Beautiful Malice

Having met Rebecca James through the wonderful world of writing blogs, I was more than a little excited to get my hands on a copy of her book. It didn't disappoint. James kept me turning the pages from the beginning. She had an interesting premise, peopled with unique characters who jumped off the page.

Katherine Patterson's secret lies at the heart of this story. She buries her past and begins anew by changing her name and moving to a new city, but eventually her past catches up with her. Her baby sister, Rachel, was tragically and violently murdered, and Katherine bears the burden of guilt, believing it was her fault. When Alice--beautiful and popular--befriends Katherine, she starts to think life can be normal and lets her guard down. But Alice has a secret too.

The story unfolds in terrifying ways, and although I guessed Alice's secret halfway through, it didn't deter me from reading faster to find out how it all ended.

Beautiful Malice explores the dark side of friendship, and although I haven't experienced a relationship this toxic, I could definitely identify with the familiar feeling of unease that Alice creates throughout. I highly recommend this psychological thriller. You can pick up a copy of Beautiful Malice in hardback on Amazon or in paperback here. Enjoy!

Reading Bees

Caroline Smailes' Like Bees to Honey was a haunting, thought-provoking look at one mother's struggle with the loss of her child. The book follows Nina Robinson, a woman born in Malta, who left to attend college in England, where she found love, but also loss. Nina falls pregnant while unmarried and in college, disgracing her traditional Maltese Catholic family, so her father shuns her. When she returns years later with her husband and young son, hoping for a reprieve, the family disowns her, unable to forgive her for shaming them.

After years of estrangement from her family, Nina returns to the island to deal with the recent death of her mother and to finally release her dead son, Christopher. Feeling like she has lost everything--her son, her mother, her culture--she almost loses herself to the vivid spirit world surrounding her. In a hilarious and refreshing turn, Jesus arrives--in the form of a beer-swilling, toenail-painting island rockstar--and guides her back from the brink by helping her understand her guilt over Christopher's death so she can forgive herself. A colorful cast of characters from the spirit world support Jesus in this mission to save Nina, including my favorites: Tilly, an angry, foul-mouthed ghost with unresolved issues, and Elena, Nina's aunt who also left the island for love.

As in previous novels, Smailes plays around with language and visual text to good effect. Rather than distracting, these elements add to the building narrative.

Reading Like Bees to Honey was like a magical trip to an exotic world where the curtain between this world and the next is lifted and what you discover is both familiar and remarkably new. In Smailes' Malta, spirits flock to the island to heal; it is a magical place teeming with centuries of tradition and culture, where the bridge between past, present, and the future beyond intertwine.

Pile of Books

I received more fun mail!


Rebecca James is a very lovely blogging friend, and her debut novel released in May in Australia. Unfortunately, I couldn't get my hands on a copy of the Australian version, so I have been waiting ever so patiently for Rebecca's book to release in the UK. (The US version released later and in hardback.) Lookey what I received:



Huzzah! Isn't it pretty?

While I delved into my final edits, I fell behind on my reading, and now I have a stack to dig into this week, starting with sweet Caroline's Like Bees to Honey and lovely Rebecca's Beautiful Malice. After that, I may have to dive back into the world of Sookie Stackhouse.

This summer is shaping up to be great.
(Psst. Please don't mention that it's already August! *Sticks fingers in ears* Lalala. Argh.)

Royal Mail

Yesterday a package arrived via Royal Mail:


Ooh, I love receiving mail approved by Her Majesty! I waited all week for this package, hoping it would arrive. Look what I found inside:


Lovely Caroline's newest book, Like Bees to Honey. Isn't it beautiful? I adore the cover. Last week I hosted a sneak preview, but I've been waiting for the real deal. There's something about holding a book in your hands, isn't there? I'm excited to dig in, now I just have to get through some Sookie books fast, since I'm on book three!

The Bee's Knees

Today I'm taking part in a special one-day blog tour. Lovely Caroline's newest book releases next week, and hopefully readers will be flocking to it like bees to honey. *Grins*

Each chapter of her book is featured on one blog today. To begin the tour, start here and follow the links. I'm hosting Chapter 22, and the tour continues on Liz Fenwick's blog.

UK readers can order a copy of Like Bees to Honey on Amazon UK, while reader elsewhere can purchase it from The Book Depository, which offers free worldwide shipping.

Without further adieu, here is Chapter 22. Enjoy!

Open publication - Free publishing

Busy Bee

Just checking in to say hi since it's been awhile.

*Waves hello*

I'm keeping myself quite busy adding my final revisions, and my perfectionist tendencies mean added time editing every last line of every last chapter again, but I'm so excited to be near the end! Light. End. Tunnel. After I finish, I'm going to bed early and sleeping in late. (Party, party!) No more of this going to bed in the early morning business. (At least for a short time. Once a night owl...)

Since I'm working (nearly) around the clock, I haven't had time for much else, but I'm a sap, so Husband took me to see Letters to Juliet tonight after I squealed over every preview for the last few months. It lived up to my expectations and was the perfect romantic fix. I loved the leading ladies--Vanessa Redgrave was radiant and Amanda Seyfried was adorable. Unfortunately, it made us want to return to Italy. Now that's an idea! In addition, I finally got around to reading the Sookie Stackhouse series, and even though I'm only sneaking in a few pages here and there, I'm on book two, Living Dead in Dallas, and loving it.

Oh, and speaking of Bees, come back on Thursday for a sneak peek at Caroline's fabulous new novel! I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

Reading and Spamming

For some reason, this book kept bringing to mind Portnoy's Complaint, another story about growing up on the fringe of American society. The books are very distinct--the narrators are from different ethnic backgrounds and come from disparate socioeconomic groups--and yet they still speak to universal truths. Love, acceptance, loss, coming of age. This book made me laugh and cry within the span of a page. Junior encounters so much heartbreak, but at the end he holds on to hope and humor. Although...more If you haven't already picked up a copy of Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, I can't recommend it enough. I finished reading last night, and immediately wanted to share it with friends who haven't read it.

For some reason, this book kept bringing to mind Portnoy's Complaint, one of my faves, and another story about growing up on the fringe of American society. The books are very distinct--the narrators are from different ethnic backgrounds and come from disparate socioeconomic groups--and yet they still speak to universal truths. Love, acceptance, loss, coming of age. This book made me laugh and cry within the span of a page. Junior encounters so much heartbreak, but at the end he holds on to hope and humor. Although categorized as YA, Alexie's book will entertain and charm young and old alike.

This morning I sat down to start work on editing (and to post this blog), and was greeted with a spam message in my personal email account...sent from my general email account. Apparently I wanted to share viagra and cheap prescription meds from Canada with every single person I've ever had email contact with. Aren't I lovely?

I use a mac, so I haven't dealt with viruses and other garbage for the last few years, but this one worried me. My virus scan came up clean, which is good, but I don't know whether my account was hacked or whether a spammer stole my address and made it look like the emails were sent from me (though they were in my sent mail...). Still feeling a little on edge. Technology can be so cool, but it sucks that someone can access so much personal information like that.

Attention Span

My reading attention span has been low the past few months. Blame it on holiday busyness, distraction with the novel, and the small pile of research books on my bedside table. Whatever the cause, it bothers me. I go through ebbs and flows in my reading life. Sometimes I devour books, while at others I read slow and steady, but every once in a while I barely read a book a month and even if I love the book, my attention is focused elsewhere. The only way out of this hole--and it is a hole, not reading makes me depressed--is to pick up an absolute page-turner, preferably part of a series so I'm hooked and must continue reading. In the past I've turned to the well-worn pages of familiar books (Harry Potter reengages me every time), but this time I decided to pick up something new.

Last year I received a full series off my wishlist--Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart Mysteries. I knew a YA book would be an easy read, and having discovered the first book from the BBC's adaptation with Billie Piper, I knew I would enjoy it.

I was looking for a fun, fast read and Philip Pullman provides that in The Ruby in the Smoke, along with an engaging, clever female lead and a cast of quirky and interesting characters. Set in grimy Victorian London, the book follows Sally Lockhart as she unravels a mystery involving the recent death of her father, the opium trade, the truth of her birth, and the famed Ruby of Agrapur. This is the first book in the series, and I'm eager to see where Pullman takes Sally next. This series isn't as well known as Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, which is a shame, and it didn't come to my attention until I saw the adaptation, but I'm glad it did.

It seems to have done the trick. I've started the second book, The Shadow in the North, and I'm reading on full steam to kick this funk to the curb. If you like light mysteries with a historical setting and a strong female lead, I highly recommend this series.

Keep those pages turning!

Sala

Last night Husband took me to San Francisco to attend an event at the Jewish Community Center there. Ann Kirschner spoke about her book, Sala's Gift (which I mentioned a few weeks ago), and the Center had the accompanying traveling exhibit on display.

The book details the story of how Ann discovered her mother's hidden Holocaust past, but it also tells her mother's story through the over 300 letters and postcards she hid during the war.

This book piqued my interest, in particular, because it is the story of a 'silent' survivor. We hear about the survivors who share their stories, but so many more kept them hidden for years, even from their own children. In my novel I write about a silent survivor and the effect of that silence on her relationship with her daughter; I also explore how the revelation of her secret affects her daughter. It was great to discover a real life equivalent with such a hopeful ending.

For more about Sala's story, see the page for Sala's Gift here.

On a related note, when we arrived at the Center it saddened me to discover that they must search the trunk of every car entering the parking garage, because anti-semitism is still a very real threat, even in cosmopolitan San Francisco. I cannot understand how there are still people in the world who hate others just because they were born different than them. We've come a long way, but we still have so far to go.

Eventful

I feel like I'm trying to keep up with the pace of life these past few months. A niece, reunions, bridal showers and weddings, a final draft, trips home, and a new hard drive are keeping me busy!

Two weekends ago my best friend got married. Eight years ago she was my maid of honor, and it was great to finally repay the favor. I spent the week leading up to her wedding at home in Oregon--throwing a bridal shower, celebrating with a bachelorette party (perhaps a few too many margaritas...), and rehearsing ("Please, please, don't fall down the stairs, Angie!"). The wedding went well, I didn't trip, and the bride was gorgeous!

Once I got home, I had to catch up on work and start retrieving what files I could. I found most of my music, with the exception of a few CDs. Thankfully, I always backup our pictures on our desktop, although I know I need to backup the last two or three years on disk now. Just in case. I lost a lot of my documents, but with the old backup version of my writing file I found, I am able to partially reconstruct my data.

However, I had to go back to the Apple store this week because the new battery they gave me was not working. It could not hold a charge at all, so any time I knocked my cord loose, the computer died. They replaced the battery and the battery connector (which was also new), and now it finally seems to be back up and running.

On a more exciting note, Husband took me up to San Fran for the Jewish BookFest on Sunday, where I heard Anita Diamant read from her new book, Day After Night, which looks amazing. It follows a group of young, female Holocaust survivors in the postwar period as they struggle to create a new life in Palestine, but they run into obstacles with the British Mandate and are imprisoned in camps on arrival. When I did research for my book, I learned about these incidents and was fascinated that I'd never heard more about it. I thought it would make an interesting book, and with Diamant's immense talents, I think it will be an excellent read. I also got my copy of The Red Tent signed. *squeals*

Now I'm turning my focus to my final revisions. I've received two of the reader reports back on my manuscript, and I need to make a plan for my final edits. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this....

Random Assortment

...of Thoughts

I've been on a cooking kick lately. It happens. Every other month, or thereabout, I'm bombarded with ideas and the inspiration to cook from scratch. (Just to clarify: I do cook dinner every night, but often it's simple, thrown-together meals.) Last night I made a yummy turkey spinach lasagna--although I forgot the olives, which is a cardinal sin in my family! Today I pulled out some (healthy elk) steaks and have been marinating them in red wine and rosemary. I'm brushing them with fresh ground pepper and salt and then broiling them. (That inspiration was weird for me...I rarely eat red meat anymore, and I cook it even less. And yet I already had it once this week! Perhaps all the running has affected my appetite?) Next I want to make something--anything!--pumpkin. I think pumpkin muffins or bread might be just the thing.

I am a consummate night owl. For about two months I have been on a late night bender. I could not fall asleep, so I never went to bed early. Last week I was a bit under the weather, and therefore finally able to sleep at a decent time. I decided to take advantage of that and slowly transition my schedule to a slightly more normal one. I was in bed before 12:30 last night - quite good for me! However, I started a new book: Sarah's Key. It's a page turner, and it's one of those books with super short chapters, so you keep telling yourself, 'just one more'. Next thing I know, it's 1:45am, and I'm still reading. *sigh* So much for my early night. There's always tomorrow right?

Lastly, my brand new cell phone arrived in the post today. Yay! Now if I can figure it out, I will be a messaging, mobile web-browsing master.

Darker Days

Fall lies just around the corner, tantalizing me with the promise of pumpkins and a painter's landscape of changing and falling leaves in multi-colored hues. Something about fall also draws me to darker stories. Last fall I read the Twilight series and followed with the classic dark tale, Wuthering Heights. In previous years I read The Historian--a new vampire classic, The Thirteenth Tale, and etc. The changing season beckons me to tuck into something with a little more edge, or shall we say a little more bite?

So it's no surprise that I've been tempted by the commercials for a new television series named The Vampire Diaries. I'm not cool enough to have HBO and watch the cult favorite, True Blood, however this new series does have some distinctions of its own. Namely the two main vampire characters: brothers Stefan and Damon, played by Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder respectively. Delicious! It has a bit of the Twilight allure to it as well: pretty, but troubled girl (Elena) attends high school and meets gorgeous Stefan, a good vampire who falls for her. Except in this version, he goes there looking for her. I missed the first episode, and therefore some of the details, but she's a dead ringer for his long lost love, Katherine...cue drama in the future. Brother Damon, the evil vampire, shows up and threatens to ruin everything for Stefan again, including his chances with Elena and her mortality. (Mwah ha ha ha!)

Did I mention Stefan gives Elena a copy of Wuthering Heights by Ellis Bell? As in the original 19th century version published under a pseudonym to hide the fact that she was a woman writer? No? Ah, well, suffice it to say that it's among the many reasons I'm intrigued enough to tune in next week.

Rattled

Headlines have been dire. In the bay area alone there were four police officers killed last week, followed by another family murder-suicide this week. (Not to mention the surge in violence across the country or the ever-present economic woes.) Today I experienced my third minor quake! Imagine a giant stomping on the floor above you whilst moving giant-sized furniture, because that's how it felt.

Amongst all the bad news lately, I've found solace in a book. Where else? I just finished reading Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

I adored it!

It was a beautiful, heartfelt story of family and first love. As the title suggests, the story is bittersweet, but although it's heartbreaking, it's ultimately redemptive. Ford paints a picture of life in WWII-era Seattle and touches on the tragedy of the Japanese internment camps as well as the rampant prejudice and discrimination during that time. He handles these difficult topics delicately and captures a pivotal moment in American history. The underlying story of Seattle's jazz movement adds depth and breathes life into a little-known world.

Jamie Ford is a writer to watch. Grab a copy of the book; you won't regret it!

Finally, I have two people signed up for the Pay It Forward gesture. There's an opening for one more. Go on, you know you want to join...

Sensory delights

The roundup:

Watching - I've been eager to see Slumdog Millionaire since I read an enthusiastic review over Thanksgiving, and Husband and I finally caught it last weekend. It was well worth the wait and definitely lived up to all the hype. It was touching, funny, sweet, sad, and beautiful.

I just found the new trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I can't wait for July!

Reading - In need of a light, humorous read, I picked up a copy of An Arsonist's Guide to Writer's Homes in New England, which fits the bill so far. The narrator is a self-deluded, quirky character who accidentally burned down Emily Dickinson's home and many years later inadvertently sets himself up to be blamed for other fires. At first it was a page turner, but now that I'm halfway through it, I'm struggling to empathize with the character. I find myself simultaneously laughing at him, while constantly feeling the urge to smack some sense into him. I'll report back when I finish the book to let you know if it's a recommended read.

Listening - I picked up the new album by The Fray just before my holiday and I've been listening to it on repeat (as I do when I'm obsessed with a new CD). The only competition right now is the rain pouring down outside in sheets. The sound is soothing, until Drew needs to go out for a pee, and then it sounds like the soundtrack for a horror film!

Eating - I've been cooking from scratch a lot lately, which is unusual for me. I cook probably 5-6 nights a week, but I usually make simple dishes that require little planning and work. Last week I prepared five homemade meals as well as a batch of no pudge fudge (box) brownies! I felt inspired to be creative with the ingredients sitting in our cupboards and here's what I came up with:

*Spicy Thai coconut chicken noodle soup
*Coconut macadamia pancakes (I made these in honor of pancake day, which I've never celebrated, but all day the news talked about pancakes and it made me hungry for them!)
*Crustless Quiche with red pepper, tomato, cheese, and basil
*Whole wheat pizza with prosciutto, roma tomato, and basil
*Baked (Light!) Macaroni and Cheese with sweet peas

Not to brag (too much), but they all turned out really well, which is not the case for all of my kitchen experiments. Tonight I plan to try a Thai-inspired stir fry with the remaining coconut milk.

So. What have you been watching, reading, listening to, and eating lately?

Cheerful news in publishing:

A Long Winter

Revolutionary Road

I finally finished reading Revolutionary Road yesterday and immediately made Husband take me to the movie, which I've been dying to see.

I loved both.

Kate and Leo were fantastic, of course, and the other actors filled their roles perfectly.

Yates delicately portrayed the complications and nuances of human relations, which the movie managed to reflect. In the book he also captured the interplay between character and circumstance as well as the experience of encountering the dissipating dreams of youth. I'm not sure I can write a review that will do the book justice, so let me just say that I highly recommend it to everyone.

Unexpected

I forgot that I participated in a survey for St. Martin's Reading Group Gold after I volunteered at Book Group Expo back in October. The survey mentioned a complimentary book, but somehow that escaped my memory, so it came as an unexpected surprise when a package arrived in the mail today bearing a free book. Huzzah! That is always a good thing. I hadn't heard of the book, Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah, but it looks intriguing and has a lovely cover, not to mention that it takes place in the Pacific Northwest, my home.

In other unexpected news...
I noticed today that the pages weren't numbered in the last two chapters I worked on. When I inserted them, I discovered I'm on page 298. (OMG!) Tomorrow I will breach 300 manuscript pages, and I still have three chapters to read through. Oh dear. I fear I'm going to have to cut at least 50 pages from the manuscript when I finish this draft, although given some of the drivel I've been reading, that may not be too hard. I may cut half that number in adverbs alone!

Disraeli Avenue

Disraeli Avenue by Caroline Smailes


In this touching novella, Caroline Smailes provides fascinating glimpses into the lives of the 32 residents of Disraeli Avenue--the location of her first novel, In Search of Adam. She displays a strong grasp of the regional dialect and social mores of her characters.

Disraeli Avenue expands upon the characters and events that Jude mentions in In Search of Adam. I nearly cried when I read Crystal Williams’ chapter reflecting on Jude, her older sister, and I found myself getting angry while reading Aunty Maggie's reflections. However, ending the collection with Jude’s father somehow made the story feel resolved, and although he doesn't redeem himself completely, he does bring the story full circle.


If you want a copy of this limited edition book, head on over to Caroline's website, and donate to a worthy cause while you're at it.

On Balance

I received two rejection letters in the last two days, but I also returned home to my lovely signed and personalized copy of Caroline's Disraeli Avenue, an Amazon giftcard, and my beautiful present from husband, which I had to leave behind while we traveled to Oregon for Christmas last week:


I was also somewhat heartened to learn that the finalists and runner's up in the contest where I submitted one piece, included not only well-published writers, but also tenured writing professors.

I had a lovely time with family and friends, and we enjoyed a white Christmas, but I'm glad to be back in my own space with a return to 60-degree weather in California. (I think Drew would love to be a snow dog though.)

Books and Votes

Above L: San Jose Convention Center. R: Author Signing Table.
Below L: Wine tasting and marketplace booths. R: Author Salon.
I've been meaning to talk about my wonderful experience at Book Group Expo. On Saturday I worked as a volunteer and spent most of the day helping out in the salons where the book talks took place. The topics varied from "Managing Your Mother" to "Secrets of the Suburbs" to "Short Fiction".

The author book discussions were thought-provoking, and the open forum environment--which mimics a book club discussion--allowed for an engaging question and answer session. I was also particularly interested in hearing about their writing processes.

I met up with Erika Mailman, the Instructor from my Novel Writing Course this summer, which was fun. Erika spoke on a panel called "Which Witch is Which" to talk about her wonderful book, The Witches Trinity, which I highly recommend.

On Sunday I was an attendee and was able to get a few books signed, including a new book I've been wanting. It's called The Little Book by Selden Edwards, who has been working on it on and off for over 30 years before finally publishing it. I read about his story a few months ago and found it inspiring. He was just as inspiring in person, very friendly, and encouraging of fledgling writers. Rabih Alameddine was hilarious so I had to pick up his book The Hakawati. Michelle Richmond's The Year of Fog has been in my TBR list for awhile, so I was thrilled to receive a free copy in my loot bag (see below), and pretty equally excited when she told me she liked my barrette(!).

L: Free Loot. R: Signed Books.

I think it's fair to say I plan to go again next year.

To all the Americans out there: don't forget to VOTE tomorrow!