Tuesday... "Now Mom, I'm staying afterschool today, so please don't call the police!!" 

Make sure you comment below for a chance to win a signed copy of Forgive Me Martha!!!!  What was your worst Mommy moment??