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Allison Larkin

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  • Home
  • Books
    • Home of the American Circus
    • The People We Keep
    • Allie Larkin
  • TrueHearts Collective
  • Events
  • Writer Resources
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    • Contact
    • Book Clubs
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Controversial truths

March 7, 2012 Filed Under: lists

- Dorothy is the best Golden Girl - Doug Penhall > Tom Hanson - Black jelly beans are where it's at - New Miserable Experience is a great album - O-R-A-N-G-E is pronounced are-ange … [Read more...]

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Change of plans and lists of things

September 7, 2011 Filed Under: adoptable dogs, lists

 - I had to cancel my NYC trip this week, but I'm donating the funds I would have put toward travel to Wooftown Rescue, and I am just plain giddy about it! They do such amazing things for dogs in need! I can't wait tell you more about them and the beautiful dogs they save (like Liza!).  - This little guy showed up while I was doing some yard work the other day.  I, of course, stopped what I was doing to go take some high def video of him cleaning himself with his "paws" like a cat.  It's still on my camera (I know you're totally dying to see it, right?).    - It has occurred to … [Read more...]

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Ten things I know are true

July 2, 2011 Filed Under: lists

1. Dogs are important. 2. You're never too old to wear blue nail polish. 3. People who read books are the best kind of people. 4. Absolutely positively no one is perfect, so it makes much more sense to strive for kindness than perfection. 5. The saying should really be: Make new friends, but keep the old. Both are magic. 6. One of the great joys of traveling is talking to the stranger sitting next to you. 7. If you ask the right questions and listen intently, everyone is fascinating. 8. It's more satisfying to vacuum if the floor is really dirty. 9. It's easier to wake … [Read more...]

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Another list of things

June 16, 2011 Filed Under: lists

So, here's a bunch of random things:I am a writing machine right now.  I love it.  It's me in my element.  But it's also me at my most distracted.  Let's not talk about how on more than one occasion this week I've put laundry and detergent in the washing machine and walked away without starting it.  Let's also not talk about how I've done the same thing with the dishwasher, or how many people I owe e-mails & phone calls to at the moment.Remember those great summer reading programs from your childhood library days?  BookSparks PR is hosting a Summer Reading Challenge for grownups, and STAY is … [Read more...]

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“Oh, I can gather all the news I need from the weather report…”

December 15, 2010 Filed Under: addictive tv shows, books are awesome, lists

Well, I still haven't made it to Ithaca to see Marty. Stupid weather!It snowed, then it rained, then it all iced up and snowed some more.  Since hearing about the drivers who got stuck in their cars outside of Buffalo for TWELVE HOURS, I've become a big huge wimp about traveling in this weather. I'm done being intrepid. Wimpy is fine by me. Cold temps, no food, small bladder, and the lack of bathrooms aside, the idea of being stuck with myself in a car that's not moving for twelve hours is terrifying! I don't do sitting in the car well. I've loaded up the crapmobile with books and a … [Read more...]

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I like making lists better than cooking turkeys.

November 24, 2010 Filed Under: lists

I cook a turkey breast once or twice a month for sandwiches, etc.  At this point, roasted turkey doesn't feel all that special anymore, and you all know how me and holidays and tradition aren't things that naturally fit together neatly in a nice pretty little package.  So, instead of spending days slaving over a hot stove to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal, we're opting for a random mix of favorite foods we rarely get to eat.  Yes, there will be haddock (for me, at least).  And pumpkin pie. . . but not because it's Thanksgiving, just because I like it.While I'm not all "Yesss!!!! … [Read more...]

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All sorts of things

October 18, 2010 Filed Under: lists, STELLA

In the summer, it was fun to work from my lawn chair while the dogs frolicked in the yard. Now, when it's 52 degrees and breezy, it's not as much fun. Actually, it's kind of painful in the fingers. But my co-dependant canine friends will not play outside if I'm inside, so I'm still trying to sit outside with them a few times a day. I want to clear out the basement and install astroturf before winter. I'm only sort of joking.I am so excited about this week, I can barely sit still (or maybe that's the shivering). Tomorrow morning (Tuesday, 10/19) I'm going to be on 13-WHAM News This … [Read more...]

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The pants are the best part.

September 30, 2010 Filed Under: lists

My head is swimming right now. New characters, and a fun side project with a friend, the last day of my virtual book tour, fall, laundry, bills, life, food (seriously, why can't we just eat one huge meal once a month instead of all this three times a day every day crap?), and all sorts of other stuff. I've fallen into the trap of having too many random little things to blog about, so I haven't been blogging at all. So here's another list post.Now that I've painted my office, the hallway is bugging me. And the basement. And the front step needs fixing, and the floor in the entry way needs … [Read more...]

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“And you’ll always know your neighbor, you’ll always know your pal…”

April 26, 2010 Filed Under: Argo the wonder dog, lists, Mrs. X can suck it, STAY, STELLA

Lately, the days have been going by way too fast. I swear it should be last Wednesday instead of this Monday. And I've been meaning to write to you about oh so many things, so here's one of my big messy list posts.STAY sold in Poland! It's so amazingly cool to think that something I wrote will be published in four languages other than English. I'm not sure I can quite get my head around it. (Mrs. X can suck it!) I have a Facebook page for the book now, and have some event dates up!Shanna convinced me that when I do book events, I should actually, you know, wear decent clothes. AND she … [Read more...]

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Random thoughts about music

March 16, 2010 Filed Under: lists, music

1. How did the Bee Gees decide to sing in falsetto? What would possess them to take it to that register? And who told them it was good? I heard You Should Be Dancing (Yeah!) in Staples the other day, and suddenly thought of the Bee Gees as three young guys in a basement somewhere working on their first song. It just wasn't working, until one of them starting singing in a whiny falsetto as a joke, and the other guys were like, "Yeah, dude, do that!" I hope that's how it happened. Or maybe there was helium involved. 2. Have you ever noticed how many lyrics to songs aren't romantic when you … [Read more...]

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Allison Larkin

allielarkinwrites

Internationally bestselling author of three novels as Allie Larkin and THE PEOPLE WE KEEP. Look for HOME OF THE AMERICAN CIRCUS @gallerybooks May 2025

“Larkin abandons the typical story arc in favor “Larkin abandons the typical story arc in favor of a more naturally flowing up-and-down journey that basks in beautiful moments like a slice-of-life story. Whether it’s banter at the bar Freya’s working or a leaking roof that is simply one more thing than she can possibly handle right now, the characters and their experiences are so real and pure that their joys and sorrows are amplified tenfold.” 

So honored by this AP review of Home of the American Circus! 

https://apnews.com/article/home-american-circus-allison-larkin-book-review-79ea3d1fdb69ef16232a8dfb7d148ad6

#homeoftheamericancircus #booksbooksbooks
I’ve seen a bunch of references to Home of the A I’ve seen a bunch of references to Home of the American Circus as my second novel. It’s actually my 5th! Before The People We Keep, under the name Allie Larkin, I wrote three books: Stay, Why Can’t I Be You, and Swimming for Sunlight. Here they are in their various editions with some of their translations! (And @justjuliawhelan also narrated Stay and Why Can’t I Be You, if you’d like to listen!)

Fun fact: That gorgeous dog on the hardcover of Stay was actually our dog Argo, and I took that photo of him when @duttonbooks couldn’t find the perfect photo of a black German Shepherd. #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram
Pub Day Part One. The thing is, it’s really hard Pub Day Part One. The thing is, it’s really hard to be a creative person in the world, and the blessing, the salvation, the joy of it is the community around art: the writers who will call an emergency novel Zoom meeting when you’re stuck on a draft, the ones who roll up their sleeves and make sure your words are saying what you intend to say, the one who writes an interview to promote your book in the local paper, the reader who captures pictures of the event and makes a reel, the bookstore saints who plan a meal based on the story and serve blue and yellow cupcakes and sing happy birthday to your book on launch day, the readers who show up and get books signed and ask great questions and tell stories about their lives. That’s book magic. And thanks to @townecenterbks (especially Judy and Stacey although I know there are bookstore saints behind the scenes too) and @reneewritesnovels and @woolfmania and @cassandra.a.dunn and @lindalattelessons @aneedleinmybookstack and everyone who showed up to Read it and Eat, I will never ever forget the pub day for Home of the American Circus. You all made it so special. Thank you! I love you. I’m so grateful to be part of the community of writers and readers. ❤️🐘
@deborahblakeauthor RIGHT BACK AT YOU! ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I will be back on Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I will be back on the grid tomorrow! I love you all so much and I’m so grateful for your support! 😘😘😘 #homeoftheamericancircus
Well, here we are on the eve of Pub Day for Home o Well, here we are on the eve of Pub Day for Home of the American Circus! 

You know that classic bit of writing advice about how you’re supposed to write the book that scares you? Well, for a long time the thought of actually writing and sharing Home of the American Circus scared the heck out of me. I spent many many years collecting ideas for this book, terrified by the thought of how deep I’d have to dig to tell this story the right way. The book is firmly fiction, and the characters are all my imaginary friends, but the setting and themes are literally and figuratively close to home for me. Freya’s story isn’t mine, we have different life events and demographics, but I understand her sense of grief and loss and floundering and hope on a cellular level. And of all the characters I’ve ever written, the way her mind works is the closest to how I think and feel. It takes place in the town where I grew up. And I think when you read this book, you won’t know my life story, but you will know the tenor of my heart. I grew up as a kid with undiagnosed ADHD in a place where I didn’t fit, frantically trying to look normal, believing it was the only way anyone would love me. Always falling short, terrified of failure. And then in my early twenties, I dropped out of college and worked at a biker bar and made such a huge mess of my life that I was forced to build myself up again brick by brick—this time knowing that failure isn’t the worst thing that can happen to a person. That as long as you can find the strength to try again in one way or another, falling flat on your face is not the end of the world. And I learned that the only way to truly feel loved is to be yourself and see who’s up for loving you in your natural form. The people I keep taught me that. And even though it scared me, this was a book I needed to write, it’s the work I’m most proud of, with characters I love the most. So sharing it doesn’t feel like the end of the world at all. Just the end of the world where I have not shared this novel set in ny hometown with a character who has a heart like mine. #misheardlyrics #rem #homeoftheamericancircus #awkwardguitar #itstheendoftheworldasweknowitandifeelfine
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