Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Comments:  Join the conversation!

---

Copyright © Colloquium [Guest Post and Giveaway: Hearing Fictional Voices], All Rights Reserved. 2013. This Feed is authorized for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the owner(s) of the site at which you have accessed it may be guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact admin@jhsiess.com so that I can institute appropriate legal action immediately.
Powered by Readers From RSS 2 Blog


]]>

My special guest today, Joan Steinau Lester, recently published her second novel, Mama’s Child. She describes writing as “totally involving, pleasurable, existing only for itself, not the end product.… [W]writing is an activity that fully absorbs me. When I finish, I’m flushed with pleasure.”

Mama’s Child traces the journey of an idealistic young white woman who traveled to the American South as a civil rights worker, fell in love with an African American man, and started a family in San Francisco, a liberal city sure to embrace such a couple — except when it didn’t. Tensions tore their marriage apart when their son and daughter were still young. For Ruby, their biracial daughter, her parents’ divorce further destabilized her already challenged sense of self —- “Am I black or white?” she must ask herself. “Where do I belong?” Is she her father’s daughter alone? As the years pass, the chasm between them widens, even as the mother attempts to hold on to the emotional chord that binds them. It isn’t until Ruby becomes a wife and mother that she begins to
develop compassion and understanding for the many ways that her own mother’s love transcended race and questions of identity.

Hearing Fictional Voices

by
Joan Steinau Lester

Creating fictional characters is one of the most mysterious aspects of the enigmatic activity we call creative writing. Here I sit, the author of a novel, imagining beings who have never really lived. Often they are composites of many people I’ve known, fused with bits of my own experience or personality; but ultimately they become their own people, whose voices I hear.

With my new novel, Mama’s Child, I spent the first year drafting the manuscript entirely from the white mother, Elizabeth’s, point of view. (The plot concerns a longstanding conflict with her biracial daughter, Ruby.) But after I completed that first draft I began to hear an urgent voice: it was Ruby’s. “White women always take up all the space, getting their side of every story into print. Women of color don’t have the same kind of access. I want to tell my own story!” I know it sounds strange to say that I “heard” a voice, and in fact I did not literally have an auditory sensation, but the words ran through my mind, then into my fingers, and flowed onto the page. As I wrote Ruby’s chapters, alternating with Elizabeth’s, I understood that indeed she was right: the dramatic tension in the novel comes, at least partly, from reading two very different perspectives on the same events. Ultimately the entire last seventy-five pages are given over to Ruby’s first-person voice.

The characters in my books do take on their own personalities and reality to the extent that, when I finally finish my last revision and turn in the manuscript, I miss my people terribly. We’ve lived in intimacy (yes, I’m the sort of writer who wakes in the middle of the night thinking, “Ruby wouldn’t do that, she’d do this,” and jot a note). We’ve taken a journey together, and once it’s complete, saying Good-bye is like saying farewell to folks who’ve worked on a project or campaign together: we’ve shared a closeness, confidences, and an intensity. I have great affection for these people. It’s hard to close the curtain and exit the stage. Yet despite leaving, my characters live on forever in my imagination, and hopefully in the minds of my readers too.

Meet Joan

Dr. Joan Steinau Lester

Dr. Joan Steinau Lester is an award-winning commentator and author of four critically acclaimed books: Eleanor Holmes Norton: Fire In My Soul; The Future of White Men and Other Diversity Dilemmas; Taking Charge: Every Woman’s Action Guide; and her first novel, Black, White, Other: The Search For Nina Armstrong. She has won the NLGJA Seigenthaler Award in journalism and the Arts & Letters Creative Nonfiction Finalist Award. Taking Charge was nominated as a Best Women’s Book by the San Francisco
Women’s Heritage Museum and Mama’s Child was a Bellwether Prize finalist.

A third novel in progress, Langston Hughes and the One True Me, will be published in 2014.

After receiving her doctorate in multicultural education, Dr. Lester served as the Executive Director of the Equity Institute, which
pioneered the diversity wave of the ’80s and ’90s, for sixteen years.

As a member of a biracial family, Lester’s lifelong passion has been writing about issues of racial identity. Her former husband and father of her children was black; she has been with a female partner/spouse for over thirty years. Lester’s writing has appeared in many newspapers and magazines, including Essence, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Huffington Post, and Cosmopolitan. She lives in Northern California.

Connect with Joan at her website. She loves to hear from readers!

Thank you, Joan!

Enter to Win a Copy of Mama’s Child

Joan Steinau Lester has graciously provided one copy of Mama’s Child to be awarded to a lucky Colloquium reader! To enter to win, simply post a comment detailing why you are interested in reading the book not later than Monday, June 17, 2013, at 12:00 a.m. (Pacific time).

Topics: Book Giveaways, Guest Authors, Guest Posts, Joan Steinau Lester, Mama’s Child

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Comments:  Join the conversation!

---

Copyright © Colloquium [Guest Post and Giveaway: The Good Use Of Celebrity and The Celebrity of Good], All Rights Reserved. 2013. This Feed is authorized for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the owner(s) of the site at which you have accessed it may be guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact admin@jhsiess.com so that I can institute appropriate legal action immediately.
Powered by Readers From RSS 2 Blog


]]>

by
Gloria Loring

When I was a little girl, I wanted to either be a teacher or a singer. (I think I mostly wanted to be at the front of the room.) Life has led me to be both. As a spokesperson for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), I have played the teacher by informing people of the damage diabetes can do, and tried to inspire them to support research. My son’s diabetes led me to that role. His diabetes also led me to use my being famous as a singer and actress for good.

It began when I joined Days of Our Lives, after promising my little son to work to end his diabetes. I was inspired to create the Days of Our Lives Celebrity Cookbook. Twenty-four hours after finding a card in my dressing room titled “Expect A Miracle,” I met the benefactor who helped the cookbook raise $1 million for diabetes research. Wow. (The full story is in Chapter One of the book.)

When I first was cast on Days of Our Lives, I had two primary thoughts. One was that my little boys, Brennan and Robin, and I could now stay home instead of my singing all over the country, getting off the planes with smashed banana on my jeans. The other thought was that my being on Days of Our LIves, with its ten million viewers, I could help me do something good for JDRF and my son.

And isn’t that what so many of us want, to see our actions create positive results? The good news is that with the help of social media, any one of us can bring attention to a good cause without being a celebrity.

We may not all be public figures, but we are all teachers. It comes down to what we are teaching. When something moves us to beneficial action, we can be example of what is good.

Perhaps one day you will find yourself recognized as a philanthropic celebrity like Marisol Lizelle Salvador who helps Filipino children, or Ellen Calmus who works with migrant workers returning to Mexico, or Bill Pulte of Pulte Homes who started a non-profit to clean up abandoned houses and urban blight in Detroit.

Or it may be something closer to home, like leading your PTA to its most effective support of your child’s school, or helping an older neighbor clean up her yard. What will you become famous for?

Meet Gloria

Gloria Loring

Gloria Loring brought her performance and singing ability to Days of Our Lives, portraying wealthy heiress Liz Chandler. In doing so, she launched an acting career that has spanned movies of the week, theater, guest-starring roles on prime time, as well as hosting and serving as a spokeswoman. In total, she has appeared on more than one thousand television shows from Days of Our Lives to Beverly Hills 90210 to Murder, She Wrote to the Emmy and Academy Awards shows, as well as the Golden Globes. She has appeared on national talk shows such as Oprah, The Today Show, The View, CNN, Charlie Rose, and NBC News. She recently hosted an hour-long PBS special from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.

Gloria sang on the show on an almost weekly basis, introducing “Friends and Lovers.” It soon became the most requested song in the history of NBC daytime television and her recording of it with Carl Anderson, released on Carerre Records, became the first song launched on a television network reach the number one spot on record sales charts.

On stage, Gloria has starred in Blame It On The Movies, Queen of the Soaps (Los Angeles Drama-Logue Award), and Stardust in San Francisco. She also starred in Tony Award-winner George Firth’s one-woman show, Music Minus One, and toured North America as Reno Sweeney in Cole Porter’s Anything Goes.

After her son with diagnosed with diabetes, Gloria became the Celebrity Spokesperson for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and has also appeared in commercials and public service announcements for Mini-Pharmacy and the National Disease Research Interchange.

Gloria Loring effortlessly toggles between acting, singing, and hosting. She has hosted and sung at events in the spiritual marketplace for His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Michael Beckwith and the Agape International Spiritual Center, and has shared the stage with esteemed spiritual teachers such as Dannion Brinkley, Dr. David Hawkins, Mary Manin Morrissey and Eric Pearl. She has been a contributor to tele-seminars, most recently Blessings, Bliss, and Chocolate with best-selling author Kathryn Brinkley, and “Summer Extravaganza” with author Lisa Nichols, a contributor to The Secret.

Her hosting and performance at the 2010 conference for BraveHeart, the women’s social networking community of 250,000 members, was shared on the Internet. At the conference, she premiered Rise, the new BraveHeart theme song she wrote and recorded with Ted Perlman.

Gloria received the Woman of Achievement Award from the Miss America Organization, joining a distinguished group of past recipients that includes former First Ladies Barbara Bush, Roslyn Carter, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. She is also listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who of American Women.

Connect with Gloria at her website, or on Facebook or Twitter.

Thank you, Gloria!

Gloria Loring has graciously provided one copy of Coincidence Is God’s Way of Remaining Anonymous: Reflections on Daytime Dramas and Divine Intervention to be awarded to a lucky Colloquium reader! To enter to win, simply post a comment detailing why you are interested in reading Gloria’s memoir!

Topics: Book Giveaways, Coincidence Is God’s Way of Remaining Anonymous, Gloria Loring, Guest Authors

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Comments:  Join the conversation!

---

Copyright © Colloquium [Gratitude Giveaways Blog Hop 2012], All Rights Reserved. 2013. This Feed is authorized for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the owner(s) of the site at which you have accessed it may be guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact admin@jhsiess.com so that I can institute appropriate legal action immediately.
Powered by Readers From RSS 2 Blog


]]>

Thanksgiving is just one week away and once again a wonderful group of bloggers are saying “thank you” to their loyal readers by offering book-related prizes. Inspired Kathy at I am a Reader, Not a Writer is, as always, our host.

From now through November 25, 2010, at 9:00 p.m. Pacific time, you are invited to enter to win a $15 Amazon gift certificate that will enable you to splurge on something for yourself or perhaps do a little holiday shopping for a loved one.

To enter, post a comment in which you answer this question: What one thing are you most grateful for this are you most thankful for this Thanksgiving?

You can also earn one bonus entry by following Colloquium on Facebook Networked Blogs and entering the name by which you do so.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit all the participating blogs:

Topics: Blog Hops, Book Giveaways, Gratitude Giveaways Blog Hop 2012

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Comments:  Join the conversation!

---

Copyright © Colloquium [Book Review and Giveaway: Things Your Dog Doesn't Want You to Know], All Rights Reserved. 2013. This Feed is authorized for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the owner(s) of the site at which you have accessed it may be guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact admin@jhsiess.com so that I can institute appropriate legal action immediately.
Powered by Readers From RSS 2 Blog


]]>

Imagine your dog penning a diary or journal in which he/she not only recounts the developments in his/her life, but also reveals his/her thought processes. Consider how much easier the life of a dog lover would be if the answers to some of life’s most perplexing questions were finally revealed. For instance, if you understood why your dog ate your new sofa, you would be able to prevent such calamities in the future. And if dog owners really understood why their dog wagged his/her tail, the seven basic rules of food, why dogs chase cars or, perhaps most importantly, “The Bed Rules,” life would be infinitely less complicated.

Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You to Know is a must-read for dog lovers who desire the answers to those and other burning questions. Or just want to get acquainted with the book’s eleven opinionated canine narrators. Axelrod (yellow lab), Bandana (border collie), Dimples (boxwer), Tinkerbell (chihuahua, of course), Orson (bulldog), Sophie (cocker spaniel), Sarge (German shepherd), Moonbeam (mixed breed), Gabby (long-haired dachshund), and Rufus T. (bloodhound) reveal their inner-most thoughts in a series of frequently hilarious entries and vignettes.

Many of the tales are also charming and endearing. In particular, Sophie, the cocker spaniel, talks about how her relationship with her person has changed over time in “I’m Getting Too Far Ahead.” She realizes that she has aged and is “now older than everyone. How did that happen?” Even “the cat is staying younger than me. And if that isn’t wrong, I don’t know what is.” She recalls how, as a puppy, she slept in her person’s hand, but now she takes up most of the couch. “And sometimes you have to hep me up. That’s a far cry from when you used to swat me to get me off of it. Thank you, by the way.” However, she has observed that her person is just the same as always, even though their positions during walks has changed. She’s getting further and further ahead of her person. “And I don’t know how to change it.” She misses the days when her person would stop and wait for her to catch up, but concludes that “[w]hen I get to the edge of the woods, I guess Ill just turn around and sit down and smile … and wait for you to catch up.” Beautifully stated, Sophie.

Tinkerbell reveals her true opinion of her various costumes, while Orson lodges “Seven Complaints,” among them his inability to keep track of the various nicknames his person has bestowed upon him and the fact that he was lured back to his person’s side by the phrase “doggie treats” — 18 times, to be exact — but upon his arrival, received just one. That, along with the fact that dogs do not have their own refrigerators and kitchens, is simply unfair, according to Orson. Charlie explains “The Art of the Growl,” while Bandana is on a quest for honesty in “Stop Tricking Me.” He’s not fooled by his person’s attempts at hiding little pills in his food or to convince him that they are going for a nice drive instead of the kennel. He sums his feelings up this way: “We just need to start being honest with each other, that’s all. Let me know what you want me to do. Then maybe I’ll do it. Maybe I won’t.” Seems reasonable.

Authors Hy Conrad and Jeff Johnson plainly understand and love dogs. The book is replete with stories and comments with which anyone who has ever been owned by a dog — you know that’s how it really works — will relate. Each narrator has a unique personality that is consistent with and appropriate to the characteristics of her/her breed, and while some details are only suitable for mature readers, the vast majority of the entries will delight both children and adults.

Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You to Know would make an excellent gift for any occasion, but especially for anyone adopting a dog for the very first time. It would provide valuable information and shorten the learning curve by giving a novice dog lover insight into his/her new companion’s psyche and save him/her the trouble of learning about the canine view of the world the way the rest of us, including the authors, did: through hard-earned experience!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one copy of Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You to Know free of charge from the author in conjunction with the Virtual Author Book Tours review and virtual book tour program. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own. This disclosure complies with 16 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Enter to Win a Copy of Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You to Know

Authors Hy Conrad and Jeff Johnson has graciously provided one copy of Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You to Know to be awarded to a Colloquium reader! Submit your entry utilizing the Rafflecopter widget. Note: The book can only be mailed to a U.S. or Canadian street address (not a P.O. box).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Entries will be accepted until Thursday, September 20, at 12:01 a.m.

Topics: Book Giveaways, Book Reviews, Hy Conrad, Jeff Johnson, Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You to Know, Virtual Author Book Tours

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Comments:  Join the conversation!

---

Copyright © Colloquium [Guest Post: Finding Your Breed], All Rights Reserved. 2013. This Feed is authorized for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the owner(s) of the site at which you have accessed it may be guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact admin@jhsiess.com so that I can institute appropriate legal action immediately.
Powered by Readers From RSS 2 Blog


]]>

Today I am happy to welcome one of the book’s three human authors, Hy Conrad, to Colloquium, along with one of his canine counterparts, Axelrod.

Finding Your Breed

by
Hy Conrad

Writing Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You to Know was great fun, but when it came to creating the cover, well, that was a challenge.

We went through dozens of different designs before settling on the one everyone loved — a Boston Terrier puppy sharing a secret with its mom. This was especially meaningful to me, since my first dog as a kid was a Boston Terrier.

After much deliberation, my sister and I named him Buster Brown after the shoes, which featured a boy named Buster and his dog Tighe. It wasn’t until later that we realized Tighe was a pit bull puppy, not a Boston. In hindsight, it really didn’t matter, since we had actually (and inadvertently) named the dog after the boy and not his dog. But as I said, we were kids.

Years later, when looking for my first “adult” dog, I naturally gravitated to a Boston, until I cuddled one next to my face and my cheek broke out in a rash the shade of a ripe radish. The dermatologist said that, no surprise, I had developed an allergy and that the best bet would be a poodle or a Schnauzer or some other breed that doesn’t have dander.

This is my circuitous way of saying that, although I love Boston Terriers and am proud to feature them on the cover, we have owned miniature Schnauzers for the past twenty-five years. I imagine many people are like us in this respect. One gets used to a certain look and personality and that becomes your breed. Whether real, or simply imagined by their owners, different breeds have distinctly different characteristics.

Recently at a book signing, someone asked why we featured only one mixed-breed among our eleven dogs. Well, this is a humor book and one sure-fire way to write humor is to play with stereotypes. Chihuahuas, people tell us, are fussy and yappy and sometimes live in a purse. Yellow Labs, other people tell us, are fun-loving but have a hard time figuring out complex realities like elevators.

Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You to Know has stories from eleven different dogs – from Tinkerbell, the spoiled Chihuahua, to Sarge, the working German Shepherd, to Bandana, the bossy border collie.

You can get a good sense of the book by visiting going to our website where you can meet all eleven of our canine essayists. You can also post your own questions about dog behavior and one of our eleven dogs will answer it for you (humorously, I hope).

Here is one of our 115 stories. Our Yellow Lab, Axelrod, explains something you might have been wondering about.

The Reason I Ate the Sofa

I know this is a sore subject. You’ve held this against me for like a coon’s age, which I think is three to five years, unless the raccoon is trying to take a shortcut through our yard. Then it’s less.

I’m not stupid. I knew it was a bad thing from the moment you walked into the house and said the word “bad” over and over again. By the way, why did you automatically think it was me? Not once did you turn and look at each other and ask, “Honey, did you eat the sofa?” No, you just assumed it was Axelrod.

Okay, it was Axelrod. But there’s an explanation.

I didn’t do it because I was angry that you were gone so long that day. I’m not the kind of dog who thinks about anger and revenge. Honestly. Revenge would require long-term thinking. I’m not good at that.

And it’s not because I was bored. I actually started eating it just a few seconds after you walked out the door. Besides, I’m bored a lot. Sometimes I wish I had fleas or ticks because at least that would give me something to occupy my mind during those long, lonely stretches.

I think if you have to blame someone for the sofa, blame yourself. After all, you’re the guys who brought home the really huge chew bone with the rawhide. Remember? That chew was almost as big as me at the time. And when I started eating it, you both laughed and took pictures.

It took me awhile to finish that bone. Then the sofa came into the house and how was I to know? That chew is made out of rawhide. And rawhide is like leather. And the sofa was made out of leather—or something kind of like leather. I thought you wanted me to go for it.

Honest mistake. Won’t do it again. I guess the rule is, if you guys sit on it, it’s not a chew.

Meet Hy

Hy Conrad

Author Hy Conrad has developed numerous popular mystery games and interactive films over the course of a career spanning thirty years. Additionally, he has penned hundreds of stories, a dozen books of short mysteries, and received three Edgar nominations.

He is perhaps best known having served as a writer and producer of the television series Monk for eight seasons, as well as his work on White Collar and the web-based series Little Monk.

His first full-length play, Home Exchange, was produced at the Waterfront Playhouse in Key West, Florida this past May.

Thanks, Hy!

Be sure to visit Colloquium on Tuesday, September 11, 2012, to read my review of Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You to Know and enter to win your own copy, generously provided by the authors!

Topics: Guest Authors, Guest Posts, Hy Conrad, Premium Virtual Author Book Tours, Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You to Know

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Comments:  Start the discussion!

---

Copyright © Colloquium [Guest Post: This Makes Me Uncomfortable], All Rights Reserved. 2013. This Feed is authorized for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the owner(s) of the site at which you have accessed it may be guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact admin@jhsiess.com so that I can institute appropriate legal action immediately.
Powered by Readers From RSS 2 Blog


]]>

In author Suzanne Jenkins’ first novel, Pam of Babylon, fictional Pam Smith has led a charmed life. She has a beautiful home by the water in tony Babylon, New York. A homemaker, her children have grown and left home, but fifty-something Pam is content in her long marriage to Jack, a successful businessman. Following Jack’s sudden death, however, Pam leans that her husband’s life was not what it seemed. A series of revelations force Pam to deal with loss and disappointment as she discovers that her husband was markedly different than he appeared. Betrayals far worse than any Pam could have imagined force her to retreat to her meticulous beach house to process what she has learned and embrace her future. But first she must learn to forgive.

I’m delighted to welcome Suzanne to Colloquium for the first time today.

This Makes Me Uncomfortable

by
Suzanne Jenkins

As I began writing in earnest two years ago, the inspiration to tell a story about an older woman who discovered her beloved husband’s infidelity after he died came from out of nowhere. Pam of Babylon simply appeared in my consciousness and I wrote it as I thought of it. Later, a quote by E.L. Doctorow would confirm my writing style was not unusual. He said, “Writing is like driving a car in the dark. You only see as far as the headlights go, but you can make the whole trip that way.” Those words validated me. An encounter with an editor who did not like my story line made me doubt the wisdom of spending another second writing. She asked me to do an outline before I began to write, which I found nearly impossible to do because of the way the book was coming to me as I went along. She referred to the story as triple-x rated because it contained a depiction of child abuse. Child abuse transcends the rating system.

Later, I learned from a fellow author that sometimes a writer/editor relationship may not be a good fit and it is acceptable to move elsewhere. Once I found the courage to move on, I found a new editor. She was a barracuda who demanded revisions and rewrites, but she also loved the story and wanted it to be the best I could make it. I felt totally comfortable deferring to all of her suggestions and to this day wish I had used her from the onset. However, once the story was published, I would encounter readers who felt the same way my former editor did. My books are not for everyone. I can’t say I enjoy writing about topics that many people find repugnant and some that are downright disgusting like the child abuse and marital infidelity. But it’s something that I find compelling for whatever reason and the stories wind through the tragedy and horror that normal people sometimes encounter.

After a book is finished, I suffer from insomnia for months. I’m in that mode right now. The Greeks of Beaubien Street will be released this summer, and although I love the story, there is a portion of the book that worries me because it depicts the seamier side of life in a most grotesque way. Even the perpetrator is disgusted with the crime. I know there will be those readers who are offended by it in spite of a warning. I almost didn’t write the book until my son, a filmmaker and writer, told me not to censor myself. I have tried censoring in the past and once I began, I found I was putting up so many parameters I could no longer write. The question I had to ask myself over and over confirmed that the story line was important. What is my purpose in writing about this topic? It isn’t to titillate, or to be sensational. In The Greeks, the horror story is in contrast to the gentle Greek father who prepares his homicide detective daughter’s breakfast every morning.

Regarding Pam of Babylon’s adult content, I tried to write so that it would be the least offensive as possible. If a writer is going to have child abuse as a topic, there is little that can be done to clean it up. It’s deplorable, and the consequences are usually tragic. The Kirkus Review said about the third book in the series, Dream Lover: “A gritty, realistic portrait of the aftermath of deceit.” In order for the resolutions to take place, I must first describe the conflict.

My friend Dan Georgakas, author of My Detroit, Growing up Greek and American in Motor City wrote when I confided my concerns, “.. . people are embarrassed by this [content] and want to project a perfect family image: a stereotype no one is going to believe anyway. I have always believed in showing warts whenever possible.” Some of character’s warts are painful to look at, but exist in real life.

The final book in the series may be finished this fall and has some of the characters achieving positive resolutions. Fans of Pam will be relieved that she is triumphant in the end.

Meet Suzanne

Suzanne Jenkins

Suzanne Jenkins lives in the west Michigan lakeshore area with her husband of forty-three years and two dogs: Nicky, an elderly Boston terrier, and Oscar, a six-year-old mixed shepherd-type dog. They also have two aged sheep, Spot and Slick.

Suzanne’s latest books are Pam of Babylon, Don’t You Forget About Me, and Dream Lover.

Connect with Suzanne at her website, blog, or on Facebook or Twitter.

Thank you, Suzanne!

Be sure to visit Colloquium on Saturday, September 8, 2012, to read my review of Pam of Babylon and enter to win your own copy, generously provided by author Suzanne Jenkins!

Topics: Guest Authors, Guest Posts, Pam of Babylon, Pump Up Your Book, Suzanne Jenkins

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Comments:  Join the conversation!

---

Copyright © Colloquium [Book Review: And When She was Good], All Rights Reserved. 2013. This Feed is authorized for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the owner(s) of the site at which you have accessed it may be guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact admin@jhsiess.com so that I can institute appropriate legal action immediately.
Powered by Readers From RSS 2 Blog


]]>

Synopsis:

Heloise grew up as Helen Lewis, the product of her mother’s unfortunate devotion to her father, Hector, an abusive adulterer who never divorced his wife. Hector told Helen that she had a “nothing face” and refused to support her as she pursued her education. From his viciousness, and her mother’s refusal to protect her daughter, Helen learned to survive. Now Heloise leads a quiet, unobtrusive life with her eleven-year-old son, Scott, in an upper middle class neighborhood. When anyone inquires, she states that she is a lobbyist, although she is actually the proprietor of an escort service. Heloise has devised an elaborate business model and record-keeping system to ensure that only she and her assistant, Audrey, know the full details about how the service operates. Even her attorney and accountant are not fully apprised. Neither is Tom, the vice cop who has looked the other way and protected her for many years, even while professing his love for her and Scott, for whom he would love to be a father. But Heloise has never said “yes” to Tom’s marriage proposals.

Instead, she pays regular visits to Val, a condemned murderer who is Scott’s biological father. Of course, neither Val nor Scott have any knowledge of each other. Scott believes his father died in an accident before he was born. And when Heloise learned she was pregnant, she managed to escape Val’s clutches for a few months, during which he was tried and convicted. But Heloise knows she can never fully break away from her former pimp and so to protect her son, she visits Val and continues sending him a portion of her income every month. After all, she learned much from him.

A media frenzy over the apparent suicide of Michelle Smith, a “suburban madam,” catches Heloise’s attention, as does a cryptic warning from Tom. When the police question Heloise, showing her a photo found next to the dead woman, she realizes that her carefully constructed facade could be in danger of crumbling. Suddenly, her accountant is asking too many questions and a former employee is making demands. Heloise ponders just how much power Val can still wield from his prison cell, even as he brags about his prospects for a new trial in light of scandalous revelations about the prosecution’s expert witness.

No matter what, Scott must be protected. He must never know his father’s true identity or the details about his mother’s past and current means of support. Heloise will do whatever is necessary to shield Scott and keep him safe. If she can stay alive long enough.

Review:

Author Laura Lippman

Best selling author Laura Lippman employs her signature style to tell the story of Helen/Heloise Lewis, a woman who spends every waking moment afraid that the delicate infrastructure of her life will implode at any moment. And When She Was Good is Lippman’s latest must-read character study and thriller.

As a child, Helen Lewis observed her father, Hector, verbally and physically abuse her mother. As a teenager, however, she became the object of his wrath, as well, while her mother took no steps to protect her. In fact, as Hector began pummeling Helen, her mother actually seemed relieved and grateful for the respite. A good student who loved to read, Helen escaped from Hector and her parent’s dysfunctional relationship, but found herself in the arms of men who were every bit as corrupt and abusive as Hector. Eventually, she turned to prostitution and found herself enslaved to the sadistic Val. But Helen was clever and determined to succeed at anything she did, even if that meant doing whatever was necessary to be Val’s favorite and secure herself the most coveted role within his raunchy empire. Other girls came and went while Helen remained in his favor — most of the time, at least. Determined to better herself, she took remarkable risks in order to obtain books and read them in secret. She observed and learned valuable lessons about how to look out for herself and get the upper hand. The line between right and wrong is not always bright.

It has always been my contention that Heloise Lewis is an American everywoman — a single mother trying to maintain a civil relationship with her son’s father, a small-business woman nervous about her future.
~~ Author Laura Lippman

Lippman’s narration again alternates between present time and Helen’s history, making current events contextual as she unveils Helen’s progression from a young girl to a thirty-six-year-old devoted mother scrambling to divest herself of the business she has built before it is too late. Lippman details the meticulous manner in which Heloise has learned to lie whenever necessary in order to keep the true nature of her business hidden. The author explores Heloise’s internal struggle to balance and justify the things she has done, while calculating what she will be required to do for the sake of her child. How far is too far? How much personal damage can Heloise sustain herself or inflict upon others in her quest to protect Scott? Her moral compass compels her to try to minimize the collateral damage caused or, when it is unavoidable, provide reparation. But Heloise lives perpetually on the edge, never relaxing or letting down her guard, always distrustful and wary. But she is growing tired and contemplating getting out of the business. Heloise must figure out what actions Val has managed to orchestrate despite his incarceration. Of course, weariness can beget mistakes. The result is a fascinating tale of betrayals, revenge, a mother’s devotion to her child, and the myriad ways in which the instinct to survive can corrupt even the most principled among us.

In typical Lippman fashion, Heloise is surrounded by an equally compelling cast of supporting characters, the most sympathetic being Terry, the man Heloise happens upon in the supermarket. He is sweet and undemanding, and Heloise feels herself draw to him as she allows herself to ponder, every so briefly, what it might be like to have a traditional relationship with a man. She is tempted to let her guard down, but the warning from Tom stays with her as events unfold. Her assistant, Audrey, has her own checkered past and, of course, there is Heloise’s troubled and conflicted relationship with her mother. Facing a devastating diagnosis, Heloise’s mother wants to be a grandmother to Scott, but can Heloise forgive the woman who failed her?

And When She Was Good moves at a taut, precisely measured pace as Lippman deftly demonstrates how tightly the web enveloping Heloise’s has been spun. The surprise ending may catch many readers off guard, just as it did me because Lippman expertly lulls readers into believing the fiction that she has created about one key character’s true identity and intentions. The result is yet another thought-provoking, absorbing study of a woman in crisis, desperate to regain control of her life and secure a future for the one thing she truly loves: her precious son.

Reading Challenges:
2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge
2012 50 Books in a Year Reading Challenge
2012 Free Reads Challenge
2012 Read ‘n’ Review Challenge

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one copy of And When She Was Good free of charge from the author in conjunction with the Partners in Crime review and virtual book tour program. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own. This disclosure complies with 16 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Topics: 2012 50 Books in a Year Reading Challenge, 2012 Free Reads Challenge, 2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge, 2012 Read ‘n’ Review Challenge, And When She Was Good, Book Reviews, Laura Lippman, Partners in Crime Tours

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Comments:  One person has weighed in . . . why don't you, too?

---

Copyright © Colloquium [Book Review: The Choice], All Rights Reserved. 2013. This Feed is authorized for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the owner(s) of the site at which you have accessed it may be guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact admin@jhsiess.com so that I can institute appropriate legal action immediately.
Powered by Readers From RSS 2 Blog


]]>

Synopsis:

Sandy Lincoln has everything going for her. At seventeen, she is a beautiful and popular honors student and cheerleader headed for college and a bright future. But when Brad Donnelly, a charming football player, convinces her to become intimate with him, her life plan is instantly altered. Being a pregnant high school student in tiny Rutland, Georgia in 1974 is scandalous and humiliating — she won’t even be allowed to continue attending the local high school. Worse, Sandy’s parents, Brad’s parents, and even Sandy’s aunt Linda all have ideas about what is best for Sandy and her unborn child. In light of Roe v. Wade, decided just one year earlier, Sandy has many options from which to choose … if only the adults advising her would remember that the choice is hers alone, considering that Brad has no interest in being a father and will readily surrender his parental rights.

A chance encounter with an elderly woman leaves Sandy both puzzled and disturbed. The woman tells her that she is carrying twins and the babies must not meet in order to prevent harm from coming to one of them. With no history of twins in her family, Sandy tries to put the woman’s warning out of her mind, convinced that her message was just nonsense. Sandy moves in with her aunt Linda and enrolls in an alternative high school where she continues to excel academically. Ultimately, she selects two families to adopt her fraternal twin boys, convinced that the boys must grow up separately to remain safe and healthy.

More than thirty years later, Sandy is respected and admired high school English teacher and cheerleading coach. She never married or had more children, choosing to contentedly remain in her hometown. When a pregnant student, Maria, seeks Sandy out for advice, Sandy counsels her without revealing her own history. But a turf war breaks out when the school guidance counselor, Carol Ramsey, discovers Sandy’s activities. Soon the school principal admonishes Sandy to let Ms. Ramsey handle the matter. Sandy cannot abandon Maria, who trusts Sandy implicitly, or stand by silently while Ms. Ramsey tries to convince the impressionable and frightened Maria to undergo an abortion. With Sandy’s career, as well as the life of Maria’s unborn child, on the line, Sandy seeks the advice of a bright young attorney, Jeremy Lane.

As Sandy sits in Jeremy’s office, she peruses the family portraits displayed there and is shocked when she recognizes a house depicted in one of them. She saw that same house years earlier when she sneaked a peek inside her adoption case worker’s file. She read the statement submitted by the prospective adoptive mother and saw the photo of the young woman standing in front of that same home. In fact, the information she surreptitiously acquired convinced her to place the younger of her twin boys with that woman and her husband. Jeremy is an adoptee and his mother is well-known for her charitable work with pregnant teenagers. Could it be that all of the choices Sandy has made in her life up to this point have led her back to the child she placed for adoption back in early 1975?

Review:

Author Robert Whitlow

The Choice is an unapologetic homage to motherhood and, more specifically, the loving, selfless choice to surrender a child for adoption. Sans judgment or criticism of women who decide differently, author Robert Whitlow takes readers back to small-town Georgia in 1974, where his protagonist, Sandy, is an all-American girl who has never done anything to embarrass or disappoint her parents. The oldest of three children, she is a role model for her younger brothers, highly regarded by her teachers, and her religious upbringing has imbued her with a strong moral center.

One of my main goals in writing The Choice was to honor mothers.
~ Author Robert Whitlow

But Sandy is in every way a characteristically naive teen-age girl who succumbs to pressure from her jock boyfriend. One sexual encounter leads to pregnancy. As the book opens, Sandy receives medical confirmation of her condition and embarks upon her tumultuous journey. In 1974, abortion had just been legalized and become a readily available option, but Sandy struggles to make the decision that is best for all involved. Whitlow crafts believable characters, Sandy chief among them. A mature young woman, Sandy weighs every possibility, while understandably mourning the life that, no matter what she decides, can never be the same again. If she carries the child to term, remaining with her high school peers is out of the question — pregnant girls were forced to transfer to another school or drop out — and Rutland is a small town where Sandy’s condition cannot remain a secret. Compounding her distress is the prospect of moving away from home until the delivery. Ultimately, Sandy cannot bring herself to terminate her pregnancy and opts to move in with her mother’s unmarried sister, Linda. Whitlow’s depiction of Sandy’s excruciatingly painful election to place her child for adoption also rings true, as do the reactions of the supporting characters, including Sandy’s mother who is devastated at the prospect of not seeing her grandchildren grow up.

The second half of the book is less successful as Whitlow depicts how Sandy’s life intersects with her sons’ lives. The story developments feel contrived and forced, the boys’ acceptance of Sandy and instant willingness to incorporate her into their families too easy. The legal entanglement that leads Sandy to Jeremy for counsel and advice is plausible, but the coincidences strain credulity and disappoint because of their predictability. Whitlow makes a point about faith, divine guidance, and providence, but does so but with less success than he pulls readers into Sandy’s pregnancy dilemma. Had Sandy married and had more children, or encountered hostility from one of her sons or his adoptive family member(s), Whitlow would have given himself more opportunities for interesting and authentic dramatic tension.

Despite those shortcomings, the story remains enjoyable, especially for readers eager for a happy ending. Whitlow succeeds at paying tribute to women who choose to give their child a life in which they will not play a part. “Within the abortion movement, the word choice is a rallying cry for the right of women to terminate a pregnancy as an acceptable form of birth control. In this novel I want to show that the same word can apply to a woman’s decision not o abort her baby. Sandy is unselfishly “pro-choice.” … Sandy’s actions at key points illustrate practical ways to redeem the word choice,” according to Whtlow. In that aspect, The Choice is an unequivocal success. A clever final plot twist will bring a smile to and endear even the most cynical reader to Whitlow. The Choice explores a topic that is as timely today as it was in 1974, providing material for debate and discussion. It would also be an excellent choice for young adult readers because of the themes it explores.

Reading Challenges:
2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge
2012 50 Books in a Year Reading Challenge
2012 Free Reads Challenge
2012 Read ‘n’ Review Challenge

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one copy of The Choice free of charge from the author in conjunction with the Litfuse Publicity Group’s review and virtual book tour program. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own. This disclosure complies with 16 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Topics: 2012 50 Books in a Year Reading Challenge, 2012 Free Reads Challenge, 2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge, 2012 Read ‘n’ Review Challenge, Book Reviews, Litfuse Publicity, Robert Whitlow, The Choice

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Comments:  Join the conversation!

---

Copyright © Colloquium [Last Days of Freedom Giveaway Hop], All Rights Reserved. 2013. This Feed is authorized for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the owner(s) of the site at which you have accessed it may be guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact admin@jhsiess.com so that I can institute appropriate legal action immediately.
Powered by Readers From RSS 2 Blog


]]>

The days are already growing shorter and the neighborhood children have been back in school for a couple of weeks. Hard to believe that summer is rapidly drawing to a close already! Of course, in California’s beautiful San Joaquin Valley, there will still be plenty of sunshine and warm weather. Here in Lodi, the grapes are ripening on the vines and the harvest will begin soon, meaning that fresh, sweet grapes will be plentiful. Most evenings, the breezes from the San Joaquin Delta rustle softly through my oak trees and I delight in relaxing on my patio with a good book and a bowl of fresh, juicy grapes with my beloved Sophie by my side.

Visiting a black sand beach along the Hana Highway, Maui

I’ve had a wonderful summer. The highlight was my first trip, with three of my best girlfriends, to Maui! We had so much fun in that topical paradise! We snorkeled, traversed the entire Hana Highway, shopped in the local stores, and, naturally, relaxed on the beach and by the pool with a few good books. I can’t wait to go back for another blissful vacation on the beautiful shore.

In honor of all the blessings that we celebrate this time of year, I am participating in the Last Days of Freedom Giveaway Hop, hosted by Inspired Kathy at I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Jess at The Elliott Review.

Until August 23, 2012, at 12:01 a.m., you are invited to enter to win a $15 Amazon gift certificate!

Mandatory Entry:

Post a comment in which you describe the highlight of your summer!

Then register your entry utilizing the Rafflecopter widget. Four bonus entries are also available!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit all the participating blogs:

Topics: Blog Hops, Book Giveaways, Last Days of Freedom Giveaway Hop

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon

Comments:  Join the conversation!

---

Copyright © Colloquium [Book Review: Love Finds You in Mackinac Island Michigan], All Rights Reserved. 2013. This Feed is authorized for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the owner(s) of the site at which you have accessed it may be guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact admin@jhsiess.com so that I can institute appropriate legal action immediately.
Powered by Readers From RSS 2 Blog


]]>

Synopsis:

The Bissette family is on the verge of homelessness. Arthur Bissette’s factory is about to be shut down by the bank and seized, along with the family home in Chicago and summer cottage on Mackinac Island, Michigan. It is June 1894 and Arthur, along with his wife, Deborah, and their only child, Elena, will again spend the summer on Mackinac Island. But this summer Deborah is determined that financier Chester Darrington, the wealthiest and most desired bachelor, will become Elena’s fiancee, securing their family’s future. Deborah is aware that they have fallen on hard times, but her husband has not informed her of the extent of their precarious financial situation.

Elena is nineteen, beautiful, intelligent, and quite bored with the societal obligations placed upon her. She dreams of meeting the man meant for her and marrying for love, rather than financial security. But she is also a dutiful, devoted daughter who understands that it is up to her to assist her parents by marrying well.

Elena is also a gifted artist who loves to steal away from the cottage late at night to the deserted lighthouse where she gazes at the stars and sketches. Her mother has discouraged her artistry, insisting that it is not lady-like, so Elena keeps her drawings concealed in the secret hideaway where she has taken refuge in the evenings over the course of the past six summers. But one evening, she is shocked to be joined there by a handsome and charming gentleman named Chase. She believes that he is an employee of the Grand Hotel and he could never imagine she is the infamous Elena Bissette, the belle of Chicago society who has allegedly set her sights on Chester Darrington. They share their hopes and dreams, but Elena knows that their time together will be limited. Her parents would never approve of Chase, and she loves them too much to disappoint them. But can she go along with her mother’s plan and marry solely for money, abandoning her dream of marrying for love?

Review:

Author Melanie Dobson

Author Melanie Dobson transports readers to beautiful Mackinac Island, Michigan, a popular summer resort, and a simpler time. America was on the precipice of the twentieth century’s myriad innovations and cultural transformations, but for a brief time, good manners and social standing remained the focus of a privileged few. The Bissettes are on a steep and seemingly unstoppable descent into financial ruin and societal banishment as they embark upon their annual summer sojourn from Chicago to Mackinac Island. Elena’s parents — her mother, in particular — have pinned their hopes upon their only child. And their expectations weigh heavily on Elena’s young shoulders.

Elena is instantly endearing, balking at the duties and traditions that constrain her spirit, but loathe her disappoint or hurt her parents. She feels like an actress, performing on a stage all day and into the evenings as she attends the various balls and other social events that bore her, as she plots to slip away after her parents retire to her beloved lighthouse. Donning her maid’s old dress, she rides the bike that the family’s butler hides for her behind the house and escapes to the one place where she is able to be her authentic self. When her solitude is disturbed the intriguing Chase, she is further torn between her obligations and the possibility of a meaningful relationship transcending the arrangement her mother is bent on seeing come to fruition.

Dobson wisely brings dimension and depth to the character of Deborah. She is a graceless socialite — she often says the wrong thing, gossips too much, and clumsily attempts to foist her daughter upon the Darrington family, to her husband’s chagrin. But she is well-meaning and empathetic. She wants her daughter to live a comfortable, secure life because she, after all, knows what poverty is like. And so both Arthur and Elena forgive her infuriating gaffes. Arthur believably dotes on his only daughter as he worries about their future. He is running out of options, but his integrity and decency prevent him from fully investing in Deborah’s schemes.

The elusive Chester Darrington has a reputation for staying one step ahead of the numerous young ladies who hope to ensnare him in marriage. A savvy businessman, he longs to meet a woman who will appreciate and love him for the man he is, rather than his bank balance. Because he is tired of being pursued, he is hesitant to trust. That is until he meets a young woman he believes is different — unafraid to speak her mind, uninterested in his social and financial standing, a talented and compassionate artist, and as enchanted by the stars as he is. She relates to Andromeda, so he nicknames her “Andy” and ponders whether they can really have a future together. After all, he isn’t sure who she really is and he has not been truthful with her about his occupation.

Mistaken identities, broken trust, familial complications, and potential business ventures keep Love Finds You in Mackinac Island Michigan interesting and often surprising. Dobson also weaves a secondary mystery into the story. In the lighthouse, Elena discovers an old diary with entries dating back to 1812 when the British occupied the island and demanded that Americans disavow their allegiance to the U.S. The author’s husband has disappeared, leaving her and their two young children to fend for themselves. Elena is determined to learn the end of the story — what happened to that young family — and the result is a surprising and touching connection to someone close to the Bissettes.

Love Finds You in Mackinac Island Michigan is a quaint, charming, and refreshingly entertaining story. Dobson’s deft pacing, crisp dialogue, and lovable characters make it an enjoyable tale about universal themes: love vs. money, duty and loyalty vs. fulfillment of one’s own dreams, and the challenges and rewards associated with fully trusting.

Reading Challenges:
2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge
2012 50 Books in a Year Reading Challenge
2012 Free Reads Challenge
2012 Read ‘n’ Review Challenge

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one copy of Love Finds You in Mackinac Island Michigan free of charge from the author in conjunction with the Litfuse Publicity Group’s review and virtual book tour program. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own. This disclosure complies with 16 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Topics: 2012 50 Books in a Year Reading Challenge, 2012 Free Reads Challenge, 2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge, 2012 Read ‘n’ Review Challenge, Book Reviews, Litfuse Publicity, Love Finds You in Mackinac Island Michigan, Melanie Dobson

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

StumbleUpon