Review: Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

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From the author of New York Times bestseller Garden Spells comes a beautiful, haunting story of old loves and new, and the power of the connections that bind us forever…

The first time Eby Pim saw Lost Lake, it was on a picture postcard. Just an old photo and a few words on a small square of heavy stock, but when she saw it, she knew she was seeing her future.

That was half a life ago. Now Lost Lake is about to slip into Eby’s past. Her husband George is long passed. Most of her demanding extended family are gone. All that’s left is a once-charming collection of lakeside cabins succumbing to the Southern Georgia heat and damp, and an assortment of faithful misfits drawn back to Lost Lake year after year by their own unspoken dreams and desires.

It’s a lot, but not enough to keep Eby from relinquishing Lost Lake to a developer with cash in hand, and calling this her final summer at the lake. Until one last chance at family knocks on her door.

Lost Lake is where Kate Pheris spent her last best summer at the age of twelve, before she learned of loneliness, and heartbreak, and loss. Now she’s all too familiar with those things, but she knows about hope too, thanks to her resilient daughter Devin, and her own willingness to start moving forward. Perhaps at Lost Lake her little girl can cling to her own childhood for just a little longer… and maybe Kate herself can rediscover something that slipped through her fingers so long ago.

One after another, people find their way to Lost Lake, looking for something that they weren’t sure they needed in the first place: love, closure, a second chance, peace, a mystery solved, a heart mended. Can they find what they need before it’s too late?

At once atmospheric and enchanting, Lost Lake shows Sarah Addison Allen at her finest, illuminating the secret longings and the everyday magic that wait to be discovered in the unlikeliest of places.

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I was first introduced to Sarah Addison Allen’s work with Garden Spells, and I was immediately enchanted by her charming characters, serene Southern settings, and dashes of magical realism that draw you into to her world. Each time she released a new novel, I devoured it within a few days, enjoying the stories too much to let one linger on my nightstand.

Lost Lake was no different.

The cover alone is enticing and dreamy, luring readers to visit the quaint Georgia retreat of Lost Lake—you can almost smell the earthy air, feel the moisture clinging to the Spanish moss draped below the canopy of trees.

Kate Pheris needs Lost Lake. She’d been just a shell of herself since her husband died a year ago. As the book begins, she’s sold the home she shared with him, packed up his things, and pushed her memories aside—at the urging of her domineering mother-in-law. But instead of moving in with the bossy woman as planned, she and her precocious eighth-year-old daughter make a sudden detour to Lost Lake, the resort Kate’s Great-Aunt Eby owned once upon a time—a haven she’s not sure still exists.

“You can’t change where you come from, but you can change where you go from here. Just like a book. If you don’t like the ending, you make up a new one.”

When they find what’s left of the once quaint resort, the antique-filled cabins are falling into states of neglect and the property is about to be sold to a developer. A few loyal guests return for one last summer, drawn to Lost Lake for their own reasons. These secondary characters are quirky and endearing, from the mute Lisette, a French woman who has been Eby’s best friend for decades, to the local handyman who’s loved Kate since the summer she spent there years ago. The small town cast’s fierce loyalty and open hearts make you want to pack your bags and join them for your own getaway by the lake.

Sarah Addison Allen has a way with words, an ability to mix reality with dreams; she creates a world where a little boy’s spirit can inhabit a talking alligator, where love potions work, and where ghosts of lost loves patiently wait in the corner chair. Somehow you believe it can be.

Overall, it’s a charming story about second chances, finding your unique place in the word, and the bonds of family and friendship — with a delightful dash of romance and magic. It’s a perfect light read for the temperate days of spring ahead, for relaxing with a good book, and for falling into your own daydreams.

Lost Lake is the She Reads March book club selection. The wonderful people at SheReads.org and St. Martin’s Press are giving away FIVE copies of Lost Lake—CLICK HERE for details!

Lost Lake
by Sarah Addison Allen
St. Martin’s Press (January 21, 2014)
303 pages

Sarah’s website | Facebook | Twitter | Pintrest

Waking Kate

If you enjoyed Lost Lake (or just want to get a taste of Sarah Addison Allen’s world), download Waking Kate, a free e-short story tie-in to Lost Lake,
available on Amazon or wherever e-books are sold.

I received this book free from Netgalley/SheReads.org/St. Martin’s Press. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Links above may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A Novel (Rocket) Surprise

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I haven’t been writing.

There. My big dirty secret is out.

You see, I got busy. I know, I know, we’re ALL busy. Real writers don’t find time, they MAKE time.

It could be considered a sabbatical. Since writing was my “full-time job” for a few years, technically I’ve been on an extended period of leave from one’s customary work, especially for rest, acquiring new skills or training, etc. Yeah. That’s it. I’ve been on sabbatical. It’s amazing what one can learn about the publishing industry by working in a library. Seeing which books people REALLY read (at least in my local market) has reshaped my entire concept of what’s marketable. But more on what I’m learning from deep in the stacks another day.

I’ve also been cutting back on screen time, trying to connect with the friends and family close enough to hug instead of living within my extended cyberworld.

I’ve been on a journey to find balance in my life. I’m still searching.

But enough with these excuses. The true reason I’ve been shying away from my quest to become a published writer is that I got scared. My manuscript isn’t good enough. I’M not good enough. (This is why so many writers become drug addicts and drunks, right?) I should just bury that damn manuscript in a drawer below the pretty panties I never wear like thousands—perhaps millions—of other wannabe writers.

Then a package appeared on my doorstep.

I hadn’t ordered anything. The square brown box was far too large to contain a book for review. My birthday wasn’t for months. I opened it tentatively.

Inside I found hope.

It came in the form of a delicate sculpture. My Novel Rocket Launch Pad trophy arrived at the perfect time.

I photographed the trophy around my yard, attempting to capture the sway of the delicate blown glass, the sparkles of sunlight shimmering off the surface.

Amidst the spring blooms, turquoise waters, and clear blue skies I realized that despite its outer artistry, its true beauty was intrinsic. Inside the rocket’s seemingly hollow body swirled inspiration, affirmation, passion, pride. . . and hope.

I am a writer.

I decided the glorious reminder of not only what I won, but what I can be, would shine in any environment. It should be placed where it will serve the highest purpose: on my desk.

Perhaps it will evoke more magic—aided by hefty doses of perseverance, hard work, tenacious editing, and perhaps a smidgeon of talent. Instead of being weighed down by too many fears, this work of art will remind me to fill myself with hope, light as the stars.

A heartfelt thanks to everyone at Novel Rocket.

And to Joy Alyssa Day at GlassSculpture.or g for sending me such a graceful work of art.

And now a reminder from my son’s 4th grade teacher:

Prompt: Write about something you have too much of: fear & hope.

Review: The Art of Falling by Kathryn Craft

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The Art of Falling
by Kathryn Craft
Paperback, 368 pages
January 28th 2014, Sourcebooks Landmark

I received this book free from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Links above may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon

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From Goodreads:

A tantalizing reimagining of a scandalous mystery that rocked the nation in 1930-Justice Joseph Crater’s infamous disappearance-as seen through the eyes of the three women who knew him best.

They say behind every great man, there’s a woman. In this case, there are three. Stella Crater, the judge’s wife, is the picture of propriety draped in long pearls and the latest Chanel. Ritzi, a leggy showgirl with Broadway aspirations, thinks moonlighting in the judge’s bed is the quickest way off the chorus line. Maria Simon, the dutiful maid, has the judge to thank for her husband’s recent promotion to detective in the NYPD. Meanwhile, Crater is equally indebted to Tammany Hall leaders and the city’s most notorious gangster, Owney “The Killer” Madden.

On a sultry summer night, as rumors circulate about the judge’s involvement in wide-scale political corruption, the Honorable Joseph Crater steps into a cab and disappears without a trace. Or does he?

After 39 years of necessary duplicity, Stella Crater is finally ready to reveal what she knows. Sliding into a plush leather banquette at Club Abbey, the site of many absinthe-soaked affairs and the judge’s favorite watering hole back in the day, Stella orders two whiskeys on the rocks-one for her and one in honor of her missing husband. Stirring the ice cubes in the lowball glass, Stella begins to tell a tale-of greed, lust, and deceit. As the novel unfolds and the women slyly break out of their prescribed roles, it becomes clear that each knows more than she has initially let on.

With a layered intensity and prose as effervescent as the bubbly that flows every night, The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress is a wickedly entertaining historical mystery that will transport readers to a bygone era with tipsy spins through subterranean jazz clubs and backstage dressing rooms. But beneath the Art Deco skyline and amid the intoxicating smell of smoke and whiskey, the question of why Judge Crater disappeared lingers seductively until a twist in the very last pages.

********************************************************

I’m delighted to announce that this month’s She Reads Book Club Pick is by none other than She Reads co-founder and all-around awesome writer/blogger/mama Ariel Lawhon. And, of course, with such a big name to cheer on, it’s the one month I’m dreadfully late with my review. It’s also the first month I’ve worked at my new library job and had the honor of shelving the She Reads pick in the New Release section and watching that enticing bright pink cover get checked out to its first lucky reader. Quickly.

Anything taking place during The Prohibition Era seems to be de rigueur now. T.V. series such as Boardwalk Empire and Downton Abbey and Hollywood blockbusters like The Great Gatsby bring the seductive world of speakeasys and smooth jazz to life. It was the time of gangsters and molls, when the twenties went out with a roar just before the Great Depression slammed the nation. The lines between corruption and conscience were often blurred (by bathtub gin?) mixing judges, crime bosses, and police in a way hopefully unheard of now.

Usually depictions of this time focus on the gritty and glamorous mens’ perspective, but in The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress, Lawton spins the tale of the women who are often in their shadows, allowing them to shine.

The real story behind Lawhon’s fictionalized tale adds to the intrigue. Judge Crater—husband to the story’s wife, lover of the mistress, and boss of the maid— was considered “The Missingest Man in New York” and held a top spot in 1930s pop culture. “To pull a Crater” means to disappear, and for decades the judges disappearance was standard running joke with entertainers. Now Lawhon’s account introduces a new generation of readers to the mystery.

Part suspense, part women’s fiction, and seeped in period glamor, this story is literally ripped from the 1930’s headlines. If you enjoy period pieces, light mysteries, or 20th century historical fiction, this book is for you.

If you’d like to WIN a copy of The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress: A Novel, head over to She Reads. You can check out more reviews, find out more about the author, and enter to win your copy!

READ an excerpt from The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress HERE

The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress: A Novel
by Ariel Lawhon
Print Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Doubleday (January 28, 2014)
Sold by: Random House LLC

Connect with Ariel Lawhon:

Facebook | Twitter | Website

I received this book free from Doubleday and SheReads.com as part of their Book Review Blogger program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Sweets for your sweetie: Cherry Cordial Brownie Bites

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You can never have too many brownies. Or at least, I can never have too many brownies. Ever since I discovered the handy-dandy method of baking them in mini-muffin pans, I always keep some tucked away in the freezer for chocolate emergencies. (Don’t laugh. Chocolate emergencies are a real thing.)

I actually came up with this recipe at Christmas time after I’d sworn I wasn’t going to bake cookies from scratch. In the past, I’ve spent days making dozens of dozens of homemade treats for bosses, teachers, and friends, but this year I just didn’t have the time. I aimed for the semi-homemade route, which if dressed up properly, can be just as tasty and ten times easier. I wanted to do something with brownies…cherry cordial candies were my dad’s favorite, and always under the Christmas tree…how about cherry cordial brownies?

I searched for a recipe to imitate that rich, creamy deliciousness with a gooey cherry inside, but I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for. I did find an intriguing Cherry-Merlot Brownie Bite recipe via Betty Crocker. Hmmm…not quite… After a few tweaks, it was better than I dreamed!

By switching out the Merlot for Amaretto, the brownies took on the creamy, cherry almond cream taste I was going for. These things are AMAZING! Chewy, rich, and OMG good! (Hold on a sec—I have to go eat one now!) They will make a perfect Valentine’s Day treat for your Sweetie (or yourself!)

Can you tell I’m seriously in love with these? And they are seriously easy.

Cherry Cordial Brownie Bites

1 bag (about 5 – 6 oz.) dried cherries
about 1/2 cup Amaretto liqueur
1 box brownie mix (I recommend Betty Crocker Supreme Triple Chunk or Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate)
1 egg*
1/3 cup oil*
water to fill***

Place cherries in a microwave safe bowl. Add Amaretto so that it about covers the cherries (you can add a little more if necessary). Microwave on high for 90 seconds. Set aside and let cool about 10 minutes.
Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). (optional) Place mini paper baking cup in each of 48 mini muffin cups. (I have bake in two batches, so liners are easier for me.)
Strain cherries, pouring leftover Amaretto into a measuring cup. Check how much water your brownie mix box calls for (mine called for 1/4 cup of water). ***Use the Amaretto instead of the called for water. If you don’t have quite enough, add water.
In a mixing bowl, add brownie mix, Amaretto/water, * EGG(S), AND OIL ON CALLED FOR ON BROWNIE MIX BOX. Stir until mixed.
Fold in the cherries. Mix.
Fill each muffin cup with about 1 tablespoon batter/about 3/4 full. (I use a cookie scoop.)
Bake 18-21 minutes. Let cool in pan a few minutes, then remove each brownie bite to a cooling rack.

*Tip from Betty Crocker: If a recipe yields more mini cupcakes than your pan will make, cover and refrigerate the rest of the batter while baking the first batch. Cool the pan 10 to 15 minutes and then bake the rest of the batter, adding about 1 minute to the bake time.

*Since the cherries make them a little gooey, the paper wrappers may stick. Optional.

Happy Valentine’s Day

Cheers, my friends!

Review & Flash GIVEAWAY: Red Rising by Peirce Brown

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Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class.There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

From Goodreads

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Okay, here’s the deal: I shouldn’t have even liked this book. I’ve always claimed that I don’t do dystopian novels. I’ve gone so far as to use the *h* word on occasion. (I know, I know—one should not *hate* any books.)

I hereby proclaim that I was ~~ignorant~~ wrong. Terribly wrong. Red Rising is the most dystopian book I’ve read—and I bloody loved this book. I couldn’t put the damn thing down.

Seriously. On Christmas Eve, I sat beside the glowing tree totally ignoring It’s a Wonderful Life because I just had to finish the damn book before I went to bed. No visions of Sugar Plums for me; instead I dreamed of the red planet Mars.

When I spotted the book on Netgalley, I didn’t expect much. Though it had amazing early reviews, I wasn’t a big fan of the genre (except the Hunger Games trilogy, but everyone crossed the dystopian border for that series). I assumed I’d give it a few chapters before inevitably tossing it aside. Dystopian books must wrap their warped tentacles around my neck pretty quick if I’m going to suspend my disbelief enough to get into their bleak worlds and weird names. While I couldn’t put my finger on exactly why I pressed through the first few chapters, once Red Rising grabbed me, it formed a choke hold.

When readers first meet Darrow, an impetuous 16-year-old helldiver, he’s striving to win The Laurel, the award won by drilling the largest amount of gas to supply to the builders of society on Mars. Winning means his Township will not be hungry and might accrue some basic supplies. He and his people are Reds, all but slaves, living underground and completely dependent on the ruling caste of Golds.

Darrow should have earned the Laurel. When it goes to the same clan as always, Darrow and his young wife, Eo, realize their lives are rigged. In a world where a simple song or dance can lead to execution, Eo stages a minor act of rebellion which leads to her death. When Darrow dares to break the strictly enforced rules he too is killed…maybe.

Instead he’s smuggled to the surface by revolutionaries, to a world he and his people didn’t know existed. He is “carved” into a Gold to become a spy, someone hopefully strong enough to infiltrate the Gold society and start a rebellion.

But first he must make it through The Institute and its game.

This story certainly clung to some familiar tropes: being chosen for different houses in the “school” rings of Harry Potter, the bloodthirsty battles students must survive to become champion is reminiscent of The Hunger Games. The dissolving of civilized behavior and morals when scrapping for survival echos Lord of the Flies. Brown even works in some odes to classical mythology.

But Red Rising is far more than just a rehashing of these eternal themes—it’s a violent, cunning tale, a reflection the historical struggles for power that will echo into the future.

I dare not tell you more, except that I’m dying for the second book to come out. No spoilers here. But I will offer you an opportunity to win a copy of this bloody brilliant book.

Del Ray is hosting a RED RISING RELEASE DAY FLASH GIVEAWAY. The winner will receive a signed copy of RED RISING and a Random House Publishing Group tote bag (US residents only). It’s a special flash giveaway, RUN FOR ONLY 24 HOURS. The winner will be announced at 10AM EST on Wednesday, January 29.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

RED RISING
by Pierce Brown
400 pages
Del Rey (January 28, 2014)

RedRisingBook.com | Facebook | Twitter

I received this book free from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. One link above is an “affiliate link.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Lit Snapshot: Sailing Out of Darkness with Normandie Fisher

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Today I’m pleased to introduce a new feature to the blog: Lit(erary) Snapshot. My first guest is one of the kindest writers out there. Be it through the Women’s Fiction Association, Writer Unboxed, or one of the many blogs and forums writers flock to, she’s always ready with a gracious comment and encouraging words of wisdom. Her second novel, Sailing Out of Darkness, has recently been released and is receiving lovely reviews. Let’s give a warm welcome to Normandie Fisher. . . {cue applause}

Tell us about yourself: who are you?

I experienced the best of several worlds: a Southern heritage, access to schooling in the DC area (which meant lots of cultural adventures), and several years of sculpture studies in Italy before I returned to finish my degree here. It might have been better for me if I’d used all these opportunities more wisely, but the imperfect and the unwise also add fodder for the artist and the writer.

My life changed radically when I married the love of my life at an age when some would have said I was over the hill and way past my prime. A lifelong sailor, I was delighted to find that Michael also longed to cruise lovely waters, which is what we did from Northern CA to Mexico, spending too few years in the incomparable Sea of Cortez. Sea Venture, our 50′ ketch, is back home in North Carolina now because my mama needed care. Still, it’s gorgeous here, too, and I can write and edit from home as easily as I could on the boat.

My two grown children, son-in-law, and two step-sons are handsome (or gorgeous, as the case may be), talented, and a delight—as is my new grandbaby. I just wish they lived a lot closer to home.

We took Sea Venture north in 2013 to visit some of these young folk. Along the way, I had a delightful time hosting boat party/book signings from Beaufort to NYC. Keep a lookout for our beautiful boat with its clipper bow as we sail into various harbors in 2014.

Tell us about Sailing out of Darkness:

Love conquers all?

Maybe for some people.

When Samantha flies to Italy to gain distance from a disastrous affair with her childhood best friend, the last thing on her mind is romance. But Teo Anderson is nothing like her philandering ex-husband or her sailing buddy, Jack, who, despite his live-in girlfriend, caught her off guard with his flashing black eyes.

Teo has his own scars, both physical and emotional, that he represses by writing mysteries—until one strange and compelling vision comes to life in the person of Sam. Seeking answers, he offers friendship to this obviously hurting woman, a friendship that threatens to upend his fragile peace of mind.

But not even sailing the cobalt waters of the Mediterranean can assuage Sam’s guilt for destroying Jack’s relationship and hurting another woman. Soon the consequences of her behavior escalate, and the fallout threatens them all.

Sailing out of Darkness is the haunting story of mistakes and loss…and the grace that abounds through forgiveness.

What made you write this particular story?

Over the years, I’ve met a number of women who, overwhelmed by loss and guilt, imagined themselves friendless and condemned. Some chose a final solution. Sam’s story is fictional, but I’m hoping that it will speak to hurting women and to those who know them, to those who might listen to voices crying in the wilderness after following their heart into an unhealthy place.

I also hope readers will have fun with the sailing and the visits to Italy and will come to love Sam and Teo as much as I did.

What did you learn writing Sailing out of Darkness?

Sailing out of Darkness was, I think, my third completed manuscript, one I worked on over a number of years before my agent sold it in its present form. Because the story was dear to me, I wanted to tell it a certain way, but my husband—who always has my back—read its zillionth iteration and shook his head. “The middle has to go.”

Yikes! I loved that middle. None of my critique partners had even hinted that it should be slashed. I mean, the middle was great! It showed character development! It wasn’t fluff, but solid action! (Can you hear me? Can you see my hands raised, fending off disaster and the grim manuscript reaper?) I wanted folk to understand and sympathize with Sam. She needed that middle.

My husband is one of the smartest people I know, so I’d have to be a fool to ignore him. I took a deep breath, sighed loudly, and hit Delete. Out came chapter after chapter after chapter after chapter. Instead of beginning at the beginning, I began at the end of the middle. The old saying that writers must be willing to kill their darlings? Well, they also have to be willing to put their manuscript on a diet and lose fat that either doesn’t propel the story forward or, as in this case, propels it in the wrong direction.

What’s your favorite paragraph/line from Sailing out of Darkness?

That’s a difficult question. I probably love the snippets of poems best, such as this from Chapter Twenty-three:

Time has a way of galloping when what we do is fun. It passes slower than a snail’s pace, Leaving a gooey snail’s trail, When what we do is wrong.

Or, from Chapter Two:

Lonely isn’t lonely if one looks from outside in; It’s just the inside out that makes a person feel so thin.

But this sums up my heroine:

…“Stefi was right.”

“What do you mean?”

“She said you’re good at guilt. Honey, you’re not just good, you’re first rate…”

Who will this book appeal to?

Readers who enjoy a bit of romance, a hint of suspense, a dash of the literary, a soupçon of fantasy, some sailing, and, of course, travel to one of my favorite countries, Italy.

What’s next for you?

I’m busy with requested revisions of Heavy Weather, the next of my Beaufort books. Readers of Becalmed will remember Hannah, who now gets her own story, one she shares with an abused mama, two wounded children, and the police lieutenant who arrested the bad guy in Becalmed. Having fun!

How can we keep up with you?

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads

Thanks so much for joining us, Normandie—I can’t wait to pick up my copy of Sailing Out of Darkness!

Review: The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

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From Goodreads:

From the celebrated author of The Secret Life of Bees, a magnificent novel about two unforgettable American women

Hetty “Handful” Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimke’s daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women.

Kidd’s sweeping novel is set in motion on Sarah’s eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership of ten year old Handful, who is to be her handmaid. We follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty five years, as both strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each other’s destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love.

******

The Invention of Wings is a tale of two women from vastly different circumstances: a slave and her reluctant owner. Both are bound by their positions, both possess brains ahead of their times. Sue Monk Kidd alternates the narration between Sarah, the daughter of an esteemed Southern judge, and Handful, the handmaid/slave who was bestowed upon her. Even though Sarah lives in a culture where this expected and the norm, she somehow intrinsically knows slavery is wrong, and wants to free Handfull—but it is a power beyond her.

This theme of wanting to free Handful yet being powerless to do so carries on throughout the novel and Sarah’s life. She promised Handful’s mother, another one of her family’s slaves, that she would do so, yet even as an adult, she struggles with her inability to keep her promise. Eventually Sarah escapes North, fleeing her domineering and often cruel mother and her Charleston home—leaving poor Handful behind. Though she strives to rise into the ranks of the abolitionists and Quakers (and is eventually joined by her younger sister) she still can’t change the lives of the slaves in her family. I must admit, this frustrated me throughout the story.

At times I wondered how these characters learned to think this way, rebelling against everything they had been taught and the confines of their times. This isn’t a novel romanticizing the South, brimming with gallant plantation owners and giddy Southern belles. It’s more gritty Charleston town life, with slaves in the yard enduring punishments for doing such “horrid” things as learning to read. It’s not Gone With the Wind, but it’s not Roots either.

Having recently read Elizabeth Gilbert’s The Signature of All Things, I was caught by the parallels in the stories. Both featured strong female protagonists whose lives did not revolve around marriage and family, something rare in literature and in life. Both characters broke societal molds and strived to make significant impacts on the world beyond running a household and raising children. If you enjoyed Gilbert’s work, you should certainly read Kidd’s.

This work of historical fiction was inspired by the real Sarah Grimke and her sister Angelina, two of the early suffragists and female abolitionists. The Invention of Wings is the story of two radically different women searching for freedom. You’ll have to read it to discover if they ever spread their wings and soar.

The Invention of Wings
by Sue Monk Kidd
Hardcover, 384 pages
January 7th 2014, Viking Adult

This book was provided to me by Netgalley for review. All opinions are my own. Link above is a part of the Amazon affiliates program.

Review: Love Water Memory by Jennie Shortridge

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If you could do it all over again, would you still choose him?

At age thirty-nine, Lucie Walker has no choice but to start her life over when she comes to, up to her knees in the chilly San Francisco Bay, with no idea how she got there or who she is. Her memory loss is caused by an emotional trauma she knows nothing about, and only when handsome, quiet Grady Goodall arrives at the hospital does she learn she has a home, a career, and a wedding just two months away. What went wrong? Grady seems to care for her, but Lucie is no more sure of him than she is of anything. As she collects the clues of her past self, she unlocks the mystery of what happened to her. The painful secrets she uncovers could hold the key to her future—if she trusts her heart enough to guide her.

(from Goodreads)

Lucy Walker has no idea who she is—or who she was. Her memory is wiped clean, though she feels anything but. Why did she forget everything? Why did she flee to San Francisco, and how did she end up standing in the Bay? And did she really love her handsome fiance, Grady?

Her closets are filled with designer clothes, many still with the price tags. Her home is cool and elegant. But her reception is chilly—no one seems to like her, well, the old her, except her faithful fiance. Why?

Love Water Memory is a quick read—in a good way. Readers are lured along as Lucy slowly uncovers clues to her past. Something traumatic MUST have happened when she was a teen—even her fiance knows nothing about her life before they met except that her parents died and she lived with an aunt. When that aunt sees Lucy’s story on the news, the chain of events to discover Lucy’s real past begins.

I’ll admit: I grew a little anxious wanting Lucy to hurry up and remember already and hoping she wouldn’t suddenly go back to the person she had been. I was afraid her fiance, Grady, would chicken out or that he’d snapped and done something bad to Lucy making her flee. I worried that Lucy’s secret was something she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself for, and that’s why she blacked out her past.

All in all, Love Water Memory was an entertaining read. The characters were likable. Though the plot circled around the mystery of why Lucy lost her memory and who she was, it’s not categorically a novel of mystery or suspense. Both Lucy and Grady seemed to come of age on the cusp of 40, accepting their pasts and growing into their futures. It didn’t make me double over with laughter or draw tears, but was an enjoyable story. The end cut short just a bit (I wanted to find out more!) but left me satisfied.

To celebrate its paperback release, Love Water Memory is the She Reads January book club selection. Visit She Reads for a chance to win one of FIVE copies of this fab read!

LOVE WATER MEMORY
by Jennie Shortridge
Gallery Books; 352 pages
First Edition edition (April 2, 2013) Paperback (January 14, 2014)

Connect with Jennie Shortridge: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Thank you to Gallery Books and She Reads for my review copy. All opinions are my own.

Ringing in the New Year with ch-ch-ch-Changes

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Happy New Year, y’all!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been counting down the days until I could kick that crummy 2013 out on its keister. Adios—don’t let the calender page slice you a paper cut on the way out.

A few of you may have noticed that things have been a little quiet around here. In real life, things have been anything but. ::sniff, sniff:: Notice that intoxicating scent drifting on the January breeze? That’s the smell of change, my friends, and hopefully the winds of fortune are shifting my way.

News from my writing world: Remember a few months ago when I announced that my manuscript won the General Fiction category for the Novel Rocket Launch Pad contest? Well, the Grand Prize announcement was December 9th. I’ll admit, I’d stopped ~~obsessing~~ ~~dreaming~~ thinking about it. No pressure, prayers, holding breath, or fingers crossed. So imagine my surprise when I opened my email that morning to discover I’d WON! Yippee! Someone (okay, a lovely panel of judges with exemplary taste) chose THE LAST RESORT as the Grand Prize winner! Whoo-hoo! I’d like to give a shout out to everyone involved, and a sincere thank you to the Novel Rocket team. Your support has keep me going in this sometimes soul-skewering business. Thank you.

And thanks to them, I won’t use my 380 pages as fire pit kindling. . . just yet.

The other big news: I am officially a SAHM no more. Yes, I know I’ve been working my a$$ off for the last many years writing and editing, but most of the real world just considers that a luxurious little hobby, something I dabble in when I’m not nibbling bon bons in front of the TV.

Not only do I now have one (additional) job, but two.

If you’re going to do something, do it big, right?

The day after I was accepted to be a work-from-home contractor for a search engine company, I finally scored an interview for a library position. I’d been waiting on that call for nearly two years. (I swear, it’s easier to get into the Mafia than to score a library position.)

Several interviews, a couple of tests, and reams of paperwork later, I am officially a library employee.

Yeah. Kid in a candy store.

An exceptionally busy candy story—my library branch looks like Honeydukes swarmed by a horde of Hogwarts’s students jonesing for a new flavor of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans on a daily basis—but books are my passion, and now I have the privilege of being surrounded by them every day. (And shelving them, checking them in/out, fixing them, organizing them, recommending them…)

And then there was the whole holiday thing going on—life is never hectic at that time of year anyway, right?

So I have some major changes going on around here. My family must adapt to me working outside the home. We must shift homework duties, household responsibilities, and figure out what to do with the dear kiddo on days when our schedules conflict. I must accept that I’ll have less time with my family and adapt to having fewer opportunities to flex my writing muscles. My husband must familiarize himself with the kitchen once again.

But change is good. In fact, that will be my theme, my word for the year: change. I’ll strive to embrace change, enjoy change, thrive with change. . . for a change.

Don’t worry my friends, I’ll still be around. I’ll still be sending my (now Grand Prize Winning) manuscript out to agents. I’ll still write and blog. I might shift my focus a bit. I’m not sure. Change is in the air, and I’m going to suck it in with deep, cleansing yoga breaths.

I hope you’ll stick around for my journey.

May the new year brings you and your loved ones change for the good!

Happy 2014 y’all!

photo credit: WanderingtheWorld (www.ChrisFord.com) via photopin cc