Wednesday, July 31, 2013

The Forbidden Book

**A special Guest Post is provided below also... just for The Dew!**

The Forbidden Book
Joscelyn Godwin and
Guido Mina Di Sospiro
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Disinformation Books; Reprint edition (April 1, 2013)
Original print 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1938875014

Book Description:
Here's a new novel that's a literary esoteric thriller -  The Forbidden Book by Joscelyn Godwin and Guido Mina di Sospiro.

In The Forbidden Book, Professor Leo Kavenaugh’s and Orsina Riviera della Motta’s lives are changed forever after Orsina invites Leo to Italy to help her study a private family edition of “Il Mondo magico de gli heroi” (The Magical World of the Heroes) – a mysterious treatise of alchemy that supposedly teaches one how to attain the “Tree of Life” and make a man into a god. At first oblivious to the mystical world behind their studies, Leo and Orsina do not realize Orsina’s uncle is using the text in ways that will endanger thousands of innocents across Europe.

Mina di Sospiro’s extensive knowledge of Catholic history and practice and Godwin’s authoritative studies of the Western Esoteric tradition help set The Forbidden Book apart from many other occult thrillers --- as does the fact that “Il Mondo magico de gli heroi” is a real 1603 volume about alchemy and magic. Underlying the fast-paced action, the reader will find a profound treatment of moral and political dilemmas, the conflict of religions, and the frightening possibilities of the occult.

Idgie Says: 
The description could throw you off, making you think it's a deep religious philosophical argument type of book but it actually is a novel with a strong story line.  It's a murder mystery dealing along different sides facing off with religion as the meeting and/or breaking point.  

I would recommend this for someone who wants a novel that you need to study, think hard about what's going on, perhaps need to backtrack a bit and for someone who has a strong interest in the history of religion.  Not a "skimming" read.  You will want to take your time with this one.

__________________________________________

On the advantages and challenges of co-writing a novel – by Guido Mina di Sospiro
 
In this special piece for Dew on the Kudzu, Guido Mina di Sospiro, co-author of THE FORBIDDEN BOOK, shares the advantages and challenges of co-writing a novel.

The motivations for writing THE FORBIDDEN BOOK with Joscelyn Godwin were many and manifold, not least the... play element.

Both Joscelyn and I have been trained as musicians since our early years. While Joscelyn continues to play all sorts of instruments, from the harpsichord to the viola da gamba, and I have essentially stopped, we approached the writing of The Forbidden Book not as writing but as playing—a quattro mani, Italian music jargon for “piano four hands.” This explains why we’ve never argued, and never will. I remember saying as much to a literary agent who was representing us at the time, and she, with a suddenly very worried expression, said, “You have no idea what I’ve experienced from co-authors…” That must be the norm; I myself have read of co-authors fighting for days over a comma. But we, we were playing music…

Joscelyn and I wrote mainly via electronic mail. The anticipation experienced before receiving each other's bits put all the fun back into writing: we were, really, playing. Sometimes it felt like opening not a new e-mail, but a Christmas gift when we were children. Every time a piece arrived, it was a minor celebration.

Occasionally we waited for the most propitious time to read one's new contribution. Then we would pick up the phone and discuss whatever needed elaboration, then edit each other, send, re-write, re-discuss, etc. The idea of writing sequentially was never realistically entertained (does anybody still write sequentially?): we kept jotting down whatever inspired us that day and then we'd put it "on the shelf," as Joscelyn would say, to be used whenever we needed it.

From time to time, we'd connect the dots and fill in the gaps. Our bits blended into one another and by now we couldn't quite distinguish who wrote what. Working together was not working and writing together was not writing – it was too much fun, we were playing. Of course, there was a lot of editing, revising, rewriting, etc., but neither one of us knew that writing could be so much fun. We became a symbiotic duo, putting down ideas constantly and at the oddest times. Our friendship, which was solid before our project together, has grown tremendously. It's been an adventure.

Joscelyn is not only a brilliant mind and a great scholar – we all knew that already. He is also, and maybe above all, an artist, and as such he has contributed many highly creative ideas to the plot, characterization, dialogue, etc. He's also supremely unassuming and, in short, a wonderful and very special man, one of those rare persons whose presence and activities make the world a better and more interesting place.

In candor and in retrospect, I only see advantages in co-writing a novel—at least with Joscelyn. As a young man I trained as a classical guitarist, and also played in a guitar duo. It has been many years since, and this experience felt the same way, even better, in fact, as we weren’t playing someone else’s music, but our own composition. A duo of musicians welcomes each other’s contributions. One knows when to take the lead and when to listen and accompany. And, last but not least, it is all play.

Mankind’s heavily repressed urge is no longer sex, but... play. An urge as irresistible as it is seemingly inexplicable.

We humans have been optimistically classified as Homo sapiens, knowing man. Judging from the history of our proud species, one would think that homo in-sapiens might be more fitting, unknowing man. But the establishment, with the cultural canon it implements, works ever so assiduously at persuading us that evolution has been a great success, while the honest ones among us may suspect otherwise.

Therefore one wonders if the official name that science has assigned to us, or the unofficial one, its opposite, should not be exchanged for something more descriptive and encouraging: homo ludens, i.e., playing man.

The Dutch historian Johan Huizinga, author of the seminal book Homo Ludens on the role of playing in culture, wrote: “Play is older than culture, for culture, however inadequately defined, always presupposes human society, and animals have not waited for man to teach them their playing.” Indeed, homo ludens, playing man, free from the superimposed and abstract aspiration of being the brilliant result of an extraordinarily long evolution, would be able to delight in the most harmless and fun of all activities: play.

Such a simple notion, if properly conveyed, would give all school children reassurance that, once they grow into adults, the activity that's most dear to their heart – play – shall never have to cease. Like Huizinga, I too believe that it's possible for play to be the primary formative element in human culture.

In addition to that, the alchemical motive of ludus puerorum, child’s play, was very present in our minds as Joscelyn and I wrote The Forbidden Book. Esoteric writings on alchemy often state that once the primitive materials of the Philosophers’ Stone have been obtained, the rest of the Great Work is a simple labor, or “child's play.”

In fact, we mention child’s play in the novel in as many words. In Ch 19: “Leo, therefore, would take the ceremonial way. Immediately he noticed the sculpted figures on the banisters. Their attributes mimicked the garden sculptures of the Villa Riviera and, from what he could remember, they had the same inscriptions, but they were all putti, cheerful toddlers aping the gestures of their elders. Was this a way of saying that the Great Work was nothing but child's play?”

And again in the same chapter: “Feeling ready for anything, and wishing that he'd been this bold hours before, he entered the north range and passed through the dining room and kitchen. His heart leapt as he came to a corridor, with a door leading inwards. Perhaps it was child’s play, after all, he thought as he entered the dark room.” Leo is risking his life but above all he's trying to find and rescue Orsina, the woman he loves, who may well be more in danger than he is.

Having never been a man of action, he’s incredulous that he should be doing well, and the notion of play, child's play, in fact, keeps coming up though he couldn't be more serious and terrified. And toward the end: “‘Like that,’ thought Leo, ‘no customs, no immigration, no passports checked. Child’s play.’” The popular understanding of play differs from the one of the alchemists. We think of it as something puerile and harmless. In fact, it couldn’t be more serious, and knows no age.

The Forbidden Book 
by Joscelyn Godwin and Guido Mina di Sospiro
Disinformation Books; April 1, 2012
You can view a book trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNZBz7XgR-g

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Andrew Gross Online Chat and Kindle Fire Contest!






Join BookTrib on August 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET on http://booktribchat.com/ to chat live with New York Times bestselling author, Andrew Gross to discuss his new book NO WAY BACK and you can win a brand new Kindle Fire!


During the chat you can:
  • Ask Andy questions directly
  • WIN a free brand new Kindle Fire loaded with a selection of Andrew’s books!

About the book:
No Way Back is a thrilling page-turner from Andrew Gross, the New York Times bestselling author of 15 Seconds and The Blue Zone. One woman is framed for a horrific crime, and desperate to prove her innocence.

Wendy Gould is an attractive, happy suburban mom, and an experienced ex-cop. A chance meeting with a stranger in a hotel ends when the man is murdered and she’s the only witness, forcing her to run from rogue federal agents determined to keep her silent, even if it means killing her. Things only get worse when the authorities—the wrong ones—find their way to her door, giving her no recourse but to flee from her only safe haven.

Lauritzia Velez, meanwhile, is a devoted nanny. She’s also a woman with a deadly secret that has driven her into hiding until she can prove her innocence.

Scared and alone, these two women with nothing in common will eventually join forces and embark on a dangerous odyssey to find the truth and save their lives. It’s a desperate hunt that leads them into a nefarious web of treachery, lies, and corruption involving drug lords, arms dealers, and shadowy figures in the highest echelons of government. For more information: http://booktrib.com/live-chat-andrew-gross-may-22/

Monday, July 29, 2013

The Eskimo Hunts in Miami

    The Eskimo Hunts in Miami
    Author: Stefan Kanfer
    File Size: 399 KB
    Print Length: 177 pages
    Publisher: StoneThread Publishing (June 1, 2013)
    Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

    eBook only

    Book Description:
    Jordan is relaxing in the Miami sun, an Inuit thawing out after a tough New York winter. One afternoon he drops by a shooting range; maintaining skills is a part of being a Navy SEAL even when he’s enjoying an extended break. The owner, Tito Sanchez, watches with awe as Jordan fires with an accuracy and speed Tito’s never seen before.

    Jordan meets the boozy Niven Moorhead, a colorful former foreign correspondent and full-time alcoholic, who alludes to a plot that could threaten American security. Later Niven’s body is found on the outskirts of Lemon City, which some call Little Haiti. He was slain in a bloody, ritualistic manner. The official report called it a voodoo rite, and the papers and TV news run with it.

    Among those who doubt the official story are members of the resentful Haitian-American community. The most articulate objector is Claudette Basile, a singer in Savanette, a popular nightclub. She gives investigators a hard time when they question her after a gig. Jordan is at a nearby table, and he strikes up a conversation when the cops depart.

    Idgie Says:
    A fun, fast "whodunit" read that has a detective with a different quirk - he's an Eskimo.  Some of his talents and skills are definitely different from what you usually see in a detective novel. It's a pleasant change not to have the usual "hardbitten bitter detective on the edge of retirement" protagonist. There's a nice group of interesting characters and an interestingly scary twist filled with Hoodoo, animal sacrifice and the like. 
    _____________________________________

    In this piece for Dew on the Kudzu, Stefan Kanfer, author of The Eskimo Hunts in New York and The Eskimo Hunts in Miami, shares why he decided to write about the Inuits.

    America’s earliest settlers were extraordinarily inventive people—none more so than the Inuits, Yupiks et. al.,known in earlier times by the umbrella term of Eskimo. Armed with little more than driftwood and bone weapons, and often at great risk to their lives, they became nonpareil hunters and even whalers, always respectful to the animals they were forced to kill in order to survive. They invented the kayak, the toboggan, the parka and many other devices and garments for thriving in a climate that regularly hits 30 degrees below zero.
       
    It occurred to me that an Inuit thrust into the modern world, partly by his own volition—an Alaska University scholarship winner, then recruited to be a Navy SEAL—would be an ideal protagonist. The centerpiece of my Jordan Gulok novels is intrepid, inventive, canny, but also well-educated and knowledgeable about the ways of the world. Thus he straddles two societies, the one in which he grew up, the other in which he operates as a free-lance soldier, cut loose (by Pentagon design) from the SEALS, so that he can operate on his own, and give them plausible deniability if things go wrong. 
         
    Which, of course, they do during various operations. In The Eskimo Hunts in New York, Jordan handles a severe winter with ease. The Inuit grew up in worse weather than this; when the police are rendered helpless, he moves with grace and determination, bringing down an international ring dealing with contraband—and toxic—pharmaceuticals. This part was not fiction; illegitimate “medicines” have been made in Russia, the Far East and even the U.S., then peddled on five continents as panaceas for diseases they cannot cure, or even alleviate.
         
    In The Eskimo Hunts in Miami, Jordan leaves the New York winter for an unaccustomed heat and a very different kind of enemy—an army of Cuban exiles with an idée fixe: the taking back of the Caribbean island, a strategy that involves murder of American soldiers, raids on army forts, the suborning of diplomats, and the risk of an international incident that could trigger yet another war.  It’s the sort of situation that not many—even Navy SEALS—would choose to face alone. But for Jordan, going solo has become a way of life and, in truth, he wouldn’t have it any other way.    
    __________________________________
    Stefan Kanfer has made a name for himself writing bestselling biographies of such show business icons as Lucille Ball, Marlon Brando, Humphrey Bogart and Groucho Marx. Now he returns to fiction writing with his latest release, THE ESKIMO HUNTS IN NEW YORK, an eBook original that marks the beginning of a series starring Jordan Gulok, an Inuit and a former Navy SEAL.

    Friday, July 26, 2013

    Return to Oakpine



    Return to Oakpine
    Return to Oakpine Ron Carlson - Author

    Book: Hardcover | 9.25 x 6.25in | 272 pages | ISBN 9780670025077 | 11 Jul 2013 | Viking Adult



    Book Description:


    From a widely admired author, a poignant novel about homecoming, friendship, growing up, and growing old for fans of Richard Ford and Richard Russo

    In this finely wrought portrait of western American life, Ron Carlson takes us to the small town of Oakpine, Wyoming, and into the lives of four men trying to make peace with who they are in the world.

    In high school, these men were in a band. One of them, Jimmy, left Oakpine for New York City after the tragic death of his brother. A successful novelist, he has returned thirty years later, in 1999—because he is dying.

    With Carlson’s characteristic grace, we learn what has become of these friends and the different directions of their lives. Craig and Frank never left; Mason, a top lawyer in Denver, is back in town to fix up and sell his parents’ house. Now that they are reunited, getting the band back together might be the most important thing they can do.

    Return to Oakpine
    is a generous, tender look at friendship, family, and the roads not taken, by a writer at the peak of his craft.


    Idgie Says: 
    This is a nice "turn around story" - instead of woman of a certain age coming together as friends, sharing memories, dealing with hardship together and finding common ground.... it's instead a group of men.  Small town USA from a man's viewpoint.

    The men in this story, who were all high school pals, come back together when one returns to town in order to die at home.  The friends gather, sharing memories and making new ones in a nicely written male bonding story.

    Thursday, July 25, 2013

    Wool, Shift, Dust!

     Hugh Howey's Wool Series - a strong recommendation from Idgie, Lover of Sci-Fi.


    In 2012 I was scrolling through Amazon looking for a quick sci-fi read and came upon a tiny little book called Wool.  It was cheap and seemed interesting so I grabbed it.  Within moments I was hooked!  I, being the reviewer snoophound that I am, quickly located the then unknown Hugh Howey - just to throw him a "great job!" note.  He very kindly sent me the Wool "collection" of serial books. 

    The love continued.  These books are very character driven while remaining true to their apocalyptic roots.  No zombies, aliens or the such... just a horrible "what have humans managed to do to ourselves" type stories.

    I am so very pleased to announce that the story continues!

    Hugh wrote the Shift Series - 3 separate books or 1 omnibus version - about how it all started.  Loved them all! 

    Now he will soon be releasing Dust - a full sized novel continuing where the last Wool book ended.

    If you haven't read these books yet I highly recommend them. 

    The Dew reviews of the Wool books are below.
    __________________________________________________________

    Wool
    Series 1 - 4
    Author: Hugh Howey
    Genre: Apocalyptic Science Fiction
    4 novellas published between July and December 2011
    Available through Amazon.com and www.Hughhowey.com

    I was browsing through Amazon one day a few weeks ago - looking for some interesting short stories that I could read on my phone (no full sized novels on my phone screen please).  I came across Wool, which of course made me think of sheep, but Amazon said I might like it so I went to the description.  I found I was pulled in enough to give the first one a try.

    HOOKED!  Great writing, very interesting plot twists and turns.  The best part - it's like reading an old fashioned serial (think western and spy stories), short stories that bind a larger story together but can easily stand alone.  I tore through books 1 - 4 and hear 5 will be out soon.  I'm waiting anxiously for it.  I've also been told that it will be the culmination of the story and actually be novel length. 

    I'll go into a little detail about each book below, but because they are short stories, they move at a fast clip with a nicely condensed plot line and I don't want to give anything away.  The book next in line also tends to give away a mystery or unknown in the previous book so I don't want that to slip out.

    The main story line is that hundreds of years in the past we humans apparently managed to destroy our earth in some unknown way (I'm thinking nuclear war) and the earth became uninhabitable.  But our government built an underground silo, 140 floors deep and people have successfully lived there ever since.

    There are sensors placed on top of the silo that show the outside world, which remains gray and dead.  When a person is convicted of an unpardonable crime, their punishment is to be sent outside.  It's a death sentence.  But they are provided with a protective suit that will last just long enough for them to take with them wool to clean the sensor monitors so that the silo inhabitants can continue to monitor the world. Hence the titles of the books. No one has ever refused to clean the monitors before they choke to death on noxious air, which in itself is a mystery, considering they're being sent to their death - why make sure everyone else has a good view?  The view itself is littered with the bodies of old "cleaners".

    There was also an uprising or revolt apparently 200 or so years in the past, and at that time all records of time before was erased.  No one know how or why they're in the silos, no one knows for sure that there ever really was life outside.  Most books were also destroyed except for children's book (to teach the children to read) but while there are pictures in them, they also tend to have unicorns so no one believes them to be true.

    Below is a short synopsis of each of the books.  A great story that is portable in short story form, either in paperback or ebook.  I definitely recommend the Wool series for entertaining reading.

     
    Book 1 - 59 pages:
    Allison asked to go outside and be a cleaner 3 years earlier.  Holston, the Sheriff, looks daily on the body of his wife.  He doesn't know how much longer he can take it. Why did she do it? Then he found out. This could easily be a stand alone short story.

    Book 2 - 98 pages:
    Mayor Jahns and Deputy Marnes need to find a new Sheriff.  They head 140 floors down over a period of several days to find Juliette,a mechanical genius that has been recommended for the position.  Along the way secrets, and perhaps love, might be found. 

    Book 3 - 113 pages:

    Juliette is the new Sheriff, and an enemy of IT.  She's determined to discover secrets that the Head of IT feels must remain hidden from the people - at all costs.  Will Juliette discover what's been hidden for centuries?  If so, at what cost?



    Book 4 - 159 pages:
    I can't say much here as it would ruin a cliffhanger at the end of Book 3, but let's just say that what happened in that story has the people of Silo 18 deciding they have had enough of the secrets.  They want the truth - no matter what it takes to get it. The cliffhanger at the end of this book is simply delicious and I can't wait for Wool 5!



    Wool 5: The Stranded
    Author: Hugh Howey
    Publisher: Broad Reach Publishing
    Publication Date: February 1, 2012

    As I previously stated in the first review, this series grabbed and hooked me in a serious way when I started reading it.
     
    It would be classified as an apocalyptic dystopian novel, but I feel it's very much a character driven story as opposed to "horrors of the future" book.  The individuals in the book aren't trying to survive through a horrible death of Earth type of scenario.... that already happened hundreds of years ago.  They're just trying to have a decent and good life in what now exists as life on Earth. 

    I highly suggest you read the first 4 books in the series as it really builds the structure behind this story.

    I don't want to say too much about the story lines as this is the fifth in a set of books that definitely carry the story along like a serial and to say too much would give away so many plot surprises from the previous books .... so I'll keep it a bit vague. 

    In Wool 5 life has changed greatly for many of the main characters and secrets are beginning to rise to the surface.  Secrets that have been kept hidden for several hundred years from the general populace, for their own mental stability and to continue to keep the people under control, are now being found out and let's just say the people trapped living in this confining silo for their entire lives are not happy.

    Things need to change.  Things will change.  Whether they'll change for the better or the worse is yet to be determined.

    I will say that the secrets that come out, about how humanity might act in the future, what decisions governments might come to.... while horrifying, aren't particularly surprising to me.

    A great series of stories that I recommend.  I'm not certain that 5 is the last in the series - if more come along, I'll snatch them up quickly!


    Wednesday, July 24, 2013

    The Cleaner of Chartres

    The Cleaner of Chartres
    Author: Salley Vickers
    Publisher: Viking
    Publication: July 1, 2013
    Original Publication 2012 UK

    Book Description:
    When a strange young woman is found sleeping in the porch of the ancient cathedral of Chartres, none of the residents of this quiet little town realise what changes lie in store for them...

    With her dark skin, her colourful clothes and her curious manner, Agnes Morel catches the eye of everyone she encounters. Before long she is cleaning for the Abbe Paul in the cathedral, organising lonely Professor Jones's chaotic papers and helping Philippe Nevers with his irresponsible sister and her newborn child. At the same time, she bewitches the local painter Robert Clement with her topaz eyes and captures the heart of Alain, the handsome restorer who works alongside her in the cathedral each morning. Little by little, day by day, she has a magical effect on each of their lives. But the mystery of Agnes's origins leads the jealous Madame Beck and her gossiping companion Madame Picot to all sorts of schemes and speculations. As the rumours grow stronger, Agnes is eventually forced to come to terms with her own traumatic past. 

    From the author of the bestselling Miss Garnet's Angel and winner of the 2007 IMPAC Dublin award, The Cleaner of Chartres is the beautifully beguiling tale of a young woman who brings healing to a town that didn't know it needed it, only to find her own redemption among its community of lost souls.

    Idgie Says:
    This is a fascinating novel of a town coming together - while some work to tear her apart - in the assisting of Agnes, a mysterious homeless woman, in finding a place to call her own.

    She showed up in town one day and has slowly worked her way (literally) into the community while maintaining total silence on where she came from or who she is.
    The story flashes back and forth between her present circumstances and the past - all the way back to her birth and abandonment.   

    When the past finally catches up to the present and the gossips go to work attempting to destroy her character and what she's gained, you're on the edge of your seat to see if it truly happens or whether Agnes overcomes the past.

    The novel has it all - abandonment, illegitimacy, madness, anger, lust and a large mystery wrapped around a nice juicy story.

    Monday, July 22, 2013

    Rutherford Park

    Rutherford Park
    Author: Elizabeth Cooke
    Publisher: Berkley
    Publication Date: July 2, 2013

    Book Description:
    Snow had fallen in the night, and now the great house, standing at the head of the valley, seemed like a five-hundred-year old ship sailing in a white ocean…

    For the Cavendish family, Rutherford Park is much more than a place to call home. It is a way of life marked by rigid rules and lavish rewards, governed by unspoken desires…

    Lady of the house Octavia Cavendish lives like a bird in a gilded cage. With her family’s fortune, her husband, William, has made significant additions to the estate, but he too feels bound—by the obligations of his title as well as his vows. Their son, Harry, is expected to follow in his footsteps, but the boy has dreams of his own, like pursuing the new adventure of aerial flight. Meanwhile, below stairs, a housemaid named Emily holds a secret that could undo the Cavendish name.

    On Christmas Eve 1913, Octavia catches a glimpse of her husband in an intimate moment with his beautiful and scandalous distant cousin. She then spies the housemaid Emily out in the snow, walking toward the river, about to make her own secret known to the world. As the clouds of war gather on the horizon, an epic tale of longing and betrayal is about to unfold at Rutherford Park…
    Idgie Says:
    A beautifully descriptive novel that shows us the upstairs/downstairs English style of living of the early 1900s. The ridiculously rigid rules that both sides of the house must follow are intricately detailed in the pages of the story.

    The characters are alive and interesting and while the novel is described as following the popularity of the Downton Abbey craze that's ripping through the country right now, these types of novels have been in circulation for years now and are always a welcome read.  The complete separation of the classes is always interesting to today's society where the lines are extremely blurred.

    ______________________________

    Elizabeth was kind enough to provide the Dew with a  Q & A.... just for us!



    Q&A for Dew on the Kudzu

    1.     Do you listen to music when you write?  If so, could you create a “playlist” for the book?  What music did you listen to while writing?  Or what music does the book make you think of?

    I have to write in absolute silence. It’s always been that way – even when I was at school I couldn’t listen to music when doing my homework or revising for exams. Having said that, music is a good historical reference for a novel. I just wrote a chapter where the John Gould character is listening to a song by a ‘new pianist’ – Irving Berlin.

    2.     What authors have inspired your work?

    ‘The Stand’ by Stephen King made a great impression on me all those years ago. A big-landscape, ‘big issue’ book with a huge cast of characters, each meticulously observed. But the plot drove it forward. That book taught me a lot. It showed me that you can fully round out your characters and still have a sizzling, fast-paced plot.

    I’m also an admirer of Julian Barnes. ‘Arthur and George’ was fantastic. Then also Kazuo Ishiguro. ‘Remains of the Day’ is just sublime.

    3.     Do you have a favorite character from the book?

    Oh my gosh, that’s hard.  I have a soft spot for them all.

    4.     Which character do you think you are most like?

    Even harder! Probably Octavia, because all my life I’ve tended to toe the line when I was really quite rebellious underneath. 

    5.     What’s next for you? Will there be a sequel?
      
    I’m now 70% through the sequel. It’s May 1915 and oh my Lord, so dramatic.  I’m loving it. And I’ve made myself cry twice. I never  cry while writing…….

    Saturday, July 20, 2013

    Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe

    Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe
    Author: Jenny Colgan
    Paperback: 496 pages
    Publisher: Sourcebooks, July 2013
    Language: English

    Book Description:
    Ever dreamed of starting over?

    Issy Randall can bake. No, more than that – Issy can create stunning, mouth-wateringly divine cakes. After a childhood spent in her beloved Grampa Joe's bakery she has undoubtedly inherited his talent. So when she's made redundant from her safe but dull City job, Issy decides to seize the moment and open up her own cafe. It should be a piece of cake, right?

    Wrong. As her friends point out, she has trouble remembering where she left her house keys, let alone trying to run her own business. But Issy is determined. Armed with recipes posted to her from Grampa, and with her local bank manager fighting her corner, Issy attempts to prove everyone wrong. Following your dreams is never easy and this is no exception. Can Issy do it?

    Read an excerpt HERE.

    Idgie Says:
    A fun book about a woman tiring of the everyday grind, going after her dream, and giving us all recipes to try at the same time - how much better could that be!

    Not a hard hitting novel, but instead a light summer read that's perfect for the pool or beach.  Something you can pick up, read a bit of and then put it down for while you go for a swim.  After you go in for the day.........you can try baking something from the recipes!

    A sweet novel with a happy ending.  

    Thursday, July 18, 2013

    The Curiosity

    The Curiosity
    Author: Stephen Kiernan
    Publisher: William Morrow
    Publication Date: July 18, 2013

    Book Description:
    The Curiosity, Stephen Kiernan’s debut novel, is a gripping, poignant, and thoroughly original thriller that raises disturbing questions about the very nature of life and humanity—man as a scientific subject, as a tabloid plaything, as a living being, as a curiosity.…

    Dr. Kate Philo and her scientific exploration team make a breathtaking discovery in the Arctic: the body of a man buried deep in the ice. Remarkably, the frozen man is brought back to the lab and successfully reanimated. As the man begins to regain his memories, the team learns that he was—is—a judge, Jeremiah Rice, and the last thing he remembers is falling overboard into the Arctic Ocean in 1906.

    Thrown together by circumstances beyond their control, Kate and Jeremiah grow closer. But the clock is ticking and Jeremiah’s new life is slipping away...and all too soon, Kate must decide how far she is willing to go to protect the man she has come to love.
     ____________________________

    Fox has bought the rights to this book so keep your eyes peeled for a movie in the future!
    _____________________________

    Idgie Says:
    This is a sad story.  A frozen man used as a pawn for scientific research.  A miracle brought back to life from the ice, but then ignored as a human being that once had a very full and rich life. 

    Kate is a scientist that gave up having any sort of full and rich life, except for the fulfillment of her scientific studies.  But she hasn't forgotten her humanity and appears to be the only one to see The Curiosity as a Man.

    As Kate and Jeremiah grow close and as time ticks, Kate begins to feel that a huge wrong has been made that he is treated like nothing more than a lab rat.  She takes it upon herself to save him from being nothing more than a specimen, threatening her entire career in the process.

    She begins to love him.

    But there seems to be one overriding factor to this entire story.  None of the specimens brought back to live have survived for very long...................

    A good read told from many different sides, giving a nicely rounded, character driven story.

    Tuesday, July 16, 2013

    Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures

    Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures
    Author: Emma Straub
    Publisher: Riverhead Books
    Pub Date - Paperback: July 2, 2013
    Pub Date - Hardback: September 2012

    Book Description:
    The enchanting story of a midwestern girl who escapes a family tragedy and is remade as a movie star during Hollywood’s golden age.

    In 1920, Elsa Emerson, the youngest and blondest of three sisters, is born in idyllic Door County, Wisconsin. Her family owns the Cherry County Playhouse, and more than anything, Elsa relishes appearing onstage, where she soaks up the approval of her father and the embrace of the audience. But when tragedy strikes her family, her acting becomes more than a child¹s game of pretend.

    While still in her teens, Elsa marries and flees to Los Angeles. There she is discovered by Irving Green, one of the most powerful executives in Hollywood, who refashions her as a serious, exotic brunette and renames her Laura Lamont. Irving becomes Laura’s great love; she becomes an Academy Award­-winning actress—and a genuine movie star. Laura experiences all the glamour and extravagance of the heady pinnacle of stardom in the studio-system era, but ultimately her story is a timeless one of a woman trying to balance career, family, and personal happiness, all while remaining true to herself.

    Ambitious and richly imagined, Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures is as intimate—and as bigger-than-life—as the great films of the golden age of Hollywood. Written with warmth and verve, it confirms Emma Straub’s reputation as one of the most exciting new talents in fiction.

    Idgie Says:
    I found this to be an interesting novel of "making it".  A small town girl with a fairly idealistic home life (her family lives on a large piece of property and has a summer playhouse on it - actors camping out all summer long!) falls for an actor one summer, leaves for Hollywood and let's him have his career while she has babies.

    Then one day she is DISCOVERED!

    From there the story deals with her rise to fame, the glory.......and hollowness.... of it all.

    Elsa is a likeable girl, Laura an interesting creation, and the rest of the characters keep you involved in the story all the way through. 



    Monday, July 15, 2013

    The King's Deception

    The Dew is part of the Blog Tour for The King's Deception!  

    This novel has it all - terrorists, the CIA, hidden secrets going all the way back to the Tudor throne, struggles for independence from other countries, secret societies, and at the end............a big juicy WOW secret uncovered. 

    Very "Dan Brownish" in essence, but not a copy of the The Davinci Code - it's stands alone with it's own mystery and story line.

    I don't want to go out on a sexist limb, but I feel that it's a nice hearty book veering toward the male reader.  Women can also enjoy it of course, but so many novels are aimed at women these days I like to point out ones that a man can safely pick up without fear of "girlie sections".  :)

    At 400 pages you can really dig into the novel.... and the mystery!

    ________________________________________________

    The King's Deception
    Author: Steve Berry
    Ballantine Books
    June, 2013

    Book 8 in the Cotton Malone series.

    Book Description:
    Steve Berry’s new Cotton Malone adventure blends gripping international political intrigue, Tudor treachery, and high-octane thrills into one riveting novel of suspense.

    Cotton Malone and his fifteen-year-old son, Gary, are headed to Europe. As a favor to his old boss at the Justice Department, Malone agrees to escort a teenage fugitive back to England.  After a gunpoint greeting in London in which both the fugitive and Gary disappear, Malone learns that he’s stumbled into a high-stakes diplomatic showdown-an international incident fueled by geopolitical gamesmanship and shocking Tudor secrets.

    At its heart is the Libyan terrorist convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103, who is set to be released by Scottish authorities for ‘humanitarian reasons.’  An outraged American government wants that stopped, but nothing can persuade the British to intervene.

    Except, perhaps, Operation King’s Deception.

    Run by the CIA, the operation aims to solve a centuries-old mystery, one that could rock Great Britain to its royal foundations.

    CIA Operative Blake Antrim, in charge of King’s Deception, is hunting for the spark that could rekindle a most dangerous fire:  the one thing that every Irish national has sought for centuries-a legal reason why the English must leave Northern Ireland.  The answer is a long-buried secret that calls into question the legitimacy of the entire 45 year reign of Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch, who completed the conquest of Ireland and seized much of its land. But Antrim also has a more personal agenda, a twisted game of revenge in which Gary is a pawn.  With assassins, traitors, spies, and dangerous disciples of a secret society closing in, Malone is caught in a lethal bind.  To save Gary he must play one treacherous player against another-and only by uncovering the incredible truth can he hope to stop the shattering consequences of the King’s Deception.

    Read an excerpt HERE.



    Friday, July 12, 2013

    Strange Medicine

    Strange Medicine
    A Shocking History of Real Medical Practices Through the Ages 
    By Nathan Belofsky (Author)
    Paperback (224 pages)
    Published: July 2, 2013
    Publisher: Perigee Trade
    Imprint: Perigee Trade
    ISBN: 9780399159954

    Book Description:
    In Ancient Greece, doctors applied electric eels to patients with migraines. In medieval times dentists burned candles into patient's mouths to kill off those pesky invisible worms gnawing at their teeth. Even in the modern era, one of the world's best-known brain surgeons, Dr. Walter Freeman, drove ice picks into patient's eyes to practice lobotomies.

    In STRANGE MEDICINE: A Shocking History of Real Medical Practices Through The Ages, Nathan Belofsky takes readers on a wild ride through history, describing the bizarre treatments, hubris-driven blunders and stomach-turning cures civilized society has been subjected to over the centuries. This book is sure to intrigue anyone interested in human history, medicine or the bodies they live in.

    An illuminating panorama of medical history, STRANGE MEDICINE presents hundreds of strange, yet true facts including:

    • For a toothache, doctors suggested rubbing your mouth with a hippopotamus' left tooth and eating the ashes of a wolf's head.
    • Medical astrologers, required by law to carry horoscopes in their medical bags,  said they could predict with near-perfect accuracy the exact time when a patient should be treated for a migraine!
    • To heal wounds, it was suggested to use spider webs as stitches.
    • And much, much more! 
     
    Idgie Says:

    Tired of pulling out the same of trivia in front of guests?  Well this will definitely give you something new to talk about.  Really, as I read it, I was astonished that there are even any humans left on the planet.  I literally shuddered as I read about some of these more interesting and sadistic things that were done to people to "help them heal".  Most died from the treatments and I applauded the ones that lived through it.  

    I will say I found it interesting that even in the 1400's, men thought most woman just needed a good *$&# to get their spirits and minds back in order.  ;) 

    Oh, and if someone tries to shove a dead mouse down my throat because it's sore.............  

    Tuesday, July 9, 2013

    Big Girl Panties

    Big Girl Panties
    Author: Stephanie Evanovich
    Hardcover: 336 pages
    Publisher: William Morrow (July 9, 2013)
    Language: English
    ISBN-10: 0062224840
    ISBN-13: 978-0062224842

    Book Description:
    A rollicking, sensuous, feel-good romantic comedy about a grieving young widow who decides to get in shape . . . and winds up getting her groove back—and a whole lot more!

    Holly didn't expect to be a widow at thirty-two. She also didn't expect to be so big. After her husband's death, food was the one thing she could always count on. Now, those extra pounds make flying coach feel like medieval torture—especially when she's squished next to Logan Montgomery. A personal trainer to famous pro athletes, her seatmate is so hot that he makes Holly sweat in all the right (and so embarrassingly wrong!) places.

    Though Holly doesn't make the grade on Logan's first-impression meter, he finds himself intrigued by her sharp wit and keen insights—a welcome change from the high-maintenance models he dates—so he impulsively offers to get her back in shape. A little skeptical but ready to make at least one positive change in her life, Holly agrees.

    To Logan's (and her own) surprise, Holly turns out to be a natural in the gym, slimming down into a bona fide looker with killer curves—and a new kind of hunger. Before either of them can stop it, the easy intimacy of their training sessions leads to even more steamy workouts away from the gym.

    Logan's best friends, professional baseball player Chase Walker and his wife, Amanda, see that this is more than a fling, even if Logan and Holly don't. But can a man whose whole life depends on looks commit himself to a woman who doesn't fit his ideal? Now that Holly's turning other men's heads, does she even need Logan anymore? Are they a couple built to last . . . or destined to fizzle?

    Idgie Says: 
    A realistically depicted woman,  a super hot dude that at first seems superficial - but in the end shows he's a warm, caring man, witty bantering dialogue, lustfully intense sex scenes and a happy ever after ending.  What more do you need?  

    This is a fun, modern, romance novel that's perfect for the poolside or beach read!  (You'll need a dip in the water after a few of the spicier scenes!)


    Thursday, July 4, 2013

    Down and Out in Bugtussle

    Down and Out in Bugtussle
    The Mad Fat Road to Happiness
    Author: Stephanie McAfee
    Publisher: NAL (Penguin)
    Publication Date: July 2, 2013

    Book Description:
    New York Times bestselling author Stephanie McAfee delivers another irreverent, laugh-out-loud page-turner about the (mis)adventures of plus-size spitfire Graciela “Ace” Jones.

    With her fiancé now her ex-fiancé, Ace has hightailed it back to Bugtussle, Mississippi, and back to her Gramma Jones’s house. Her best friends, Lilly and Chloe, are delighted she’s back, but Ace still has some challenges ahead of her.

    For one thing, her replacement as Bugtussle High School’s art teacher, Cameron Becker, refuses to vacate the position. So Ace is stuck working as a substitute teacher while harboring fantasies of running Miss Becker out of town. On top of that, Lilly and Chloe are obsessed with setting her up on less-than-romantic blind dates—even though all she wants is a break from her pitiful love life.

    To ease her troubled mind, Ace resolves to restore her grandmother’s gardens to their former glory. But in the well-worn gardening book she’s dug out of her grandmother’s attic there are a series of suspicious notes that indicate her grandmother may have had a special someone in her past. Now, with her faithful chiweenie, Buster Loo, by her side, Ace is determined to get to the bottom of her grandmother’s secret life, all the while hoping her own life isn’t about to implode....

    Idgie Says:
    This is the third book in a series about Graciela Jones.  I would say you could relate to it as an American Bridget Jones.  (The publisher agrees).  It's the continuation of a story of an everyday girl, little on the plump side, very nice, looking for love, experiencing hilarious blind dates along the way and struggling to find a place in the working world. 

    No really deep plot or horrible angsty feelings to overcome, so repressed emotions to break free of.  Just an ordinary woman getting along with her friends, working, recovering from a break-up and hunting the "perfect man" at bars after hours.

    She's sweet and kind and you keep your fingers crossed that she finds what she's looking for, while enjoying the occasional escapade that occurs.  

    A nice escapism read.

    Tuesday, July 2, 2013

    The Wishing Hill



    The Wishing Hill
    Author: Holly Robinson
    Publisher: NAL (Penguin)
    Publication Date: July 2, 2013

    Book Description Here:
    What if everything you knew about your life was wrong?

    Years ago, Juliet Clark gave up her life in California to follow the man she loved to Mexico and pursue her dream of being an artist. Now her marriage is over, and she’s alone, selling watercolors to tourists on the Puerto Vallarta boardwalk.

    When her brother asks her to come home to wintery New England and care for their ailing mother, a flamboyant actress with a storied past, Juliet goes reluctantly. She and her self-absorbed mother have always clashed. Plus, nobody back home knows about her divorce—or the fact that she’s pregnant and her ex-husband is not the father.

    Juliet intends to get her mother back on her feet and return to Mexico fast, but nothing goes as planned. Instead she meets a man who makes her question every choice and reawakens her spirit, even as she is being drawn into a long-running feud between her mother and a reclusive neighbor. Little does she know that these relationships hold the key to shocking secrets about her family and herself that have been hiding in plain sight.…
     

    Idgie Says:
    A good summer read for pool or beach-side. 

    It’s easy to quickly become immersed in his story with Juliet and her brother being quite likable characters.  Their mother is a not so pleasant a character, but there’s a lot of layers in her past that start to peel so that in itself makes her fascinating. 

    When Juliet's mother falls and breaks a hip at age 72, Juliet is begged by her brother to take a turn tending her so that he can see his own family more.    Since Juliet is newly divorced, pregnant by someone other than the ex-hubby and filled with guilt, she agrees. 

    While alone in her mother’s house, she comes upon some interesting family secrets – all directly affecting Juliet. 

    I started the novel and quickly found myself five chapters in.   Always a good sign.  An interesting family drama read. 

    _____________________________________


    Holly Robinson
    Author of THE WISHING HILL

    The Story Behind the Story

                One of the things I love about attending author events is that often the writers will talk about the story behind the story:  What inspired this author to write that particular novel?  

                No matter what genre it's in or how improbable a tale, every novel is a melting pot in which the writer mixes various ingredients she has on hand:  memories from her own childhood, a neighbor's gossip, a grandmother's history, an uncle's fetish, a friend's painful or hilarious memory.  Even a snippet of conversation overheard on a bus can provide fictional fodder—or even an entire plot line.

                Not long ago, for instance, I attended the book launch for Caroline Leavitt's emotional new novel, IS THIS TOMORROW.  Caroline talked about her own childhood as one of the only Jewish children growing up in a largely Catholic neighborhood.  She then read scenes from her novel to show how she had mined those life events and transformed them into dazzling fiction.  In another recent reading by Bill Roorbach, whose most recent book is LIFE AMONG GIANTS, Bill discussed how he'd based one of the characters on an ex-girlfriend, a dancer.  The relationship didn't work out the way he'd hoped, but he put all of those bottled-up emotions on the page.

                In my new novel, THE WISHING HILL, the kernel of the story originated with my grandmother and her sometimes prickly relationship with her younger sister.  Their mother left the family to run away with a much younger lover—a scandalous event back in the early 1900s, to be sure—leaving her husband in charge of five children.  

                My grandmother was the oldest girl and her own grandmother's favorite; she was plucked out of her father's care by her grandmother and given an education and pretty clothes to wear.  Her next-youngest sister, along with the other siblings, were left to fend for themselves and went to work at early ages.  

                Simple enough, and not that uncommon a history.  However, it was only much later, after both my grandmother and great aunt were in their seventies and I was in college, that I began to observe them more closely and saw that, though they loved each other deeply, there was always going to be a deep divide between the two of them because one sister was the chosen one and the other was not.

                This background story is slightly different in THE WISHING HILL, and it's only one part of the book, which is woven around family secrets and tangled relationships not only between sisters, but between mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, lovers and friends.  But that family story and others like it have been key to my own emotional development as a writer, and helped hone my ability to put emotions like jealousy, tension, sorrow, fury, and love on the page.

                Whenever I read other people's novels, I often try to do a little research on the authors because it's fun playing detective and trying to find the stories behind the stories.  And whenever there's a family reunion, I'm the one asking the most questions.  

                There are stories everywhere, and my job as a writer is to hold my net out in the universe and hope to capture one that I can share with readers in a way that will make it shine.