I don’t even have words for Karma Brown’s amazing new book, THE CHOICES WE MAKE. This gorgeous story of how complicated friendship and family can become will make you think and cry in all the best possible ways. I had the privilege of reading this early and I’m so excited the rest of you can now experience Karma’s talented storytelling!

THE CHOICES WE MAKE
Hannah and Kate became friends in the fifth grade, when Hannah hit a boy for looking up Kate’s skirt with a mirror. While they’ve been close as sisters ever since, Hannah can’t help but feel envious of the little family Kate and her husband, David, have created—complete with two perfect little girls.

She and Ben have been trying for years to have a baby, so when they receive the news that she will likely never get pregnant, Hannah’s heartbreak is overwhelming. But just as they begin to tentatively explore the other options, it’s Kate’s turn to do the rescuing. Not only does she offer to be Hannah’s surrogate, but Kate is willing to use her own eggs to do so.

Full of renewed hope, excitement and gratitude, these two families embark on an incredible journey toward parenthood…until a devastating tragedy puts everything these women have worked toward at risk of falling apart.

Karma shared some of her favorite books, her natural alarm clock, and the special relationship she has with her laptop.

Talk about one book that made an impact on you.
As a child I read Bridge to Terabithia (1977), by Katherine Paterson, and was captivated with Leslie and Jesse’s story and the magic of the make-believe land of Terabithia. It was also the first book I can remember that made me cry, full-on crocodile tears. And I couldn’t have known it then, but the balance of heartbreak and hope Paterson crafted into Bridge to Terabithia is the same balance I aim for with my novels.

What’s your secret or not-so-secret superpower?
It’s not flashy or astounding, but I have an uncanny ability to tell the exact time — nearly down to the minute — without looking at a clock. I also tend to wake up a minute before my alarm is set to go off, which is useful for my early morning writing sessions.

When you were a teenager, what did you think you’d be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a news anchor, and was determined to be the next Thalia Assuras, who was a local anchor when I was growing up. I used to watch her on television and think what an amazingly cool job she had. I never made it to the anchor desk, but I did eventually become a journalist!

Share one quirk you have that most people don’t know about.
I have this thing about people touching my MacBook Air, like, they’d better not. I’ve written – between my journalistic pieces and novels and everything in between – about a million words on it, the keys are completely scraped off so you can’t see half the letters, and she goes everywhere I go (from the Amalfi coast to the cottage to gymnastics lessons to the mountains of British Columbia). To say we have a relationship is an understatement.

What are you reading right now?
I have so many books on the go! And because I’m in the middle revisions on my next book, and gearing up for THE CHOICES WE MAKE launch, I’ve had very little time to sit and relax with a book (which is one of life’s greatest luxuries). But right now I’m reading and enjoying ALL THE GOOD PARTS by Loretta Nyhan, which is out in September, THE TWO-FAMILY HOUSE by Lynda Cohen Loigman, THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy, and on my Kobo, SOUR GRAPES, by Rachel Goodman.

KARMA BROWN is an award-winning journalist and bestselling author of Come Away With Me (Mira/HarperCollins), who spends a lot of time writing in coffee shops. When not mulling plot lines, she can be found running with her husband, coloring (outside the lines) with her daughter, and perfecting her banana bread recipe. Karma lives just outside Toronto with her family. The Choices We Make (Mira/HarperCollins) is her second novel.

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