Heather McElhatton revels in her "Pretty Little Mistakes"

by Euan Kerr, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — It's a rare novel that opens with instructions on how it should be read. But that's exactly how Heather McElhatton's "Pretty Little Mistakes" begins.

The directions tell a reader that at the end of each chapter there will be a choice. The choice determines which way the plot turns; for each option, McElhatton created a different next chapter. The instructions point out that "good" decisions might not necessarily be rewarded.

"Pretty Little Mistakes" is called a do-over novel. It began with a real-life personal crisis. A few years ago McElhatton quit a full-time job at Minnesota Public Radio to go write a novel. She worked hard and did her research, even moving to a remote island off the coast of Georgia so she could learn the Gullah language.

She remembers "the cockroaches were as big as shoes."

It took her six years to complete the book. Then publisher after publisher rejected it. They said it lacked commercial appeal.

McElhatton told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr she was crushed, but then she grabbed a marker and got to work on what was to become her new novel.

Broadcast Dates

• All Things Considered, 05/15/2007, 4:50 p.m.