Review Tuesday: Stars Over Sunset Boulevard

Happy Tuesday folks and welcome to another edition of "Review Tuesday." I'm going to split this post between a novel that I read and reviewed last year, and a podcast that I have been enjoying lately.

First, I read "Stars Over Sunset Boulevard" for the Historical Novel Society in 2016. I wrote a feature on the novel which included an interview with the author, Susan Meissner. You can read that interview here.

"Stars Over Sunset Boulevard" is a fascinating look at the filming of "Gone with the Wind" as seen through the eyes of two female secretaries living during the golden age of Hollywood. Audrey is an enigmatic aspiring actress who befriends VIolet, a recently arrived southern girl running from a broken engagement. Audrey shows Violet the ropes of living in Hollywood and the two women become fast friends. But as Audrey becomes increasingly desperate to get her break, the two friends grow apart, particularly when a key costume piece goes missing from the set, and Violet uses the situation to ignite a relationship with Burt Redmond, Audrey's oldest friend.

"Stars Over Sunset Boulevard" is an interesting read though some portions seem unnecessary. Violet and Audrey easily carry the novel yet a modern day story line interrupts things. Readers may come to resent these intrusions and while everything ties together in the end, the novel may have been stronger without it. Also there are times when it seems like Audrey never has to pay for her many mistakes. She constantly comes out on top while Violet lives in fear that her comparatively few and less serious misdeeds will come to light. But all in all, the novel is a good read and is very enjoyable, and will appeal to those who love stories set during Hollywood's Golden Age.

And speaking of the Golden Age of Hollywood, I have recently become obsessed with podcasts. I know I'm late to the party, but better late than never, right? The podcast is called "You Must Remember This" and as creator Karina Longworth explains, it is a show dedicated to the "secret and/or lost history" of Hollywood's first century. I will say that this podcast is addictive so be prepared. The show has several seasons, my favorites being "MGM Stories" and "Dead Blondes". It just wrapped with a series about Jean Seburg and Jane Fonda, who led, in many cases, parallel lives. I didn't quite get into this one, but that doesn't mean that it won't appeal to some. New shows are expected this fall and I can't wait to see what the subject will be. Check out the website, where you can stream episodes and also take part in a forum, if that's your jam. There are also notes on the episodes and a film club that highlights the films mentioned on the show. The podcast is also available on iTunes.

Review Tuesday: "The English Wife" by Lauren Willig

Hello all and thank you for tuning in. I know I've been sporadic at best with my musings and reviews in the last couple of years. I'm aiming to change that, but I will detail those changes in a different post.

So... "The English Wife" by Lauren Willig. I will say that I was a huge fan of Willig's first few books in the "Pink Carnation" series. Her writing was witty and fun, while combining great historical stories with modern day story lines. Now around the fifth entry of the series, I tapped out. I'm not a fan of the never ending series, no matter how good it is. So when Willig started writing standalone novels, I sat up a took interest. I tried reading "The Other Daughter" and just couldn't get into it. But "That Summer" returned to the formula of combining a modern day mystery with a historical plot line and I was hooked.

"The English Wife" returns to a wholly historical plot and it is done very well--to a point. Though now that I think of it, it would have been interesting to see it in the same format at "That Summer" with a modern day protagonist trying to solve a historical mystery. But I digress.

"The English Wife" is set in Gilded Age New York, and told from two perspectives--Janie Van Duyvil and Annabelle Van Duyvil. The catch is that Janie is telling the story from 1899 and Annabelle is slightly in the past (1895). The two women tell their stories until the timelines match up in the end, which is rather clever. Janie is the daughter of a distinguished, monied New York family. As the novel opens, her older brother Bay has been murdered and his beautiful English wife Annabelle is missing. Janie is determined to solve the mystery as she is convinced that her sister-in-law would have never murdered the man she loved.

Janie teams up with Burke, an intrepid news reporter with no love for New York's aristocracy. Their attempts to discover the real killer are interspersed with flashbacks featuring Annabelle. Before she met Bay Van Duyvil, she was an actress in a burlesque show, fleeing from her past. She meets Bay on a whim, and is immediately distrustful, but their shared love for Shakespeare joins them together. Their friendship blooms into love and love into marriage, but it is not long before cracks begin to show. What results in the end are devastating secrets being revealed.

"The English Wife" was a page turner for the first two hundred pages or so. But as the novel should have been climaxing, it just ran out of steam. I actually sat it down for several days and only picked it up today to finish. I loved Janie, who was truly trying to be the good daughter, but in the end decided to follow her heart. Annabelle and Bay's story is heartbreaking; their characters were both flawed, and as a result, their marriage becomes a sham. So what went wrong? For one thing, I just could not buy into who Willig chose to commit the murder. It makes sense on the surface, but there were other characters that had better motive. While I applaud Willig for taking the road less traveled, the result was forced, and frankly, nonsensical to a point.

So would I recommend the novel? Sure. The suffocating atmosphere of Gilded Age New York is done well and lends a darker feel to the novel. I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to reading whatever Willig has up her sleeve next. I really liked the fact that "The English Wife" was a true departure from her other historical novels. The book is out on January 9, 2018 and is available for pre-order on Amazon and all the other usual places. A big thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance copy.

Review Tuesday: "Under the Same Blue Sky" by Pamela Schoenwaldt

In Pamela Schoenewaldt’s latest novel,Under the Same Blue Sky, she seeks to bring social injustice to light through the eyes of quiet but defiant heroine Hazel Renner. As the daughter of German immigrants, she is raised with the benefit of a rich cultural heritage and a love for learning. But she is also saddled with the expectations of her doting parents–they expect great things out of her. Perhaps she should become a physician, her mother posits. Yet Hazel wants more out of life. She longs to escape the industrial landscape of Pittsburgh and join the artistic avant garde of early 20th-century Paris. But then World War I breaks out and her dreams are dashed. Almost overnight, Hazel’s parents become “Huns” and their successful hardware business is the target of shameful vandalism.

For Hazel, the war is the impetus she needs to unravel the truth of her birth and strange childhood memories. This journey leads her first to serve as a teacher in a small town outside Pittsburgh. There she encounters a Spanish American War veteran with mental problems. Through the lens of modern science, the reader can see that the man suffers from PTSD. Yet he is cruelly segregated from local society and ends up the victim of his own inner demons and the townspeople’s prejudices.

Later, Hazel becomes the secretary of a wealthy German aristocrat turned art dealer. As they work to rescue priceless items from the Motherland, she has the opportunity to fall in love with an old friend. But her happiness is short-lived as her employer is ridiculed and reviled for his ancestry, her father is claimed by the deep depression he experiences, and her lover becomes a pilot for the American Armed Forces. Hazel’s inner strength shines through these challenges. The reader is impressed with the notion that Hazel is truly good without being saccharine; she bears the weight of those around her with quiet fortitude, but still longs for true happiness amidst the strife. Her journey takes her far from her fretful beginnings. The end result is not what she pictured, but Hazel learns that empathy and love, in spite of the circumstances, can conquer all things.

Under the Same Blue Sky is wonderful, moving novel (I cried) that takes a whole new look at a setting that is familiar in the historical fiction world. I highly recommend it.

**This review is an excerpt from a feature article that I wrote for the Historical Novel Review.

Review Tuesday: "Newport" by Jill Morrow

It's Review Tuesday again and today I bring you a novel that I read last year during the great review drought of 2015.

Newport is a riveting historical fiction with elements of romance and mystery set in the early years of the Prohibition era, the novel unfolds over a couple days in the summer colony of Newport. Bennett Chapman has called his attorney Adrian De la Noye to his waterside mansion in order to re-write his will. Chapman is on the cusp of marrying Catherine Walsh, a woman half his age.

Adrian and legal assistant Jim arrive to discover many guests: Nicholas and Chloe, Chapman’s spoiled children, and Amy Walsh, Catherine’s niece. But Adrian is stunned to discover Catherine is the lost love he has done everything to forget. As Adrian and Jim sift through dark secrets, they must determine if Chapman is being directed by his long dead wife or just demented.

Newport is a richly drawn novel of changing social mores where the past has everything to do with the present. The characters are well-drawn, while the present action unfolding against past deeds effectively tells the story. The plot does lag a bit in the middle before picking up steam to the conclusion. Nonetheless, lovers of well-crafted historicals will enjoy Newport.

**I reviewed this novel for the San Francisco Book Review.

Author Spotlight: Bob Strother's "Burning Time"

ISBN: 978-0-9743410-8-8

Cover Price: $23.95

Publisher: MOONSHINE PRESS

ABOUT

Louise Schmidt would sacrifice almost anything to protect and provide for her family—even her innocence…

Set in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the early 1900s, "Burning Time" portrays the life of Louise Schmidt, from early childhood to adulthood, as Louise, her mother, and younger brother fight to survive the abuse of Louise’s father, Will.

The largess of Will’s parents initially provides refuge from her father’s drunken exploits, but Louise learns too young that nothing lasts forever. Though previously ostracized from the family, the prodigal son returns at the behest of his ailing father, and brings along a new wife, Maude, who fans the flames of Will’s inherent avarice and disregard for his former wife and children.

At fifteen, Louise is forced from the only home she’s ever known and into marriage with a man ten years her senior.  Even as Louise comes to terms with her life and assumes the role of family matriarch, she still must face the consequences of her actions—including a death sentence for murder…

PRAISE

One part Southern Gothic, one part crime novel, one part coming-of-age story, Burning Time is a compelling read I couldn’t put down. It’s beautifully delivered in Strother’s clear, concise prose and authentic Southern voice.

—Susan M. Boyer, USA TODAY Bestselling Author of the Liz Talbot Mystery Series

A page-turner of historical fiction! Strother is a class act whose prose does not disappoint. He has mastered the art of rooting the reader in the time period and then supported that with a great coming of age tale.

—David Burnsworth, Author of the Brack Pelton Mystery Series

PURCHASE

Moonshine Press

Amazon

Author Spotlight: Diann Ducharme and The Outer Banks House

The Outer Banks House

Publication Date: June 8, 2010
Crown Publishing
Formats: Ebook, Paperback, Hardcover

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance



As the wounds of the Civil War are just beginning to heal, one fateful summer would forever alter the course of a young girl's life.

In 1868, on the barren shores of post-war Outer Banks North Carolina, the once wealthy Sinclair family moves for the summer to one of the first cottages on the ocean side of the resort village of Nags Head. Seventeen-year-old Abigail is beautiful, book-smart, but sheltered by her plantation life and hemmed-in by her emotionally distant family. To make good use of time, she is encouraged by her family to teach her father?s fishing guide, the good-natured but penniless Benjamin Whimble, how to read and write. And in a twist of fate unforeseen by anyone around them, there on the porch of the cottage, the two come to love each other deeply, and to understand each other in a way that no one else does.

But when, against everything he claims to represent, Ben becomes entangled in Abby's father's Klu Klux Klan work, the terrible tragedy and surprising revelations that one hot Outer Banks night brings forth threaten to tear them apart forever.

With vivid historical detail and stunning emotional resonance, Diann Ducharme recounts a dramatic story of love, loss, and coming of age at a singular and rapidly changing time in one of America?s most beautiful and storied communities.

Download the Lost Chapter of The Outer Banks House.

Praise for The Outer Banks House

There's real darkness on the edge of this romance that hurls the lovers toward tragedy, as if the price to re-enter the innocence of Eden might afford Abby nothing but despair. This 2010 debut novel and portrayal of the historical Outer Banks offers a terrific option for beach reading; it's the sort of novel that can be charming without requiring an abundance of character complexity and depth. Abby's evolution ultimately parallels the positive aspects of how the South reconciled to change after the Civil War, a change that required a culture of ignorance to wash out to sea. -Style Weekly Review

It's 1868, and the natives of North Carolina's Outer Banks think the Sinclairs' summer residence on the beach at Nags Head is right peculiar. Seventeen-year-old Abigail Sinclair is enlisted by her parents to teach Ben Whimble, her father's fishing guide, to read. Abby is being courted by medical student Hector Newman and is appalled at the dirty and perpetually barefoot Ben. But Abby is also restless and slowly sees in Ben more than just a willing pupil. Ben might be getting sweet on his teacher as well, but her father has involved him in a matter that doesn't sit right with the Banker, knowing that freedmen and runaway slaves have long lived contentedly out on Roanoke Island. It?s just three years since the end of the war, and for some, that isn't long enough. VERDICT: First time novelist Ducharme has laced her novel with the sounds and the smells of the North Carolina shoreline. Racism and Southern tradition run along parallel paths in this affecting debut, where gentlemen can be less than honorable and enslavement doesn't always involve chains. Highly recommended for fans of Southern fiction. - Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal, Starred Review

A heart-felt and engrossing novel about the coming of age of two very different young people in the South just after the Civil War: a curious upper-class girl from an almost bankrupt plantation and a handsome young barefoot fisherman made of sand and seawater who comes to her to learn to read. What they learn from each other about tolerance and caring in those turbulent times will change their lives forever. A beautiful sense of this place by the sea, of a country in conflict, of death and redemption, and of new love. - Stephanie Cowell, Author of CLAUDE & CAMILLE: A NOVEL OF CLAUDE MONET and MARRYING MOZART

The Outer Banks House is a beautifully written and deeply moving story of a sheltered young woman's awakening to life, love and the injustice of discrimination against former slaves. In theme and impact, shades of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn; in the evocative setting and fresh voice, a unique novel all its own. - Karen Harper, Author of THE QUEEN'S GOVERNESS

Buy The Outer Banks House

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IndieBound

Return to the Outer Banks House

Publication Date: December 10, 2014
Kill Devil Publishing
Formats: Ebook, Paperback

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance



She was the spirited daughter of a North Carolina plantation owner, and he was a poor fisherman who she tutored on the porch of her family's Nags Head cottage. When we last saw Abigail Sinclair and Ben Whimble at the close of The Outer Banks House, they'd overcome their differences in life stations and defied convention to begin their new life together.

But now it's seven years later, and Return to the Outer Banks House finds the couple married and in hard times riddled by poverty, miscarriages, and weakened family ties. The strong bonds that once held them together have eroded over time, and their marriage threatens to unravel, particularly when relationships from the past and ambitions for the future find their way into the mismatched couple?s present predicament.

Can their love survive? Or are the challenges they face insurmountable? Return to the Outer Banks House carries readers back to 1875 to answer these questions and explore the ebb and flow of a rocky marriage set against the enchanting North Carolina shoreline. Replete with history, intrigue, and plenty of maritime drama, it's an evocative tale of struggle in the Reconstruction-era South.

Praise for Return to the Outer Banks House

Set between 1875 and 76, Ducharme's story, this being the sequel to The Outer Banks House (2010), is about love and its many faces, from young and reckless to unrequited. Specifically, she explores the unlikely passion that forms between smart, affluent Abigail Sinclair and uneducated, penniless Benjamin Whimble. The people of this tight knit island community on the Outer Banks, off the coast of North Carolina, are connected by their collective poverty and abiding love for the sea. Outsiders are generally unwelcome... - Kirkus Reviews

Buy Return to the Outer Banks House

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IndieBound

About the Author

Diann was born in Indiana in 1971, but she spent the majority of her childhood in Newport News, Virginia. She majored in English literature at the University of Virginia, but she never wrote creatively until, after the birth of her second child in 2003, she sat down to write The Outer Banks House. She soon followed up with her second book, Chasing Eternity, and in 2015 the sequel to her first novel, Return to the Outer Banks House.

Diann has vacationed on the Outer Banks since the age of three. She even married her husband of 10 years, Sean Ducharme, in Duck, North Carolina, immediately after a stubborn Hurricane Bonnie churned through the Outer Banks. Conveniently, the family beach house in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina provided shelter while she conducted research for her historical fiction novels.

She has three beach-loving children and a border collie named Toby, who enjoys his sprints along the shore. The family lives in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia, counting down the months until summer.

For more information visit Diann Ducharme's website. You can also follow Diann on her blog, Twitter, and Goodreads.

The Outer Banks Series Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, May 25
Spotlight & Giveaway at Raven Haired Girl

Tuesday, May 26
Guest Post & Giveaway at Susan Heim on Writing

Wednesday, May 27
Review (Book One) at Back Porchervations

Thursday, May 28
Review (Book One) at In a Minute

Friday, May 29
Interview & Giveaway at Historical Fiction Obsession
Spotlight at The Never-Ending Book

Saturday, May 30
Spotlight at Becky on Books

Sunday, May 31
Review (Book One) at Book Nerd

Monday, June 1
Review (Book Two) at Let them Read Books
Spotlight at I'd So Rather Be Reading

Tuesday, June 2
Review (Book One) at Book Lovers Paradise

Wednesday, June 3
Review (Book Two) at Back Porchervations

Thursday, June 4
Spotlight & Giveaway (Book One) at View from the Birdhouse

Friday, June 5
Review (Both Books) at Bibliotica

Sunday, June 7
Review (Book One) at Carole's Ramblings

Monday, June 8
Review (Book One) at Ageless Pages Reviews
Guest Post at Curling Up With A Good Book

Tuesday, June 9
Review & Giveaway (Book One) at A Literary Vacation

Wednesday, June 10
Review (Both Books) at Unshelfish
Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews

Thursday, June 11
Review (Book Two) at Book Lovers Paradise
Interview at Boom Baby Reviews

Friday, June 12
Spotlight at Caroline Wilson Writes

Sunday, June 14
Review (Book Two) at Carole's Ramblings

Monday, June 15
Review & Giveaway (Both Books) at Genre Queen

Tuesday, June 16
Interview at Books and Benches
Spotlight at The Lit Bitch

Wednesday, June 17
Review (Both Books) at Luxury Reading

Thursday, June 18
Review (Book One) at Books and Benches
Interview at Layered Pages

Friday, June 19
Review (Book One) at Build a Bookshelf
Review (Book Two) at Ageless Pages Reviews

Review: "Amherst" by William Nicholson

Hi Folks!

Today I bring you a review of Amherst by William Nicholson. I read this for the Historical Novel Society and found it to be quite enjoyable. It is a fascinating look at the people intimately connected to Emily Dickinson. I will also be giving away my advance copy of Amherst  so make sure to enter the giveaway. The link is at the bottom of this post!

Amherst, set largely in the small Massachusetts town famous for its connections to reclusive poet Emily Dickinson, tells the story of Emily’s brother Austin and his torrid decade-long affair with Mabel Loomis Todd, the wife of a college professor. Alternately set during the 1880s and in modern times, the story is brought to life by Alice Dickinson (no relation) who is writing a screenplay about the scandal. She travels to Amherst and meets lothario professor Nick Crocker, decades older in age and sexual experience. Their relationship mirrors the one so long ago transacted, and Alice struggles not only with her own opinions of love and desire but also the complex emotions exhibited by both Austin and Mabel.

William Nicholson’s prose is sharp while not giving too much away. The reader is left guessing as Alice pursues her protagonists. There are also appearances from Emily Dickinson – written in an ethereal, almost distracted first-person view – as she observes the deepening affair between her brother and the woman who would go on to edit her immense cache of poems. The novel is a perfect accompaniment for a long winter’s evening, though maybe not as powerful as the similar A.S. Byatt’s Possession. Nonetheless, readers who enjoy their historical fiction mixed modern mystery will enjoy Amherst.

To enter to win an advance copy of Amherst, please follow the link below. You must be a resident of the US in order to win. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Spotlight: Jerome Charyn and "I am Abraham"

PB Publication Date: February 9, 2015
Liveright Publishing Corporation
Paperback; 480p
 Genre: Historical Fiction
   

Narrated in Lincoln’s own voice, the tragicomic I Am Abraham promises to be the masterwork of Jerome Charyn’s remarkable career. Since publishing his first novel in 1964, Jerome Charyn has established himself as one of the most inventive and prolific literary chroniclers of the American landscape. Here in I Am Abraham, Charyn returns with an unforgettable portrait of Lincoln and the Civil War. Narrated boldly in the first person, I Am Abraham effortlessly mixes humor with Shakespearean-like tragedy, in the process creating an achingly human portrait of our sixteenth President. Tracing the historic arc of Lincoln's life from his picaresque days as a gangly young lawyer in Sangamon County, Illinois, through his improbable marriage to Kentucky belle Mary Todd, to his 1865 visit to war-shattered Richmond only days before his assassination, I Am Abraham hews closely to the familiar Lincoln saga. Charyn seamlessly braids historical figures such as Mrs. Keckley—the former slave, who became the First Lady's dressmaker and confidante—and the swaggering and almost treasonous General McClellan with a parade of fictional extras: wise-cracking knaves, conniving hangers-on, speculators, scheming Senators, and even patriotic whores. We encounter the renegade Rebel soldiers who flanked the District in tattered uniforms and cardboard shoes, living in a no-man's-land between North and South; as well as the Northern deserters, young men all, with sunken, hollowed faces, sitting in the punishing sun, waiting for their rendezvous with the firing squad; and the black recruits, whom Lincoln’s own generals wanted to discard, but who play a pivotal role in winning the Civil War. At the center of this grand pageant is always Lincoln himself, clad in a green shawl, pacing the White House halls in the darkest hours of America’s bloodiest war. Using biblically cadenced prose, cornpone nineteenth-century humor, and Lincoln’s own letters and speeches, Charyn concocts a profoundly moral but troubled commander in chief, whose relationship with his Ophelia-like wife and sons—Robert, Willie, and Tad—is explored with penetrating psychological insight and the utmost compassion. Seized by melancholy and imbued with an unfaltering sense of human worth, Charyn’s President Lincoln comes to vibrant, three-dimensional life in a haunting portrait we have rarely seen in historical fiction.

Praise for I Am Abraham: A Novel of Lincoln and the Civil War

“Thoughtful, observant and droll.” — Richard Brookhiser, New York Times Book Review “Not only the best novel about President Lincoln since Gore Vidal’s Lincoln in 1984, but it is also twice as good to read.” — Gabor Boritt, author of The Lincoln Enigma and recipient of the National Humanities Medal “Jerome Charyn [is] a fearless writer… Brave and brazen… The book is daringly imagined, written with exuberance, and with a remarkable command of historical detail. It gives us a human Lincoln besieged by vividly drawn enemies and allies… Placing Lincoln within the web ordinary and sometimes petty human relations is no small achievement.” — Andrew Delbanco, New York Review of Books “Audacious as ever, Jerome Charyn now casts his novelist’s gimlet eye on sad-souled Abraham Lincoln, a man of many parts, who controls events and people—wife, sons, a splintering nation—even though they often are, as they must be, beyond his compassion or power. Brooding, dreamlike, resonant, and studded with strutting characters, I Am Abraham is as wide and deep and morally sure as its wonderful subjects.” — Brenda Wineapple, author of Ecstatic Nation: Confidence, Crisis, and Compassion: 1848-1877 “If all historians—or any historian—could write with the magnetic charm and authoritative verve of Jerome Charyn, American readers would be fighting over the privilege of learning about their past. They can learn much from this book—an audacious, first-person novel that makes Lincoln the most irresistible figure of a compelling story singed with equal doses of comedy, tragedy, and moral grandeur. Here is something beyond history and approaching art.” — Harold Holzer, chairman, Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation “Jerome Charyn is one of the most important writers in American literature.” — Michael Chabon “Jerome Charyn is merely one of our finest writers with a polymorphous imagination and crack comic timing. Whatever milieu he chooses to inhabit, his characters sizzle with life, and his sentences are pure vernacular music, his voice unmistakable.” — Jonathan Lethem “Charyn, like Nabokov, is that most fiendish sort of writer—so seductive as to beg imitation, so singular as to make imitation impossible.” — Tom Bissell “One of our most intriguing fiction writers takes on the story of Honest Abe, narrating the tale in Lincoln’s voice and offering a revealing portrait of a man as flawed as he was great.” — Abbe Wright, O, The Oprah Magazine “Jerome Charyn, like Daniel Day-Lewis in Steven Spielberg’s superb 2012 movie, manages a feat of ventriloquism to be admired… Most of all, Lincoln comes across as human and not some remote giant… With that, Jerome Charyn has given Lincoln a most appropriate present for what would have been his 205th birthday this month: rebirth not as a marble memorial but as a three-dimensional human who overcame much to save his nation.” — Erik Spanberg, Christian Science Monitor “Daring… Memorable… Charyn’s richly textured portrait captures the pragmatism, cunning, despair, and moral strength of a man who could have empathy for his bitterest foes, and who ‘had never outgrown the forest and a dirt floor.’” — The New Yorker

Jack Ford presents the new Lincoln novel by Jerome Charyn

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About the Author

Jerome Charyn is an award-winning American author. With nearly 50 published works, Charyn has earned a long-standing reputation as an inventive and prolific chronicler of real and imagined American life. Michael Chabon calls him "one of the most important writers in American literature." New York Newsday hailed Charyn as "a contemporary American Balzac,"and the Los Angeles Times described him as "absolutely unique among American writers." Since the 1964 release of Charyn's first novel, Once Upon a Droshky, he has published 30 novels, three memoirs, eight graphic novels, two books about film, short stories, plays and works of non-fiction. Two of his memoirs were named New York Times Book of the Year. Charyn has been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. He received the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and has been named Commander of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture. Charyn was Distinguished Professor of Film Studies at the American University of Paris until he left teaching in 2009. In addition to his writing and teaching, Charyn is a tournament table tennis player, once ranked in the top 10 percent of players in France. Noted novelist Don DeLillo called Charyn's book on table tennis, Sizzling Chops & Devilish Spins, "The Sun Also Rises of ping-pong." Charyn lives in Paris and New York City. For more information please visit Jerome Charyn's website. You can also find him on Twitter and Goodreads.

I Am Abraham Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, February 9 Review at Flashlight Commentary Tuesday, February 10 Interview & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary Wednesday, February 11 Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past Thursday, February 12 Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book Friday, February 13 Spotlight at What Is That Book About Monday, February 16 Review & Excerpt at A Virtual Hobby Store and Coffee Haus Tuesday, February 17 Interview & Giveaway at A Virtual Hobby Store and Coffee Haus Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews Wednesday, February 18 Review at Back Porchervations Thursday, February 19 Spotlight at A Literary Vacation Friday, February 20 Interview & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books Saturday, February 21 Spotlight at Historical Readings & Reviews Monday, February 23 Interview & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Tuesday, February 24 Audio Book Review & Interview at Just One More Chapter Wednesday, February 25 Review at Bookish Thursday, February 26 Spotlight at Historical Fiction Connection Monday, March 2 Review at Forever Ashley Tuesday, March 3 Interview at Books and Benches Wednesday, March 4 Spotlight at Caroline Wilson Writes Thursday, March 5 Review & Reader's Guide at She is Too Fond of Books Friday, March 6 Review at Impressions in Ink

Author Spotlight: Jay W. Curry and "Nixon and Dovey"

Publication Date: November 14, 2014 

Smashwords eBook: 369p

ISBN: 978-1-3117280-3-6

 Genre: Historical Fiction

   

Please join Jay W. Curry on his Blog Tour with HF Virtual Book Tours for Nixon and Dovey: The Legend Returns.

Before he met Dovey, it was just a heated feud. Now, in the backdrop of southern antebellum slavery, it’s a deadly game of passion, murder, and revenge. Facts: In 1818 Nixon Curry became entangled in one of the most sensationalized murder/love stories in early American history. As a result, Nixon Curry became arguably the most notorious and widely publicized criminal in America’s first half century. His fame derived not from the brutality or number of his crimes but from the determination of the Charlotte aristocracy to hang him. His remarkable talents, undying love for Dovey Caldwell, and the outright audacity of his exploits made him an early American legend. Story: Set in the antebellum south of North Carolina, Nixon Curry, a talented son of poor Scot-Irish immigrants, accepts a job at a racing stable. Soon, his riding skills rival those of his mentor, Ben Wilson. The fierce rivalry becomes confrontational when Ben frames Nixon’s childhood, slave friend, Cyrus, for the Caldwell plantation fire. When both Nixon and Ben win invitations to the 1816 Race of Champions, the stage is set for an explosive faceoff. During prerace festivities, the dashing, young Nixon meets the beautiful Dovey Caldwell, daughter of the state’s wealthiest and most influential senator. Finding Nixon unworthy of Dovey’s affection, Senator Caldwell betroths his daughter to Nixon’s nemesis, Ben. The announcement sets in motion a clash of cultures, talents, and passions leading to murder, mayhem, and revenge. How far will Nixon go to have his love? What price is he willing to pay and what will be the consequences?

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About the Author

Jay W Curry is a former Big-4 consulting partner, business coach, and award-winning author. When he is not coaching, fly-fishing or writing he facilitates a Vistage CEO roundtable in Houston. Jay has co-authored three internationally successful books and has won honors for both his short fiction and non-fiction work. When the heat of Texas summer arrives, Jay and his wife, Nancy, head to their Colorado home (http:/CurryBarn.com) or visit their three children and seven grandchildren. Nixon and Dovey is the first of a three-book passion to bring the 200-year-old story of Jay’s relative, Nixon Curry, back to light. For more information, please visit Jay W. Curry's website. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Nixon and Dovey Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, December 1 Spotlight at Flashlight Commentary Friday, December 5 Spotlight & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More Monday, December 8 Guest Post at What Is That Book About Tuesday, December 9 Review at Deal Sharing Aunt Monday, December 15 Guest Post at Mina's Bookshelf Spotlight at Caroline Wilson Writes Tuesday, December 16 Review at Flashlight Commentary Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book Wednesday, December 17 Interview at Flashlight Commentary Thursday, December 18 Spotlight at Boom Baby Reviews Tuesday, December 23 Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews Friday, December 26 Spotlight at Historical Fiction Connection Saturday, December 27 Spotlight at Layered Pages Monday, December 29 Review at Forever Ashley Tuesday, December 30 Review at Book Nerd Wednesday, December 31 Review at Svetlana's Reads and Views

Author Spotlight: Juliet Waldron

Roan Rose 
Publication Date: October 1, 2013
Books We Love, Ltd.
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Genre: Historical Fiction

Loyalty Binds Her. More like a gangland war for turf and loot than chivalry, the War of Roses disrupted the life of the English commoners for hundreds of years. Roan Rose is the story of one of them, a girl born on the Yorkshire dales. When the Countess of Warwick decides to take sturdy, gentle Rose to Middleham Castle to be companion and bed-time poppet for her youngest daughter, Anne, her fate is changed forever. Rose bears intimate witness to the passions, betrayals, battles and all the reversals of fortune which will shape her lady’s life—and her own. Anne Neville will briefly become a Queen, and Richard, Rose’s secret love, will become a King, one whose name has become synonymous with evil. When her King is betrayed and slain at Bosworth Field, Rose returns to a peasant’s hard life. She has one final service to perform. Watch the Book Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=m__n2hn1MS8

Praise for Roan Rose 
“A beautiful story of love and loyalty set during the tumultuous reign of Richard III” “I loved the strength of this woman”
“This author has a powerful sense of Time and Place”
“Waldron certainly knows her history…Yet despite its accuracy … Roan Rose is ultimately a book about character”.

Buy the Book 
Amazon (US) eBook
Amazon (US) Paperback
Amazon (AUS) eBook
Amazon (CAN) eBook
Amazon (UK) eBook
Amazon (UK) Paperback

Hand-Me-Down Bride 
Publication Date: October 26, 2013
Books We Love, Ltd. eBook;
ASIN: B00G8OYHFG
Genre: Historical Romance

To help her impoverished family, Sophie agrees to marry a wealthy older man in far off America. Less than twenty-four hours after she arrives in German’s Mill, Pennsylvania, events have taken a far stranger turn than anything she could have imagined. Set in Post-Civil War Pennsylvania, this tale of an arranged marriage gone wrong is as much family saga as it is a romance. Sophie is a sensitive young woman trying to make sense of her past and to understand the unfamiliar ways of her new homeland. Karl Joe is not only a veteran of the great war, but scarred by the secret violence of his privileged childhood. How they learn to trust each other and how they discover love is the beating heart of this old time story.

Buy the Book 
Amazon (US) eBook
Amazon (AUS) eBook
Amazon (CAN) eBook
Amazon (UK) eBook

Angel’s Flight 
Publication Date: September 9, 2012
Books We Love, Ltd. eBook;
ASIN: B0098CSH5Q
Genre: Historical Romance

Angelica is a Patriot heiress, stalked by a brutal, fortune-hunting British officer. Forced to trust Jack, the mystery man who pledges to take her on a dangerous war-time journey to her Albany home, she expects to encounter brigands, Tories and Indians. What she doesn’t expect is to lose her heart along the way.

Praise for Angel’s Flight 
“It’s quite a journey. If you like detailed historical novels, road romances, and war stories, then Angel’s Flight is for you.” -IRRS @ Amazon
“This story has heart… ” -Linda @ Romance Studio
“I found Juliet Waldron’s attention to detail and historical accuracy refreshing and entertaining…a unique voice … Readers will be transported to a time of peril, divided loyalties and intrigue as Angelica triumphs over threats and danger.” -Southern Gal @ Amazon

Buy the Book 
Amazon (US) eBook
Amazon (AUS) eBook
Amazon (CAN) eBook
Amazon (UK) eBook

About the Author
“Not all who wander are lost.” Juliet Waldron earned a B. A. in English, but has worked at jobs ranging from artist’s model to brokerage. Thirty years ago, after the boys left home, she dropped out of 9-5 and began to write, hoping to create a genuine time travel experience for herself–and for her readers. She loves her grand-girls and her kitties, likes to take long hikes, and reads historical/archeological non-fiction as well as reviewing for the Historical Novel Society. For summer adventure, she rides behind her husband of 50 years on his “bucket list” (black, and ridiculously fast) Hyabusa motorcycle. You can find more information at www.julietwaldron.com or connect with Juliet on Facebook.

Juliet Waldron Blog Tour Schedule 
Monday, October 6 Spotlight at Caroline Wilson Writes
Monday, October 13 Spotlight at Flashlight Commentary
Wednesday, October 29 Review at Book Nerd (Hand-Me-Down Bride)
Monday, November 3 Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective (Roan Rose)
Monday, November 10 Review at 100 Pages a Day – Stephanie’s Book Reviews (Roan Rose) Saturday, November 15 Guest Post at Romantic Historical Lovers
Tuesday, November 18 Review at TeacherWriter (Roan Rose)
Monday, November 24 Review at Book Nerd (Roan Rose)
Tuesday, November 25 Guest Post at TeacherWriter (Roan Rose)
Thursday, November 27 Spotlight at Let Them Read Books

Interview with an Author: E. Michael Helms and "Of Blood and Brothers"

Today on the blog we have E. Michael Helms, author of "Of Blood and Brothers: Part I and Part II". As you all probably know by now, I have a special spot in my heart for Civil War historicals, so I immensely enjoyed the first part of this epic family saga. Here is the synopsis of both novels:

In Part One, it's the spring of 1927, ambitious cub reporter Calvin Hogue covers a family reunion in the Florida Panhandle. He learns two Malburn brothers fought on opposing sides during the Civil War, and encourages them to tell their stories. Before the night is over, Calvin realizes he has a far greater story than a run-of-the-mill family reunion.

Thus begins the first of many sessions with the Malburn brothers. The saga unfolds in their own words with wit, wisdom and sometimes, sadness. Before long the brothers are confronting troubled pasts and conjuring up ghosts laid buried throughout the long post-war years. Calvin is swept along by the harrowing eyewitness account of our nation’s most trying era, through bloody battles, personal trials and losses, and the mutual love of a beautiful young woman.

In Part Two, as the Confederate Army conducts a fighting retreat to save the vital railhead at Atlanta, Daniel Malburn is severely wounded during a fierce battle near Dallas, Georgia. Daniel is captured and sent north to prison at Rock Island, Illinois.

The war ends, but trouble stalks the Malburns in post-war Florida. Amid the violent days of Reconstruction, Daniel and Elijah face continuing conflict, family turmoil, and heart-wrenching tragedy as they struggle toward a hard-earned and costly reconciliation. 

A big welcome to Michael!

CW: Tell us a bit about yourself. When did you turn to writing?

EMH: After high school graduation I joined the Marine Corps and served in combat during the height of the Vietnam War. A couple of years after my discharge, I tried a semester of college. I took a creative writing course, and on the first day of class we were required to write an essay. The professor was impressed with what I wrote, and immediately transferred me to an advanced class with full credit for the one I’d signed up for. I later dropped out of college because I felt like I didn’t fit in with the other students. I seemed so much older, although that really wasn’t the case. Whatever talent I might have had lay latent for the next dozen years or so. I eventually joined a VA counseling group for combat veterans struggling with PTSD. Our counselor suggested I start “journaling” as a way of getting my feelings down on paper, sort of a purging process. The journal soon took the form of a book, and resulted in my Vietnam memoir, The Proud Bastards, first published in 1990. It has remained in print for over twenty years, currently with Simon & Schuster/Pocket.

CW: “Of Blood and Brothers: Book One” focuses on two brothers who are seemingly torn apart by their loyalties during the Civil War. What appealed to you about this era and/or plotline?

EMH: I've been a Civil War “buff” for as long as I can remember. Although “brother against brother” is a common and well-used theme for novels about the war, I chose to use it because there was a real family (the Mashburns) who lived near where I grew up and actually faced that situation during the Civil War. Additionally, when I was nine or ten, there were a couple of elderly brothers who lived in my neighborhood whose father had fought for the Confederacy during the war. Those two old gents would regale my friends and me for hours with stories about their father’s exploits fighting the “damnyankees.” Their speech patterns and colorful language gave rise to the voices of Daniel and Elijah Malburn, the brothers in my two-volume saga, Of Blood and Brothers.

CW:  The novel has a very authentic feel to it. To me, it called to mind Majorie Kinnan Rawlings’ work in terms of setting. How did you go about capturing that?

EMH: As mentioned before, I grew up in the area where the “Malburn” brothers lived and died, just north of the Gulf Coast in the Florida Panhandle. As a kid, I camped, swam, fished, and hunted near the Malburn homestead, so I am intimately familiar with the area. I also drew on my personal combat experiences to lend authenticity to the battle scenes in Of Blood and Brothers. Weapons and tactics may change through the centuries, but when it comes right down to it, closing with and destroying the enemy in battle is a common denominator in all wars. I also walked over the very ground where both brothers experienced their own horrific battle experiences in Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida. Add to that a ton of research over a period of years and you have my answer.

CW: Who is your favorite author or book?

EMH: That’s a tough one, but I’d have to say Erich Maria Remarque, author of All Quiet on the Western Front, The Road Back, and a slew of other wonderful novels. The two I mentioned told (fictionally) of his experiences as a German foot soldier during WWI, and the struggles returning veterans faced in the years immediately following the “War to End All Wars.”

I’ve also become a huge fan of Ross Macdonald and his “Lew Archer” mysteries, although I never read a single one until I’d finished the first three novels in my Mac McClellan Mystery series. So, Mac is no copycat of Lew, but he may pick up a few pointers as the series progresses. (Note: Deadly Catch: A Mac McClellan Mystery was released in November 2013. Deadly Ruse is due for release November 2014.)

CW: Random question: If you could meet any historical personage, who would it be?

EMH: Another tough one, but I would probably choose Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. His dry wit and body of work are, in my opinion, incomparable in the realm of American literature. I can’t begin to tell you how many hours of entertainment he provided me as a young reader. I’d love to sit on the porch of his family home at Hartford, Conneticuit, enjoy a drink with him, and pick his brain. Some say he’s still there, in spirit form, as his and other family members’ ghosts have been reported in the home, now restored as a museum.

CW: Thanks so much for stopping in, Michael!

EMH: Thank you so much for having me as your guest. It’s been a pleasure.

* * * 

For more information on Michael or his books (which include a mystery series and a military historical), check out his website. Michael is also on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. "Of Blood and Brothers Part One and Part Two" are both available in ebook form as well as paperback. Please Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Books-A-Million to purchase.

Interview with an Author: Hazel Woods and "This Is How I'd Love You"

I'd like to welcome author Hazel Woods to the blog today. Her new novel of the World War I home front in America sounds fascinating.

CW: First off, tell us a bit about yourself. When did you start writing?

HW: Gosh, I was a senior in high-school when I started to take writing seriously.  I’d always been a voracious reader, but I wasn't sure about writers.  Did they really exist?  I sort of suspected that books were created by some kind of magical beasts.  Then, when a teacher told me that she thought my journal entries for her class were special, it planted a very small seed of hope within me that maybe someday I would be able to join those magical beasts who write books.

CW: World War I is all the rage in the historical fiction world, but you take a very unique angle. Did you purposely set out to be different or was it just happenstance?

HW:  I only set out to tell the story that my mind started spinning once my mother told me about her great-grandfather playing correspondence chess via post.  I've come to believe that there are no original stories, just original tellings.  I hope that I've told Hensley and Charles’ story in an original way.

CW: Who is your favorite character in the novel?

HW: That’s like asking a mother to choose her favorite child.  They are all my favorites for different reasons.  But, I do love Hensley and the way she evolves throughout the book .

CW: Do you have any other works in progress?

HW: I try not to jinx myself by talking about new projects—but I’m always working on something.

CW: Who is your favorite author or book?

HW: William Trevor is my favorite author.  I just read Jayne Anne Phillips’ Quiet Dell and loved it.

CW: Random Question: If you could live in any time period, which one would you choose?

HW: I think I’d choose the 1920s.  I love the fashion and the music and the 19^th amendment!

Well there you have it. Thanks again to Hazel Woods for stopping in. You can learn more about This Is How I'd Love You below.

Publication Date: August 26, 2014
Plume Books
Formats: eBook, Paperback, MP3 CD
Pages: 320

Genre: Historical Fiction



As the Great War rages, an independent young woman struggles to sustain love—and life—through the power of words. It’s 1917 and America is on the brink of World War I. After Hensley Dench’s father is forced to resign from the New York Times for his anti-war writings, she finds herself expelled from the life she loves and the future she thought she would have. Instead, Hensley is transplanted to New Mexico, where her father has taken a job overseeing a gold mine. Driven by loneliness, Hensley hijacks her father’s correspondence with Charles Reid, a young American medic with whom her father plays chess via post. Hensley secretly begins her own exchange with Charles, but looming tragedy threatens them both, and—when everything turns against them—will their words be enough to beat the odds?

Praise for This Is How I'd Love You

“In This is How I’d Love You, Hazel Woods explores the enduring nature of an improbable love born of words, washed in tragedy, and sustained despite impossible circumstances. With prose as immediate and evocative as a painting, Woods accomplishes the magic of rendering sorrow into hope and fear into courage. It is as idealistic a tale as it is clear-sighted, a brilliant alchemy few novels achieve. Readers, prepare to melt” — Robin Oliveria, author of My Name is Mary Sutter

Buy the Book

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
IndieBound
Powell's

About the Author

Hazel Woods lives in New Mexico with her husband and two children. For more information please visit www.hazelwoodsauthor.com. You can also find her on Twitter.

This Is How I'd Love You Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, August 25
Review & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary

Wednesday, August 27
Interview at Dab of Darkness

Friday, August 29
Interview at Book Babe

Monday, September 1
Review & Interview at Closed the Cover

Tuesday, September 2
Review & Interview at A Chick Who Reads

Wednesday, September 3
Review at The Bookworm

Thursday, September 4
Review at Booktalk & More

Friday, September 5
Spotlight & Giveaway at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

Monday, September 8
Spotlight & Giveaway at Historical Tapestry

Tuesday, September 9
Guest Post & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books

Wednesday, September 10
Interview at Caroline Wilson Writes

Friday, September 12
Review & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair
Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews

Monday, September 15
Review & Guest Post at Bookish

Tuesday, September 16
Review at Book of Secrets

Wednesday, September 17
Review at Book Nerd