One Boy’s War by Nancy McDonald

Middle-Grade Fiction (Ages 8-12), 134 pages

Historical fiction

Publisher: Iguana Books

Release date: April, 2020

 

 

Synopsis

 

ENGLAND, SUMMER 1940. Following a brush with death in the Irish Sea, 10-year-old Käfer Avigdor unexpectedly finds himself back in London. There, he stumbles upon a sinister Nazi plot that targets hundreds of people in Britain—including the most powerful man in the country. The one person who might be able to defeat Adolf Hitler. With the Germans threatening to invade England at any moment, Käfer musters all his courage and ingenuity in a valiant effort to thwart the Nazis. But will he succeed in time to save the day? One Boy’s War, the sequel to Boy from Berlin, is inspired by real people and historical events.

 

 

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Boy from Berlin by Nancy McDonald

Middle-Grade Fiction (Ages 8-12), 142 pages

Genre: Historical fiction

Publisher: Iguana Books

Release date: May 7, 2018

Synopsis

 

Berlin, April 1938. One night, eight-year-old Käfer Avigdor uses his specialty toilet-paper roll binoculars to spy on his Mama and Aunt Charlotte. The whispered conversation he overhears alerts him to a danger he didn’t know existed and starts him rethinking who he really is and where he belongs. Within hours, Käfer and his family flee their comfortable life. In a desperate race to stay one step ahead of the Nazis, Käfer is called on to be braver and more resourceful than he ever imagined possible. But will it be enough? Boy from Berlin is based on real people and actual events.

 

 

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Praise for Boy from Berlin

 

“Inspired by a true story, Boy from Berlin shares a unique voice in the Holocaust. Highly recommended!” – Jennifer Roy, author of Yellow Star, winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award.

“A compelling introduction to themes of war, courage and identity, certain to engage young readers.” – Trilby Kent, author of Stones for my Father, winner of the TD Canadian Children’s Literary Award.

 

 

Interview with Nancy McDonald

 

 

Q:           You’re been a professional writer your entire career, but novel writing has come late. Has anything surprised you about it?

 

A:            Yes! I’ve been amazed at how it takes over my life. Whatever book I’m writing is in my head all the time. I’m going about my day – shopping, walking the river, meeting friends, working at the book store – and scenes, or bits of scenes, are percolating away. It’s almost like I’m living two parallel lives, mine and my characters’.

 

Q:           What genre do you write?

 

A:            I write historical fiction for middle-grade readers. I’ve always been very interested in history, in particular the two World Wars.  But how I got writing fiction for that age group was a fluke. I was cleaning out my filing cabinet after my husband Käfer died, and I came across a slim, manila file folder that I didn’t recall seeing before. Inside were copies of letters that my late father-in-law had written in 1940. I knew right away that they were all that remained of the story of how and why the family had fled Berlin, first for The Hague and then to England.  My first thought was to write a history for the family, but as I started to piece together the information from the letters with what I learned and imagined how Käfer would have felt and acted, it turned into a novel, Boy from Berlin, written in his eight-year-old voice. The sequel, One Boy’s War, picks up the action, again, from his point of view.

 

Q:           How did you do the research?

 

A:            Parts of it were really challenging because the books are based on real people and everyone in my husband’s family is dead.  I started by scouring the Internet. It’s amazing what you can find out online! I discovered that Käfer’s father, who I knew was an aeronautical engineer, had invented a game-changing fuel pump that could help win the war. When they fled, it landed him on Hitler’s notorious “Black List”, a special arrest list to be used upon a successful invasion of Britain. I travelled to Berlin and The Hague to see where Käfer had lived, and the places he’d gone with his parents, and tried to re-create what happened from his eight-year-old point of view.

 

Q:           What’s the appeal for middle-graders?

 

A:            First of all, both books are thrillers. They’re action-packed with lots of twists and turns. Second, the stakes are very high. There’s a family in real peril, in a race to escape, with the Nazis on their heels. If they’re caught, they’ll end up in a concentration camp. And, at the centre, there’s a young boy, Käfer, who is desperate to help save them — and prove to his father that he’s brave and resourceful.

 

Q:           What’s your next book?

 

A:            It’s called Girl on the Run and it is set in Berlin in 1933, just as Hitler comes to power. It’s based on historical fact, but this time the characters are totally fictitious. The heroine is twelve-year-old Amelie. She has a little sister, Gigi, and a father who is heads the biology department at Friedrich Wilhelm University (now Humboldt). Their mother is dead. The story begins ominously with the news that Nazi commissars have been appointed to all the universities. Jewish professors and students are banned; curricula are changed to suit Hitler’s beliefs. When Amelie’s father falls in love with a colleague, Amelie discovers that her mother was Jewish and that the new step-mother doesn’t want her or her sister. That sets off a trail of events that leads the girls on a harrowing escape, hopefully to safety.

 

Q:           What do you think is the attraction of historical fiction?

 

A:            As a reader, it lets you get lost in another time and place and experience a moment in history through the eyes of the characters. I think we all wonder: what would I have done if I were put in those circumstances? Would I do the brave thing?

 

 

About the Author

 

Nancy McDonald began her career as a journalist on television programs that include W5, Canada AM, and Marketplace before going on to become a sought-after freelance writer, penning everything from documentaries to live-action scripts to comic books. One Boy’s War is the highly anticipated sequel to Boy from Berlin. Nancy lives in Stratford, Ontario, where she revels in Shakespeare, takes theatergoers on tours of the Costume Warehouse, and treads the boards with the Perth County Players. She also works part-time at Fanfare Books, Stratford’s only independent bookseller.

 

Website ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Goodreads

 

 

 

Giveaway

 

Autographed set of BOY FROM BERLIN & ONE BOY’S WAR. (one winner) (USA and Canada only) (ends Oct 9)

 

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Book Title: Queen of the Owls by Barbara Linn Probst

Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 307 pages

Genre: Upmarket Women’s Fiction

Publisher: She Writes Press

Release date: April 2020

 

 

Synopsis

 

A chance meeting with a charismatic photographer will forever change Elizabeth’s life. Until she met Richard, Elizabeth’s relationship with Georgia O’Keeffe and her little-known Hawaii paintings was purely academic. Now it’s personal. Richard tells Elizabeth that the only way she can truly understand O’Keeffe isn’t with her mind―it’s by getting into O’Keeffe’s skin and reenacting her famous nude photos. In the intimacy of Richard’s studio, Elizabeth experiences a new, intoxicating abandon and fullness. It never occurs to her that the photographs might be made public, especially without her consent. Desperate to avoid exposure―she’s a rising star in the academic world and the mother of young children―Elizabeth demands that Richard dismantle the exhibit. But he refuses. The pictures are his art. His property, not hers. As word of the photos spreads, Elizabeth unwittingly becomes a feminist heroine to her students, who misunderstand her motives in posing. To the university, however, her actions are a public scandal. To her husband, they’re a public humiliation. Yet Richard has reawakened an awareness that’s haunted Elizabeth since she was a child―the truth that cerebral knowledge will never be enough. Now she must face the question: How much is she willing to risk to be truly seen and known?

 

 

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Praise

 

“A stunner” — Caroline Leavitt, best-selling author

“A must-read” — Barbara Claypole White, best-selling author

“Nuanced and insightful” — Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times best-selling author

 

 

 

Interview with Barbara Linn Probst, author of Queen of the Owls

 

 

Queen of the Owls is the powerful story of a woman’s quest to claim her neglected sensuality and find her true self hidden behind the roles of wife, mother, sister, and colleague. Framed by the life and art of iconic American painter Georgia O’Keeffe, it dares to ask a question that every woman can relate to: what would you risk to be truly seen and known?

 

What’s the theme of the novel, in a few killer sentences?

 

Elizabeth, the protagonist of Queen of the Owls, is someone who’s always defined herself by her intellect—choosing the logical, responsible path instead of daring to abandon herself to the sensuality that lies just below the surface. During the course of the story, she comes to know and embrace a fuller self, body as well as brain; you could say that she dares to become embodied. There’s a price to pay, of course, but Elizabeth knows she can’t go back to the half-self she used to be.

So the theme of the book—the message—is that embracing the parts of yourself you’ve denied leads to wholeness.

 

Why O’Keeffe? Do you have a background in art history?

 

I don’t, but I’ve always loved O’Keeffe’s paintings! They called to me in a way that felt very connected to the question of what it means to be a woman. And then, when I began my research, I learned so much about O’Keeffe that I hadn’t known, and that ended up enhancing the story in ways I couldn’t possibly have anticipated. After a while, it became clear that there was no other way to tell this story!

O’Keeffe herself isn’t a character in the book, of course, but she’s present throughout as Elizabeth’s inspiration, the person whose blend of austerity and voluptuousness Elizabeth longs to emulate. And, of course, in seeking to understand O’Keeffe, Elizabeth comes to understand herself—though it takes her a while to realize that.

O’Keeffe has been a figure of endless fascination for over a century, you know—not only for her artistic genius but also because of how she lived. She was the quintessential feminist who rejected the feminists’ attempts to turn her into their matriarch, the austere desert recluse who created some of the most sensuous art of all time. A pioneer, full of contradictions. No wonder she fascinated and inspired Elizabeth!

 

At what point did you come up with that great title? Not to mention that great cover!

 

I struggled and struggled with the title! The book had a whole series of earlier titles, none of which were quite right, and I was getting desperate. And then I suddenly remembered an academic article I’d written, back when I was a researcher, and pop, there it was!

As for the amazing cover, the funny thing is that when the designer first proposed it, I just hated it! It wasn’t what I’d had in my mind. Of course, I was dead wrong. Some smart friends told me, “Barbara, you’re nuts!” and luckily I listened to them.

 

Which scene did you find the most challenging to write?

 

That’s an interesting question because the intense pivotal scenes were not the challenging ones! The hard ones were actually some of the early scenes where I had to show the secondary characters in ways that made them sympathetic and human, yet the reader had to see and feel how they were keeping Elizabeth from being who she needed to be.

The reason they were challenging was that I had to walk a careful line. I couldn’t rely on the “easy out” of making someone into a cliché or a predictable villain. I had to feel and show the humanity in each of these characters.

 

What do you love most about writing?

 

I really do love all of it, even the struggles, but the best part is the total immersion that happens when you’re deeply, deeply connected to the story and characters. It’s a special state when your subconscious mind and your conscious mind are fully connected. When I’m in that zone, it feels like the story is coming through me, rather than me “making it up.”

 

How has writing changed you as a person?

 

Writing fiction means writing about what it means to be human—the messiness and complexity of imperfect but struggling people, like me. To write fiction that truly speaks to others, you have to open, embrace, accept. That meant developing an emotional intelligence to balance the cerebral one I’d cultivated so well over the years as an academic.

Writing stories made me go deeper, trust something more intuitive—and take risks. It made me vulnerable in a way I wasn’t used to. Because of that, I think I’m freer, braver, and more generous than I was before.

 

About the Author

 

BARBARA LINN PROBST is a writer of both fiction and non-fiction, living on a historic dirt road in New York’s Hudson Valley. Her debut novel QUEEN OF THE OWLS (April 2020) is the powerful story of a woman’s search for wholeness, framed around the art and life of iconic American painter Georgia O’Keeffe. Endorsed by best-selling authors including Christina Baker Kline and Caroline Leavitt, QUEEN OF THE OWLS was selected as one of the twenty most anticipated books of 2020 by Working Mother, a debut novel “too good to ignore” by Bustle, and “one of the best new novels to read during the quarantine” by Parade Magazine and Entertainment Weekly. It won the bronze medal for popular fiction from the Independent Publishers Association, placed first runner-up in general fiction for the Eric Hoffer Award, and was short-listed for the $2500 Grand Prize. Barbara has a Ph.D. in clinical social work and blogs for several award-winning sites for writers.

 

Website ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ GoodReads

 

 

Giveaway

 

Autographed copy of QUEEN OF THE OWLS and gift basket. (USA only) (ends October 2)

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beyond What Separates Us by R.A. Morris

Adult fiction 18 yrs +, 277 pages

Genre: Dystopian, Sci-Fi

Publisher: Iguana Books

Release date: September, 2020

 

Synopsis

 

Four strangers from distant parts of the world struggle to survive on a planet torn apart by war, greed and disease. Living under drastically different circumstances, they are each presented with an opportunity to choose what type of world they want to live in. Beyond What Separates Us follows these four strangers as they attempt to overcome hardships and reach their full potential. This is a story about the best and worst aspects of humanity clashing to determine not only the fate of our species but all other life on Earth.

 

 

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Interview

 

Which scene in the book is your favourite and why?

 

Without giving too much away there is a scene in one of the last chapters following Aashi, where she has overcome tremendous loss and has finally found a place in the world. She finds herself in an idyllic setting witnessing some of the most majestic creatures on this planet. Finally safe, Aashi immerses herself in her newfound breathtaking surroundings.

 

Do you think Ecofiction (or Climate Fiction) deserves its own genre?

 

There are more and more books these days that would be classified in this sub-genre that is not a traditional category in terms of where books are marketed or promoted. For example, my book is being classified as science fiction on sites where it is available for purchase simply because Ecofiction is not a standalone genre. It could also be classified as dystopian, which itself is a wide-ranging category with varying criteria. An expanded list of genres that is widely recognized within the publishing industry would make it easier for authors to market and promote their books, especially with the increase in independent and self-publishing. Additionally, I think with the increased awareness and concern around environmental issues, it is time the publishing industry expand the traditional genre categories to be more descriptive of environmentally themed fiction.

 

What is the most difficult part of writing for you? 

 

In three words, showing not telling. On earlier drafts of this novel, my editor explained that for some of the introductory chapters I was explaining context and situation too much, rather than letting the character tell their story and show it through actions to the reader. Since all my previous writing had been in an academic or government setting, I was used to a certain formula of what is the point being made and what is the supporting evidence. Writing fiction is a different formula where the reader needs to gain an understanding of the world being created through actions, dialogue, and events. In the end, a lot of the introductory chapters for each of the main characters were rewritten to show not tell.

 

If you could choose three people (living or deceased) to invite for a dinner party, who would they be and why?

 

J.R.R Tolkien to simply chat about how he created Arda (the world) and all its inhabitants. I can’t think of anyone with a greater imagination and it would be a pleasure to just listen to his stories and understand his process. 

David Suzuki to ask him how he continues to find the passion to fight for the environment, when it seems like necessary societal change is just not happening. 

Malala Yousafzai because she is such a courageous and passionate young woman.

I’d also ask each of them what their ideal society looks like. It would be a profoundly interesting dinner party. 

 

Favorite book when you were a kid

 

There was not one book, but I fondly remember Berenstain Bears and Dr. Seuss books. 

 

 

About the Author

 

R.A Morris was raised in Ancaster, Ontario and holds a Master of Environmental Studies from York University. After graduate school he spent a year teaching science in Honduras before heading back to Canada to work in the environmental sector. He has lived in the small remote community of Fort Good Hope and the territorial capital of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. He currently lives in Toronto. His first novel, Beyond What Separates Us, is a timely work of speculative fiction that offers a glimpse of what societies may look like if we continue on our path of ecological degradation.

 

Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~  Goodreads

 

 

Giveaway

 

Win 1 of 3 ebooks of R.A. Morris’ BEYOND WHAT SEPARATES US (3 winners) (USA & Canada) (ends Sep 29)

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SOMETHING WORTH DOING

 

A Novel of an Early Suffragist

 

by

 

Jane Kirkpatrick

 

 

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Publisher: Revell

Publication Date: September 1, 2020

Number of Pages: 336

 

 

 Scroll down for the giveaway!

 

 

 

 

Some things are worth doing—even when the cost is great

In 1853, Abigail Scott was a nineteen-year-old schoolteacher in Oregon Territory when she married Ben Duniway. Marriage meant giving up on teaching, but Abigail always believed she was meant to be more than a good wife and mother. When Abigail becomes the primary breadwinner for her growing family, what she sees as a working woman appalls her—and prompts her to devote her life to fighting for the rights of women, including the right to vote.

Based on a true story, Something Worth Doing will resonate with modern women who still grapple with the pull between career and family, finding their place in the public sphere, and dealing with frustrations and prejudices when competing in male-dominated spaces.

 

 

Amazon ┃ Barnes and Noble ┃ Bookshop.org

 

Christianbook.com ┃ IndieBound ┃ Revell

 

 

 

PRAISE

 

“I have long admired Jane Kirkpatrick’s rich historical fiction, and Something Worth Doing is well worth reading! Oregonian Abigail Duniway is a vibrant, fiercely passionate, and determined activist who fought for women’s suffrage. Women of today have cause to respect and admire her—as well as the loving, patient, and supportive husband who encouraged her to continue ‘the silent hunt.'” —Francine Rivers, author of Redeeming Love

 

“On the trail to Oregon, young Jenny Scott lost her beloved mother and little brother and learned that no matter what, she must persist until she reaches her goal. Remembering her mother’s words—’a woman’s life is so hard’—the young woman who became Abigail Scott Duniway came to understand through observation and experience that law and custom favored men. The author brings alive Abigail’s struggles as frontier wife and mother turned newspaper publisher, prolific writer, and activist in her lifelong battle to win the vote and other rights for women in Oregon and beyond. Jane Kirkpatrick’s story of this persistent, passionate, and bold Oregon icon is indeed Something Worth Doing!” —Susan G. Butruille, author of Women’s Voices from the Oregon Trail, now in a 25th anniversary edition

 

 

 

 

Interview with Abigail Scott Duniway,

of Something Worth Doing by Jane Kirkpatrick

 

 

Abigail, what about you made the author decide to devote a whole book to you?

 

I’m quite the character, actually. I traveled the Oregon Trail in 1852 as a teenager. I became a wife, a mom, a sister; I had several siblings, including one brother with whom I had a terrible rivalry. But I think it was my struggle between career and family that made my story so compelling. There have been several books written about me, and a documentary film made about me, but Something Worth Doing is the first novel. In a novel, the author can explore not just what I did and when I did it, but why and how I might have felt.

 

What was your career?

 

For seventeen years I owned and edited a newspaper that supported women’s rights, especially getting women the right to vote. I also traveled around the country, without a chaperon, giving speeches to support suffrage. People threw eggs at me, but sometimes they listened. I also taught school, ran a millinery, was a caregiver, and wrote twenty novels—all in the 1800s. I guess I’d say “writer” was my real career.

 

I’ve read about suffrage women marching through the streets with banners. What makes your story different?

 

I never urged unladylike actions, like taking over a saloon. Holy cow chips, that was not a good strategy. I promoted the “still hunt,” winning over the hearts of men who would ultimately grant women the right to vote. I visited legislatures and listened to their worries about women becoming full citizens and gave them sensible arguments.

 

How did your husband feel about you doing this suffragette work?

 

First, I must correct you. We were suffragists, not suffragettes; that little “ette” extension minimizes the enormous risks we took during more than forty years of effort. And my dear Ben supported me 100 percent. Otherwise, no one would have taken me seriously.

 

I must ask about your brother-sister rivalry. What was that about?

 

I can’t give the story away, now can I? Let’s just say that our sibling rivalry is still talked about two centuries later!

 

 

 

 

Jane Kirkpatrick is the New York Times and CBA bestselling and award-winning author of more than thirty books, including One More River to Cross, Everything She Didn’t Say, All Together in One Place, A Light in the Wilderness, The Memory Weaver, This Road We Traveled, and A Sweetness to the Soul, which won the prestigious Wrangler Award from the Western Heritage Center.

 

Her works have won the WILLA Literary Award, the Carol Award for Historical Fiction, and the 2016 Will Rogers Gold Medallion Award. Jane divides her time between Central Oregon and California with her husband, Jerry, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Caesar.

 

  Website ║ Bookbub ║ Facebook 

 

Twitter ║ Pinterest ║ Amazon ║ Goodreads

 

 

———————————

 

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

 

THREE WINNERS!

 

1st: Copy of Something Worth Doing + Oregon Map Bag

 

+ $25 Barnes and Noble Gift Card;

 

2nd and 3rd:

 

Copy of Something Worth Doing + $10 Barnes and Noble Gift Card. 

 

SEPTEMBER 15-25, 2020 

 

(US ONLY)

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

 

Visit the Lone Star Literary Life Tour Page

 

For direct links to each post on this tour, updated daily,

 

or visit the blogs directly

 

 

9/15/20	Character Interview	StoreyBook Reviews
9/15/20	BONUS Post	Hall Ways Blog
9/16/20	Review	Jennifer Silverwood
9/17/20	Excerpt	Max Knight
9/18/20	Review	Forgotten Winds
9/19/20	Author Interview	Librariel Book Adventures
9/20/20	Scrapbook Page	Story Schmoozing Book Reviews
9/21/20	Review	It’s Not All Gravy
9/22/20	Deleted Scene	Texas Book Lover
9/22/20	BONUS Post	All the Ups and Downs
9/23/20	Review	Momma on the Rocks
9/24/20	BONUS Review	The Clueless Gent
9/24/20	Review	Missus Gonzo

 

 

 

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The Wreckage of Us

By – Brittainy Cherry

Release Date – September 8, 2020

Publisher – Montlake

 

Synopsis

 

I know I should stay away from Ian Parker.

But when my drug-dealing stepdad kicks me out, I have nowhere to go. Squatting in an abandoned shed on Ian’s grandpa’s farm seems like as good a plan as any.

Ian finds me there, of course, and he insists on me moving into his spare room. I should say no, but the appeal of a roof and a warm bed is too much. Not to mention Ian’s brown eyes and strong arms.

We’re nothing alike, but the spark between us is undeniable. My life is finally looking up.

Until I call the cops on my stepdad and unintentionally get my pregnant mom arrested.

Now I have to sacrifice my dreams to take care of my mom’s baby. She’s the only family I have left. Meanwhile, Ian’s band is taking off; his dreams are coming true.

Ian is my one chance at love. I just hope he doesn’t become the one chance that got away.

 

 

 

Interview with Brittainy Cherry

 

The Wreckage of Us takes place in the inauspicious town of Eres, Nebraska. Not exactly a place where happily-ever-afters are made. What made you choose this setting?

 

I wanted to tell a story about a small town that was overlooked by the world as a whole. Most people would overlook a town like Eres, Nebraska, but there are still people who are living, who are loving, and who are struggling in these small towns. I wanted to show their stories, and how even though the rest of the world may not see them, that they still matter. They deserve their happily ever afters just as much as the rest of the world.

 

Hazel, your heroine, is newly eighteen when her criminal step-father throws her out of the house. She literally has nothing when the story begins—not even her mother’s support. What choices does Hazel make? Do you agree with them?

 

Hazel chooses to find a job in order to help her mother from a distance. I think she acts on impulse, not exactly thinking things through. She doesn’t get the opportunity to think far into the future, she only has right in that moment. Second by second. I do agree with her choices in a way, since she isn’t harming anyone with these choices. She is just doing her best to make it to the next day.

 

Forget about healing, Hazel is in survival mode. What keeps her going?

 

Her twisted love and care for her mother is keeping her going—along with her unborn sister. She knew what it was like to grow up in her household, and she wouldn’t want her little sister to go through those same kind of struggles. So, that pushes Hazel to keep moving forward and fighting for her family.

 

Your hero is a very interesting mix of both the town’s “golden boy” as well as the town’s “bad boy”. Ian is…complicated. How did you get to know him? How does Hazel get to know him?

 

I believe Hazel and I both got to know Ian the same way—piece by piece. He has a wall of protection up from the world due to the trauma he experienced as a child. Being abandoned by his parents really did a number on Ian’s trust. Yet, the beautiful thing about Ian is when he loves, he loves fully. He does everything he can to make sure those he loves are taken care of. Once his pieces are discovered, he makes a beautiful complete puzzle.

 

Music is Ian’s whole life. He sees it as his escape, a way out of the stifling Eres, Nebraska. However, he struggles with his emotions and allowing himself to really feel the music he is making. What needs to change for him?

 

He needs to tap into his darkest struggles. He has to go to the edge of his anger, his hurts, and express those feelings on the page in front of him. Ian holds so much in that it becomes a creative block in a way. Once he starts breaking those walls down—with the help of Hazel—he discovers his real creativity. He finds his voice, he finds his songs. He finds himself.

 

Hazel and Ian are an unlikely pair. They really get on each other’s nerves and they want different things out of life. Yet despite their differences, they find a connection. What is the spark that brings them together?

 

I think it’s loneliness. They grew up without having the true love of their parents. And in the town of Eres, drugs are a big issue. Those drugs affected both of their parents lives in different ways, but it’s a connecting factor for them both. They are able to connect with one another because they both know what it’s like to hurt so deeply and dream of a parent’s love.

 

The theme of “impossible love” runs through your novels. Two people that can’t possibly make it work realize that they don’t want anyone else but each other. What excites you about these types of stories.

 

I think there’s something so exciting about a love worth fighting for. When the passion is given from not only one side of the equation, but both the hero and heroine know the feelings they have run deep. Sure, there are struggles, like there are in everyday life, but they know they wouldn’t want to struggle with anyone else in the world. They fight for their happily ever after, no matter what. And that, in my mind, is what makes the impossible love become possible and true. That’s what gives us the happily ever afters that we as readers crave.

 

Currently our country and the world are going through unprecedented crisis. The arts have become so important for people to feel a sense of normalcy. As a writer, how do you hope your story affects your readers?

 

I hope my stories give my readers hope. I hope it reminds them that even throughout the storms, the sun will always shine once the clouds move to the side. There’s beauty in the storms, too, if you are willing to look hard enough. There are lessons of self that can be learned, and I think my characters discover that from time to time. I just hope to showcase that this is still a time to believe in happily ever afters, and that the world’s story as a whole, is far from over. We still have so much beauty to still discover. We still have so much light to find. And those facts alone, give me hope, and I hope my stories do the same for readers. I hope I give them light.

 

How has our current situation affected projects you are working on now? (Any spoilers you can tell us about what is up next for you?)

 

I’m finding myself more forgiving of my writing pace! I fell off for a while and found it hard to be creative, but now that I am in a groove, I am finding writing fun again. It’s my great escape from the issues around me. Words save me day in and day out, and I’m thankful for that. Up next for me is my second book in my Compass series, which is entitled Eastern Lights. It’s my first ever romantic comedy, that is filled with so much heart. I think readers are going to love getting to know Connor and Aaliyah’s story!

 

***

 

The Wreckage of Us Excerpt

 

A typical Eres Saturday night.

I wandered the ranch with a notebook and pen in my hand. I kept scribbling down lyrics and crossing them out before trying again to create something better, stronger—realer. I kept drumming my fingers against each other, trying to unlock the pieces that I was missing. As I paced back and forth, a voice broke me away from my mind.

“It’s the words.”

I looked up to see Hazel sitting in the rocking chair that Big Paw built for my mother years ago. I used to sit in Mom’s lap as she’d read me stories before bedtime all those years back.

There’d been times I thought about getting rid of the chair in order to forget that memory, but I hadn’t found the strength to let go just yet.

“What do you mean it’s the words?” I asked, walking up the steps of the porch. I leaned against the railing facing her.

She blinked and tilted her head in my direction. “Your words are trash.”

“What?”

“The lyrics to your songs, they are complete garbage, filled with clichés and bubblegum. Don’t get me wrong, the music style and tempos are brilliant. And even though it pains me to admit, your voice is so solid and soulful that you could be a star in a heartbeat. But your lyrics? They are pig shit.”

“I think the saying is horseshit.”

“After spending weeks in a pig pen, pig shit seems to truly sum up my feelings about your music. But my gosh, your voice. It’s a good voice.”

I tried to push off her insult, and tried to ignore her compliment, too. But it was hard. I had an ego that was easy to bruise, and Hazel was swinging her punches while also speaking words of praise. It was as if every bruise she made, she quickly covered with a Bandaid.

Insult, compliment, insult, compliment. Wash, rinse, repeat.

“Everyone else seemed to enjoy it,” I replied, tense with my words.

“Yeah, well, everyone else are morons who are drunk off their minds.”

“Oh? And you think you could do better?”

She laughed. “Without a doubt.” “Okay, Hazel Stone, master of lyrics, give me something to go with.”

She gestured toward the other rocker beside her—the one Dad used to sit in.

I sat down.

She pressed her lips together. “Okay. Give me one of your songs. One that you know is crap but are pretending isn’t crap.”

“They aren’t—”

“Lying isn’t going to get us far tonight, Ian.”

I narrowed my eyes and murmured a curse word before I began flipping through my notebook to find a song for Hazel to magically make better. “Fine. We can do Possibilities.”

“Hmm… What is it about?”

“A new relationship forming. I want to showcase those beginning feelings, you know? The fears and excitements. The nerves. The unknown. The—”

“First chapters of love,” she finished my thoughts.

“Yes, that.”

She took the pencil from behind my ear and took the notebook from my grip. “May I?”

“Please. Go for it.”

She began scribbling, crossing things out, adding things in, doing whatever came to her mind. She worked like a manwoman, falling into a world of creativity that I didn’t think she’d held inside of her. The only thing I knew about Hazel Stone was where she came from, and the clothes she wore. I hadn’t known anything else, but now she was pouring herself out on the page, and I couldn’t wait to see what the hell she was scribbling.

She took a breath and handed the notebook back to me. “If you hate it, no harm, no foul,” she said.

My eyes darted over the words. “It’s possible this is forever ours. It’s possible we’ll reach the stars. We’ll fight for this, we’ll make it real. Is it possible, possible, to show you how I feel?”

“Shit.” I blew out a breath of air. “Hazel…that’s… It’s like you crawled into my head and read the thoughts I couldn’t decipher. That’s the chorus. That’s it.”

 

 

About the Author

 

Brittainy Cherry has been in love with words since she took her first breath. She graduated from Carroll University with a bachelor’s degree in theater arts and a minor in creative writing. She loves to take part in writing screenplays, acting, and dancing—poorly, of course. Coffee, chai tea, and wine are three things that she thinks every person should partake in. Cherry lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with her family. When she’s not running a million errands and crafting stories, she’s probably playing with her adorable pets.

 

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Life in the Camel Lane: Embrace the Adventure by Doreen M. Cumberford

Category: Adult Non-Fiction (18 +), 288 pages

Genre: Memoir

Publisher: White Heather Press

Release date: April, 2020

 

Synopsis

 

Life in the Camel Lane: Embrace the Adventure is what Doreen Cumberford, a Scottish author, calls her learnoire! It is a combination of her story and the stories of other expats learned while living in Saudi Arabia for 15 years as expat employees or spouses. The book takes the reader through the four stages of culture shock: arrival, honeymoon, frustration, and adjustment stages to final acceptance followed by the return journey back to their home country – mostly the USA. From Saudi weddings to falconry, to the inability of women to drive at that time, the book seeks to familiarize us with the Saudi culture, lifestyle, and deep traditions of hospitality, generosity, and tolerance from an insider’s perspective. There are also chapters on the experiences of 9/11 in the terrorists’ home country and the “Terror Years” of internal terror tactics from inside Saudi Arabia designed to drive the expats out of the country and destroy the Saudi government. Full of examples, stories and compelling honesty the author describes their most challenging journey, and many of the lessons learned in the process together. Designed to provide useful insights and inspiration to anyone considering living abroad, Life in the Camel Lane shines the light on the subject of building a new identity and home while abroad, and the difficulties of the journey home.

 

 

 

 

Interview

 

Today we are able to sit down and share some insights from Doreen on her writing and other things. I hope you learn a little something about her as I have.

 

What is your next project?

 

My next project is “Home Again, Home Again, Jiggedy Jig….A Guidebook to Returning Home Well After Living Overseas”

For people who have never moved overseas and then returned home, this book might seem redundant.  After all what is there to be done other than packing, putting your body on an airplane and disembarking at the destination – right? – sorry wrong answer!

In this case reality is so far from the truth that we might as well start by speaking another planetary language.  The subject of Repatriation is wide and deep.  A variety of people are affected by international moves, including, but not limited to, the military, State Department employees, Non-Government Organizations, Charities, Corporations, Peace Corps, Global Nomads and location-independent populations.

Home Again, Home Again will be a combination of stories of people who have moved home and suffered through the challenges of Re-entry, and is designed to give people a coping system by which to manage the process and recreate a new adventure back home.

This book will contain exercises, questions and processes by which Returnees can process their overseas experience and ultimately build happier transitions.  The longing to reverse course and move back overseas to what had become familiar and natural is common.

My purpose in creating this work is to document my stories and the stories of others who have walked this path and unveiled the hidden gems along the way.  It’s also my heart’s strongest desire to support this community during these transitions with love and grace.

 

What genre do you write and why?

 

I write non-fiction, through the lens of travel and self-development. I find this intersection very stimulating; it’s firmly affixed within my soul as a result of my life story living in eight countries on four continents for the last four decades.

I like to mix persuasive, descriptive and narrative writings to motivate, educate and inspire people to take action and conquer their struggles.  Fuzzy personal growth concepts can be mixed in with specific and definitive actions which use both sides of the brain and helps deliver balanced ideas and activities.

This field gives me the opportunity to write about living, working and learning across different cultures.  I can cover everything from culture shock to arriving and settling well into a home.

I love the constant variety and possibilities that reside in this seemingly narrow niche!

 

Do you ever get writer’s block? what helps overcome it?

 

Oh yes baby!  I have three remedies for writer’s block.

I am a huge believer in movement, both physically and emotionally.   One of the best ways for me to jump-start my thinking and there my writing is to physically go somewhere.   I can be bicycling, walking, hiking, paddle-boarding or playing pickleball and I think much more clearly during and after the activity.

I am obviously a big believer in travel.   Be it by ship, airplane, car, or my personal favorite – train.

Growing up in Scotland I started traveling by train as a little girl.  My Mum would take me on a real steam engine (1960’s) to see my grandma every Monday down in Dumbarton.   I remember the pulsing pure excitement as I held her hand and walked down the Queen Street Station in Glasgow.  The great iron horse of a train would be belching, blasting, and erupting steam.   I would be terrified, until we boarded the train and set off.

A change of environment, an external stimulant or a piece of music, all of these can work to jog our memories and our brains which helps with writing.

On a Friday morning, I am to be found in a speed writing group with women from all over Europe.   I love this group.   The different voices, vocabulary and turns of phrase really help me get in touch with the English language on a differing frequency.  Keeping our vocabulary tuned up and growing really helps us as writers to capture the ideas and concepts we would love to convey.

Finally, running water.   Sitting by a river, lake or stream – in fact any body of water, instantly helps me get into a better gear in life.  I do believe in the concept of flow.   Here’s a recipe, if you are at home, feeling jaded just run some water over some misshapen objects in the sink.  Next, close your eyes and let your mind drift….I bet something will happen, if nothing else you will get to laugh at yourself and laughter is also a terrific energy booster.

Here’s to your success in overcoming writer’s or any other block you might have.

 

If you could ask one successful author three questions about their writing, writing process, or books, what would they be?

 

One of my dreams is to sit down and have an afternoon tea party with J. K. Rowling.

Growing up in Scotland I can clearly see the threads of culture, language and imagination that tied together J. K. Rowling’s books.  I have ridden real steam engine trains, spent time in Victorian railway stations, and so many time walked the streets of Edinburgh as she did.  But I have never sat down with a very famous live author to have a conversation, and I believe that Rowling and I would have much to chat about.

I have drunk tea in The Elephant House in Edinburgh, now famous because Rowling wrote there frequently.  The café itself is a bit nondescript from the outside, but inside it’s like being on a scavenger hunt for Rowling and her thought process.

Like thousands of cafes in Scotland, The Elephant House serves the usual fare of sturdy breakfasts, amazing cakes and several authors like Alexander McCall Smith all found solace in this place.   I am a big believer in how place affects writing and, naturally, like the thousands of other authors who have sat in that atmosphere, I wondered if I could possibly channel such brilliance.

Edinburgh can be a “dreich”, meaning dull or dreadfully gloomy and usually associated with rain tipping down.  I imagine that Rowling sat there for many a day tenaciously writing, building images, concepts and even yes, magic into her books for hours.

I would ask her how she held onto her vision for all those years.   She shopped her book around to twelve publishers and suffered dissuasion, discouragement and I am betting some distraction along the way.   Yet, she is the very epitome of a real author who held onto her dream, lived fully into her vision and ultimately triumphed.

 

How does the writing process work for you? Do you schedule a time every day, work madly when inspiration hits or something else?

 

I meet with a group of other writers twice a week, at 6:00 a.m. in the morning on Mondays and Thursdays.   Believe me, it’s sometimes a chore and I have been known to skip on cold Colorado winter mornings, but generally, for the last five years, you will find me on a Zoom call with fellow authors twice a week.

Currently, my most favorite writing time is on a Friday morning with I meet with my speed writing group.  This group is a very disparate group of women.  We are differing nationalities:  one gal is Singaporean but lives in DC, one gal is English and lives in the Netherlands, one gal lives on the Isle of Man, another gal is French living in Germany and I am Scottish living in Colorado.

We choose really simple prompts, write for ten minutes then listen and offer praise.  The turn of phrase, together with the wild and visceral writing complete with a vocabulary that could fill several dictionaries emerges through these women’s voices.   I hear language and content in an environment that I could never recreate here in Colorado.

This is my most favorite and fun writing every single week.

 

As an author – what do you enjoy most about the writing process? What feels like a chore?

 

I enjoy the moments of inspiration. When that idea lands and seems to explode with energy and delight – that’s my favorite moment in the writing process.  I do also enjoy the excuse to sit by a stream, a river, a lake – or pretty much any body of water, with a purpose.  Flowing water helps my words flow onto a page.

My least favorite is the tedious part of editing, then re-editing and the process of moving large pieces of text around.  I find that I lose my place when moving pieces of text and large swaths of writing and I need the help of a terrific editor to partner with me on those tasks.

 

When not writing, what do you most like to do to relax? Any favorite books you enjoy curling up with?

 

Here’s the short answer:   house and petsitting!

Here’s the long answer:  my hobbies are dependent on where I am in the world.

Because I am a globally mobile writer, my writing frequently has taken a backseat to the travel.  I am now managing to find my lane more frequently and easily while I am on the road.  Writing about travel while on the road makes my writing more visceral and brings it more present.  In the last year I have spent a month in each of six countries, then seven months in Mexico, four of them stranded by the Covid-19 pandemic.

This time last year we were living in a five-story townhouse in the north of Brussels, Belgium.  Near the Royal palace and parks and close to the Atomium, we were caring for Patci, whose family were on vacation in Peru.   Patci, is an enormous Australian shepherd puppy who at eight months old was over 70 pounds packed with energy and enthusiasm for life.

We spent hours in the Royal park, meeting other dog owners, struggling to communicate in their language of choice.  French, German and Dutch are the official languages of Belgium, while normal day-to-day business is conducted in French and Flemish.   Most locals speak some English, many are fluent, the dog owners who frequented the park were eclectic and represented many nationalities, lifestyles, and cultures.

Since my husband retired, we have added international pet and housesitting to our activities and have just returned from more than a year away.   Is it a hobby?  Yes! But it’s also a new lifestyle which both of us thoroughly enjoy.

Since writing is a relatively still pastime for the body, I find balance is best created by both sitting still and thinking, inter-mingled with plenty of movement.   My thoughts, ideas and inspiration come from not only moving my body through exercise but also by transporting it somewhere by bus, train, plane, car or boat.  Leaving, arriving and departing contain terrific life lessons in leadership and culture which we can apply anywhere we find ourselves.

My home base is Colorado, in the US and while home I love to play pickleball, hike, bike, and my new personal passion is now time spent paddleboarding.  Just a few days ago I managed to sustain two different yoga poses on my paddleboard, that’s a huge personal milestone for me!

Since my lifestyle is frequently portable or nomadic, I need to have activities that are also portable.   Since my feet carry me everywhere, I make it a priority whether in Scotland or Mexico, to take the time into every week to walk, hike, or just generally explore.

We make a concerted effort to build some exploration into every week.  This practice seems to widen our ideas and contributes to keeping me feel like life is an adventure, not a chore.

 

 

About the Author

 

Doreen Cumberford is a Scottish expat author who has been a global traveler for more than four decades. In her 20s Doreen left her home in Scotland and drove down to London to become a member of Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Her first posting was as the youngest and most junior British Embassy staffer in Cameroon, West Africa. Later she moved back to London and took a position with an American oil-field construction company based in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. After moving to America, living in Louisiana then California, two extremely different cultures in the USofA, Doreen and family moved overseas to Japan then spent the following 15 years in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With 13 major moves under her belt, she understands the value of moving, building a new life, and handling inter-cultural hurdles. One constant has been her ability to explore through the lens of adventure. Her stories are full of multi-cultural intelligence, messy multilingual communications, and multi-global perspectives. Doreen is currently based on Denver, Colorado although spends most of the year living adventurously in the Housesitting Lane, which takes her around the globe.

Currently, she is doing her best to install Spanish in her brain which previously had French and smatterings of Japanese and Arabic. She is passionate about cultural intelligence, global heartedness, and life on the road. Featured in the Anthology: Empowering Women, and a co-author in 2018 of Arriving Well: Stories About Identity, Belonging, and Rediscovering Home After Living Abroad. 2020 sees the publication of Life in the Camel Lane: Embrace the Adventure. Honest, compassionate, full of wisdom and inspiration, Life in the Camel Lane comprises stories mostly from women and men who lived in Saudi Arabia from the 1950s onward. This memoir contains expert advice sage wisdom and stories that all globally mobile families can use to navigate their international journey. The principles in this book will also encourage anyone who is embracing a more adventurous life, or considering taking the leap to move overseas.

 

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The 8th Island Trilogy includes Above the Star, Below the Moon, and Inside the Sun. Over the three books, we follow the adventures of a quirky family, the Wellsleys. The main characters are frumpy senior citizen Archie, his daughter-in-law, Tessa, and his ill fourteen-year-old granddaughter Ella.

Archie, searching for his missing son, accidentally transports his family—and a cruise ship full of people—to a magical planet. There, they uncover the truth: all worlds are dying. Yet hope is not lost. A way to restore all that will soon be destroyed is revealed, along with the realization that Ella will play a role no one could have imagined—especially not her.

On the mysterious island of Jarr-Wya, many races of creatures battle for dominion and magic lurks around every corner. When the world falls dark, that is when bravery must shine the brightest, and the Wellsleys will reveal the strength they never knew they possessed—as well as the power of love to save the day.

 

 

Synopsis

 

When frumpy senior citizen Archie goes in search of his missing son in the Spanish Canary Islands, he stumbles upon a higher mission: locating a magical cure for his ailing fourteen-year-old granddaughter, Ella. Using a portal-jumping device called the Tillastrion, Archie and a stone-headed creature named Zeno are transported to Jarr-Wya, a magnificent yet terrifying island in a connected realm―along with Ella and her strong-willed mother, Tessa, who accidentally stow away on this not-so-secret quest.

What they find on Jarr-Wya is an island tortured by a wicked Star anchored in the sea, and a raging three-way battle for dominion between the stone-wielding Bangols, the fiery Olearons, and the evil Millia sands. Ella’s wit and resourcefulness emerge in this new world, while Tessa is forced to confront her long-buried secrets and a confusing new love triangle. When Ella is captured, Tessa and Archie―with the help of a company of peculiar allies―set out to save her and unravel the terrible mystery of her cure. A mesmerizing, stay-up-all-night adventure of three unlikely heroes, Above the Star reminds us that even the smallest act of bravery can transform our lives and the fates of the worlds around us.

 

 

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Synopsis

 

Ella Wellsley is not your typical teenager. Cancer left her mute, but not powerless. Trapped in a parallel dimension, Ella rallies her strength to join her family―her mother, Tessa, her grandpa Archie, and her magical boyfriend―in locating the cure to her illness. This cure is entangled in the fate of all worlds, and threatened by the presence of an evil Star anchored in the sea. The Star has thrown life everywhere into chaos―and it is Ella who holds the key to unlocking its mystery.

Caught in a web of betrayal, mistaken identities, secrets, and love triangles, Ella, Tessa, and Archie must overcome their troubled pasts to ensure a future for all worlds. On this journey―armed with unearthly abilities and unexpected allies―each member of the Wellsley family will learn the power of love in the face of their greatest fears.

 

 

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Synopsis

 

All worlds are dying, and it’s up to one broken and dysfunctional family from Earth―the Wellsleys―to save the day.
Cancer-ridden Ella celebrates her fifteenth birthday beneath an enchanted mountain, but it is what lies even farther below―the mysterious Star in the sea―that demands she grow up quickly. While Ella grapples with the sacrifice she must make and the lies she is forced to tell, her mother, Tessa, is hell-bent on protecting her.
Through bizarre encounters, love-sick Tessa realizes that she is not the lonely orphan she believes. Her husband, Arden, and father-in-law, Archie, are not the only ones with magical bloodlines. This revelation changes everything. As Archie chooses to embody his unexpected ancestry, he learns that leading the charge in the ultimate battle against evil won’t be as easy as he thought. He’ll need his family―and the strange allies he has gained―by his side to give Ella enough time to set things right.

Can they defeat the unstoppable Millia sands―and another unexpected foe―before everything they hold dear is destroyed? Or will their adventure tear them apart for good? The finale to The 8th Island Trilogy will hold you spellbound until the final page, and long after.

 

 

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Author Interview

 

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

 

I always knew I was destined to be an artist of many forms. When I was in elementary school, I set up an art studio in my family’s basement and painted and wrote. It was all romantic notions of writing and artmaking, but it was innate and natural for me from as young as I can remember. I began writing my first novel while I was in junior high school. I still vividly remember that story.

 

Who were some authors that influenced you as a youth, and in what ways?

 

The portal fantasy of Michael D. Warden was an early influence for me in writing in that genre. I also loved all the books by David Gemmel. Even the western writer Louis L’Amour had a big impact on me. Their stories taught me about world building, scene mastery, and character development. In terms of being a writer I love Anne Lamott’s book Bird by Bird and Carolyn See’s Making a Literary Life. Those two were monumental for me as a young writer.

How did it feel when you got to hold your very first advanced copy?

 

Holding the first advanced reader copy of my memoir, Expecting Sunshine which was my first published book, was surreal. I was breathless. My cheeks hurt from smiling. I knew right then that I would write books until I die. The feeling was addictive. It was this epiphany: I created this thing—a finished book—that was a tangible object I could show for all my tireless hard work. It was the greatest payoff!

 

What was the inspiration for The 8th Island trilogy?

 

I am inspired by the idea of resiliency. I’ve witnessed it in others and myself. It’s the desire to get out of bed every morning and live, no matter what we have been through. That ‘what’ for me was the death of one of my children. That event taught me to be strong and brave. It taught me to fight. That is what The 8^th Island Trilogy is all about: how far will we go to protect those we love? To the end of the world—and beyond to other worlds as well? It is book series about love and courage, even when we do not feel courageous.

The order of the trilogy is:

Above the Star

Below the Moon

Inside the Sun

 

At what point during the writing process did you realize it was going to be a trilogy?

 

Once I got to a natural ending for book one in the trilogy, called Above the Star, and the story was no where near over, that was when I knew I must continue. I did make the conscious choice of telling the story in a trilogy, instead of making the series open ended in terms of the number of books it includes. It drives me nuts when series go on forever and drag things out. I like keeping the pace fast and the story tumbling along. When we know the end is in sight, it adds to the tension and excitement.

 

What sort of surprises await us in book three, Inside the Sun?

 

The characters in the story are full of secrets. Some of them do not realize the power that lies dormant inside of them. The mystery of the 8^th island came to fruition in book two—Below the Moon—but that is only the beginning. There are many adventurous plot twists and character epiphanies in Inside the Sun. The ending is truly universal and yet deeply personal. I can’t wait for readers to experience the conclusion. Inside the Sun—the whole trilogy—makes us feel, reminds us that we are alive and that we are all connected. Beyond that, I can say no more!!

 

How has your writing life and launching Inside the Sun changed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic?

 

Everything has changed. First, there is the stress that is causing me to write more poetry than any other form of writing. I find poetry wonderful to express abstract feelings, to seek to unearth how I’m coping (or not), to capture the essence of my present experience.

I’m also blogging much more than I ever have. I am posting about Authors Helping Authors and ways people can help their indie author friends, for example. I’ve even been writing creative curriculum I can use when teaching my kids. That’s never something I had imagined myself doing. This is a time where we must support each other however we can.

Launching Inside the Sun has been a new ballgame. I love meeting with readers in person, so I’m finding other creative and meaningful ways to connect. I do feel that The 8th Island trilogy is perfectly timed for the COVID-19 pandemic. The story is about people coming together to fight for what they believe, finding the bravery they need inside themselves in hard times. It’s a story I’m sure we can all relate to, and one that will inspire us in our own challenging times.

 

You’re not only a writer, but also an artist, designer, filmmaker, and curator—that’s amazing! How do you find the time and motivation to juggle all your passions?

 

I’m a master juggler. Ha ha! That was a joke! I mostly cope by scheduling everything on Google Calendar—props to my husband for finally breaking through my old-school ways and teaching me to use the program. I’m a big fan of writing things out by hand, but no more!

My family is a big help with everything I do. Their support is truly amazing and I am beyond grateful for them.

I do many kinds of work— writing, art, curation, filmmaking—but it all ties together. When I need a break from writing, for example, I’ll make visual art, and vice versa. This helps me when I’m feeling stressed, uninspired, or just need a break.

 

What advice do you have for aspiring young novelists? 

 

Time deadlines work wonders for getting words on paper. I wrote the first draft of Above the Star, book one in The 8^th Island Trilogy, during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). The goal with NaNoWriMo is to pen a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. Since then I have learned to be disciplined on my own, but that was a great start.

My other advice is to separate the creative writing stage from editing. Write first, edit later. Plus, never feel like you are not ready to write the book that is burning inside of you. You’ll never be ready, so start now, get it done, and continue to write. Writing is a journey and a passion. Always learn and grow.

 

 

About the Author

 

Alexis Marie Chute is an award-winning author, artist, photographer, art curator, filmmaker, and public speaker. She has received over 40 noteworthy distinctions for her visual and literary work. Her award-winning fantasy series The 8th Island Trilogy includes, Above the Star, Below the Moon, and Inside the Sun. The series has been described as “A WRINKLE IN TIME meets THE PRINCESS BRIDE” by The Perpetual You magazine, and “Fast and bizarre… never a dull moment” by Forward Reviews. The 8th Island Trilogy “weaves STAR WARS-like characters with a WONDER-like message to form an enrapturing read for blooklovers of all ages” – US Review of Books. Chute’s bestselling memoir, Expecting Sunshine: A Journey of Grief, Healing and Pregnancy After Loss, was a top Kirkus title of 2017 and received a plethora of other literary distinctions. The memoir was accompanied by the feature documentary of the same name, which has screened internationally for the last three years.

Chute received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art and Design from the University of Alberta, Canada, and studied at Media Design School in Auckland, New Zealand. She graduated valedictorian with her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, USA. Chute is a highly regarded public speaker. She has presented on art, writing, bereavement, and the healing capacities of creativity around the world. Contact the Author/Artist for bookings info@alexismariechute.com

When not in her art/photo studio or at her computer, Chute loves to spend quality time with her family, read fiction and non-fiction, watch reality TV, paddleboard, and canoe. She is not a winter person but lives in frosty Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with her husband and their three living children.

 

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Giveaway

 

 

Autographed copy of the entire 8th Island Trilogy (USA only)

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Five Before Rome: 5 preludes to the Roma Series by Gabriel Valjan

Category: Adult fiction 18 yrs +, 215 pages

Genre: International Crime Thriller

Publisher: Wild Goose Publishing

Release date: June 2020

 

Synopsis

These five novellas precede Roma, Underground, the first novel in the Roma Series. Meet the five men, who form the team around Bianca, and learn about their personal history, their respective parts of Italy, and why they each have a stake in the fight against organized crime.

 

 

 

 

Author Interview

 

There are many books out here about the mafia. What makes yours different?

 

My Roma Series novels and the current collection of novellas Five Before Rome are different from other books about the mafia because I situate my stories abroad. I also introduce readers to Italian culture, cuisine, and history. The most important difference is that I show how the mafia there is very different the one we have in the United States.

 

What advice would you give to budding writers?

 

• Read widely and outside of your culture.
• Write, put it down, and come back to it later.
• Criticism from editors is never personal; they want the best story, so listen, hold your breath and count to ten, and don’t react.
• Rewrite
• Nothing you write is perfect, but do your best to tell the best story possible.

 

What genre do you write and why?

 

First, try to think of a story as good writing and try to avoid labels. Labels may limit the development of your writing chops. I’ve found that foraging outside of my literary diet exposes me to techniques and strategies I can incorporate into my own writing. I tend to write crime fiction because it feels real, relatable, and, like Life, messy.

 

Do you write every day?

 

As a rule, yes, I am at the desk daily, though some days I’ll revise a passage or rework a short story I believe has legs.

 

How long have you been writing?

 

12 years. I spent a year writing short stories as a way to develop the muscles before I attempted my first novel, which I promptly shoved into a drawer. I never thought of myself as a writer. I’ve enjoyed reading all my life and I admired creative people who could translate what’s in their head to paper.

 

What’s the funniest thing that ever happened to you? The scariest? The strangest?

 

Funniest. I’m hearing-impaired and was once upon a time a competitive triathlete. One night I planned to meet up with friends. Two things you need to know first. I was limping from running long-distance and my cat had had his stomach shaved for a medical procedure. I met my friends in a very loud bar. A friend asked, “How’s your calf?” I responded, “He didn’t like being shaved.” I instantly realized from the reaction I received that my calf wasn’t my cat.

 

Scariest. I’m a NAUI-Advanced SCUBA diver. I did a shipwreck dive, down to the coastal tanker the Chester A. Pollig in Gloucester, MA, which is 75-feet below the surface and surrounded by sand. Shipwrecks are technical dives and potentially dangerous for a variety of reasons. Visibility was poor that day, the water cold, and my dive buddy abandoned me (a mortal sin in the world of diving). I found another diver in distress and I buddy-breathed with him with my air-supply for a timed ascent to avoid the bends. He panicked and used up my air at about 30-feet from the surface, so I had to surface on my own. Oh, there were box jellyfish in the water. Yes, the other diver surfaced okay. No, my instructor was not happy with my swim-buddy. Like I said, a mortal sin.

 

Strangest. I enjoyed a surreal moment during the swim portion of an Olympic-distance triathlon (Drown/Swim 1 mile, Crash/Bike 25 miles, Fall Down/Run 6.2 miles).

The water in Maine was cold, and I’d gotten into a good rhythm with my arms and legs. I swam over and under and between several hundred swimmers. I was in the top five out of the water, at 21 minutes. Trust me, it was the aquatic version of the Flight of the Valkyries.

 

If there is one thing you want to readers to remember about you, what would it be?

 

If you’ve never met me but knew me only as a writer, then I’d say that I cared about what I created on the page. If you’ve met me, that I’m a kind person and a good friend.

 

About the Author

 

Gabriel Valjan lives in Boston’s South End where he enjoys the local restaurants. When he isn’t appeasing Munchkin, his cat, with tuna, he documents the #dogsofsouthendboston on Instagram. His short stories have appeared online, in journals, and in several anthologies. Gabriel is the author of two series, Roma and Company Files, with Winter Goose Publishing. He was nominated for the Agatha Award for Best Historical Mystery for Company Files: 2. The Naming Game in 2020. Gabriel has been a finalist for the Fish Prize, shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, and received an Honorable Mention for the Nero Wolfe Black Orchid Novella Contest in 2018. Dirty Old Town, the first in the Shane Cleary series, was published in 2020 by Level Best Books. Gabriel attends crime fiction conferences, such as Bouchercon, Malice Domestic, and New England Crime Bake. He is a lifetime member of Sisters in Crime.

 

Website  ~ Facebook ~  Twitter ~ Instagram

 

 

Giveaway

 

$20 Amazon Gift Card courtesy of Gabriel Valjan, author of FIVE BEFORE ROME (ends Aug 3)

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Folley at the Fair (An Annie Oakley Mystery) by Kari Bovee

Category: Adult Fiction (18 + yrs), 322 pages

Genre: Historical Mystery

Publisher: Bosque Publishing

Release date: June 2020

 

 

Synopsis

 

She never misses a target. But unless she can solve this murder, she’ll become one… Chicago World’s Fair, 1893. “Little Sure Shot” Annie Oakley is exhausted from her work with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. But when a fellow performer scuffles with a man who threatens her harm, she has to keep her eyes peeled. And when the heckler is found dead under the Ferris Wheel, Annie won’t rest until she proves her defender is innocent. Before she can rustle up any clues, an old friend asks Annie to protect her young daughter. And as more bodies turn up around the grounds, she’s going to need all her sharpshooting skills just to stay alive. Can Annie live up to her reputation and put a bullseye on the killer? Folly at the Fair is the third book in the Annie Oakley Mystery historical fiction series. If you like strong heroines, Wild West adventures, and suspenseful twists and turns, then you’ll love Kari Bovee’s fast-paced whodunit.

 

 

 

 

Interview with Kari

 

Today we welcome Kari to StoreyBook Reviews and sharing her thoughts about writing and what it means to her.

 

Talk about when you realized you wanted to be an author. Life-long dream or happened late on?

 

I think I’ve known I wanted to be an author before I really knew what that meant. When I was about eight years old I asked for a typewriter for Christmas. I got one of those plastic Smith-Coronas—it was turquoise with white keys—and I banged on that thing for years, writing stories, poetry, rants, etc. I also had a diary from when I was about the same age and would spend hours writing in it. When I was about twelve or thirteen years old I read Gone with the Wind and was so blown away by it, it was then I decided how wonderful it would be to be an author. In college I majored in English literature with an emphasis in creative writing and started writing more in-depth stories and even a novel when I got out of school, but it was terrible! When my daughter was just 9 months old, my husband—good soul that he is, encouraged me to go to the Santa Barbara Writers Conference (we were living in Ventura, CA at the time) and that’s when I really got serious about becoming a novelist.

 

Talk about being a healthy writer. How do you deal with long hours of sitting? Do you write standing up? Exercise?

 

I tried writing with a stand-up desk but found it distracting for some reason. When I am working I make sure to take lots of breaks. The longest I allow myself to sit is for about two hours. Then I get up, make some tea, or get a snack. Sometimes, I go out to visit my horses in the field, or just walk around outside. My breaks vary from 15-30 minutes, and then I get back to work. I will also move from my desk to the sofa just to give my body a break. I exercise regularly and my routines include riding my horses three to four times a week, walking four to five times a week, and doing Pilates two to three times a week. Exercise is crucial for me—I need to get out of my head and do something physical or I go a little nuts!

 

Share the best book marketing advice you ever received.

 

When I was newly published, and really for the first two years after being published, I felt I had to do anything and everything right away to get my name out there and to get my books discovered. As I was lamenting this to a friend of mine, who is also a writer, and telling her I was fast approaching burn-out, she reminded me that this career endeavor is a marathon not a sprint. It’s a long-game. There is plenty of time to market yourself and it doesn’t all have to be surrounding the launch. So, breathe and relax. There is plenty of time.

 

Talk about what you want to achieve as an author.

 

What is really important to me is connecting with other people through my books. Whether that connection serves to entertain, inspire, or educate, it’s all good to me. One of my favorite things to hear is when someone has read my books and it has inspired them to look into the history of that time period or that character to find out as much as they can about it or them. It’s great to have that particular interest in common with someone. I’d love to continue writing novels as long as I am able. I have so many different ideas, and writing novels allows me to transport to a different time period or reality, and it takes me out of myself. I plan to keep writing and being open to people and opportunities that come my way!

 

Tell readers how they can help support you as a writer.

 

Reviews, reviews, reviews! Also, reach out and drop me a line. I love hearing from readers and being able to connect with them. A great way to do this is through my website and subscribing to my newsletter.

 

Do you believe you write the kind of book you’d want to read?

 

Absolutely. I believe that if a writer is not completely invested and interested in what they are writing no one else will be. Writing a novel is hard enough! If there wasn’t enjoyment in the challenge and process I don’t think it would be worth doing, at least for me.

 

What advice would you give aspiring writers?

 

Be kind to yourself (it’s harder than it sounds!) Write what you want to write. Don’t write to what is selling at the moment because it changes all the time. If you have a story in you don’t let the current market dictate how you tell that story. It is yours and yours alone.

 

 

About the Author

 

When she’s not on a horse, or walking along the beautiful cottonwood-laden acequias of Corrales, New Mexico; or basking on white sand beaches under the Big Island Hawaiian sun, Kari Bovee is escaping into the past—scheming murder and mayhem for her characters both real and imagined, and helping them to find order in the chaos of her action-packed novels. Empowered women in history, horses, unconventional characters, and real-life historical events fill the pages of Kari Bovée’s articles and historical mystery musings and manuscripts.

An award-winning author, Bovée was honored with the 2019 NM/AZ Book Awards Hillerman Award for Southwestern Fiction for her novel Girl with a Gun. The novel also received First Place in the 2019 NM/AZ Book Awards in the Mystery/Crime category, and is a Finalist in the 2019 International Chanticleer Murder & Mayhem Awards and the International Chanticleer Goethe Awards, as well as the Next Generation Indie Awards. Her novel Grace in the Wings is a Finalist for the 2019 International Chanticleer Chatelaine Awards and the International Chanticleer Goethe Awards. Her novel Peccadillo at the Palace is a Finalist in the 2019 International Chanticleer Murder & Mayhem Awards and the 2019 International Goethe Awards, as well as a Finalist in the 2019 Best Book Awards Historical Fiction category.

Bovée has worked as a technical writer for a Fortune 500 Company, has written non-fiction for magazines and newsletters, and has worked in the education field as a teacher and educational consultant. She and her husband, Kevin, spend their time between their horse property in the beautiful Land of Enchantment, New Mexico, and their condo on the sunny shores of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

 

Website ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook

 

Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Pinterest

 

 

Giveaway

 

Signed copy of FOLLY AT THE FAIR, SWAG (mousepad, pen, tote, bookmark), plus $100 Amazon Gift Card (USA only) (one winner)

(ends Aug 18)

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

GATES OF MARS

 

The Halo Trilogy #1

 

by

 

CLARK HAYS AND KATHLEEN McFALL

 

 

Genre: Science Fiction / Detective (hard-boiled)

Publisher:  Pumpjack Press on Facebook

Date of Publication: June 16, 2020

Number of Pages: 336

 

 

Scroll down for the giveaway!

 

 

 

 

IN THE AGE OF SURVEILLANCE, HOW CAN A PERSON GO MISSING? 

The year is 2187. Crucial Larsen, a veteran of the brutal Consolidation Wars, is working as a labor cop on Earth. The planet is a toxic dump and billions of people are miserable, but so what? It’s none of his business. He’s finally living a good life, or good enough. But then Essential, his beloved kid sister, disappears on Mars. When Halo—the all-powerful artificial-intelligence overseeing Earth and Mars on behalf of the ruling Five Families—can’t (or won’t) locate his sister, Crucial races up-universe to find her.

In the Choke, the frigid, airless expanse outside the luxury domes, Crucial uncovers a deadly secret from Essential’s past that threatens to shatter his apathetic existence … and both planets. Blending science fiction with the classic, hard-boiled detective story, Gates of Mars is a page-turning, futuristic thrill-ride featuring a gritty, irreverent anti-hero, Crucial Larsen. The first book of the Halo Trilogy, Gates of Mars is the eighth novel by award-winning authors, Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall.

 

 

Amazon

 

 

Praise

 

“An indelible introduction to an interplanetary saga and its sublime characters.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The authors’ imaginations again run wild, this time a science fiction/detective series looking at what our lives may hold in the not too distant future if everything that can go wrong does go wrong. And they’ve done it with their trademark undercurrent of humor that lifts an otherwise dreary future into something resembling—do I dare say?—hope. Their best work to date. And the giraffes? You’ll have to read Gates of Mars to find out. I’m already wishing they could write faster.” —Renee Struthers, East Oregonian newspaper 

“With twists and turns true to some of the best noir detective pieces—but with an other-world setting and futuristic society—along with psychological insights and connections, Gates of Mars is a riveting, unexpected story, filled with intrigue and change. Sci-fi and detective story readers alike with find Gates of Mars one of a kind, worthy of avid pursuit.” —Midwest Book Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FIVE QUESTIONS with Kathleen McFall and Clark Hays

 

 

What’s the premise of the new novel?

 

Set in 2187, Gates of Mars blends science fiction with a classic, hard-boiled detective story. Crucial Larsen, forty-one, a veteran of the brutal Consolidation Wars, is working as a labor cop on Earth. The planet is a toxic dump, and billions of people are miserable, but he doesn’t care—not his business. It took him a long time to get to the good life, or a good-enough life. But then Essential, his beloved kid sister, wins the Mars labor lottery. After only a week on the red planet, she disappears. When Halo—the all-powerful artificial-intelligence overseeing Earth and Mars on behalf of the ruling Five Families—can’t (or won’t) locate his sister, Crucial races up-universe to find her. In the Choke, the frigid, airless expanse outside the luxury Martian domes, Crucial uncovers a deadly secret from Essential’s past that threatens to shatter his apathetic existence … and both planets.

 

Why write about Mars now?

 

One of the coolest things about being a writer is you get to indulge your interests. The information beaming back to Earth from NASA’s Rover exploration, especially about the geologic features and the possibility of ancient water on the planet (beyond the current ice), is fascinating. Combine this curiosity with the fact that a handful of billionaires are deploying an enormous amount of personal treasure to meet their scientific fantasy of Mars colonization, and we were hooked.

 

Why tackle the rise of monopolies in your world-building?

 

At a certain market size, monopolies (and the wealth they generate for individuals) will be (are?) equivalent to nation-states in terms of their influence on the global stage. Right now, we are seeing a rise of monopolies across all markets. In Gates of Mars, we combine the current plutocratic fascination with Mars colonization with this market consolidation into monopolies and jump forward a century or so. In this imagined future, family-controlled monopolies get bigger and bigger, own more and more capital, and roll up small and mid-size businesses until the inevitable occurs. Militia-backed war becomes a means of negotiation for market territory, and eventually the monopolies are the government, de facto or otherwise. At the same time, climate change worsens, the temperature rises, and pandemics have their way with humans, creating successive waves of climate and virus migrations. Earth is a hot mess. Simultaneously, the potential for Mars colonization becomes a reality and, naturally, only the uber-wealthy ruling families can afford to go, so they abandon Earth to create a “gated community” on the red planet.

 

Sounds doomsday. Is it a warning?

 

Gates of Mars is fiction, and our overriding goal is to entertain our readers with a fun, futuristic thrill ride. But if readers see a glimpse of a bleak and probable future that, if we act now, could be crushed, that would be a good outcome. Although admittedly, we are alarmed by what seems like possible movement in this direction, given the now-worldwide collapse of small and mid-sized businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the move to seize power by a variety of totalitarian actors.

 

You’ve written award-winning alt-history and horror novels and are consistently called out for your humor. Is Gates of Mars funny?

 

Very funny (we hope). And irreverent. A bit uplifting, even. The story is told from the perspective of Crucial Larsen, a battle-weary, caustic, gritty mess. In addition to looking for his kid sister, his trip up-universe will force him to see the one woman he can’t ever seem to get over. She’s a revered scientist who is genetically recreating, among other creatures, giraffes.

 

 

 

 

 

Clark and Kathleen wrote their first book together in 1999 as a test for marriage. They passed.

Gates of Mars is their eighth co-authored book.

 

 Facebook ║ Instagram

 

 

Connect with Kathleen

 

Goodreads ║ Amazon ║ Facebook ║ Twitter

 

Connect with Clark

 

Goodreads ║ Amazon ║ Facebook ║ Twitter

 

 

————————————-

 

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

 

TWO WINNERS: One Winner: First edition copy of A Very Unusual Romance 

 

One Winner: All four books in The Cowboy and the Vampire Collection 

 

June 29-July 8, 2020

 

(U.S. Only)

 

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

 

 

 

Visit the Lone Star Literary Life Tour Page

 

For direct links to each post on this tour, updated daily.

 

Or, visit the blogs directly

 

 

6/29/20	Excerpt	Texas Book Lover
6/29/20	Review	Forgotten Winds
6/29/20	BONUS Post	Hall Ways Blog
6/30/20	Review	Reading by Moonlight
6/30/20	Review	Sybrina’s Book Blog
7/1/20	Author Interview	StoreyBook Reviews
7/1/20	Review	Book Bustle
7/2/20	Excerpt	All the Ups and Downs
7/2/20	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
7/3/20	Review	Books and Broomsticks
7/3/20	Review	Bibliotica

 

 

 

 

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