Synopsis

 

 

“I’ll find you again.”

That was my husband Jesse’s dying promise, a vow I’m certain he’ll keep. This wasn’t the first lifetime Jesse and I shared, and since love never dies, we knew, someday, we would be reunited.
After he passed away, I thought I’d never experience a love like that again—not in this lifetime anyway—and I accepted that.

But fate had other plans for me…

I met Dev Abramson when his white German shepherd plowed into me in Central Park, knocking me flat on my back, then slathering my face with her effervescent kisses. I was instantly drawn to Dev’s calm, centered presence and to his dog, Sheba, who welcomed me like a long-lost friend.

Dev gave me his card, but I failed to follow up, something I deeply regretted. So, when our paths crossed a second time, I wasn’t about to let him slip away again. I needed to know more about
the handsome jazz pianist.

I never expected to fall in love with Dev, but now that I have—I’m afraid if I tell him that I was married to Jesse, one of the most famous rock stars in the world, and that we have shared previous lifetimes—I’ll lose him.

But my connection with Dev was instantaneous and so deep—as if I’d known him forever.
And I can’t help but wonder, maybe I have…

 

THIS BOOK IS THE SEQUEL TO LOVE ON THE EDGE OF TIME WHICH MUST BE READ FIRST.
THIS BOOK IS NOT A STANDALONE, IT IS A SEQUEL.

 

 

 

 

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Excerpt

 

We are both in deep. So deep that the capacity to maim one another is real and I don’t think either one of us ever expected to be this emotionally vulnerable. Losing him over this would devastate me, and what I’m seeing in him is the exact same fear. Dev is truly afraid of losing me over this. Not because he’s not been part of my soul journey, but that there is the possibility of my crossing paths, just like I did with him, with another person who has been, and if that time comes, he fears I will be powerless in fighting my fate, destiny trouncing free will.

This is f*ed up.

I know I need to cut him a break and realize that this is not a thing couples have to deal with—usually, ever—and he’s being tasked with dealing with it. I have always seen him as so centered and secure, that I expected he would. Flawlessly. But he’s just a man. A mortal man. And he’s right, I did set him up with my expectations. I need to take responsibility in this situation, too.

As we stand a mere three feet apart, I fear the chasm between us will continue to expand not only in distance, but also in depth. Like tectonic plates shifting, there’s no going back once a quake has occurred.

I can’t let it get there.

Not over this.

“Dev…” My heart hurts and I can feel my mouth going dry. “I apologize for being so insensitive and for getting angry. I’m expecting you to just deal with something that 99.9999% of people will never be asked to deal with. And for it to be like no big deal. Even though it’s a very big deal in my life.” God, I feel like shit. “But baby, it’s not a dealbreaker. Not for me. I’m not looking for anyone else. I don’t want to find someone else.” Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. “I just want you. I just want you.” The words catch in my throat.

“I just want to know, Kylie. I don’t want it always hanging there, lingering, ready to pounce and blow our world apart when we least expect it. When I least expect it.”

“I’m in too deep for that to happen. Don’t you know that? Please tell me you know that?” How can he not? How could he ever doubt what we have? “And by the way, you are my White Knight, whether you want to be or not. I owe my heart coming back to life to you. Please tell me you know that.” I’m not doing a good job of keeping the pain and fear out of my voice.

Please don’t take your love away from me.

“I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

Shaking my head vigorously, I try to reassure him. “They’ve both dropped. There are no more shoes.” I smile, trying to insert a millimeter of slack into the tension. “Except for in my closet, and as you already know, there’s an insane amount of them in there.”

That elicits a smile and a head shake.

“Okay, so if you don’t want to be my White Knight, then I’m just going to think of you as my Ten of Cups.” Jesse was my King of Hearts. Dev my Ten of Cups.

Apropos.

“I don’t even know what that means.”

“Google it. It’s a compliment. I think you’ll like what you learn.”

 

EXCERPT FROM LOVE ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER © 2024 Julie A. Richman

 

 

About the Author

 

USA TODAY Bestselling author Julie A. Richman is a native New Yorker living deep in the heart of Texas. With an insatiable wanderlust and love of nature, Julie can often be found behind the lens of a camera in between writing books.

 

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Synopsis

 

In this sweeping second chance romance from debut author Myah Ariel, the unexpected spark of two former flames may force them to choose between their dreams and each other.

Kaliya Wilson has paid her dues. But all the years behind the reception desk at a flashy film studio have only pushed her movie-making dreams further out of reach. That is, until a surprise reunion presents an opportunity that could make her career, or break her heart…a second time.

It’s been seven years since Kaliya’s whirlwind college romance with Danny Prescott went up in flames. While her passions have stalled, his career is taking off. So when the hot shot director reappears to offer her a job on his next production, it’s a shock to the system. Working with Danny may recapture the intensity of their film school days, but trusting him again won’t come as easily.

As the pair allows themselves the openness and vulnerability to entrust their deepest truths to each other, the possibility of a true connection draws ever closer. But when Hollywood politics and scandal threaten to sink the production and her career, Kaliya may have to risk everything to do what’s right—even if it means letting go of the second chance love of a lifetime.

 

 

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About the Author

 

Myah Ariel is the author of debut contemporary romance WHEN I THINK OF YOU (Berkley ’24). Her early love of movies led her from Arkansas to New York City where she earned a BA in cinema studies from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She also holds an MA in specialized journalism for the arts from USC Annenberg. For several years Myah worked across multiple roles in the film and entertainment industry before pivoting to work in academia. As a medical mom and a hopeless romantic, Myah is passionate about inclusive love stories.

 

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Synopsis

 

Paul’s teachers say he’s distracted, and they’re not wrong. With the demands of a struggling farm, Allied boots in Europe, and secrets surrounding his mother’s death, who can blame him? And the expectations of his father are seemingly unachievable.

​When a financial windfall sparks a rags-to-riches transformation, it also sets in motion events that will test young Paul to his core. This coming-of-age story connects Paul’s tumultuous adolescence to his unfulfilled adulthood. Across those decades, he searches for redemption and reconciliation with the ghosts of his past.

 

 

 

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About the Author

 

A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ken Steele holds degrees in Civil Engineering from Oklahoma State University and MIT.

​The Promise of Unbroken Straw is Ken’s debut novel, a work of historical fiction. He resides in Colorado with his wife of 41 years, where his days are filled with pickleball, golf, hiking, and all that the mountains can offer.

 

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Synopsis

 

The paths of three young Black women in pre-Civil War Philadelphia unexpectedly—and dangerously—collide in this debut novel inspired by the explosive history of a divided city.

Philadelphia, 1837. After Charlotte escaped from the crumbling White Oaks plantation down South, she’d expected freedom to feel different from her former life as an enslaved housemaid. After all, Philadelphia is supposed to be the birthplace of American liberty. Instead, she’s locked away playing servant to her white-passing father, as they both attempt to hide their identities from slavecatchers who would destroy their new lives.

Longing to break away, Charlotte befriends Nell, a budding abolitionist from one of Philadelphia’s wealthiest Black families. Just as Charlotte starts to envision a future, a familiar face from her past reappears: Evie, her friend from White Oaks, has been brought to the city by the plantation mistress, and she’s desperate to escape. But as Charlotte and Nell conspire to rescue her, in a city engulfed by race riots and attacks on abolitionists, they soon discover that fighting for Evie’s freedom may cost them their own.

All We Were Promised is the story of three women in vastly different circumstances—the rebel, the socialite, and the fugitive—risking everything for one another in an American city straining to live up to its loftiest ideals.

 

 

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Review

 

This was an educational yet entertaining read. I find myself enjoying historical fiction more than I have in the past, especially when the author does their research into events and tries to stay as close to the truth as possible. The author definitely did that here. I enjoyed reading her notes after the book to discover her inspiration for this novel.

This story is told from three points of view – Charlotte, Nell, and Evie. These three women have different lives, but they all have something in common: they want to see black people treated better and eliminate slavery. Charlotte and Evie were both slaves on the same plantation before Charlotte and her father escaped. It is by chance that they run into one another in Philadelphia. Nell is a free woman but has compassion for the enslaved and wants to do more than just raise money and sign petitions. She wants to take action.

I was drawn into each woman’s story. While living different lives, they wanted more from life. Each woman has their own struggles. Nell thinks she doesn’t want to marry anyone; however, her longtime friend across the street is becoming more appealing. Charlotte lives as her father’s maid since he can pass for a white man, but this situation is fraught with its own issues, hampering Charlotte’s dream to become a seamstress and dressmaker.  Evie is now the personal maid for Kate, Charlotte’s old position before she left, and wants out more than anything.

The journey these women are on is not an easy one. Emotions run high, there is impatience, and some actions by certain characters could end badly for everyone. The story did start a little slow, but it picked up the pace about halfway through when situations were heating up. I enjoyed watching the characters grow, mature, and discover their truer selves.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Ashton Lattimore is an award-winning journalist and a former lawyer. She is the editor-in-chief at Prism, a nonprofit news outlet by and for communities of color, and her nonfiction writing has also appeared in The Washington Post, Slate, CNN, and Essence. Lattimore is a graduate of Harvard College, Harvard Law School, and Columbia Journalism School. She grew up in New Jersey, and now lives in suburban Philadelphia with her husband and their two sons. All We Were Promised is her first novel.

 

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Synopsis

 

From the award-winning author of The Shelterlings and The Lake House comes a haunting novel about sisterhood and grief, where difficult truths must contend with the corrosive power of unchecked lies. After her mother dies, Hannah doesn’t know how to exist without her. Literally. In fact, Hannah’s not even certain that she does exist. No one seems to see or hear her, and she finds herself utterly alone. Grief-stricken and confused, her sense of self slowly slipping away, Hannah sets out to find new purpose in life―and answers about who (and what) she really is. Hannah’s only remaining family is her older sister, Leah. Yet even Leah doesn’t seem to notice her. And while Hannah can see and hear her sister, she also sees beautiful and terrible things that don’t―or shouldn’t―exist. She learns there’s much more to this world than meets the eye and struggles to make sense of it all. When Hannah sees Leah taking the same dangerous path that consumed their own mother―where lies supplant reality―she’s desperate to get through to her. But facing difficult truths is harder than it looks…

 

 

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Review

 

This is the first book I have read by this author, and it is quite an intriguing tale. It is told from the POV of two sisters, Hannah and Leah, and their perspective on the world. Their perspective is very different because Hannah is not alive. You don’t learn this from page one, but very quickly. But not knowing this makes the intro chapter very odd…why is someone in a casket with their mother, and why doesn’t anyone get her out?

The premise of the book is interesting: is there another world out there made up of our lies? That people, objects, and animals have been created by the stories we tell others?

I enjoyed seeing the world through the two sisters. It gives a perspective that I might not have considered. I don’t know if I prefer one over the other, but both are unique. Leah is real and trying to figure out her life now that she is alone. There are struggles for her based on all of the lies her mother told, and becoming the woman she can be if she only gives herself a chance.

You do have to suspend belief while Hannah is telling her story. But it is intriguing and did have me pondering different possibilities.

This book is probably not for everyone, but if you enjoy magical realism and family, you might enjoy this one.

We give it 3 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Sarah Beth Durst is the author of over twenty-five books for adults, teens, and kids, including The Bone Maker, The Lake House, and Spark. She won an American Library Association Alex Award and a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award and has been a finalist for the Andre Norton Nebula Award three times. Several of her books have been optioned for film/television, including Drink, Slay, Love, which was made into a TV movie and was a question on Jeopardy! Sarah is a graduate of Princeton University and lives in Stony Brook, New York, with her husband, her two children, and her ill-mannered cat.

 

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Synopsis

 

Equal parts thought-provoking and entertaining, Emmy Award winning reporter Christina Estes introduces Jolene Garcia in her Tony Hillerman Prize winning debut, Off the Air .

Jolene Garcia is a local TV reporter in Phoenix, Arizona, splitting her time between covering general assignments―anything from a monsoon storm to a newborn giraffe at the zoo―and special projects. Stories that take more time to research and produce. Stories that Jolene wants to tell.

When word gets out about a death at a radio station, Jolene and other journalists swarm the scene, intent on reporting the facts first. The body is soon identified as Larry Lemmon, a controversial talk show host, who died under suspicious circumstances. Jolene conducted his final interview, giving her and her station an advantage. But not for long.

As the story heats up, so does the competition. Jolene is determined to solve this murder. It’s an investigation that could make or break her career―if it doesn’t break her first.

 

 

 

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About the Author

 

Christina Estes received the Tony Hillerman Prize for Best First Mystery Set in the Southwest for Off the Air. Her novel featuring a Phoenix TV reporter investigating the murder of a controversial talk show host was inspired by Christina’s award-winning reporting career. A discussion guide with suggested questions can be found at the end of this bio.

During 20-plus years in Phoenix, Christina has covered presidential campaigns, public policy, education and business. Her stories have ranged from the whimsical – like a fish visiting a dentist – to the weighty – such as witnessing a lethal injection. Having worked for several local TV stations, Christina now reports for the NPR member station in Phoenix.

 

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Synopsis

 

A shocking murder leaves an affluent retirement community reeling in this riveting, high-stakes second installment of the San Diego Case Files, from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Rose.

Death is not an unfamiliar visitor to Shady Oaks Retirement Village, which provides San Diego with premier elderly support from independent retiree housing to full-time hospice care. But when a resident’s body is found brutally stabbed and his apartment ransacked, it’s clear there’s someone deadly in their community. Detective Katherine “Kit” McKittrick quickly discovers that Shady Oaks is full of skeleton-riddled closets, and most tenants prefer to keep their doors firmly closed to the SDPD.

A longtime volunteer at the retirement facility, Dr. Sam Reeves honors his late grandfather’s memory by playing the piano for the residents regularly. So it shouldn’t be such a surprise when Kit crosses paths with him during her investigation, after she’d avoided the criminal psychologist—and the emotions he evokes—for the last six months.

Sam’s rapport within the retirement village proves vital to the case, and the pair find themselves working together once again—much to Kit’s dismay. But she is determined to apprehend the shadow of death lurking around Shady Oaks…and equally determined to ignore the feelings she’s developing for a certain psychologist.

 

 

 

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Excerpt

 

 

Chapter One

Shady Oaks Retirement Village
Scripps Ranch, San Diego, California
Monday, November 7, 11:20 a.m.

 

 

Kit McKittrick allowed herself a moment to feel pity as she stood over the body of the elderly man lying dead on his apartment floor in the Shady Oaks Retirement Village. Then she squared her shoulders and proceeded to do her job.

The mood in the dead man’s living room was subdued. The ME was examining the body while CSU took photos and Latent dusted for prints, but there was little of the normal scene-of-the-crime chatter to which Kit had become accustomed in the four and a half years she’d been in Homicide.

Everyone spoke in hushed whispers, like they were in church. Because it kind of felt like they were. Haunting melancholy music from a single piano was coming from the speaker mounted on the victim’s living room wall. The music wasn’t loud, but it was overwhelming nonetheless. Kit wanted to turn it off, because the music was so sad that it made her chest hurt and her eyes burn.

But neither the speaker nor its volume controls had been dusted for prints, so she couldn’t touch it yet. Until then, she could only square her shoulders, ignore the music, and focus on getting justice for Mr. Franklin Delano Flynn.

The cause of death of the eighty-five-year-old white male was most likely the butcher knife still embedded in his chest. But she’d learned long ago not to assume. Still, a butcher knife to the chest was never good. It was a long wound, the gash in the man’s white button-up shirt extending from his sternum to his navel. Whoever had killed him had to have had a lot of strength to create such a wound.

The victim had been dead long enough for his blood to dry, both the blood that had soaked the front of his shirt and the blood that had pooled on the floor around his torso.

His eyes, filmy in death, stared sightlessly up at the ceiling. His arms lay at his sides, his hands slightly curved. Not quite flat, but not quite fists, either. It wasn’t a natural pose for the victim of a homicide who’d fallen after being stabbed. She wondered if his killer had repositioned his arms.

Mr. Flynn had been a hardy man, broad-shouldered, tall, and still muscular. Not in bad shape for eighty-five, she thought. He wore dark trousers, the pockets turned out, as if he’d been searched.

His shoes were black oxfords, buffed to such a shine that she could nearly see her own reflection. She wondered if he’d come home, surprising his attacker, or if he’d welcomed his killer into his home.

His living room had been ransacked, books knocked off shelves, knickknacks strewn on the floor. The sofa cushions had been slashed open, foam stuffing on the floor as well. The man’s bedroom was in a similar state. The drawers in the kitchen had been opened and emptied, their contents dumped on the counters. Flour and sugar containers had been dumped on the kitchen’s tiled floor. Someone had been looking for something and had left a terrible mess.

Kit wondered if they’d found what they’d been looking for. She wondered if Mr. Flynn had fought back.

Kit crouched on the victim’s right side, leaning in so that she could better examine his hands. The knuckles of his right hand were scraped and bruised, but his fingernails were what caught her attention. They were mostly gone, clipped way past the quick, down into the nail bed.

That he’d fought back was a decent assumption, then. His killer hadn’t wanted any evidence to be found under the man’s nails.

 

Excerpted from Cheater by Karen Rose Copyright © 2024 by Karen Rose. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved.

 

 

About the Author

 

Karen Rose is the award-winning, #1 international bestselling author of more than 25 novels, including the bestselling Baltimore and Cincinnati series. She has been translated into twenty-three languages, and her books have placed on the New York Times, the Sunday Times (UK), and Germany’s der Spiegel bestseller lists.

 

 

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Synopsis

 

A supernatural journal. An overwhelmed kid. Can he lead a crew of first responders to success in a series of dangerous missions?

Noah loves his nighttime reading ritual with his dad. Stuck in a small new town after the pandemic caused his parents’ marriage to fracture, the curious thirteen-year-old happily explores the peculiar local bookstore. But when the lonely youngster takes home a firefighter’s old diary, he’s amazed when it transforms him into the book’s owner and transports him across space and time to a blazing building.

Distracted by a close friendship he’s developing with a smart schoolmate, Noah is certain the heat and confusion were just a frightening dream. But when he sits down to continue the fascinating story, he realizes he’s facing scarily real life-or-death situations… and his actions could change history.

Can he master the weird magic and make sure no one gets hurt?

The Phantom Firefighter is the action-filled first book in the First Responder fantasy series. If you like adventurous kids, clever humor, and pages jam-packed with suspense, then you’ll love J.W. Jarvis’s blending of reality and enchantment.

 

3% of all book sales go to First Responders Children’s Foundation, which provides financial support to children who have lost a parent in the line of duty.

 

 

 

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Excerpt

 

Noah and his dad heard a word whispered to them that they couldn’t understand, “Enciddugo!”

At that moment, Noah’s dad could see the burning building, hear the fire burning, and smell the heavy smoke. He looked down where his hands should be, but they weren’t there. Scared bystanders, large emergency vehicles, and busy firefighters surrounded him. He felt strangely attached to one of the firefighters, like he was floating above him. What had happened to his body? Was he dreaming this after reading about it in his son’s new book?

***

After hearing the same, strange word whispered to him, Noah felt a tingly sensation on his skin. It was like the feeling you get with goosebumps but way more intense. Like his dad, he could now see a large building partially on fire and many people and firefighters running near him.

What was happening?

He also felt the weight of something heavy on his body and head. He looked down and saw that he wore gloves and boots, which he was not wearing before story time with his dad.

Just then, Noah heard someone call “Zach!” and his instinct made him look up to see the firefighter that said it was staring right at him.

“Zach, snap out of it! The captain needs help in the building!” firefighter Ray exclaimed.

“What do you mean, my name is…” Noah caught his words realizing that he had never seen this person before in his life, and for some reason, this guy thought he was a guy named Zach.

“We need to get inside right away. The captain went in to check for remaining building occupants, and something happened.”

“How do you know?” Noah asked while still trying to internally process his transformation into Zach, the firefighter.

“You didn’t hear on your helmet headset? Captain said part of the ceiling came down, and he needs muscle,” replied Ray.

“Got it. Do we need to bring anything?”

“Jeez, Zach, why do you think they call me ‘Rookie Ray?’ You’re the experienced one here.”

“Alright Ray, follow me!” Noah said, thankful that he knew the name of the guy he was going into a burning building with.

Noah motioned to Ray to follow him toward one of the entrances. Noah headed toward the building with a strange mix of both nervous and confident feelings. His firefighter uniform was much heavier than he’d expected, but it gave him some comfort to know it would help protect him from dangers. He became anxious since he was entering a burning building without knowing anything about being a firefighter. Yet, his body was somehow mysteriously trained on what to do next.

 

 

About the Author

 

J.W. Jarvis lives in sunny California but is originally from the suburbs of the Windy City. When he’s not thinking of ways to create inspiring characters for young minds, you can find him reading, golfing, traveling, or just sipping a hot vanilla latte.

 

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Synopsis

 

How do you escape a man who believes he owns you?

Sophie Steele’s life is ruled by fear. Her husband, Ben Steele, tracks her phone, her bank accounts, her every move. His position as part-owner of a successful surveillance and investigations company gives full rein to his controlling instincts.

When Ben allows Sophie and their son, Benji, to travel interstate to visit family without him, she hopes he’s trying to change. But when he continues to monitor and manipulate her from afar, she realises she no longer wants to live the lonely life he’s forced upon her. As her determination to leave him grows, she develops a much-needed friendship with Lee, an attractive Taekwondo instructor who promises to help her however he can.

But even thinking about leaving Ben is dangerous, and it quickly becomes apparent how far he’ll go to keep her under his control.

How can she escape a man who has the means to hunt her down no matter where she hides? Is the chance of freedom worth risking her and Benji’s lives?

A powerful blend of deceit, manipulation, and intrigue, Captive will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final, shocking revelation.

 

 

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Review

 

I have read several books by this author, but this one is on a different level than the other books! Told from three points of view – Sophie, Ella, and Cathy, each story blends in with the others with a final culmination at the end. It reflects how easy it could be for someone to be taken in by a master manipulator.

Sophie is one of the main characters. She is stuck in a loveless relationship and actually an abusive one. Her husband, Ben, thinks that he owns her and is in control of everything. He doesn’t trust her and is always checking her phone for messages, calls, and search history. He tracks her wherever she goes, either via the phone or a smartwatch. To top it off, he has security cameras installed inside the house and watches her constantly. Warning lights were going off in my head with every turn of the page based on his actions.

Ella is young and naive, and she believes that Ben loves her and fears for his safety from Sophie. She should have been on guard when he said not to mention him to anyone. However, she has blind faith where he is concerned, until it lands her in hot water.

This thriller had me turning pages as fast as I could. Would Sophie and her son Benji get away from Ben? Would Ella see through his manipulations? Would Ben get what was coming to him?

I appreciated that the author shared resources within the pages on how Sophie could leave Ben for a better life. Sophie even has a couple of new friends who try to help her escape to a better life. Luckily, Ben doesn’t cut her off from these friends. Perhaps because one of them has a boy that is Benji’s age and a new friend for him. Despite all of Ben’s faults, there is no doubt that he loves his son.

If you enjoy psychological suspense/thriller novels, this is a good one to read. If you have any triggers regarding abuse, it may not be the best choice for you.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Cally Jackson grew up in the small country town of Gatton. After deciding at 17 that a Hollywood acting career was sadly out of reach, Cally turned to a career in professional communication with fictional writing as her labour of love.

Cally’s passion for fictional writing first emerged in grade two when she got in trouble for penning her own tale instead of copying directly from a story book as she was supposed to be doing – it was a handwriting exercise, after all.

Cally’s first novel, The Big Smoke, was published in 2012. A decade and two children later, Cally has released her second novel, The Ripple Effect.

 

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Synopsis

 

In this heartfelt story about how the places we run from hold the answers to our deepest challenges, the death of her grandmother brings a young woman home, where she must face the past in order to become the heir of not just the family restaurant, but her own destiny.

Violeta Sanoguera had always done what she was told. She left the man she loved in Colombia in pursuit of a better life for herself and because her mother and grandmother didn’t approve of him. Chasing dreams of education and art in New York City, and with a new love, twenty-eight-year-old Violeta establishes a new life for herself, on her terms. But when her grandmother suddenly dies, everything changes.

After years of being on her own in NYC, Violeta finds herself on a plane back to Colombia, accompanied at all times by the ghost of her grandmother who is sending her messages and signs, to find she is the heir of the failing family restaurant, the very one Abuela told her to run from in the first place. The journey leads her to rediscover her home, her grandmother, and even the flame of an old love.

 

 

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Praise

 

“From the moment Vi stepped off the plane in Barranquilla, I felt as if I had come along for the journey. The wonderful descriptions of the town, its people, and Caminito’s traditional Colombian dishes made me wish I was visiting for real. I especially enjoyed the supernatural element to this emotional story about going back home to discover who you were always meant to be.” ―Annette Chavez Macias, bestselling author of Big Chicas Don’t Cry

“The Waves Take You Home is a tender, generous novel that sings with the rhythms of family, food, and love. A warm and wise meditation on the ghosts of lives unlived that challenges familiar immigrant narratives and resounds with the voices of three unforgettable women. María Alejandra Barrios Vélez conjured a world I didn’t want to leave.” ―Katie Gutierrez, national bestselling author of More Than You’ll Ever Know

“It’s hard to put down an international love triangle, especially one featuring ghosts and a quest to save a family’s legacy set along the Caribbean coast! Every page in The Waves Take You Home sizzles with life and lush descriptions. I grew nostalgic as I read for the sights and smells of Colombian street food and culture. It’s a love story, deeply invested in all the ways love defines us―love for family, childhood crushes, tradition, and especially a well-cooked meal.” ―Adriana E. Ramírez, author of Dead Boys, winner of the PEN Fusion Award, and author of the forthcoming novel The Violence

 

 

Interview with Maria

 

 

What inspired you to write THE WAVES TAKE YOU HOME?

 

In 2020, my Abuela’s health declined, as she started to lose her battle with cancer. Due to the pandemic, I couldn’t visit Colombia and say goodbye. My worst fear had happened, and I was left with immense grief. My Abuela, and her stories, were central to my life and shaped my vision of the world. For me, she represented home and although I had left Colombia, it remained in my heart.

The idea for a novel started to take shape during that year as I reflected on how my relationship to my Abuela and her memory would live on. After she died, I was left with the idea of her as a ghost. Not in the classic sense, but she remained someone with whom I constantly spoke. I would wonder what she would do or how she would react to a situation, and sometimes I could sense her by my side. I wanted this book to embody that idea, that you always carry your ancestors with you, and even if you can’t see them, they’re still rooting for you.

I also knew in my bones I wanted this book to be inspired by the stories of the women in my family, and I wanted it to be centered around my interests and what I knew. Like Toni Morrison said, I wanted to write the book I wanted to read. So, I started writing about a family of women, food, cooking, Barranquilla and New York. This is what I knew. I also wanted to write about what scared me, and the feeling that my two lives were growing farther away from each other and the repercussions of this pull. There’s an immense amount of sacrifice with the decision of choosing one life instead of the other.

 

Doña Emilia, Vi’s Abuela, is central to the plot of the story. What do you think is the role of the matriarch in the book?

 

The matriarch in many Latin American cultures is everything. She is the center of the family, the decision maker, the voice of reason and warnings, and a representation of the past; how a particular family unit has lived until now. I think Doña Emilia is the key in acknowledging what has come before for these characters (a past of heartbreak, fear, and struggle), but she is also the one who ultimately leads Vi to examine her life and her choices, and to encourage Vi not repeat the mistakes she made.

 

Generational trauma is another theme discussed in THE WAVES TAKE YOU HOME. Why is this theme important to address?

 

It’s interesting because as I get ready for the book launch, I’ve been reflecting on my writing path. I didn’t grow up writing consistently like many other writers do, and I wasn’t a good reader until I was fourteen or so. But I was always a good listener.

My Abuela would tell me stories about her life, and the life of women in our family. And these stories were always so complete in my head, like the classic tragedies: they were stories with a beginning, a middle, and an end and with one single message: that’s what you get for trusting, for being a pendeja. There are stories about us and our families that we are always listening to, and that lead us to believe things about who we are, and who we could become. It makes it seem like we’re trapped in these ideas and concepts that sometimes aren’t the right fit.

I wanted to show the stories in the Sanoguera family that they tell each other, and I wanted Vi to confront them in order to finally ask a question that we sometimes never ask: What do I think? And what do I believe to be true? And now that I know that, how will I respond?

 

How did you approach the magical realism in the story? What was it like creating a ghost as a character?

 

I grew up surrounded by ghost stories. My Abuela was my best friend, and my caretaker during the day when I was a child. She would tell me all kinds of stories, but my favorite kind would involve ghosts. She had a very matter-of-fact way of talking about ghosts, as if they existed and were just another fact of life.

The greats of magical realism Allende, Marquez, Esquivel, always approach the magical elements in the story as they are, not as something to explain or dissect. Staying true to my Abuela, and my own family history, I also didn’t want to explain it. I was more interested in the readers feeling alongside Vi. I should add that this is the way of my culture. We tell ghost stories with interest and curiosity, without worrying about convincing the audience if they are real or not.

 

There are so many delicious dishes featured in the book! Are these family recipes? What made you decide to include them in your debut novel?

 

Yes! My Abuela’s side of the family is from Spain, and one of the things that was passed down from that heritage was the food. I grew up at my Bisabuela and Abuela’s side watching them cook sopa de bolli (a velvety broth with tender rib and a side of potatoes and green beans you bathe in olive oil), coca bread (a delicious thick pizza with onions, bell peppers, paprika and plenty of spices that give it a great kick!), the classic tortilla española with french bread, and more. We also had the succulent Colombian dishes at home, and since my Bisabuela had a very prominent sweet-tooth and was an incredible baker, she also made sure we had plenty of sweet treats: poundcake, pineapple-rum upside-down cake, black cake, hot flaky dough sprinkled with sugar, a homemade flan bathed in caramel!

The love language of the women in my family was food. I wanted to incorporate that rich and proud heritage of food in the novel because I think you can tell a lot about someone’s culture and background in the spices they eat, how they approach food and cooking (do they do it in a relaxed manner? Is there pressure around it?), and the legacy that this food carries. I wanted Vi to explore the complicated relationship she had with her family through food and cooking—I also wanted to feature the delicious food I grew up eating!

 

A lot of the novel takes place in Barranquilla, Colombia. What is something you wish readers will take away from visiting this place?

 

This book is centered in a real neighborhood, “Barrio Prado,” which is an epicenter of culture and art deco architecture in Barranquilla. Walking there, you can see the beautiful big roble trees and the flowers that the florón trees spread in the streets, that smell like vanilla. Every house in that neighborhood is different and unique. I wanted to share the magic of this neighborhood, both in how it looks and through the wonderful community of people who live there.  Everyone is in everyone’s business, but at the same time, everyone cares so deeply about Caminito and the Sanoguera Family. I wanted to show that side of us, while also showing the beautiful beaches and delicious food.

And the heat! I want people to feel the scorching heat that we get all year round.

 

 

About the Author

 

María Alejandra Barrios Vélez is a writer born in Barranquilla, Colombia. She has an MA in creative writing from the University of Manchester and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and scruffy dog, Gus.

She was the 2020 SmokeLong Flash Fiction Fellow, and her stories have been published in Shenandoah Literary, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, El Malpensante, Fractured Lit, SmokeLong Quarterly, The Offing, and more. Her work has been supported by organizations such as Vermont Studio Center, Caldera Arts, and the New Orleans Writers’ Residency.

 

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