Literature Chick

Finally...

2009-12-29T11:32:00.000-08:00

It has been quite some time since I have posted and I apologize. Life and work simply caught up with me. However, I am back.

Some books you simply must read in 2010:

Tomorrow by Philip Wylie (University of Nebraska Press): Wylie is considered one of the kings of science fiction and this book supports that. A story of a typical American Midwestern city during Christmas, the plot takes on a nightmarish one when Condition Red is sounded and hysteria rears its ugly head. A metaphor for the American obsession with technology and fear of terrorism, this book is a must read.

The Lie by Petra Hammesfahr (Bitter Lemon Press): Hammesfahr is considered the German Patricia Highsmith; her work is suspense at its best. Two women with remarkable physical similarities switch lives for what is supposed to be one weekend...their scheme soon turns into a deceitful game that neither can walk away from alive.

The Semantics of Murder by Aifric Campbell (Serpent's Tail): Based upon the true story of the 1971 murder of UCLA Professor Robert Montague, Campbell creates a remarkable read of literary fiction with a frightening theme.

Thursday Night Widows by Claudia Pinero (Bitter Lemon Press): A prize winner and soon to be film, this Argentinian novel uses three murders as the basis to tell a story about living beyond your means, living to impress and life without concern for others.

The Passport by Herta Muller: Muller, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2009, tells an incredible story of Germans caught in Romania during the dictatorship of Ceausescu. This is the book that every human being must read this year.

Summer Must Reads

2009-05-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

Summer Must Reads:

Check out some of the great books that you simply must read this summer!

Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz takes you inside the world of college admissions.

Follow Me by Joanna Scott tells the incredible and intriguing story of Sally Werner and her offspring.

Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton is a hysterical look at love between the mismatched.

Fifty is Not a Four Letter Word

2009-05-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

It's nice to see that publishers actually acknowledge that some of us are over 40 and still read chick lit. Linda Kelsey has written the ultimate chick book for the over 45 crowd and has done so with the sardonic British twist. Hope Lyndhurst-Steele has everything - a great job, a loving family - that is until it all falls apart. She loses her job, her son is running after the local MILF and her husband can't seem to stand her. Determined to change her state, Hope runs away alone to Paris and begins to see herself in a new light.

Kelsey develops some truly great characters in this book; they are relateable and interesting. Not a typical chick lit book, this novel really delves into the female mid life crisis and shows how a real woman can come out on the other side.

Busy Woman Seeks Wife

2009-05-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

Alex Hill is a successful London based executive who doesn't have time for anything; her life is a whirlwind of meetings and events. Everything changes when her formerly famous mother injures herself and must move in with Alex. After placing an ad in a local paper looking for a "wife" to take care of mom and the household, a ebullient and capable young woman appears. But is everything as it seems? The answer, in this humorous book by Annie Sanders, is no. Soon Alex realizes that someone else is behind the scenes and he is definitely not the typical "wife."

Sanders, author (Sanders is actually a writing team) of Goodbye, Jimmy Choo, delivers a funny and heartwarming book about the modern day woman and her needs, desires and dreams.

2009-05-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

A very different type of book for well-known author Jane Hamilton, Laura Rider's Masterpiece is the story of a husband and wife who are at a crossroads both in their marriage and in their lives. Charlie and Laura Rider run a beautiful nursery and successful landscaping business together. While their business venture is blooming, their love life is not; they sleep in seperate beds and do not have any feelings of sexual intimacy. When a famed radio talk show host moves into town, Laura pushes Charlie into an email relationship as a means to end - Laura believes that the exchange will provide perfect fodder for the great romance novel she intends to write. However, it soon becomes clear that Charlie has fallen hard for our host and that Laura's novel will have a different ending.

Hamilton, best known for her The Book of Ruth, is making a strong statement about the nature of email, the anonymity of the Internet and the concept of what makes a writer.

2009-05-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

Everyone in the world, it seems, is either prettier or thinner (or both) than Beauty Marie Zavala. And the only thing "B" resents more than her name is the way others judge her for the extra 40 pounds she can't lose. At least she has her career. Or did, until she overhears her boss criticizing her weight and devising a scheme to keep her from being promoted. Enter B's new tax accountant, a modern-day matchmaker determined to boost B's flagging self-esteem by introducing her to rich, successful men who will accept her for who she is. As B's confidence blossoms, so do her fantasies of revenge. But will B find true happiness or true disaster when she unwittingly falls for the one guy she shouldn't? (Description courtesy of Grand Central Publishing).

Ferraras' debut novel has a great moral at its core - we need to accept ourselves as we are. B is a young woman who has allowed her weight to become the focus of her life; although she is outwardly okay with her size, she allows others to shatter her self-worth. Her boss won't promote her due to her weight, she can't find love because of her weight, she is second fiddle to her best friend because of her weight. Once a Russian "madam" comes into the picture, B suddenly realizes that she is worth something , that she is a woman who can be loved and find love.

As I read the book, I was intrigued by the fact that the author was male. Was he writing from a male Latino perspective or from a purely metrosexual perspective (i.e. a male with a female side)? This is a book with a fantastical plot but an important statement.

2009-05-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

Comment below and you could win one of five great books from Hachette Book Group!

2009-05-03T10:14:00.000-07:00

Enter today to win one of five great Latino focused books! Comment below!

Check out our Giveaways!

2009-05-03T10:12:00.000-07:00

Enter today by commenting below and you could win one of five great books from Hachette Book Group!

Cool DVD Site

2009-03-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I come across a non-literature site that I simply must tell everyone about. The team at First Weekend Club DVD (http://www.firstweekendclub.ca/dvd-club/) helps to build audiences for Canadian films via grassroots initiatives including screenings, filmmaker focus Q&As and other programs. You can join at the site and be the first to receive notification when new Canadian films are released - you can even win tickets to great premieres and parties. All I can say is that Canadian films do rock!

2009-03-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

Songs My Mother Never Taught Me by Selcuk Altun (Telegram, April 2009): A wonderful book about two men whose lives are fated to cross in modern Turkey.

Cham by Jonathan Trigell (Serpent's Tail, May 2009): Winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, Trigell tells the story of Itchy, a young man living in the mountains of Chamonix Mont Blanc. A lost soul, Itchy is thrust into the shadows of a serial rapist; he must pull from deep within to find redemption for his past and hope for his future.

Houston, We Have a Problema by Gwendolyn Zepeda (Grand Central Publishing, 2009): Jessica is a young woman who relies on her neighborhood psychic for answers to all of life's questions. However, what will happen when the psychic tells Jessica to expect a big change? Will Jessica be ready for a life-altering event? Zepeda writes with humor and honesty in this multi-cultural chick lit book.

The Pools

2009-03-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

Serpent's Tail, 2008.

Another brilliant debut novel courtesy of the brilliant team at Serpent's Tail. It is England, mid 1980s and the body of a 15 year old boy is found by the pools. What is the cause of his death?

Through the eyes of narrators Howard (stepfather) and Joanna (a young teenager), a disturbing story is told; one that keeps the reader intrigued until the bitter end. Roberts' characters are realistic, filled with bad behavior and questionable decision making; yet, this is what compels one to continue reading. Why? How? The sense of foreboding is overwhelming and yet, essential to the essence of the work. I guarantee you will walk away from reading this work a changed person.

The Sound of Building Coffins

2009-03-29T09:49:00.000-07:00

Toby Press, 2009

This powerful novel set in 1890s New Orleans is a complex debut novel from Louis Maistros. Maistros, owner of a voodoo botanica in New Orleans focuses on the nature of rebirth in a place that is filled with demons, both physical and literal. The city itself becomes the main character within the pages as we wander its streets, learn of its inhabitants and its history. Lyrical in its prose, the book deftly paints a world that is changing, a world where music fills the streets even as pain fills the doorways. A beautiful and compelling first novel.

2009-03-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

Serpent's Tail, 2008

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! Cathi Unsworth takes the reader through the dark alleyways of the world of punk music as she weaves the tale of journalist Eddie Bracknell who is writing the ultimate story of cult band Blood Truth. As Bracknell uncovers the sad truth behind the disappearance of lead singer, Vincent Smith, he discovers a world of loneliness, drugs, sex and music.

While the story primarily focuses on the mystery surrounding the glorious Smith, it is also a tale of undying love; a love that can leave one in pain and misery, that can send one to a state of near insanity. Bracknell's life begins to parallel Smith's as he wanders back in time in an attempt to understand the real reason for the band's fall from fame. Unsworth vividly paints a picture of the U.K. at a time where music could bring youth to their knees, could make a strong moral and political statement (The Clash) and could create a bond between disaffected youth. This is a book that the reader will not want to put down; the characters are ones we care about, ones we want to follow and learn about. A true book about a movement and a group of people determined to change the world one song at a time.

My Splendid Concubine

2008-12-27T11:18:00.001-08:00

Richard Hart, the main character of Lloyd Lofthouse's new work, has become the most powerful Westerner in China. His love of "modernism" has led to the creation of China's infrastructure including railroads and schools. Hart, however, has one true love - Ayaou, a Chinese concubine. As China changes, Hart must learn to love a different country and a re-born woman in order to survive and become a true leader.

The Five Lost Days

2008-12-27T11:12:00.001-08:00

Pearhouse Press (2008)

William Petrick, an award-winning producer, takes the reader into the life of Michael Burns, a documentary producer who travels to the remote mountains of Belize to capture footage of a surviving Mayan healer. As civil war in Guatemala spills into the forests of Belize, Burns is soon caught up in an adventure of a lifetime...one that he may not be able to withstand.

Petrick writes sparingly and with a truly unique voice that captures the wilds of Belize and the dangers that occur when one becomes enraptured by a life different than one's own. The characters and location are fully developed; allowing for a visual imagery that aids the building plot. Petrick has written a truly wonderful first book.

Nella Last's Peace

2008-12-27T11:05:00.001-08:00

Nella Last's Peace: The Post-War Diaries of Housewife 49. Edited by Patricia and Robert Malcolmson (Profile Books, 2008)

The diaries of Nella Last, a housewife and mother from Barrow-in-Furness, have been a favorite of British readers since the first book, Nella Last's War, was made into the television drama Housewife 49. In this second book, Nella continues her diary and describes how the people of Britain rebuilt their lives after the Allies' victory. Last, possibly because she never dreamed that people would be reading her work, wrote daily of her trials and tribulations as a wife and mother in wartime England. Honest to a fault, she does not mince her emotions or words in telling her story - one that every person can find a relatable element in.

Scattered Leaves by Richard E. Roach

2008-12-27T10:59:00.001-08:00

Scattered Leaves (Crystal Dreams Publishing, 2008)

In an ambitious and suspenseful novel, author and everyman Richard E. Roach combines some of the most important issues facing our country; illegal drug trafficking and illegal immigration. Unfortunately for main character Ben McCord, life turns dark after the murder and rape of his young wife. Determined to right this horrific tragedy, McCord sets out through the dark roads of Texas, Colorado and the Mexican border in a search for justice. Along the way, he meets a beautiful and mysterious doctor who is on a similar journey.

Roach brings the reader on a edge of your seat journey for the majority of the work. The only place where the book is lacking is in character development - McCord's choices and decision making is unbelievable at times and his seemingly head on movement towards death leads one to question who he is. Otherwise, Roach delivers a interesting read.

Jacoby is a Genius!

2008-12-13T15:13:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you pick up a book and simply can't put it down...you end up staying up late reading and get up for work the next day exhausted. That was the case with M. Ann Jacoby's Life After Genius (Grand Central Publishing), a beautiful look at family through the eyes of a young male genius. When Teddy "Mead" Fegley enters college at the age of 15, he is ill-equipped to deal with the social aspects although he excels at academics. As he attempts to solve a mathematical quandary with the help of his brilliant but eccentric professor, Mead must resolve a problematic relationship with a dorm-mate and his difficult family life. Ultimately, Mead flees college for home; a place that only proves to hold harsh memories and realities which must be faced. There can be no more running away - Mead must finally and fully grow up before he can actually graduate.

Jacoby has written a book that is filled with quirkiness and brilliance. Her writing has a sense of ease and honesty that allows the reader to actually enter the world of the characters. This is a place we want to be, a boy we want to succeed and a world we are sad to leave.

Non-Fiction Books, Continued...

2008-12-13T15:01:00.001-08:00

How Not to be a Domestic Goddess (Profile Books) by Deborah Ross: Ross, an award-winning columnist for numerous British papers, is the European equivalent of Norah Ephron. In this exceptionally funny book, Ross acknowledges that the majority of us are not perfect women; that we leave dirty dishes in the sink, fight with our significant others and wear no make-up and sweats to the supermarket.

Amazing Grays: A Woman's Guide to Making the Next 50 the Best 50 by Maggie Rose Crane: Okay I admit it --- underneath this brown hair coloring are a ton of gray hairs. Some days I am ready to commit to going gray and others I simply can not. Crane honors life after menopause with an informative and positive look at getting older. She gives us tips on reinvigorating our passions, redefining aging and navigating the future.

The Real Office: All the Office Questions You Never Dared to Ask (Profile Books) by Lucy Kellaway: Kellaway, the management consultant to the Financial Times is known for her commentaries on modern corporate culture and life. In this honest and sharp book, Kellaway answers readers' questions with a sense of practicality and humor; how do you tell your boss what you really think of them? How do you fire a friend? Can you lead your office and still be a nice person?

Non-Fiction Books for Your Collection

2008-12-13T14:54:00.001-08:00

Here are some non-fiction must reads this winter:

Battles Between Somebodies and Nobodies: Combat Abuse of Rank at Work and at Home (Brookside Press) by Julie Ann Wambach, PhD: As someone who has worked for many "bully" bosses, I found this book to be a helpful tool in my journey to move forward and away for the work power plays. With a step-by-step plan to stop "rankism," Wambach gives the reader practical details on changing one's life.

Travel with Sheryl Kayne

2008-12-02T14:42:00.001-08:00

THE IMMERSION TRAVELER'S BOOK by Sheryl Kayne

BEST IMMERSION TRAVEL USA (Countryman Press, W.W. Norton & Company, Fall 2008) is an extensive listing of IMMERSION TRAVELER trips within the United States. • Would you consider vacationing on an organic farm and working in exchange for room and board? • Do you want to be a bus driver and wildlife tour guide in a National Park? • How about volunteering with The Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project providing adaptive sporting events for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans?
BEST IMMERSION TRAVEL USA is organized in categories of interests and locations for you to plan the trip that meets your needs. Many entries begin with a personal story from someone who has experienced the activity or one very similar to it.

Check out the website at http://www.immersiontravel.com/ for more information.

Vampires...everywhere!

2008-12-02T14:26:00.000-08:00

Ok, I admit that I read all of the Twilight series in one week and saw the movie already (is Edward Cullen hot or what?). Well, there's a new, literary vampire in town and it's Jacques Chessex's The Vampire of Ropaz (Bitter Lemon Press, 2008). Chessex, one of the most important living authors in Switzerland and winner of the Goncourt Prize, bases this extraordinary book on a true story that occurred in in the Jura Mountains in 1903.

While the story could be considered a crime novel, the reality is that the book is much more of a moral tale that focuses on a community's fear of the unknown and strange. A beautifully and sparsely written book (less than 110 pages), this is a story that will leave you with more questions than answers - who has committed the horrendous crimes outlined in the novel? Is the accused truly criminal or simply a product of a life filled with abuse at the hands of others? Chessex is a first class writer who turns the notion of the vampire on its head...and there is no Bella or Edward involved.

Kelly Epperson's Columns Don't Stink!

2008-12-02T14:22:00.000-08:00

In her regular columns, author Kelly Epperson tells the truth about life's imperfections and the dirt that we sometimes have to wash down the drain. Finally, her readers (and those of us who don't get the opportunity to read her weekly) can read all of her funny, honest and heartfelt columns in her work, When Life Stinks It's Time to Wash the Gym Clothes (Rockford Writer's Guild, 2008). A great holiday present for the person in your life who looks at things with a bit of humor and wit!

Gift Idea Number Two

2008-12-02T14:20:00.000-08:00

Amy Sedaris rocks...and cooks! In her bestselling cookbook and comic masterpiece, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence (Grand Central Publishing, 2008), Sedaris gives us all some great "Southern" tips for throwing a great party with some yummy food. Your foodie will love it!

Some Ideas for Holiday Gifts

2008-12-02T14:16:00.000-08:00

Holiday season is just around the corner, so it's time for Literature Chick's picks for great holiday gifts for those important folks in your family.

Wouldn't we all love to look ten pounds lighter, ten years younger and ten times better? Pick up a copy of Charla Krupp's How Not to Look Old (Springboard, 2008) for the women in your life who need some helpful tips (or should we say hints?).

The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters

2008-11-16T12:43:00.000-08:00

You can't help falling in love with the crazy, gifted Gabaldon Sisters. After their beloved Pueblo Indian caretaker, Fermina, dies, the four sisters are left with special gifts. Slowly, and with remarkable ease, these gifts (abilities, really) show themselves - healing hands, ability to make others laugh, skill in telling stories and power to curse others. Ultimately, it is not the skills that Fermina has left behind but something much more personal and intimate...a truth that will help the girls define family and love.

To Hell and Back

2008-11-16T12:34:00.000-08:00

In this heartbreaking memoir, Samira Bellil relates the world of an immigrant living in the surburban ghettos outside of Paris. Leaving no stone or fact unturned, Bellil tells a tale of male dominance, an imposed code of silence where no woman discusses their abuse and a world of terror and imprisonment. Gang-raped at a young age by a group of young men outside the housing project, Bellil lives a life on the streets after being thrown out by her Algerian father. With difficulty, she ultimately faces her rapists and turns her life around. An astonishing story of immigrant life in France today, this book leaves a lasting impression.

Defenders of the Heart

2008-11-16T12:08:00.000-08:00

In their first book, Defenders of the Heart: Managing the Habits and Attitudes That Block You from a Richer, More Satisfying Life (Hay House, November 4, 2008), psychotherapists and authors Marilyn Kagan, LCSW, and Neil Einbund, Ph.D., tackle the ten most common defense mechanisms and offer advice on how to protect your heart and lead a richer and more satisfying life.

In this transformative book, Kagan and Einbund, well-known therapists in the Los Angeles area, help readers discover the frequent habits and attitudes (denial, procrastination, passive-aggressive, projection, rationalization, intellectualization, humor, displacement, sublimation, and altruism) that are used to guard our hearts against being hurt. Over time, these mechanisms, which the authors have coined “Defenders of the Heart,” can become habitual and overly entrenched. In one way or another, they are at the base of nearly all of our bouts with dissatisfaction and depression. Defenders of the Heart delivers a strong basic understanding of these ten defenders, and shows how to recognize which ones are sabotaging your life, and offers a comprehensive tool set to break free of their life-limiting powers.

Each chapter is devoted to a specific Defender and opens with a clear definition, what the authors label as a “DEFENDAPEDIA,” followed with a succinct explanation that demystifies the clinical terminology. Included are numerous examples of the personal struggles and victories of a variety of people that illustrate these points. Kagan and Einbund write about the process that they usually follow when patients come to them for therapy. In their clinical work with patients, they help them to the events and interactions that might have triggered a specific Defender.

Kagan and Einbund devote an entire chapter to the personal stories of celebrities (Ryan Seacrest, Wendi Jo Sperber, Patrick Dempsey) who went through their own Defender trials and tribulations. These narratives are in their own words, which Kagan and Einbund label as "Talk Stories," after the Hawaiian tradition of oral story-telling. Here, readers will learn how these celebrities reached into themselves to make peace with their own Defenders and transform their specific habits and attitudes into a resource that worked for them rather than against them.
The book also includes a bibliography and recommended resources for readers who want further information. Visit http://www.defendersoftheheart.com/ for more information

Need to Read!

2008-10-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

What's a busy book-loving gal to do when her book pile takes over her house? Read, of course!

Here's a list of some of the must read books for fall:

Cleaning Up by Tania Glyde. Serpent's Tail, 2008
Tania Glyde delivers an honest, painful look at her 23 year love of alcohol in this searing memoir. Told in short, easy to digest chapters, Glyde takes a hard look at why women drink, the pain behind the glass and her own difficult journey to sobriety.

The Road Home by Rose Tremain. Little, Brown 2008
A beautiful, prosaic novel of an immigrant living in London and dreaming of his homeland in Eastern Europe. Tremain writes with imagery and empathy as she tells the tale of Lev, a man lost in the world of the migrant laborer.

The Shiniest Jewel by Mariam Henley. Springboard, 2008A heartwarming illustrated novel that tells the story of one middle aged woman's search for a child and realization that with life brings death.

The Smart One and the Pretty One by Claire LaZebnik. 5 Spot, 2008In this "chick-lit" story of two sisters with very different personalities, Claire LaZebnik creates a funny and true look at the sibling relationship. Ava, the smart sister, and Lauren, the pretty sister, are forced to reconnect when their mother is diagnossed with breast cancer. Their past relationship has been rocky, to say the least, but they must learn to love one another's traits in order to become family once again.

Small Crimes by Dave Zeltserman. Serpent's Tail, 2008
A crooked cop just out of prison must make amends to all those he has left behind - his ex-wife, his parents and his former co-workers - in order to survive on the outside and overcome the local mafia don who is out for his head.

Feather Man

2008-09-29T13:06:00.001-07:00

Marion Boyars, 2008

Australian author Rhyll McMaster, in her debut work, tells the tale of Sooky, a young girl growing up in Brisbane. Ignored by her parents, Sooky is pushed into the arms of a pedophilic neighbor whose actions will change her view of life and love forever. As Sooky grows into womanhood, she moves to London where she becomes a part of the art world. Soon her past, in the person of Redmond (her neighbor's son), confronts her in unexpected ways.
McMaster writes descriptively; her lyrical prose sets the scene for this story of a young girl moving towards adulthood. An interesting and moving story that is reminiscent of works by Margaret Atwood and Harper Lee.

Derek Raymond

2008-09-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

I Was Dora Suarez (Serpent's Tail, 2008)

Legendary noir author Derek Raymond delivers another horrific tale of brutality set in London's West End. An unnamed narrator, a police sergeant, is obsessed with Dora Suarez, a murder victim with a secret past. The fourth book in Raymond's Factory Series, this is a harrowing tale of murder and mystery which leaves the reader mesmerized and bewildered.

Christian Teen Lit: The Miracle Girls

2008-09-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

The Miracle Girls by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt (Faith Words, 2008)

In this Christian Teen Lit novel, authors Dayton and Vanderbilt deliver the story of Ana Dominguez, a teenager who has just moved to Half Moon Bay, California. An outsider, Ana soon finds herself stuck in detention with Riley (the most popular girl in school), Christine and Zoe; forced by their teacher to interact, the girls soon learn that they possess the same secret - they have all survived incidents that could have left them for dead. Through prayer, faith and youth group, the four girls learn just how much they have in common and how important their bond can be.

A sweet and engaging tale, the authors subtly add elements of religion to the story; the essence of faith becomes as important as the clothes the girls wear. At times moving, the book is perfect reading for today's young girls who need to be reassured that they are more than their outer appearance.

I am in love with Dewey!

2008-09-25T07:06:00.001-07:00

Grand Central Publishing, 2008

I have to admit that I am not a cat lover - dogs have always been my favorites. However, after reading Dewey by Vicki Myron and Bret Witter, I may have changed my mind. Myron, the librarian of the Spencer, Iowa town library, finds a small, nearly dead kitten one cold morning in the drop box. Myron and staff nurse the tiny creature back to life and in the process create a newfound sense of community in a dying town.

Dewey, while clearly a cat (with quite an expressive face), becomes much more as he intuitively sleeps in the laps of those in need of comfort; sits next to a child whose parent must work a couple of extra jobs; and strolls across the library lights to the bewilderment of a homeless man who uses the library as he daily weigh station. Within the small body, beats the heart and compassion of a giant. Myron and Witter deliver a story of hope and true love that is desperately need during this time of uncertainty. Dewey represents all that we have forgotten - the sheer nature and strength of non-judgmental love.

http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/features/dewey/gallery.html

Focus on Kate Pullinger

2008-09-24T14:28:00.000-07:00

Focus on Kate Pullinger, Author of A Little Stranger

Your book, A Little Stranger, focuses on one woman's dire unhappiness with marriage and motherhood. Why this subject matter?

When I wrote ‘A Little Stranger’ I had two small children myself and felt that there weren’t many books that dealt honestly with the difficult subject matter of how tough and lonely parenting very young children can be. Since I wrote the book there’s been a real explosion of work dealing with this subject matter, though often through memoir instead of fiction. But it is definitely part of the current zeitgeist to speak about what had previously been difficult, almost taboo, subject matter. I found having babies isolating and lonely at times; however, I never contemplated leaving – I wrote this book instead! Despite all the progress women have made in terms of equal pay and equal rights, at the end of the day we are the ones who have the babies and the arrival of a baby into the life of a couple changes the status quo in ways that neither partner has anticipated. So the book arose out of my own experience, but it is not autobiographical.

Fran chooses to leave her life abruptly and fly to Las Vegas. Is Vegas a metaphor for the change she must go through?

I love Las Vegas, and have been there a number of times, and once did stay for 9 whole days, which felt like a lifetime. Vegas for me represents the US at its most excessive and crude – it’s all about money. It’s also a place where people behave in ways they wouldn’t ordinarily, so it’s kind of magic, while also being a lot like I imagine Hell might be like! So, yes, Vegas is a kind of metaphor, but to me it is also the kind of place where, down on your luck, you might meet the one person who can help you – like how Fran meets Leslie.

The "B Plot" deals with Fran's difficult relationship with her own mother. Does this serve as the catalyst for her own decisions?

Absolutely. Fran removed herself from her family at an early age, so she hasn’t been through the same processes that her father and sister have been through when it comes to dealing with Ireni. She has to track back through that before she can move on. I also found Ireni a really interesting character to write about. Until I was 10 we lived in a part of Canada, in British Columbia, the Kootenays, where there were Doukhobor communities, and they were famous for getting arrested for using farming gas in their cars, and then appearing in court naked. As a child, this fascinated me, of course, and I took writing this book as an opportunity to learn more about that community. As well as that, having an alcoholic parent is a heavy load to bear; I’d seen friends go through that and what I noted was the absence of parenting, the way my friends had to parent their parents.

The book honestly looks at the stresses facing women today - motherhood, marriage, career. Do you believe that women can have it all?

I think there are enormous pressures on women and that it is tough to combine our various roles successfully. But I see women all around me who are combining all these roles and getting a lot of enjoyment from it – from work, from family, from relationships. The trick is to be hugely organized and to find ways to steal time for yourself! I like to think that when Fran returns to London she finds a way to get a better balance in her life, and they all live happily ever after!

Who are some of your literary influences and why?

There are so many writers and books that I love. Scott Fitzgerald for the sparkling and spikey quality of his prose, Philip Roth for the depth and humour of his male characters, Margaret Atwood for her range and longevity, Mary Gaitskill for her sharpness and brutality, Cormac McCarthy for his hefty take-a-deep-breath style… the list is very long. But I also take influence from cinema and television and digital media… from the whole range of media that we have access to.

If you weren't a writer, you would be....

Oh god, my imagination doesn’t really extend beyond writing, I’m afraid. One thing I am profoundly not is entrepreneurial. I think it would be interesting to be some kind of entrepreneur – successful, of course – some kind of business person, someone who sees commercial opportunities and then knows what to do in order to exploit that opportunity. I am so not like that, and it would be very interesting!

Future plans?

I work in digital media a lot these days – see http://www.inanimatealice.com/ and http://www.flightpaths.net/, among other projects. I’ve also just finished a new novel (ALS came out here in the UK in 2006), ‘The Mistress of Nothing’, which will come out in the UK in 2009. It’s a historical novel about two English women who go to live in Luxor, Egypt in 1864, based on a true story.

Must Reads for Fall

2008-09-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

You simply must read these great books:

New York Echoes by Warren Adler (Stonehouse Press, 2008): Brilliant short stories about New York and those that live within its confines.

A Pretty Face by Rafael Reig (Serpent's Tail, 2008): A story filled with humor and imagination, Reig delivers the tale in which Spain is part of the United States and a ghost refuses to leave. A MUST READ.

A is for Atticus by Lorilee Craker (Center Street, 2008): Need help figuring out a name for your about to be born child? Then check out this fun and informative book filled with some fabulous (and out of site) baby names.

Small Crimes by Dave Zeltserman (Serpent's Tail, 2008): A thriller in the vein of Jim Thompson, this is the story of a bad cop who is in a fight to the finish with the local small town mob boss.

The Chinaman by Friedrich Glauser (Bitter Lemon Press, 2008): Glauser is the "man" in European crime writing circles. This is yet another fine example of his incredible writing and enigmatic storytelling.

2008-09-24T14:17:00.001-07:00

Check it out - we've been picked up by the cool new mag - VitaminV - rock on fellow Canadians!

http://vitaminv.ca/node/1550

The Safety of Secrets

2008-08-19T17:48:00.001-07:00

Avon 2008
As a young girl growing up in Long Island, I spent hours locked behind my bedroom door sharing secrets with my best friend. As I grew and moved away, the friendship that was once so important grew to be nothing more than a memory; the secrets shared no more than whispers among girls. In her second novel, The Safety of Secrets, Delaune Michel tells the story of two childhood friends who, as an adults in Los Angeles, must recognize that the nature of friendship may change but its inherent nature remains the same.Fiona and Patricia have been friends since their problematic childhood in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Adults (and actresses) the two women lead extremely different lives - Fiona is married and pregnant; Patricia is a television star marrying the male star of the moment. Slowly the women's friendship falls apart - until the dark secret from their youth emerges in a brutally open way.Michel, who comes from a family of writers, tells a beautiful story of women, friendship and the nature of forgiveness. Lyrical and poetic, the story flows seamlessly through the heat of the South and the smog of the West Coast.

The Dancer From Khiva

2008-08-19T17:46:00.000-07:00

Black Cat, 2008

As of late I find that I am reading more and more books about the struggle of women in the world. In The Dancer From Khiva (Black Cat, 2008), the reader enters the world of a young Muslim woman who, after a violent attack, leaves her small town for the larger world outside. Written by Bibish, the tale is told in journal form with no censorship; rather, each detail of this woman's difficult (and at time heartbreaking) life are told in unflinching detail and brutal honesty. Poor, yet filled with a sense of hope, Bibish is met with constant trials - many of which are initiated by the men in her life. Ultimately she is ostracized by the family to whom she returns and must make her way in the world on her own.

The seeming simple language belies a strong story of pain, persecution and persistence. Bibish represents the many women who are fighting against the culture in which they were born; the culture from which they can not break free. Winner of the National Bestseller and Book of the Year prizes in Russia, this is a book that all Americans should read - a book that will teach compassion, strength and the undying importance of a belief in one's self.

The Concubine of Shanghai by Hong Ying

2008-07-04T10:13:00.001-07:00

Hong Ying is a controversial Chinese author who is known for her honest work focusing on the sexuality of women in China, both the positive and negative aspects. In her new work, Ying introduces us the world of the concubine - the women who lived in brothels (many times because they have been sold by their families into sexual slavery) and were at the mercy of powerful men and brothel owners. Ying's heroine is a woman sold into sexual slavery to a Shanghai brothel; she finds herself in love with a powerful member of the Chinese Triad, a mob organization that controlled illegal activities in China. When her lover is killed in front of her, she is left out in the cold and must fend for herself. A strong woman who can only rely on her sexuality to survive in the China of the 19th Century, the story spans a huge historic period as the reader journeys through her life. Ying's beautiful, poetic writings keeps the reader intrigued and devoted. We want our heroine to succeed and overcome. This is a beautiful book with import that should be read by all.

2008-07-04T10:12:00.001-07:00

There's been loads of press about this book, including the recent Showtime series. Heralded as the tell all of a high priced call girl and one of the best-selling books in Europe, this book left me truly bewildered. Told in a series of diary entries, our anonymous writer (her pen name is Belle du Jour) outlines her sexual escapades with no stone left unturned. We are "flies on the wall" at her various jobs and learn just how a call girl treats her clients. With a minimal plot line (Belle does have a boyfriend, N, who is okay with her career choice), this is nothing more than a book meant to sexually entice and titillate. Half-way through, I had enough and put it aside; there was no way I could continue to read about anal sex or blow jobs. Personally, readers - take a pass.

The Crazy School by Cornelia Read

2008-07-04T10:10:00.001-07:00

Cornelia Read is truly one of my favorite authors. Not only does she deliver intriguing story lines, she writes with clarity and strength. In her new work, Read tells the story of a young woman who teaches in a school for problem teens. It is clear from the outset that something is terribly wrong at this institution; the students are terrorized by the head of the school whose methods are akin to CIA techniques used on terrorists. As the mystery unravels, our heroine must save not only herself but her students from a system that is meant to destroy rather than help. Read's storytelling is what sets this book apart from the typical "them against us" teen tale. A talent, Read is a must "read" this summer.

Must Read...Summer Suggestions

2008-06-16T17:07:00.001-07:00

Little Brown
In 2000, a dorm at Seton Hall University in NJ was destroyed by a fire. Two young men, in the prime of their lives, made it out of the building badly burned; they were faced with months of rehabilitation and emotional ups and downs. In her new non-fiction book, Robin Gaby Fisher (a two time Pulitzer Prize finalist) tells the story of Shawn Simons and Alvaro Llanos, roommates, friends and burn victims. A journey through the halls of Saint Barnabas Hospital and the tale of the extraordinary staff that help to bring the boys back from the brink of death, this book is at times heartbreaking, at times hopeful. Fisher paints such a human portrait of these boys and their families that the reader feels as though they have walked the pathways with them. A must read this summer.

While you're at the beach this summer, check out these summer reads:I'm with Stupid by Elaine Szewczyck (5 Spot)A Summer Affair by Elin Hildebrand (Little Brown)The Crimson Portrait by Jody Shields (Back Bay Books)

CONTEST!

2008-06-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

Wellness Central

Okay it's summer time...and that means we have to put ourselves into bathing suits. Check out this fun diet book courtesy of India Knight and Neris Thomas! It's smart, entertaining and funny while setting forth a diet that makes sense. From now until August 1st, Lit Chick will be running a give-away contest - send your name to us and it will be entered into a drawing to win a book!

Beach Book!

2008-05-26T15:16:00.001-07:00

Check out How the Other Half Hamptons (5 Spot, June 2008) by Jasmin Rosenberg. Rosenberg, a former NY Post Hamptons columnist, has written a slight, humorous novel about summering in the Hamptons; although our three heroines share a house with some forty others and have to deal with filth, drunks and no bathroom space. If you want a true beach book, this is it!

Writing Contest!

2008-05-26T15:14:00.000-07:00

The Warren Adler Short Story Contest – Summer 2008 –
Theme is HUMOR
To enter see: www.warrenadler.com
Suggested by the recent publication of Warren Adler's latest novel, FUNNY BOYS, the theme for the Summer 2008 Warren Adler Short Story Contest is humor. We're looking for humorous stories in all their varied forms. From satire to farce, from the whimsical to the uproarious, all writers looking to get a laugh (in a good way!) should enter. We are looking for the subtle and the pungent, the black and dark, the sporty, the salty, the waggish, or whatever can spark a knowing smile, a sly chuckle, or a hysterical belly laugh. In other words, anything goes, just as long as it falls into this category, however one stretches its elastic boundaries.
Entries must not exceed 2,500 words, and there is a minimum length of 1,000 words. As in the previous contests, all stories will be judged on the basis of character authenticity, plotting, narrative drive, and the skillful manipulation of the short story literary form.
Submissions will be accepted from May 1st to August 15th. Entry fee up until August 1st is $15. After August 1st, a late entry fee is $20.
Five cash prizes will be awarded.
The winning story will be awarded the $1,000 grand prize and a personalized first edition of FUNNY BOYS. Mr. Adler will also choose his top five for a People's Choice award that will also be awarded personalized first editions.
Although Mr. Adler will have already chosen the winner, five finalists' stories will be posted on the Warren Adler website on September 1st and the People's Choice winner will be determined by public voting. Warren Adler's top choice, along with the People's Choice winner, will be announced 15 September. Prizes will be as follows:
1st Prize: $1,000
People's Choice Prize $500
Remaining finalists receive $150 each

Interview with Jim Bowen, Author of Just Another Mzungu Passing Through (Parthian Books, 2008)

2008-05-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

Explain for our readers what a mzungu is? Definition.

A mzungu is a term for white person in kiSwahili which is the tongue most commonly used in East Africa. Mzungu is used in a slightly dismissive way, like gringo in Central America or honky elsewhere.

Tell us a bit about the semi-autobiographical nature of the book - how did a nice Welsh boy end up in Kenya?

I was working as a part time cricket coach for the London Inner City Schools cricket project about 13 years ago for want of anything else to do. I didn't want to come back home to my family's farm at that stage and didn't feel driven to do anything very much. I was living in a tent in a friend's garden in Eastbourne on the south coast using the cricket coaching to pay the bills and having a jolly old time. A friend showed told me that the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association were advertising for a development officer with the help of the VSO, which is the British equivalent of the Peace Corps. I was lucky to be the only person to apply for the job in over a year so, got the job and off I went in January 1996 with a two year contract to teach cricket in Kenya.

My novel is based upon my experiences there, the things I saw and the things people told me, but it is very much about Kenya rather than about me. I wanted people to know about Kenya--that is why I wrote the book. I wanted my friends and family (and later, the readers) to understand why Kenya is as it is, what the average people face, what we in the west have imposed on them and really quite how incredible the people and the country are. It is a novel, and I hope a good read, but it is informative too, I hope, like The Grapes of Wrath is a good read and is also a fantastic way of learning about what the Great Depression meant to the US and people then. Steinbeck could have written a factual account of what he witnessed, but I'm glad he didn't. I wrote my story from the first person 'Griff', and the general narrative follows his time there, but Kenya is really the main character in the story.

What do you think is the biggest issue facing Africa today and how can literature help to educate people about same?

Wow, I've tried answering this question about twenty times but deleted them all as can't seem to get it down right. I don't want to claim I know any answers.

The issues are vast and numerous. Open any international paper and you can read about HIV, famine, corruption, genocide, poverty... These are all massive issues in Africa today and one would hope the rest of the world knows about them and that we are REALLY trying to help instead of taking advantage and using their suffering to boost our own worth.

Literature has a place today, as it always has done, in letting people know about social injustice everywhere. Chinu Achebe, Charles Dickens, Harper Lee, Laurens van der Post, Mark Twain, George Orwell, James Baldwin, Ngugi wa Thiongo... Many writers have helped educate and bring about changes through their writing. They tell important stories brilliantly.

Today we are so clever that we can cause massive injustice to many people from many thousands of miles away, and we can then close our eyes to it, think about something else without ever having to face what we have caused ourselves. There are many, many examples, and one could mention the people who are still suffering from the Union Carbide industrial disaster in Bhopal, India. Over twenty thousand people were killed after that explosion and children are still born seriously deformed over twenty years later. Union Carbide were bought out by Dow Chemicals in 2001 and Dow Chemicals say they have no duty to clean up the mess as the plant is on government land and while the legal battles over who is responsible go on, the shareholders forget all about it and the poor still suffer as a result.

To the north of Cardiff, here in Wales, over twenty years ago, seventy five different toxic substances were brought from a Monsanto factory near Newport and dumped in a quarry on the Brofiscin Farm . 80,000 tonnes of contaminated produce were buried there. Chemically unstable, non-degradable carcinogens that no one would take responsibility for leached out of the quarry, contaminating the local area. Polyaromatic hydrocarbons and acrylonitrile, dioxins created during the production of PCP which had been banned in the US years before were knowingly dumped by one of the US's most bullying companies. A vast number of cattle on neighbouring farms started aborting shortly afterwards . Some lost muscular control while others became lethargic, sterile and suffered from flaccidity. Local people now have highly toxic, unusual pollutant substances in their fatty tissue. They are very ill. And yet no one will take responsibility. Monsanto have fourteen similar dumping sites around the UK all full off dioxins and virulent toxins that they claim are safe but which the Environment Agency consider far too dangerous to open and analyse. And what happens...

I go on too much, and I'm sorry. These are the sorts of stories that are in the newspapers one day and then forgotten about the next.

Some could say that writers have a duty to write about these sorts of stories, to bring them to the attention of the general public who will hopefully one day bring to account those that have benefited through the suffering of others.

To me, good writing should be attractive and inclusive but educational too and if it can make a difference, like the writers I've mentioned earlier, then I believe it can be world changing. Big Business is clever enough to slip free through the courts, but a truthfully told story is always there to point the finger of guilt. I think writers, musicians, artists in general have an important role to play in this. Let's not go softly softly. Pen is stronger, and all that!

Writing coming out of Wales right now is truly extraordinary (same amazing young writers) - why do you think this is so (if you agree, of course)?

Wales has always been a heartland of artisitic expression. We feel affinity with our land and our place in it more than people in many other parts of Britain, I believe. People of my generation were brought up listening to amazing music from people who were proud to be Welsh and who were keen to demonstrate their art through their Welshness. The Super Furry Animals, Catatonia, The Alarm, Manic Street Preachers, even Shakin' Stevens and Bonny Tyler are all proudly Welsh first and foremost. We also have a massive back catalogue of Welsh writers to inspire us. Dylan Thomas, of course, Raymond Williams, Alexander Cordell, Dannie Abse, Bernice Rubens, Gwylon Phillips, WH Davies, RS Thomas and so many others that I really don't know enough about. If only there were more hours in the day...

I think the past has given our generation the courage to be active in our creativity now, and we are lucky that there are publishers willing to give our jottings air. I was very fortunate to have my first story taken up by Parthian Press who are based in the small town of Cardigan just down the River Teifi from where my family farm. Parthian is an excellent publishing house--the stories they have produced over the past few years speak for themselves, stories by young writers like Lewis Davies, Cynan Jones, Rachel Trezise, Tristan Hughes, Lloyd Robson and many others too, are set in a Wales the writers know of as home. The stories are not always that flattering of the place, but that doesn't mean we don't love it! Stories can be more powerful when they are constructively critical of things we care greatly about.

Being Welsh is important to me. My family have farmed this piece of land for over 250 years and we have lived within twenty miles of here for over a thousand. I am not alone in this feeling rooted. It means a great deal.

Do you believe there is a difference between Welsh authors and American authors? If so, what is it?

I don't know. There are links with some writers in both places writing of a sense of pride and love for their plot of land.When America was opening up the writing seemed to wow about the place and the wilderness and the adventure. Writers like Stephen Crane and Jack London... That seems to have changed a bit now maybe. We don't have the vast spaces here in Wales in the same way, though we do write lovingly about the wild places that we have.
I'm afraid I don't know enough about either to have much of value to say.

Influences? Why?

My grandmother wrote stories. She had nine novels published in the 1940/50s under the name Parr Cooper. She is an influence even though she died when I was a young child. She let me know that it was possible to write long stories. She did it, so so could I! Why not? I still love her writing. I can hear her voice in the words. She wrote about India during the war and what it was like coming back to Wales afterwards. Very powerful stuff some of it but she had such humour and decency in what she wrote.

Other influences include:
-John Steinbeck for his clarity, focus and lines like (in East of Eden) 'her smile flashed and disappeared the way a trout crosses a knife of sunshine in a pool' which make me go yeah, that's it! That's why people write!
-Jack London and Jack Kerouac meant a lot to me when I was younger and travelling. London published too much, but a lot of it is brilliant in its simplicity, its brutality and, boy, did he have good material to write about. As for Kerouac, I loved On the Road, Maggie Cassidy, Dharma Bums and one or two other, while the long wibbly ones went over my head a bit. I had a first edition Maggie Cassidy but somebody sole it.
-As a child I loved London, Twain, Victor Canning, Tolkein. Stories with things happening all the time. There were so many others--Richard Adams, William Horwood...
-Graham Greene, William Golding, Dervla Kirwan, Solzhenitsyn, Conrad, Hemmingway, Achebe. I read them when I was in Kenya and unable to go out all that much especially after dark when it wasn't safe. They took me away from the present like a teevee never could have. Good stories, simply told. Something to say. And then there are the Les Norton stories by the Australian Robert G. Barrett who is occasionally worth a read when you're a young fellow with the blues!
-I love East of the Mountains by David Gutterson.

Future Plans?

We have a one year old daughter, I am farming and running a holiday centre for people with disabilities so there isn't a lot of time for writing at the moment. I'm working on a story called Welshrats which is about a horrible man who is the director of social services in a Welsh coastal city which I think might be quite good when I finally get it done. Apart from that I have a bunch of short stories that need a good polish and... well, if only there was more time.

Mrs. Perfect by Jane Porter (5 Spot, May 2008)

2008-05-07T07:24:00.001-07:00

Urgh...Jane Porter made me stay up all night, yet again. And how does she always know exactly what I am thinking? Porter, in a sort-of-sequel to her last work, Odd Mom Out, has continued to delve into the world of modern day women in suburbia as they deal with the conflict of being good mothers, working mothers and perfect mothers.

Taylor Young is a woman defined by her looks, her house, her volunteerism and her high-class friends. Coiffed and coutured, Taylor is so afraid of being exposed for the real person underneath (one that is fragile, fearful and bulimic) that she treats others with disdain; including Marta, the main character of Porter's former work. When Taylor's life suddenly and swiftly falls apart, she soon realizes that she has always been stronger than she has believed and that life can not be defined by things but by those who stick around when the chips are down. Marta, someone Taylor once viewed as "strange," becomes the person that Taylor learns to rely upon in economic and emotional ways.

Porter has an uncanny knack for getting to the heart and soul of the modern American woman. Her ability to tell it like it is without judgment but with a sense of compassion and honesty makes her writing leap from the page and into our hearts. Jane...I am so tired today because of you but I am thankful for the read!

Beautiful Children by Charles Bock (Random House)

2008-05-07T07:13:00.001-07:00

I have a new favorite author and it is Charles Bock. His new work, Beautiful Children, is a tour de force, a novel that is not only literary (in the best sense of the word) but important in its topic matter. Bock writes with a combination of grace and force that each word stands alone; his ability to paint a visual story of present day Las Vegas and its residents is remarkable and signals the debut of a brilliant writer.

Newell, a young boy growing up with the trappings of upper middle class, has disappeared after a night out with Kenny, his much older friend. This story of his disappearance (but not the tale of his discovery) is told via flashbacks of numerous characters - Newell's father, runaways living on the streets of Sin City, a downtrodden comic book artist, a stripper with a heart of gold. Each character is suffering with their own past and a future that seems to be headed nowhere; their lives are filled with the lights of the casinos and the sounds of slot machines but have little meaning or focus. A story of such heartache that the reader can actually feel the pain and suffering of the storytellers.

Even when the book is heavy handed in its delivery, Bock has the ability to bring words to life. One can see the scenes play out, can become one with the people described even if one's experience is very different. This is a tale of 21st Century decay and loneliness that we can all relate to.

The Host by Stephanie Meyer (Little, Brown, May 2008)

2008-05-07T07:03:00.000-07:00

I am not a huge fan of sci-fi/futuristic novels (although I have to say that I do love my friend, Orson Scott Card's work); so when I was given Stephanie Meyer's newest work, The Host, to review, I was a bit reticent. The first fifty page left me confused and ready to walk away from the book. However, I always finish what I start and continued on; soon I found myself unable to put down this interesting, well written book.

In a futuristic America, human beings have been invaded by souls who are only able to love and act peacefully. When the Wanderer invades the body of Melanie Stryder, the two beings are in conflict. Melanie, leaving behind her brother and her lover, is stubborn and refuses to fade away causing the Wanderer unbearable pain and suffering. When Melanie convinces the soul to run into the desert to find the remaining family members (the remaining human beings now hidden underground), the Wanderer is forced to confront what it means to love, what it means to be human. Meyer, best known for her YA vampire series, has crafted a compelling and humane story with a plot that asks the reader to think, to feel and to question.

2008-04-07T17:41:00.000-07:00

5 Spot Books, April 2008

In Frenemies, author Megan Crane addressed the way women treat one another; specifically, the way we treat friends who do us wrong. With her newest work, Crane takes on the subject of sisterhood, of actual siblings who can't seem to forget the past. Told primarily through the eyes of Courtney, a successful musician who is about to marry the love of her life, this is a story of three sisters with extremely different outlooks on life, love and family. Norah is the hard working, type A sister who lives her life by the rule book and holds her grudges close to her heart. Raine is the free spirited sister who ran off to San Francisco to live the life of a poor artist, her best friend and sometime boyfriend in tow. When Courtney goes to visit Raine with the hope that she will return home for her engagement party, her life and that of her family is thrown into chaos.

What does sisterhood really mean and do you have to love your family simply because you were born into it? These are the important questions that Crane addresses in this enjoyable and worthwhile read.

The Ten Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer

2008-04-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

Riverhead Books, 2008

When my daughter turned three and my son six, I was faced with the fact that I had to return to work. Recently separated and in financially precarious straits, I could no longer rely on my freelance writing to pay the mortgage or put food on the table. Even though I had worked off and on while raising my children, it proved exceedingly difficult to find a full time job. I was competing against younger people who were willing to take a lower salary, who had not yet defined their skill set and who were able to be easily molded. The realization that I might not be able to return to work full time was like a punch in the gut; it was maddening and frustrating – a tough pill to swallow.

In her newest work, The Ten-Year Nap, author Meg Wolitzer addresses this exact scenario. Told from the points of view of four friends, but primarily through the viewpoint of Amy, the book focuses on the crossroads a woman experiences when her children no longer need her full time but she is unable to re-enter the workforce. Amy, a Manhattanite married to a mildly successful attorney, wakes up one morning to discover that her ten-year old son is self-sufficient and that she no longer has anything to fill her days with. Jill adopts a child from Siberia, moves to the suburbs and is unable to fit in with the women of Holly Hills. Roberta, an artist, whose son attends his Manhattan private school on financial aid, feels she is at the mercy of the school PTA for fear of being a social outcast. Karen, a brilliant Chinese woman and mother of twins, lives with the constant fear of being left out even as she fails to hide her disdain for others. Add to the mix, brilliant, hard working Penny Ramsey, whose life seems perfect (but is far from it) and you have the typical, if not stereotypical, 21st Century woman. These are women who have been raised to believe that they could do it all; take care of their family, hold down a great job, be perfectly coiffed and well-read.

Wolitzer delivers a book that teeters on the edge of being the Feminist Mystique of our day. Her voice and message are important ones – do women give up a part of themselves upon becoming mothers? Can women re-enter the workforce after taking a long sabbatical? Does there always have to be a choice between motherhood and career? Where Wolitzer leaves the reader a bit flat is in the meandering plot line; the story does not truly move forward until the middle, until a true conflict occurs. Prior to that, the book is slow and almost devoid of dimension with characters that seem a bit pathetic and irritating. When Amy finds herself in the middle of Penny’s marital problems, the book takes on interest as we begin to see these characters as three dimensional. While a reader wants to see herself in the author’s words, it is still essential that a book has conflict that is not only mental but visual.

Women will find a piece of themselves in The Ten-Year Nap, whether they are the stay-at-home mother or the working mother. Wolitzer has taken a topic of such import that, even where the book falters, one can argue the worth of this novel and possibly its place on the shelf next to Betty Friedan.

Erotomania by Francis Levy

2008-04-07T17:21:00.000-07:00

Two Dollar Radio, August 2008

Imagine that you engage in passionate, feral sex with someone. After the sex is over and you have left the building, you can not remember what your lover looked like; your amnesia of everything but the sexual act is complete. In a truly original literary work, Francis Levy introduces the memorable characters of Monica and James. Told through James' eyes, the story unfolds as James realizes that he wants to know his lover, wants to be able to recognize her on the street (her face, not simply her sexual organs) and may actually be in love, rather than simply lust. Monica, a woman who looks much like Peter Pan, has a sexual appetite that is insatiable and confusing. When James tries to have a "normal" relationship with her, she seems to become enraged, frustrated by his unrelenting pursuit.

Levy writes with honesty and a dry sense of humor that adds to the unique tone of the book. While our characters seem without empathy at the beginning, it soon becomes clear that with sex may come love and a type of relationship that is meaningful and filled with worth.

Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch

2008-03-22T08:29:00.000-07:00

Little, Brown April 2008

My younger brother chose years ago to move from the East coast to the South; specifically, he moved to Savannah, Georgia where he practiced medicine, raised a family and lived on the edge of a swampy, wood in a large home. At first they loved Savannah but soon he found that the difference between South and East was as large as the crevices that define the Grand Canyon. Savannah was made up of people who had lived their entire lives in the South, people who distrusted Northerners, people who defined themselves by the homes they owned and the families they had come from. My brother and family soon sold their home and moved to a college town in Virginia where they were accepted.

Katie Crouch in her new work, Girls in Trucks, relates the story of Sarah Walters, a Charleston debutante, who is determined to leave behind her Camellia Society past and start anew. Crouch, a talented writer with a honest voice, moves through time and space quickly; Sarah is a college student, an aspiring writer in New York City, a woman grappling with a failed relationship. The reader moves through Sarah's experiences and roots for her to succeed. Crouch has created a character that the reader adores and understands. When tragedy brings Sarah home, it is clear that she can not run from her past; that she must accept her roots in order to become the person who she needs to be.

I can't wait for the next Katie Crouch book.

Keeper and the Kid by Ed Hardy

2008-03-22T08:11:00.000-07:00

Thomas Dunne Books/St Martin's Press(2007)

James Keeper is a man who finds himself emotionally at odds. After his marriage ends, he moves to Rhode Island to work with his best male friend selling antiques at a store called Love and Death. His girlfriend, Leah, is wonderful - smart, funny, filled with a sense of life that keeps James on his toes and passionately in love. Things seem to be going extremely well, at last.

Of course, life always throws curve balls. Keeper receives a phone call from his former mother-in-law advising him that his ex is ill and asking him to come to Boston to pick up the dog. It soon becomes clear that the dog is not a four legged animal but a two legged boy. Keeper has a son, Leo, who is now without a mother and forced to live with his inept and terrified father. Exhibiting all of the traits of a man who never wanted to or dreamed of being a father, James lets Leo eat what he wants, sleep in his clothes and bath once a week. As the relationship between father and son tenuously strengthens, Keeper's relationship with Leah ends. She can not allow this child into her life, a life that she has become comfortable with and has no intent on changing. Turning the typical genre on its head, Hardy's bad guy is the woman who can't commit to family versus the man who must.

Hardy's writing is at times poignant, at times humorous. The author succeeds when he focuses on Keeper's character arc. The author falters on story line - it is difficult, if not impossible to emphatize with many of the characters. Leah, at first likeable, becomes so disagreeable that a reader's first instinct is to put the book down and walk away. Keeper's initial inability to accept his son is offputting, if not absolutely frustrating.

Ed Hardy's writing falls into the new genre of male lit, a challenge to the chick lit genre that was huge years back. Whether or not men will actually pick up a book such as this will remain to be seen.

Sway by Zachary Lazar

2008-02-19T17:13:00.001-08:00

Little Brown, January 2008

Thank goodness for Zachary Lazar!! For awhile there I was ready to throw my book critic hat into the ring and wait for someone to stomp on it - there was a long period there where I was positive that the publishing industry was done for. Then along came Sway by Zachary Lazar. Tackling three separate story lines set in the late 1960s - the founding of the Rolling Stones, the Manson family and the strange life of filmmaker Kenneth Anger - Lazar leads the reader on a historical, emotional and physical journey that is at times unsettling but is always remarkable.

A fictionalized account of these three events, the reader enters the back halls of poverty ridden London, the mansions of the British countryside, the Laurel Canyon ranches of record producers and movie stars, the hippie commune of Manson. As each narrator takes us on a journey into the lives, both tragic and profound, we are propelled into their world, a world that we want to learn about, a world filled with freedome and a sense of absolute angst. Lazar's careful use of words adds imagery to each story - this is not simply a book we read but rather one we live. Lazar is my new hero.

The Turnaround by George Pelecanos

2008-02-19T16:57:00.000-08:00

Little Brown, August 2008

Imagine if one event in your life was so unforgettable, so unforgiveable as to define the rest of your waking days. That is the dilemma addressed in George Pelecanos' The Turnaround. Pelecanos, a writer who seems to have one of the keenest insights into the human soul, tells the story of two boys, one from the right side of the tracks and one from the wrong side of the tracks. When a prank leads the young white Greek boy into the African American side of town, a crime occurs that will mark both boys for life.

Time passes and these young men grow into adults; adults who wish to forgive and forget the past before their lives are over. This notion of redemption echoes throughout this beautifully written novel; Pelecanos takes us deep inside the lives of men who have journeyed down a path that seemed fated for each. Hailed as a mystery writer, Pelecanos, a television writer, brakes genre labels - his writing combines the human insight of Steinbeck and the keen sense of timing of Stephen King. Pelecanos is truly one of the great writers of our time.

Mata Hari by Yannick Murphy

2008-02-19T16:46:00.000-08:00

Little Brown and Company, February 2008.

Yannick Murphy, author of Signed, Mata Hari, is one of those critically acclaimed authors that most readers know nothing of. Winner of a National Endowment for the Arts grant and recipient of the MacDowell Colony Fellowship, Murphy is a literate and innovative writer who does not shy away from stories that appear difficult. In this recent release, Murphy takes on the story of the great, illusive Mata Hari, a woman of mystery and legend.

Telling the story with alternating pasts and presents, Murphy takes us into the life of Margaretha, a young woman who marries a man she does not truly love as a way to leave her family home. Margaretha is filled with dreams, hopes and a sensuality that pours from her soul; it is the sensuality that ultimately turns her life upside down. While there has always been speculation that Mata Hari was a spy, Murphy does not directly answer this question but rather shows this secretive soul stuck inside a prison where her pleas for freedom go unheard.

In breathtaking prose, Murphy illuminates a story that must be told for this story is that of every woman who has ever searched for love and been turned away, for every woman who tries to express her own desires but is tossed aside. With this work, Murphy may soon be the author everyone is talking about.

Carpool Diem by Nancy Star

2008-02-19T16:35:00.000-08:00

5 Spot, March 2008

Annie Fleming is juggling it all - work, a family, a marriage where communication has become rare. When she loses her job (a job that defines her), she soon realizes how much of her daughter's life she has missed...including her love of soccer and her desire to be a member of the best team in town, run by soccer fanatic Winslow West. Soon Annie finds herself focusing her misplaced energy towards daughter Charlotte's sport and before long she has become one of those soccer moms she always hated.

Star, a former entertainment executive, effectively captures the importance of sport in suburbia. With characters who manipulate, undermine and commit crimes to further their children's soccer careers, the author delivers a fun and honest portrayal of community in the 21st century. Check out Star's recent interview in the New York Times where she discusses how she came to write the book.

The Woman Who is Always Tan and has a Flat Stomach

2008-01-07T17:42:00.000-08:00

The Woman Who is Always Tan and has a Flat Stomach, Lauren Allison and Lisa Perry. Grand Central Publishing, March 2008.

I have to admit that I’ve stopped attending PTA functions, ceased accepting invitations to book clubs and scrapbooking parties, and have firmly decided not to attend the school gala this coming spring. Why, you may ask, have I become a hermit in my own backyard? Truth be told, it’s all the other moms; you know, the Alpha moms who never have a hair out of place, dress impeccably (even at morning drop-off) and can bake fifty cupcakes while developing a plan to end world hunger. Although I consider myself a pretty confident woman, when in the company of these perfect females, I pale and slither back into my shell. It’s easier to just stay away and hang with all the other turtles.

Lauren Allison and Lisa Perry address these annoyances and others in their humorous collection of essays, The Woman Who is Always Tan and has a Flat Stomach (Grand Central Publishing, 2008). There’s the “nutrition mom” who has a heart attack when she discovers you’ve fed your child trans fat; the “scrapbooking mom” who spends her hours documenting every action of her well manicured children; the “knitting mom” who crafts clothing out of yarn; and the woman who never gains an ounce, her stomach perpetually flat, her face always tan. Allison and Perry are not sexist in their diatribes – a good portion of the book focuses on husbands who ask or give inane instructions or the man who chooses to repaint the house right before company arrives. A light-hearted read, the book is one we can all relate to, for surely we’ve met one of these caricatures along the road.

Insightful and funny, these authors write what most of us (I’m speaking for myself here) want to say but don’t…because of course, we’re the woman who is always nice on the outside but is seething on the inside.

Midori by Moonlight

2008-01-07T17:39:00.000-08:00

Midori by Moonlight
Wendy Nelson Tokunaga
St. Martin’s Griffin, 2007

Midori Saito has always dreamed of marrying an American man; so when Kevin, an American teaching in English in Japan asks for her hand, Midori follows him to San Francisco. Unfortunately, Midori’s dream soon becomes a nightmare when Kevin breaks off the engagement, leaving her to fend for herself. In Midori by Moonlight, author Wendy Nelson Tokunaga delivers a funny, heart-warming take on the typical “fish out of water” story.

Midori, determined to stay in America, calls upon the assistance of Shinji, a friend of Kevin’s and a Japanese ex-patriate working and living in the city. Like Midori, Shinji favors American woman especially his current girlfriend, the Japan obsessed Tracy. Although Shinji offers Midori a share in his apartment, he is clear that she must pay the rent. Unable to get a job as a pastry chef (throughout the novel, Midori creates exquisite deserts and downs huge quantities of pastries), she takes a job as a hostess in a karaoke bar in Japantown: a job that humiliates her but pays the bills and does not require a green card. While the odds are clearly stacked against our heroine, she refuses to give up and soon finds that she has chosen (even in the face of difficulties) the path she was always meant to take. The fish soon finds that the American dream can be grasped by anyone determined to reach for it.

Tokunaga explores the life of an immigrant and the nature of the dream of freedom, both internally and externally, in this work. Via a plot that is certainly a chick lit format, the work delivers on its goals

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2008-01-01T17:38:00.000-08:00

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The Sinner

2007-12-25T07:51:00.000-08:00

Bitter Lemon Press, February 2008

Cora Bender, a German mother and housewife, teeters on the edge of madness in the brilliant, psychological thriller, The Sinner by bestselling German author Petra Hammesfahr. Unhappy with her marriage, unable to feel any love towards her son, Cora muddles through life as she attempts to forget a tortured past.

As Cora and family picnic at the beach, Cora becomes enraged over the sexually overt behavior of a young couple sitting next to them. Without warning, Cora attacks the male and kills him; so begins the unraveling of her past; a past which is inextricably linked to the man she has murdered. Although it is clear that Cora has committed the crime, Police Commissioner Rudolf Grovian is determined to discover why, even if it means uncovering that which Cora can not face.

Hammesfahr, considered one of the greatest German crime authors, deftly explores how our past serves to define us and how one can never truly run from what was. Lyrical prose and concise wording creates a novel that hits at one's very soul; each word is rift with meaning and purpose. This is a book created by a master of the genre - one that an American public would be wise to embrace.

ODD MOM OUT

2007-12-24T12:13:00.000-08:00

5 Spot, 9/2007

As a single mom of two, I find there are many instances where I feel like a fish out of water. Take for example the annual school fundraiser, a black tie event where everyone attends with their spouse. I've never gone as I no longer have a spouse and lack a significant other. In her new book, Odd Mom Out, author Jane Porter tells the story of Marta Zinsser, a single mom by choice, who feels like an outsider in her Seattle suburb. Like me, Marta is a working mother who can't be bothered to wear the garb of the suburban mom, doesn't get her nails done weekly and finds it hard to make time for PTA meetings. While Marta is comfortable with who she is (at least at the beginning of the book), she begins to question herself when her nine year old daughter, Eva, takes her to task for not being more like the other moms.

Porter writes for those of us who are entering (if not already there) our mid-life - a demographic that is normally ignored in the typical chic lit arena. Recognizing that we all get older (readers of books included), Porter dissects the lives of women who have succeeded in their careers but may find themselves feeling empty in their personal lives. When Marta meets the gorgeous, rich Luke (please will someone write a chic lit book with a man who is imperfect!), she must question her determination to go it alone and succumb to both the needs of her daughter and the inner desires in herself.

This is a book that is not only fun to read but one that deals with the turmoil of single mothers everywhere. Bravo Jane Porter!

Beginner's Greek

2007-12-24T12:07:00.000-08:00

Beginner's Greek by James Collins, Little Brown, January 2007

AN INTERVIEW WITH JAMES COLLINS

LC:You worked in finance and as a journalist. Now you're a novelist. How did this book come about?
JC:Going by my natural abilities and inclinations, I have always been better suited to writing fiction than to working in journalism much less in finance, so I feel as if I have sort of been moving backwards to the thing I should have been doing in the first place. But I never would have had the confidence after college just to say, “I’m going to be a novelist.”

When I was first trying to figure out what to do I thought that getting some financial experience would make practical sense and would be useful no matter what. That has proved to be true, and it was interesting, but, as anyone who knew me could see immediately, I was not cut out for a career on Wall Street. I was really lucky to have some friends who helped me make a transition to journalism, which I like a lot, even though I am most comfortable sitting by myself making stuff up.

This particular book came about after I had moved to rural Virginia and had switched from having full-time jobs in New York to just writing on my own. I had a couple of germs for a novel in my mind and I started it thinking I would write it on the side quite quickly, but I enjoyed writing it so much that it got longer and longer and more and more complicated. I’d say that the finished book is probably only sixty per cent of the original manuscript.

LC:What's your writing process?
JC; I wrote the first hundred pages or so in longhand and then switched back and forth from longhand to writing on the computer. I can’t explain why I wrote some sections one way and others in the other way. I do really like the tactile experience of using a soft pencil (no. 1, to be specific) on paper. I feel a little silly saying all this but I know that when I read interviews with writers I am always fascinated by these details—what size nib of a fountain pen they use.
I tried very hard to have a regular schedule. That’s what real novelists do, right? They work religiously every day between certain hours. But the fact was that with two small children and lots of other things of life to interfere I never could establish a set time that I could devote exclusively to writing, so I would work as long as I could whenever I had chance at all times of day and night. It was my own fault because I just never could insist that I not be disturbed. And, funnily enough, since I had worked at magazines where the phone is constantly ringing and people are constantly coming to see you while you are trying to write or edit, I think having a certain amount of activity around me was familiar and even stimulating. Also, I tried to avoid becoming dependent upon there being certain set conditions in order to write. One of the nice things about writing fiction I found was that all you need is a pencil and paper and you can work anywhere and any time, and that’s what I did.

LC: Authors you would like to meet?
JC: This could be a very, very long list, especially if I included writers of non-fiction and authors who are dead. But let’s see, here are a few living writers of fiction off the top of my head: John Updike, Philip Roth, David Lodge, Tom Wolfe, Michael Chabon, Alice Munro, Louise Erdrich, William Vollman, David Foster Wallace, Jane Smiley, Allegra Goodman, Peter Carey ….

LC: Your book is a wonderful exploration of a young man's unrequited love. Would you consider the book a member of the new genre, male lit?
JC: It’s funny, a couple of people have mentioned that they were struck by the fact that protagonist of a book like this was a man. It never occurred to me to think of that as being unusual, since it seemed to me that male heroes of love stories have always been very common. “Boy meets girl…boy loses girl…boy gets girl back” is the classic formula. So, no, I don't think of it as being part of a new genre, and, while I really like Nick Hornby, whose success started the "lad lit" trend, I actually hope my book has a bit more "lit" and a lot less "lad" than the typical one in that category.

LC: Have you ever met someone remarkable on a plane?
JC: Something like the incident in the book actually happened to me, but I knew the other person slightly and there were no romantic consequences, so it wasn't really the same. Otherwise, I find as I get older I am less shy about talking to strangers, and while I haven’t met anyone truly remarkable, I have had some enjoyable conversations. I know much more about shark-fishing and theatrical lighting and how a Dollar Store makes money than I did before, and I have gotten a look into other people’s lives, which is endlessly fascinating, no matter who they are.

LC: Future plans?
JC: I have started a new novel and have an idea for another one, so I hope to write those, while also doing some journalism, too.

REVIEW:Have any of you ever found yourself seated next to a stranger on a long airplane ride with whom you begin a conversation? Last time I flew across the country I sat next to a very pleasant college student and we had an interesting conversation about fraternities and liberal arts studies. By the time we both picked up our luggage from the baggage carousel, I knew more about this young man's back story than I could ever imagine. Author James Collins uses this type of experience as the first plot point in his forth coming book, Beginner's Greek. Peter Russell finds himself seated next to Holly, a beautiful young woman, on a cross country flight to Los Angeles. The chemistry is immediate and as they disembark, Holly hands Peter her phone number (on a page ripped from her Thomas Mann novel). In the first of many mishaps, Peter loses the number and never calls Holly as promised.

Fast forward to a couple of years later. Peter is about to marry Charlotte, a woman he is fond of but not necessarily in love with. No...the love in his heart remains with Holly. Holly who is now married to Peter's best friend, the serial cheater Jonathan. I don't want to give away the important plot points of the book but suffice it to say that life keeps the two lovers apart whereas fate ultimately brings them together. A kind of Greek comedy with a bit of tragedy thrown in, this book showcases the talent of a honest, sardonic writer who delivers a truly rewarding, entertaining read.

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming

2007-12-24T12:05:00.001-08:00

Grand Central Publishing, March 2008

I am exhausted and the reason is simple...I stayed up all night unable to put down Joshilyn Jackson's forthcoming book, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming.

Laurel is a mother and wife who lives in a beautiful home in a gated Florida community with her husband, David and daughter, Shelby. Her present is altogether different than her past: one that includes the Southern town of DeLop, a poverty, drug stricken town where her relatives still reside. One evening, Laurel awakes to find a ghostly female figure hovering above her (Laurel has a history of seeing ghosts) and follows the figure down to the pool where she is startled to find the dead body of Molly, Shelby's friend. This discovery propels Laurel to reach out to her estranged, bohemian sister, Thalia, a young woman who lives for drama and chaos. Together Laurel and Thalia will face the past they have tried so hard to run from while solving the mystery of the present.

In Jackson's adept hands, the character of Laurel is rich and complex: refusing to see the truth behind family secrets and the reality of her own life, Laurel is foibled and true. Thalia has such depth and strength that one can actually visualize her, right down to her bizarre clothing choices and marriage to a gay man. The nature of family and the fear of disclosure runs under the entire book - who are we? Are we simply a compendium of all of those who have come before or can we ever really wash away our history? As the book comes to its spectacular finish (one that couldn't be seen), the reader can only wish that Jackson will hurry up and finish her next book. This is one of the best books to come across our office desk in quite awhile.

Seeing Me Naked

2007-12-02T12:39:00.001-08:00

5 Spot, January 2008

I've loved Liza Palmer's writing since I read Conversations with the Fat Girl. In her forthcoming 5 Spot release, Seeing me Naked, Palmer again addresses the issue of outward appearance, only this time the focus is on a young woman from an extraordinarily high profile family. Elisabeth Page, a pastry chef, is the daughter of famed author Ben Page and literary man of the day Rascal Page. In the glare of their spotlights, Elisabeth feels inadequate; she can never be good enough for her father or heroice enough for her brother. Not only is she stuck working crazy hours at the hottest restaurant in LA, she is stuck in a relationship with Will, a childhood friend who simply can't commit to anything other than his journalism. When she is presented with a great job opportunity and meets Daniel Sullivan, a basketball coach, Elisabeth must let go of all the pretense, shed her "clothing" and allow herself to appear naked, flaws and all. Once this occurs, her transformation will allow her to move on with her life.

Palmer writes with humor and warmth, bringing the reader in to the story quickly and creatively with each word. We are meant to like these characters and we do...they are us, struggling with family, with the desire and search for happiness in love and career and faltering as we go. At its heart a story of family and the fact that love can truly conquer all.

Go Welsh!

2007-08-24T17:27:00.001-07:00

Visit our main site at www.literaturechick.com to learn more about Welsh authors! Our Welsh fest starts this week!!

Sister Mine

2007-08-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

Sister Mine by Tawni O'Dell (Shaye Areheart Books, 2007)

Author Tawni O'Dell weaves an incredibly moving story in her newest book, Sister Mine. Protagonist Shae-Lynn Penrose, a former cop with a dysfunctional childhood, drives a cab in the town of Jolly Mount while dressed to the nines in miniskirts and a pink Cowboy hat. Jolly Mount is a coal mining town that has been plagued by its past - one filled with mine accidents including the highly publicized survival of the Jolly Mount Five.

Dealing with her own demons, Shae-Lynn is the town caregiver, whether it be as sole parent to her son, Clay, as confidante to her best friend and love interest E.J., or the mother to her younger sister, Shannon, who flew the coop 18 years previous. When Shannon suddenly reappears, pregnant and reticent to explain her situation, Shae-Lynn is thrown into an almost comedic series of events. She finds herself trying yet again to save her sister, only this time it's from a rich New York woman who claims to have paid for the baby, an attorney who has a sordid relationship with Shannon and a Russian who isn't afraid to fight for what he believes is his. As Shae-Lynn bravely confronts the reality of her sister's life, she is forced to also look at her own past and come to terms with a slew of family secrets that will no longer remain buried.Filled with numerous plot lines, O'Dell manages to deliver a story that makes sense; one where each plot leads to the same end - the transformation of Shae-Lynn. The use of details about coal mining and the dangers miners face add an element of truth which allows the reader to feel empathy for these men. Shae-Lynn is a woman defined by her surroundings and yet has overcome the hardships she has faced - she is a heroine. In O'Dell's skilled hands, this story is one that you will remember.

2007-08-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

It's summer - time to take a breather, enjoy the weather, check out the hotties at the beach and enjoy some fun books. For the next couple of weeks, Lit Chick is going to focus on some great summer reads. The first of these is Zoey Dean's (of The A-List Series fame) new novel for adults, How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls (Warner Books, July 2007).

Our heroine, Yale graduate and wanna-be-journalist Meghan Smith, slaves away at a tabloid magazine dreaming of grander pastures. After a terrible day at the office, Meghan finds herself being fired at the same time her boss (think Anna Wintour meets Bonnie Fuller) offers her a new job opportunity - as the tutor of the Baker heiresses of Palm Beach, Florida. Without any other job prospects on the horizon, Meghan leaves the city and her boyfriend, James, for the grandeur that is Les Anges, an estate owned by Laurel Limoges, grandmother to Sage and Rose Baker. Laurel, unhappy with the way her granddaughters have turned out, wants Meghan to help them graduate from prep school, pass the SATs and get into college; if Meghan succeeds, Laurel will pay her a sum large enough to cover all her debts.From the beginning, Meghan is a fish out of water and perfect fodder for the cruelty of the twins. With the help of some fairy godmothers, Meghan soon discovers that the only way she'll survive and succeed is by becoming just like her pupils - knowledgeable about Dior and fluent in the ways of the rich. Along the way Meghan learns more from her students than she ever imagined, discovers the man of her dreams and finds the career she always wanted (don't worry I am not giving anything away here).Dean manages to deliver a story that is both contemporary and moral - don't judge a book by its cover for you're sure to be fooled every time. Although the journey that Meghan makes in the book is unique, the tale is not. Each one of us have been challenged, each one of us have had a dream that seems difficult to obtain, each one of us have made rash judgments that prove to be misplaced. This is ultimately a story about transformation. This is a book that is shear, unadulterated fun!

Welsh Fest!!

Get prepared for our upcoming Welsh Book Fest Online...check out some of these amazing books by Welsh poets:The Blue Book - Owen Sheers (Seren Books)Skirrid Hill - Owen Sheers (Seren Books)Arab York - Landeg White (Parthian Books/DuFour Editions)Imperium - Hilary Davies (Enitharmon/DuFour Editions)Misappropriations - Jasmine Donahaye (Parthian/DuFour Editions)These are some of the authors we will be discussing come September.Books are the bomb!

Also check out The Ex Files: Women, Litigation and Liberty (Adams Media, 2006) available at amazon.com (exfilesbook.com)

2007-08-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

Riley Weston's Before I Go is an incredibly moving tale of the relationship between a mother and daughter, a young adult and her first love, and the act of letting go in the face of tragedy. Literature Chick cried for the entire final 40 pages! This is a book in the spirit of The Notebook, one that you will remember for along time after you finish the final line. The book recently won accolades at the New York Book Festival. Riley took some time out to talk to us.

LC: Your new book, Before I Go, deals with the love between a mother and daughter. Does this come from your own personal history?

RW: My relationship with my mom is wonderful, and we’re extremely close. Probably too close! She is my biggest support and my best friend. However, I will be the first to admit I was not the easiest kid! So the trouble between Annie and Madison in before i go did come from a little of our history.

LC: What influenced the plot of the book and why?

RW: The entire plot, start to finish, happened in a dream. Two in the morning until just after five in the morning. I saw every moment, every scene, and heard every line of dialogue. It was written as a script first, and then later a book.

LC: You are also an actress - which is your first love?

RW: This is the most difficult question!! If I absolutely had to pick, I would lean towards acting, as that’s how I started out. I do think one of the reasons why I not only love to write, but why my works comes out the way it does, is due to my acting. I love disappearing into characters. Thankfully, I’ve found a good balance to be able to do both…and throw in another hyphen or two with my singing and television and script writing! Whoops. Maybe that’s three hyphens!

LC: Who are some of the writers that influence you?

RW: I really am not influenced by writers. For me, it’s more…I’m a fan of their work. I love to read Jodi Picoult, Anita Shreve, Nicholas Sparks, Wally Lamb and some classics.

LC: I have to ask it so here goes...way back when you were embroiled in a tricky situation when it was discovered that you were not the age you portrayed yourself as. Do you think Hollywood discriminates based on age? What has that experience taught you?

RW: I do think some people in Hollywood do discriminate against age. I also think they discriminate against people when it comes to a chosen sexuality, hair or eye color, height, weight…you name it! Being in the entertainment industry has taught me a few things. You have to not listen to the negative people and press, because in the end, talent and inevitably, success, will always win. And that feeling, for me, is definitely worth all the other stuff! I also realized I am far stronger and more determined than I thought I was. And lastly, the experience taught me to always remember…we’re in the business of entertaining! There are much greater worries out there in the world than how old a certain actress is, or what sexuality a certain director is, or are they or aren’t they real on a certain singer!

LC: What is your favorite book and why?

RW: This is a hard one, as I don’t really have a favorite. I love the works of the authors I mentioned above. If I had to pick one and only one, I would before i go! Even if i hadn’t written it, I love the meaning in it. It encompasses everything I think we, at any age and every age, think about and want: the unconditional love of a family member, and finding that one true love of a lifetime.

LC: Future plans?

RW: There are a few!! I’m acting whenever I can. I have a television movie I wrote that is currently shooting. It’s called “The Black Widow” and will be airing on Lifetime. GoTV Networks just filmed a television pilot presentation I wrote and produced called “Being Bailey.” That is going to be airing on the internet, cell phones and now, potentially on television! I also have a feature film called “Stay” that is heading into pre-production soon. And lastly, my personal favorite project! “Before I Go” just won it’s second award, so that’s incredibly exciting. I am now talking to production companies about making it into a feature film…and I would play Madison.

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2007-08-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

2007-08-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

2007-08-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to tell you about a truly wonderful book - Grub by author Elise Blackwell (Toby Press, 2007). In a funny and heartwarming way, Blackwell relates the story of a group of writer friends traversing the difficulties faced by artists in the world of publishing. Based on the book New Grub Street by George Gissing, this well-written character filled book will keep you up all night finishing and keep you talking about it for some time to come. Honestly, this is one of the best books I have read in quite some time both in its honesty, humor and storytelling. Literature Chick puts Grub on the top of our must read novels...lucky for us the author took some time out to answer our questions.

An Interview with Elise Blackwell

LC: Your book, Grub, focuses on a group of writers struggling with their art and the marketplace. Further it is based upon New Grub Street. Tell us a bit about the decision to write a book on this topic.

EB: When I read New Grub Street, I was struck by how timely its critique of the literary marketplace remains. I wanted all writers to read it immediately—to learn from it and take refuge and pleasure in its company. Yet despite its ongoing currency, the Gissing novel is dated in several ways (including in its plotting of the fortunes of its female characters) and is quite dense in places. So I thought: wouldn’t it be fun to update it with a focus on the today’s marketplace for literary fiction? It’s also the case that I was feeling a tad bitter about that marketplace, some for myself (I was struggling with reactions to The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish, a novel I wrote before Hurricane Katrina and was compelled by circumstances to revise) but more so for several of my friends who are wonderful writers either going unpublished or being roughed up by their publishing experiences. I wanted to bite back a little, to write a fun novel while also offering a real critique of some of the publishing industry’s business practices and the way some writers allow those practices to harm their work and even their lives. Writing Grub permitted me to vent my frustration without becoming like one of its characters. It also provided a venue to make fun of my own novels, both the published ones and the unfinished.

LC: Each chapter is told from a different character's perspective. Why did you decide to execute the book in this way?

EB: The novel’s structure follows the original fairly closely. While Gissing’s point-of-view system is more omniscient than my closer third-person, New Grub Street does rotate its attention among the primary characters. I don’t follow Gissing’s sequence to the letter, but I’m not far off. This decision wasn’t blind retelling, though; I wanted the novel to trace a variety of writers’ trials and fortunes, to present a spectrum of writers’ approaches and outcomes. Each character has a different relationship to the literary marketplace.

LC: You have a wonderful sense of character and plot. Tell us about your writing process.

EB: Thank you for saying that. For so many of us, writing begins with an interest in people—who they are, how they’re different, and how those differences (combined with luck) play out across time. Yet plot is sometimes a challenge for me because my real joy in writing happens at the level of word and image. With Grub, the initial drafting was made easier because I was working from a blueprint. While the specifics of my characters and their fates vary from those of New Grub Street, I kept the basic types. The character of Jackson Miller is my vision of who Gissing’s Jasper Milvain would be if he were writing novels in the twenty-first century, and so forth. But I wanted my characters to be more than types, and I hope that they are. And of course I had to update the plot to account for the availability of divorce, the fact that women’s lives are no longer dominated by inheritance, etc., but I try to at least nod to each of the plot turns in New Grub Street. I didn’t want Eddie Renfros to die literally, but he does die as a novelist. The joke for me is that writing from an outline (sort of)—something some of my characters champion while others sneer at it—did indeed make for a quicker write. Grub is the longest of my three published novels, while it took the shortest time to write. In months, anyway, though not necessarily hours; I found that I was able to work on it many more hours per day than much of my other work, in part because it was just plain fun.

LC: What do you see as the most difficult part of being a writer?

EB: For me, there are several difficulties. When I was younger, discipline was hard, and I had to train myself to sit alone in a room for enough hours and days to write an entire book and to find enough pleasure in it to do it knowing that it might never be read by others. On top of that, most writers work day jobs; I have had a job (often more than one) since I was a kid. That’s part of the territory, though, and we (excepting a few characters in Grub) know it going in. And so I believe the most difficult part of being a writer is producing what we hope is “art” in a culture that isn’t particularly interested. My greatest heroes are those who work in art forms with even smaller audiences than most novelists, including the poets that some of my more sinister characters are so hard on. I feel sad to imagine what it would be like to be born with the talent and inclination to compose classical music. Or to be Henry Baffler, the committed experimental novelist in Grub.

LC: Who are your greatest influences and why?

EB: I have always read widely, both fiction and poetry, both old and new. Michael Ondaatje has been a major influence. I have enjoyed moving through his novels in the order he wrote them, as he moved from more impressionistic, collage-type novels to his more recent novels, which are equally brilliant and beautifully drawn yet are more conventional in plot and structure. My favorite writer lately is W. G. Sebald—for his language, his ideas, his structural daring, his blending of fact and fiction, and, ultimately, his worldview. Obviously George Gissing is the major influence on Grub, which is very different from my first two novels.

LC: If you weren't a writer, you would be....

EB: A small farmer and orchard keeper. When I was fresh out of graduate school, I had the opportunity to live on about twenty acres and began to raise fruits and vegetables, including some fairly exotic ones. I miss that life, right down to the huge compost pile. I love the idea of playing music or painting, but I lack the talent. I’m also attracted to any occupation that offers international travel; I love to spend time in other countries.

It's summer - time to take a breather, enjoy the weather, check out the hotties at the beach and enjoy some fun books. For the next couple of weeks, Lit Chick is going to focus on some great summer reads. The first of these is Zoey Dean's (of The A-List Series fame) new novel for adults, How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls (Warner Books, July 2007).

Dean manages to deliver a story that is both contemporary and moral - don't judge a book by its cover for you're sure to be fooled every time. Although the journey that Meghan makes in the book is unique, the tale is not. Each one of us have been challenged, each one of us have had a dream that seems difficult to obtain, each one of us have made rash judgments that prove to be misplaced. This is ultimately a story about transformation. This is a book that is shear, unadulterated fun!

Welsh Fest!!

2007-07-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

Interview with Anita Amirrezvani, Author of The Blood of Flowers (Little Brown, June 2007)

Interview with Eduardo Santiago, Author of Tomorrow They Will Kiss (Little Brown, 2006)

In a beautiful debut novel, author Anita Amirrezvani takes the reader back in time to 17th century Iran to tell the story of a fourteen year old girl caught between the history of tradition and her talent as a rug designer. An engrossing and entertaining read, the novel illuminates and brings to life a time and place unknown to most of us. The author took some time out to talk with Literature Chick.

LT: You were a journalist - why write a novel?

AA: Journalism is fast-paced and immediate, while a novel requires an intense and sustained effort. The approaches are so different that in some ways, they are quite complementary. When I was writing about the arts, I enjoyed the speed and the instant gratification of daily journalism. When I went home at night to work on my novel, I had to stretch my skills in another direction. It takes a different part of the brain to develop characters over time, to create a viable plot, and to immerse readers in an unfamiliar historical period. And patience! The key is endless and enduring patience as you get deeper and deeper into your book.

LT: What was the primary impetus to writing a historical fiction work such as The Blood of Flowers?

AA: Before I started to develop the plot, one of my main concerns was to provide a more nuanced view of Iran than we normally see in news headlines. Many people probably think of Iran solely in terms of the 1980 hostage crisis and now, the nuclear issue. For nearly thirty years, the United States and Iran have not had diplomatic relations, which means that knowledge of each other at an ordinary, human level has steadily decreased. After so many years of blackout, I thought people might be interested in learning things that go beyond the politics of the moment. After all, Iranian culture has been around for thousands of years, and that’s what will endure into the future. In my book, I focus on typical traditions like the craft of carpet-making and the art of storytelling to provide a broader view of the people and the place.

LT: The book takes place in 17th century Isfahan - what type of research did you do to insure accuracy?

AA: I went to Isfahan twice while I was writing the book to visit the buildings that I describe in my novel. The great square where much of the action takes place, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, has a beautiful palace, historically important mosques, and an extensive bazaar, which are much loved by locals and tourists. Isfahan also has beautiful bridges, outdoor teahouses, ancient fire-temples, and long tree-lined avenues. Naturally, I took photos so that I could remind myself of the exact details when the time came to write about them. Back at home, one of my great pleasures was to spend time reading about the seventeenth century. Shah Abbas, who ruled for more than forty years, had a scribe named Eskandar Monshi who wrote an extensive chronicle about his reign. My book is not particularly tied to historical events, but Monshi’s account gave me insights into the way that the people of the period, especially powerful men, thought about things. I also consulted many art books, such as Arthur Upham Pope and Phyllis Ackerman’s Survey of Persian Art, which has extensive photos of Iranian architecture, paintings, textiles, coins, carpets, and so on. I used these massive tomes to help me paint an accurate picture of the art of the seventeenth century.

LT: Your female characters ring true. Were they based upon actual people?

AA: No, but they are based on actual situations that female characters might have faced during the time period. My heroine, for example, expects to get married at the age of fourteen, like most of her friends and her relatives. That was typical in Iran until fairly recently. My grandmother, who was born in 1910, married at fourteen, and her daughter, who was born in 1933, did the same. Today, the average age of marriage in Iran for women is 23, according to government statistics, while in the United States it is 25.

LT: What part did your own background play in the writing of the book?

AA: Probably the most important thing is that my daily experiences with my Iranian family are reflected in the book. What I mean by that is that I have incorporated typical practices -- dining habits, expressions, marriage customs, celebrations -- so that people get a sense of what life might have been like for an Iranian family. However, the main characters and the plot are wholly invented.

LT: It took you many years to research and finish the novel. Did you ever want to give up? What drove you to finish?

AA: Since it was impossible to know whether I’d ever sell my book, I ascribe my persistence to the role that the book had in my everyday life. Generally, we are all subject to the demands of people around us, in particular our bosses at work and our families, and we have to work within those frameworks. While writing my book, I enjoyed an imaginative freedom that was not possible elsewhere in my life. Even when I was stuck, tired, or disappointed, I always returned to my writing because it was one of the few places where I could proceed entirely as I wished. I didn’t tell anyone close to me that I was working on a novel for about five years, and this gave me additional liberty to develop it as I saw fit.

LT: The characters tell stories in the book. Tell us a bit about these stories - where do they come from? Their allegorical nature?

AA: When I was writing my book, it occurred to me that although Westerners are familiar with European tales collected by the Brothers Grimm, as well as with the Greek and Roman myths and with A Thousand and One Nights, Iranian oral culture as such is little known to the general American public. There are seven tales in my novel, some of which come from sources that are about a thousand years old. I wrote the first and the last tales myself because I needed stories that matched the arc of the plot. As for as the allegorical nature of the stories, I chose them carefully and changed them as needed in order to reflect the heroine’s emotional development.

LT: What are your future plans?

AA: A second book, naturally. It’s not a sequel, but it will continue my explorations into Iranian history. Recently, I’ve noticed a surge of non-fiction books on medieval leaders such as Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, but to my surprise, there have been few novels on pre-modern Iranian movers and shakers, and even fewer on powerful women. That’s fertile terrain for the novelist, and I’m happy that there’s so much rich material to enjoy and to share.

Interview with author Eduardo Santiago, author of Tomorrow They Will Kiss(Little Brown, 2006)

LC: Tell us a bit about how growing up in Cuba and then Miami has influenced your writing.

ES: I lived in Cuba until I was nine years old, after that we spent some time in Madrid, Spain, then we moved to Los Angeles. I spent all my summers with my aunt in Miami. But leaving Cuba physically was not the same as leaving Cuba emotionally. My childhood memories remained very vivid. There are a lot of factual events in my novel that seemed unreal to me, maybe because they were filtered through a child’s eyes. Those memories nagged at me until I discovered a way to put them down, as creatively as possible, into my novel.

LC: Do you consider yourself a multi cultural writer?

ES: Absolutely, I still have my Cuban passport (although it’s not valid), and very strong ties to the Cuban community, both in the U.S. and back in Cuba. But I live an American life. Although I am fully bilingual, I mostly speak English in my daily life, even with my siblings and my Cuban friends. In my writing, I always try to bring both experiences together, as I have done in Tomorrow They Will Kiss. I don’t think I would know how to write from just one side of the Florida Straits.

LC: Where you influenced by women in your life? You write with such understanding and knowledge of female character.

ES: I don’t think the women in my life knew how profoundly they were influencing me. My aunts were just all very colorful and outspoken. They were natural storytellers who had opinions about everything and weren’t reluctant to express themselves. So they handed me a large palette of color that I can now use when I write the way a painter would use colors. None of my characters are based on any one woman, they all composites of women both here in the U.S. and some who stayed behind in Cuba.

LC: How long did it take to write this first novel?

ES: All in all about a year and a half. Including about a dozen rewrites. This novel, once I got the idea, practically wrote itself, and as soon as it was finished, Michael Mezzo who at the time was an editor at Little, Brown and Co. approached me and I sold it – before it even went out to other publishers. But the way I looked at it, when Little, Brown and Co. says they want you, what are you going to do? Wait for a better offer? Our relationship has been wonderful so far, just supportive as any first time author could want.

LC: Why the telenovela element in the book?

ES: Telenovelas were always a huge part of our family life. In Cuba they were on the radio, that was in the 50’s. Here they are on tv, every single night, so even though I didn’t sit down and watch them with my parents, they were always background music. So it was inevitable that they would find their way into my work. Even now, my parents watch three a night, five nights a week. If they’re bad they watch them so they can rag on them, if they’re good they watch them because they love them. Basically, they’re addicts. But in Tomorrow They Will Kiss what I tried to do, and I hope I accomplished, was to give readers an understanding of how important telenovelas have been to the immigrants and exiles. How they connect them go each other in a country where they feel so disconnected.

LC: Does the novel's title have double meaning - i.e. freedom of Cuba?

ES: Yes! Not just double, but multiple. I actually expected my publisher to ask for a different title, but they never suggested it, not once. I know writers that have to submit lists of titles. But was always Tomorrow They Will Kiss. I don’t want to tell you what all the meanings are because I think part of the fun of reading the book is to find out for yourself. But, yes, the title was chosen very carefully to convey a multitude of meanings.

LC: What would you say is one of the key problems with the identity of Cuban Americans?

ES: Well, when this novel takes place we were all very new to this country, and our identity was much more in question than it is today. Also, we must keep in mind that back in the 60’s we expected our exile to be much more temporary than it turned out to be. Now that we’ve been here such a long time, and many of us expect to be here for the rest of ouir lives, it’s not really a problem. Personally, I enjoy having one foot here and one foot there. I’m Cuban-American, but Cuban first. I’m very clear on that.

LC: Is this book a commentary on the nature of immigration in America?

ES: I don’t think so. Certainly, that was not my main intention. Although from what I hear from people who’ve read the novel, it’s definitely a key ingredient. I was much more concerned with the nature of friendship and how often good intentions go awry. When I was writing this novel I was much more focused on how sometimes the people who claim to love you and care for you will often hold you back – and what it takes to break away and become your own person, live your dream, follow your destiny.

LC: Do you consider yourself a political person?

ES: Only in the sense that I am constantly horrified, saddened and baffled by the choices and decisions of world leaders. So I try to take a long view of the world, which keeps me from being too much of a reactionary. Has there always been terrorism, injustice, senseless poverty, tyranny, political dishonesty and gut-wrenching suffering in the world? Yes! Has there been some progress since the Middle Ages? Yes. My faith remains with the individual – and so I do vote and I try to live responsibly. In spite of all this chaos I try to carve out a little corner for myself where I can live out my days with some dignity and (increasing) sanity. And I try to surround myself with people, who, if the ship sinks, will be willing to be on the life raft with me. That’s about as political as I get. I read the papers, I watch the news, I cringe, shudder, and I grab my two-year old niece, Olivia, and go get some ice cream and try to make her feel safe.

Eliot Fintushel is Cool!

2007-06-19T13:14:00.000-07:00

Author Eliot Fintushel’s book, Breakfast With the Ones You Love(Bantam Spectra, 2007) is at times a science fiction adventure complete with a quirky, beautiful heroine named Lea and at times a spiritual book about Judaic mysticism complete with a hero, Jack, who is one of the Chosen. Either way, this new release from the acclaimed short story writer will leave readers feeling moved, educated and entertained. Fintushel took some time to talk with Literature Chick.

LT: Did you always know you would be a writer?

EF: As a child, I wrote passionately, and I imagined that I would be a writer someday. In my early teens I typed a novel called SEDUCTION OF THE VOID, cover decorated with blood from a pierced thumb. I actually did submit it to two or three publishers and very deservedly got my rejection slips. At some point, though, I gave up on the project of being a writer, and I decided to become enlightened instead. I think that I imagined that I would disappear and merge into the universe in a kind of a puff of green smoke. I did all kinds of very extreme practices to that end--and I still do one or two of them. I practiced Zen at a big center for many years and actually did discover something. Then I became a performer of mask and mime theater, did very well at it, wrote material for myself and for ensembles I worked with. The great thing about performing is that the audience tells you at once what's good and what's not, moment by moment by moment--if you know how to listen. With writing, it may be months, if ever, before you know. When I moved from New York to California, I left all my theater contacts behind, so I figured I'd better find a way of making a living that didn't depend on location. For that reason, I started writing. Someone had told me that genre markets were the easiest to break into, so I wrote science fiction stories at the rate of about one every ten days. I sent them out practically before the ink was dry, and when they came back, I sent them out again. At the end of a year, I was selling lots of them to big magazines and making two or three thousand bucks a year at it. Part 2 of my plan was, on the basis of a track record selling short stories, to start selling novels to some big publishing house. That part has taken me about fifteen years. Meanwhile, I've managed to stay alive by doing performance art and children's shows, teaching improvisation, playing the theremin on street corners, and writing articles and reviews for this or that magazine.

LT: Why the genre of science fiction and the sub genre of Judaic writing?

EF: I write science fiction partly because it's the most easily salable, but also because it suits my wild mind to do so. Mostly, however, my fiction is not so much science fiction as metaphysical fiction--what can happen between seeing a thing and knowing its name, for example, or between waking and knowing (or believing you know) who you are. Not infrequently, I have received hate mail from sci-fi fans who are upset that such stuff has been allowed to seep into their magazines. I have written some straight-ahead literary fiction, one short for The Ohio Review, before it folded. I write Judaic stuff because I know it, I grew up in it, and I have a deep and abiding fondness for the culture. When I was a child, all the grownups were from Eastern Europe and spoke Yiddish. To write or cut paper on Saturday was frowned upon. Once, I hid under the bed, fearful that the Jewish police would come knocking because I had eaten a little milchik after fleishik. I still soulfully sing Yiddish opera ditties in the shower, plus much of Moishe Oisher's cantorial repertoire for the High Holidays and S'lichot.

LT: Breakfast With the Ones You Love deals with the nature of identity, spirituality and family all tied up in a complex, off the wall story. Where did the idea come from? The character of Lea? Of Jack/Yid?

EF: Well, I guess I just have the sort of a mind that takes things to infinity--just my natural bent. Couple years ago I memorized Revelation, that horrendous, immoral, vicious, disgusting--and most Jewish, alas!--of the New Testament books, added masks and some songs in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, and toured it across the states and in Canada, a wild one-man show. So BREAKFAST's Messianic spaceship is just par for the course for me. You think this is off-the-wall? You should check out my short stories (www.fintushel.com/stories_page.htm) because you ain't seen nuttin' yet. Jack is an idealized me--well, a piece of me, and, possibly, Lea is my sister Mollie, hard on the outside, sweet and soft inside. When I read parts of my book these days, I confess that it makes me cry, and it's Lea's voice that does it to me. Where did she come from, really? I don't know. But she moves me. A gift.

LT: The nature of Kabbalah and Judaic mysticism is vital to the plot of the book; do you practice either?

EF: No. Occultism, Jewish or otherwise, is a disease of the mind, a defect. However, I believe very deeply in art, and even more deeply in the importance of meditation, not to mystify, but to clarify. This world is such a wonder altogether, what silliness to go invent exotic fabulations, mystic gestures at the mirror--excepting, consciously, as Art. I am a good and thorough Jewish atheist.

LT: Much of your writing is for young adults, this book seems to have an older demographic - would you agree?

EF: I don't think I've ever written anything for young adults, actually, although I wrote a few children's stories for Pitspopany Press. I never had YA in mind in writing this book, but, in hindsight, the YA appeal is clear. After all, it's the coming of age story of a young woman--how she learns to love (herself and everybody). Still, some pretty complex and sophisticated notions are batted about, there are a lot of sly references and subtextual cavorting going on--let's hope that that makes it the kind of a book that one can read at fifteen and then profitably revisit at fifty.

LT: The notion of salvation seems to weave throughout the work - would you agree?

EF: Salvation, in a religious sense, is at issue everywhere in the book, yes, but it functions only as metaphor for a very much simpler, psychological process. There is no Olam Habaa but this world of ours. The only salvific thing I know of is the melting/opening/remembering of which each of us is capable right now, and the redemption of evil by awareness of it--which is the main point of the angels' ritual inquisition of Jack near the very end, before he is allowed to enter the supernal realm with the rest of his tribe--not to give away too much, I hope . . .

LT: If you were not a writer, would you be a Rabbi?

EF: I do not think of myself as a writer, although I certainly write. I'm not trying to be cute--it's just that I do a lot of things, and when the Muse, if any, bops me, I'm as likely to play the theremin or to dance or to improvise a scene as I am to write. As to being a Rabbi . . . well, when I was a young teenager, I wanted to go to a Yeshiva to become a rabbi or a cantor, but now that I know myself a little better, I'm quite sure that I would not have endured it, and that I would have caused myself and everyone else a lot of sorrow on my way to getting out of there. Except as culture, as art, I'm not fond of any religion. I feel that it's very seriously questionable whether what good religions do is worth the horrific evil of the attendant magnification of ethnocentrism--medieval Crusades, Biblical wars of conquest on the desert, et cetera, et cetera, et bloody cetera.

LT: Do you find that the life of a writer is a difficult one?

EF: Difficult?? Difficult?? What could be difficult about doing what you love and getting paid for it? Of course, it's necessary to learn not to want anything much that you haven't already got, because, by and large, there's little dough in writing, but that's a knack easy to acquire for folks who, above all, love to dream and to wordsmith.

LT: What are your future plans? new book?

EF: I want to play all of Debussy's chamber and piano works on my theremin for lots and lots of people.

2007-05-28T10:02:00.001-07:00

Birdie Clark's Because She Can (Warner Books, 2007)

The recent brouhaha over the firing of Judith Regan, President of Regan Books, a division of Harper Collins, has left the media wondering what really went on behind the scenes. Did media mogul fire Regan over the O.J. Simpson debacle (the book and interview)? Or was the firing due to Regan's anti-semitic comments to member of the Harper Collins staff? Regan, a controversial figure from the start, was fodder for a ton of rumors; staff members came and went unable to handle her difficult behavior while she continued to develop and sell best-selling books. Was she a woman misunderstood or a woman in search of fame, no matter how she could obtain it?

In Bridie Clark's new release, Because She Can, editor Claire Truman goes to work for a beast of a boss, the publishing giant and tyrant, Vivian Grant. Grant, is the head of Grant Publishers, a division of a larger company; as such she has sold more best-sellers than any other publisher in the country. Claire, in search of more money and the ability to find great authors, naively ignores all the warnings about Grant and takes on a job with the company. Things go spectaculary well for a bit, until Grant loses her cool and her vampire teeth come out. Determined to hold on for a year and reluctant to leave her newest author in a lurch, Claire deals with the abuse.In the midst of her work nightmare, Claire falls hard for her college crush, the rich and gorgeous Randall. Randall is all she has ever dreamed of and although things are lacking (no communication) in their relationship, she sticks it out.

Claire is a main character much like alot of us - we deny the reality in front of our eyes and talk ourselves into staying when we should be walking out the door. Claire will only come to realize what is truly important when she opens her eyes.Clark, a former editor at an unnamed publishing house, has written a fun, readable book. A quick read, the reader will wonder if there is a measure of truth to the tale of this very hostile work environment or if Clark is simply pulling from recent headlines. Either way, you'll cheer Claire on.

The Continuity Girl by Leah McLaren (Warner 5 Spot, April 2007)

On every movie shoot there is a person who is known as the continuity expert or the script supervisor. This person, usually a woman, must be exceptionally detail oriented as she has to insure that every take matches the previous one, that the small aspects (i.e. taking a sip of water, wearing a certain pair of shoes) are consistent. In Leah McLaren’s The Continuity Girl, Meredith Moore is the ultimate continuity girl; she lives her life on the straight and narrow, never moving off course...that is until her biological clock begins ticking loudly. As her 35th birthday approaches, she realizes that the one thing she really wants is a baby, not necessarily a husband, and so with the focus she uses on her job she begins to shop for the perfect sperm donor.

Although the plot line is not unique, McLaren has created a group of interesting characters that are funny, real and honest. Meredith’s best friend Mish has just miscarried, having created a fetus with sperm from her gay roommate. Meredith’s substitute gynecologist is the gorgeous Dr. Veil, a man that ultimately holds our heroine’s heart. Meredith’s mother, Irma, is an award winning poet who lives in a filthy London flat with no food in the fridge.

When Meredith loses her job on a Toronto film set, she moves to London to work on the elusive Osmond Crouch’s new film. In London, she meets a slew of men from the German artist to the bird obsessed Barnaby, but none seem right as sperm donor. When Dr. Veil comes to Europe to start fertility treatments for the star of the Crouch’s movie, he and Meredith fall hard and quick for one another. Soon, Meredith learns that life, unlike the movies, has its constant ups and downs, its total surprises.

McLaren writes in a style that is both insightful and humorous. The story is related in a way that is visual; we feel like we have stepped inside Osmond’s Italian villa, we know what Irma looks like. It is the author’s ability with words that makes the story a fun, compelling read.

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