The Magic of the Alchemical Process and the Courage of our Vulnerability: Guest Post by Carmela Cattuti, Author of Between the Cracks + Giveaway!

Please welcome Carmela Cattuti, author of Between the Cracks: One Woman's Journey from Sicily to America, as she tours the blogosphere from February 9-27. Please find her guest post below and continue on for more information about the book, the author and how to enter to win a Kindle Touch eReader, loaded with an eBook of Between the Cracks! So without further ado, Carmela Cattuti on the magic of the alchemical process and the courage of our vulnerability...


Having just published an historical novel based on my great aunt’s experience of the 1908 earthquake in Sicily, I started to think about the alchemical process of growth open to the human race residing on this planet. In order to open ourselves to this transformation process we must have what the Italians call “couragio,” a quality highly regarded by the culture. The word means courage, but when an Italian says it, it is more of a blessing of confidence to transcend the obstacle or confront the issue at hand. A person with great “couragio” always triumphs regardless of the outcome.

As a species I see humans moving into a time line that is regenerative and healing. Many of us incarnated at this period in history possess courage in spades, and are waking up to who we really are. Those who remain steeped in the constructs of religion and politics, may take a few more life times to develop enough courage to extricate themselves from these paradigms. But for those of us with enough courage (energetically developed over life times) to face the amount of imposition imposed upon the human race from the media, politics, and religion, our transcendence is assured. The time line is created, all we need to do is bring it into our awareness.

It took a great deal of courage for my great aunt to survive that massive disaster, then marry a man she hardly knew and immigrate to a strange country. I wrote her story and I am humbled by it. Her younger sister was never found and for the rest of her life she often wondered if she was still alive. Many years later she and her husband returned to Messina to see if they could locate her, but there was no evidence that she had survived the earthquake. I think her story is a tribute of the indomitable human spirit.

From what I can remember of our conversations, she was very much in touch with her inner knowing from the time she was quite young. When she was a child both her parents died and she and her brother were sent to live with grandparents while her young sister was sent to live with an aunt, so from early on she had confronted loss and abandonment. After the earthquake she was even more alone, surviving on the streets until the Americans came and took children aboard ships. She ended up in a convent and was raised by the Sisters of Charity.

Her early life was an intense alchemical experience that strengthened who she was and what she came to the planet to accomplish. A less developed soul without an abundance of courage would have perished or given up. Her relationship with the Catholic Church was superficial and the energy of her worship was focused on the Blessed Mother. Even though she was raised in a strict religious atmosphere where her behavior was closely monitored, the construct of religion was not a force behind her spiritual beliefs. She was vulnerable to criticism for her “Mary Worship” by the Italian Community, but she persisted in having an altar devoted to Mary in her home regardless.

She was bombarded with family obligations and tragedy, but she persisted in her spiritual development and serving others, even when they were less than kind. Her influence on my life has been profound and when I think I am having a difficult time, I refer to her life and it puts everything into perspective.

 

Thank you so much, Carmela, for this insightful and intriguing post! Your great aunt was quite admirable!

 

 

 

Publication Date: August 15, 2013
Three Towers Press
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 324

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

 

Join Angela Lanza as she experiences the tumultuous world of early 20th century Sicily and New York. Orphaned by the earthquake and powerful eruption of Mt. Etna in 1908, Angela is raised in the strict confines of an Italian convent. Through various twists of fate, she is married to a young Italian man whom she barely knows, then together with her spouse, immigrates to the U.S. This novel is an invitation to accompany the young Angela as she confronts the ephemeral nature of life on this planet and navigates the wide cultural gaps between pre-World War II Italy and the booming prosperity of dynamic young America. Author, artist, and teacher Carmela Cattuti created Between the Cracks as an homage to her great-aunt, who survived the earthquake and eruption of Mt. Etna and bravely left Sicily to start a new life in America.

 

 

 

Buy the Book

 

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble
Book Depository

 

 

About the Author

 

Carmela Cattuti started her writing career as a journalist for the Somerville News in Boston, MA. After she finished her graduate work in English Literature from Boston College she began to write betweenthecracksnovel.blogspot.com.

creatively and taught a journal writing course at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education As fate would have it, she felt compelled to write her great aunt’s story. “Between the Cracks” has gone through several incarnations and will now become a trilogy. This is the first installment. To connect with Carmela email her cattutic@gmail.com or leave a comment at

 

 

Between the Cracks Blog Tour Schedule

 

Monday, February 9

Guest Post at Book Babe

Tuesday, February 10

Spotlight at What Is That Book About

Wednesday, February 11

Review at Back Porchervations

Thursday, February 12

Guest Post at Boom Baby Reviews

Monday, February 16

Review at Bookish

Wednesday, February 18

Review at Book Nerd

Friday, February 20

Spotlight at My Book Addiction and More

Tuesday, February 24

Guest Post at Let Them Read Books

Wednesday, February 25

Guest Post at A Literary Vacation
 Spotlight at Layered Pages

Thursday, February 26

Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views

Friday, February 27

Spotlight at Passages to the Past

 

 

 

Giveaway!!

 



To enter to win a Kindle Touch eReader (valued at $59) & eBook of Between the Cracks, sponsored by author Carmela Cattuti, please complete the giveaway form HERE.

 

Giveaway ends at 11:59pm on February 27th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

 

Only one entry per household.

 

All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and  entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.

 

Winner will be chosen via GLEAM on February 28th and notified via email.

 

Winner have 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

 

Please email Amy @ hfvirtualbooktours@gmail.com with any questions.

 

Good luck!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Releasing Today! Cecelia Holland's Historical Fiction Now Available in Ebook

Today Open Road Media is releasing a collection of ebooks from renowned historical fiction author, Cecelia Holland! Since her literary debut in 1966, Holland has published twenty-one historical novels covering periods from the middle of the first millennium CE up through parts of the early twentieth century, and ranging from all parts of the world. Today fans and new readers alike can buy five of her previously released novels in eBook format, making her wonderful stories accessible to even more readers. Here is the information for the five novels releasing in this new format today:



A self-serving political player in sixteenth-century Rome is caught up in the ruthless and powerful Borgia family’s deadly intrigues of murder and betrayal


It is known as the City of God—but Rome at the dawn of the sixteenth century is an unholy place where opulence, poverty, and decadence cohabitate sinfully under the ruthless rule of Rodrigo Borgia, the debauched Pope Alexander VI. Englishman Nicholas Dawson is secretary to the ineffectual ambassador of Florence and, as such, finds himself linked to Borgias’ murderous machinations, specifically the brutal power plays of the warlord Cesare, the pope’s bastard son. A skilled liar, conspirator, spy, and manipulator—a man drawn to power and the pleasures of excess—Dawson coolly plays his part in Rome’s draconian political dramas with an eye to personal gain and no true allegiance to any side or player. But his attraction to a beautiful and very dangerous young man soon threatens to bring Dawson’s secret enterprises crashing down around him, dooming him to a brutal and ignoble fate.

The great Cecelia Holland is acclaimed as one of America’s premier creators of historical fiction. With City of God she brings a remarkable epoch and a legendary family of scoundrels and murderers to breathtaking life—the corrupt patriarch pope; the suspiciously widowed and incestuous daughter, Lucrezia; Cesare, the bloodthirsty conqueror; and the tragically imprisoned and damned Caterina Sforza. Holland has written a stunning tale of betrayal, deception, and blood.

Buy the eBook of City of God at Amazon or iTunes.





A breathtaking novel of primitive England and the astonishing birth of the miracle called Stonehenge 


In a time before recorded history, on an island that many centuries later would come to be known as Britain, Moloquin, the Unwanted One, dreams of a pathway to the heavens. Cast out as a child, he survives by his wits alone on the fringes of tribal society and grows into manhood driven by one powerful and unshakable ambition: to build a link between the earthly and the spiritual worlds through the raising of an impossible structure. But to accomplish such a momentous feat in this primitive age of stone will not only require superhuman strength, it will entail unraveling the very fabric of life. Still, Moloquin will not be deterred in his quest, and he will stand courageously against all enemies, court untold disaster, sacrifice what he must, and remake his entire world to see his great vision gloriously realized.

One of today’s foremost historical novelists, Cecelia Holland explores the strange and enduring mystery of Stonehenge, one of the true wonders of the ancient and modern world. A breathtaking speculation, Pillar of the Sky is an unforgettable tale brimming with action, colorful characters, vivid detail, intelligence, and wonder, while presenting a possible history of the man-made miracle on Salisbury Plain that confounds scientists, scholars, and archaeologists to this day.

Buy the eBook of Pillar of the Sky at  Amazon or iTunes.

In an exotic ancient land, a foreign stranger’s sworn mission of vengeance leads him into the perilous circle of a ruthless Byzantine empress 


In the early years of the ninth century, the road home from Jerusalem winds through Constantinople for two Frankish noblemen-warriors. But when an encounter with a young woman running for her life results in the murder of Hagen the White’s brother, he vows to find the perpetrators, no matter how highborn or powerful, and take his revenge. His hunt will carry him into the royal circle of the Basileus Irene, a ruthless despot who blinded her own son to force him off the throne. The beautiful and calculating empress is fascinated by this supposed barbarian who has sworn allegiance to the great Charlemagne, and she welcomes him into the imperial court—and into the dangerous fires of countless royal conspiracies. Suddenly Hagen must tread carefully through a vipers’ nest of plots, lies, and bloodthirsty power plays, for if the stranger trusts the wrong serpent, he will certainly die.

One of the world’s premier purveyors of historical fiction, acclaimed novelist Cecelia Holland ushers the reader into a thrilling, exotic, and colorful world ruled by one of history’s most complex and fascinating women. The Belt of Gold is a stunning tale of power and vengeance set against a breathtaking backdrop of Byzantine opulence, from the conspiracies of the empress’s court and the intrigues of the bedchamber to the heart-racing clashes of champions in the public arenas where famed charioteers seek ultimate glory before the eyes of an adoring populace.

Buy the eBook of The Belt of Gold at Amazon or iTunes. 

The remarkable story of the courageous young pioneer who endures the hardships of the wilderness to become the first American woman to enter California

 

A hard life in the Missouri wilderness has made young Nancy Roberts Kelsey strong, fearless, and ready for anything. In the year 1841, the seventeen-year-old wife and mother joins her husband, Ben, and with an infant in her arms, sets off in pursuit of the dream called California. Halfway across the continent, with the worst of the journey still to come, most of their party opts for the safer passage to Oregon, but the Kelseys and their friends choose a more direct route to the western coast—a fateful decision that will lead them across the Great Basin and over the Sierra Nevadas, through confrontations with native tribes and merciless weather. But a different sort of peril awaits them at farthest edge of the frontier from the powerful Mexican dons who view all new arrivals as threats to their sovereignty—setting a seemingly ordinary woman on an extraordinary path that will ultimately change the course of American history.

Based in part on the actual letters and writings of Nancy Kelsey, An Ordinary Woman is a stunning tale of courage, determination, and grand adventure that celebrates the remarkable life and achievements of a little-known but essential character from the pages of history—yet another masterful blending of fiction and fact from Cecelia Holland, one of America’s premier historical novelists.

 

Buy the eBook of An Ordinary Woman at Amazon or iTunes.

 An enthralling fictional account of Howard Carter’s famous search for the tomb of King Tut and the mystery behind the tragic death and disappearance of ancient Egypt’s child ruler 

In ancient times, a boy king occupied the throne in a troubled desert land. His name was Tutankhamun. Both his reign and his life were shockingly brief, and his burial place was unknown—mysteries that would intrigue the inquisitive for centuries to come.

An English archaeologist irresistibly drawn to Egypt and her secrets, Howard Carter arrives in the Middle East in the second decade of the twentieth century to uncover the hidden final resting place of the tragic child pharaoh. But from the outset his search is plagued by misfortune and obstruction—a corrupt and unbending Egyptian bureaucracy, a British lord and patron more interested in profit than in knowledge, and Carter’s own inability to connect with his fellow human beings. Still, he will not be deterred from his obsessive hunt for the answer to one of the most astonishing puzzles in the history of the world.

In her magnificent novel Valley of the Kings, Cecelia Holland has created two worlds, brilliantly re-creating Egypt in the 1920s and in the time of Tutankhamun. A stunning tale of determination and discovery, brimming with color, mystery, and life, it confirms her standing as one of the true masters of historical fiction.

 

Buy the eBook of Valley of the Kings at Amazon or iTunes.

 

 

 

Readers, have any of you read Cecelia Holland before? If so, do you have any favorites?

 

 

The Witch of Napoli Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway!

Publication Date: January 15, 2015
Palladino Books
Formats: eBook, Paperback

Genre: Historical Fantasy

Synopsis

Italy 1899: Fiery-tempered, erotic medium Alessandra Poverelli levitates a table at a Spiritualist séance in Naples. A reporter photographs the miracle, and wealthy, skeptical, Jewish psychiatrist Camillo Lombardi arrives in Naples to investigate. When she materializes the ghost of his dead mother, he risks his reputation and fortune to finance a tour of the Continent, challenging the scientific and academic elite of Europe to test Alessandra’s mysterious powers. She will help him rewrite Science. His fee will help her escape her sadistic husband Pigotti and start a new life in Rome. Newspapers across Europe trumpet her Cinderella story and baffling successes, and the public demands to know – does the “Queen of Spirits” really have supernatural powers?

Nigel Huxley is convinced she’s simply another vulgar, Italian trickster. The icy, aristocratic detective for England’s Society for the Investigation of Mediums launches a plot to trap and expose her. The Vatican is quietly digging up her childhood secrets, desperate to discredit her supernatural powers; her abusive husband Pigotti is coming to kill her; and the tarot cards predict catastrophe.

Praised by Kirkus Reviews as an “enchanting and graceful narrative” that absorbs readers from the very first page, The Witch of Napoli masterfully resurrects the bitter 19th century battle between Science and religion over the possibility of an afterlife.

What Did I Think About the Story?

My first thought when reading the above synopsis and beginning The Witch of Napoli was that this was going to be Alessandra's story, from her perspective, about her powers and the various people in her life either supporting her or trying to stand in her way. What you actually find when you begin reading the story is that this is the recollections of Tommaso Labella (the reporter mentioned in the synopsis) of the fateful events that shaped his life and brought him into Alessandra's exciting orbit. It opens in 1918 shortly after Alessandra's death and then goes back in time to 1899 and the summer that changed everything for both of them.

Tommaso is young, impetuous and ready for adventure when he first meets Alessandra, a 40-year-old, poor and uneducated medium who can not only speak to the dead but levitate inanimate objects and materialize spirits that can interact with other people. He becomes enamored by her and follows along, photographing her séances for a Naples newspaper, as various men attempt to either prove her abilities to be real or prove she is a very talented trickster and as her fame around the world continues to grow. Tommaso is an incredibly endearing character and once I got used to hearing about the events through his perspective I very much enjoyed tagging along as he traveled the continent for the first time and began to grow into the reporter and man he is destined to become.

While Alessandra isn't as fleshed out as I would have necessarily liked (her backstory, feelings and experiences are all being given to us through Tommaso so they aren't as deeply drawn as if she was telling her story) it is quite clear to me that Michael Schmicker is an expert when it comes to the paranormal. Every single time I stepped into the room with Tommaso to witness the séances I was completely absorbed in what was happening and transfixed by the descriptions of not only the paranormal aspects shown but the detailed ways in which the investigators sought to catch Alessandra cheating and the various ways one could fake the paranormal activity being seen. I found these portions of the novel to be absolutely fascinating and at times terrifying, especially whenever the spirit of Savonarola made an appearance! The arrogant nonbeliever Huxley is another rather unsettling character as he will do anything to ruin Alessandra and anyone connected to her. We don't really get to learn exactly why he is this way but just hearing about how he plotted and manipulated situations to discredit her was enough to give me a chill when he popped back onto the scene.

Something else I found interesting was the tidbits of political and social commentary interspersed throughout the story, giving a  nice backdrop that showed the wide belief in the paranormal still existing in Europe during this time as well as the shift towards skepticism and proof men of science were exacting against these beliefs. Not knowing very much about Italy or its beliefs during this time I enjoyed the inclusion of this information to give me some background against how the characters reacted and responded to the world around them.

While not what I initially expected, The Witch of Napoli was nevertheless a very enjoyable read.  Even with not getting to hear Alessandra's story from Alessandra she was still a very intriguing character to say the least and it was easy to see how she could enchant most of the men around her. She makes a few questionable choices throughout the novel but this, for me, just served to make her seem more human. I am definitely excited to read more about séances and the paranormal and applaud Michael Schmicker for presenting a story wholly original and unlike anything I have read before.

What Did I Think About the Cover?  

While I can't say it reminds me of any specific part of the story I actually like it. It  makes me think of something hidden or mysterious and that definitely represents the overall feel of The Witch of Napoli for me.


My Rating: 3.5/5.0

 

Thank you to Amy at Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for providing me with a free copy of The Witch of Napoli in exchange for an honest review. Be sure to continue below for more information about the author, the book, the rest of the blog tour and how to win a copy of your very own!

 

 

About the Author

 

 

Michael Schmicker is an investigative journalist and nationally-known writer on the paranormal. He’s been a featured guest on national broadcast radio talk shows, including twice on Coast to Coast AM (560 stations in North America, with 3 million weekly listeners). He also shares his investigations through popular paranormal webcasts including Skeptiko, hosted by Alex Tsakiris; Speaking of Strange with Joshua Warren; the X-Zone, with Rob McConnell (Canada); and he even

spent an hour chatting with spoon-bending celebrity Uri Geller on his program Parascience and Beyond (England). He is the co-author of The Gift, ESP: The Extraordinary Experiences of Ordinary People (St. Martin’s Press). The Witch of Napoli is his debut novel. Michael began his writing career as a crime reporter for a suburban Dow-Jones newspaper in Connecticut, and worked as a freelance reporter in Southeast Asia for three years. He has also worked as a stringer for Forbes magazine, and Op-Ed contributor to The Wall Street Journal Asia. His interest in investigating the paranormal began as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand where he first encountered a non-Western culture which readily accepts the reality of ghosts and spirits, reincarnation, psychics, mediums, divination,and other persistently reported phenomena unexplainable by current Science. He lives and writes in Honolulu, Hawaii, on a mountaintop overlooking Waikiki and Diamond Head.

Connect with Michael Schmicker on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Praise for The Witch of Napoli

“Impressive…an enchanting, graceful narrative that absorbs readers from the first page.” -Kirkus Reviews

Giveaway!

 

To win a Paperback copy of The Witch of Napoli please fill out the form HERE.

 

 

Please note that the mandatory entry requires you to leave a comment below. If you do not leave a comment and then enter your name and email on the form you will not be entered. All other entries are optional.

 

I will pick a winner on March 2nd and email the winner for their mailing address. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before I have to pick another winner.

 

You must be 18 or older to enter.


Giveaway is open to US, UK and AUS residents.

 

Only one entry per household.

All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.

 

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

The Witch of Napoli Blog Tour Schedule

 

Monday, February 16

Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, February 17

Review at Book Babe

Wednesday, February 18

Review at 100 Pages a Day – Stephanie’s Book Reviews

Thursday, February 19

Review & Giveaway at A Dream Within a Dream
Interview at Books and Benches

Saturday, February 21

Spotlight at Flashlight Commentary

Sunday, February 22

Review at Carole’s Ramblings

Monday, February 23

Review & Giveaway at A Literary Vacation
Interview at Boom Baby Reviews

Tuesday, February 24

Guest Post & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews

Wednesday, February 25

Review at Book Nerd

Friday, February 27

Spotlight at Let Them Read Books

Saturday, February 28

Spotlight at I Heart Reading

Monday, March 2

Review at A Book Drunkard
Spotlight at Historical Fiction Obsession

Tuesday, March 3

Review at Unshelfish

Wednesday, March 4

Review at Carpe Librum

Thursday, March 5

Interview at Carpe Librum

Friday, March 6

Review & Giveaway at The True Book Addict

Monday, March 9

Review at Just One More Chapter

Tuesday, March 10

Review at CelticLady’s Reviews

Wednesday, March 11

Spotlight at The Never-Ending Book

Thursday, March 12

Review at Dianne Ascroft Blog

Tuesday, March 17

Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

Wednesday, March 18

Guest Post at Historical Fiction Connection

Thursday, March 19

Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views

Friday, March 20

Review & Giveaway at Broken Teepee

 

 

 

 

 



Spotlight on I Am Abraham: A Novel of Lincoln and the Civil War by Jerome Charyn

PB Publication Date: February 9th, 2015
Liveright Publishing Corporation
Paperback; 480p

Genre: Historical Fiction

Narrated in Lincoln’s own voice, the tragicomic I Am Abraham promises to be the masterwork of Jerome Charyn’s remarkable career.

Since publishing his first novel in 1964, Jerome Charyn has established himself as one of the most inventive and prolific literary chroniclers of the American landscape. Here in I Am Abraham, Charyn returns with an unforgettable portrait of Lincoln and the Civil War. Narrated boldly in the first person, I Am Abraham effortlessly mixes humor with Shakespearean-like tragedy, in the process creating an achingly human portrait of our sixteenth President.

Tracing the historic arc of Lincoln’s life from his picaresque days as a gangly young lawyer in Sangamon County, Illinois, through his improbable marriage to Kentucky belle Mary Todd, to his 1865 visit to war-shattered Richmond only days before his assassination, I Am Abraham hews closely to the familiar Lincoln saga. Charyn seamlessly braids historical figures such as Mrs. Keckley—the former slave, who became the First Lady’s dressmaker and confidante—and the swaggering and almost treasonous General McClellan with a parade of fictional extras: wise-cracking knaves, conniving hangers-on, speculators, scheming Senators, and even patriotic whores.

We encounter the renegade Rebel soldiers who flanked the District in tattered uniforms and cardboard shoes, living in a no-man’s-land between North and South; as well as the Northern deserters, young men all, with sunken, hollowed faces, sitting in the punishing sun, waiting for their rendezvous with the firing squad; and the black recruits, whom Lincoln’s own generals wanted to discard, but who play a pivotal role in winning the Civil War. At the center of this grand pageant is always Lincoln himself, clad in a green shawl, pacing the White House halls in the darkest hours of America’s bloodiest war.

Using biblically cadenced prose, cornpone nineteenth-century humor, and Lincoln’s own letters and speeches, Charyn concocts a profoundly moral but troubled commander in chief, whose relationship with his Ophelia-like wife and sons—Robert, Willie, and Tad—is explored with penetrating psychological insight and the utmost compassion. Seized by melancholy and imbued with an unfaltering sense of human worth, Charyn’s President Lincoln comes to vibrant, three-dimensional life in a haunting portrait we have rarely seen in historical fiction.

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

“Thoughtful, observant and droll.” — Richard Brookhiser, New York Times Book Review

“Not only the best novel about President Lincoln since Gore Vidal’s Lincoln in 1984, but it is also twice as good to read.” — Gabor Boritt, author of The Lincoln Enigma and recipient of the National Humanities Medal

“Jerome Charyn [is] a fearless writer… Brave and brazen… The book is daringly imagined, written with exuberance, and with a remarkable command of historical detail. It gives us a human Lincoln besieged by vividly drawn enemies and allies… Placing Lincoln within the web ordinary and sometimes petty human relations is no small achievement.” — Andrew Delbanco, New York Review of Books

“Audacious as ever, Jerome Charyn now casts his novelist’s gimlet eye on sad-souled Abraham Lincoln, a man of many parts, who controls events and people—wife, sons, a splintering nation—even though they often are, as they must be, beyond his compassion or power. Brooding, dreamlike, resonant, and studded with strutting characters, I Am Abraham is as wide and deep and morally sure as its wonderful subjects.” — Brenda Wineapple, author of Ecstatic Nation: Confidence, Crisis, and Compassion: 1848-1877

“If all historians—or any historian—could write with the magnetic charm and authoritative verve of Jerome Charyn, American readers would be fighting over the privilege of learning about their past. They can learn much from this book—an audacious, first-person novel that makes Lincoln the most irresistible figure of a compelling story singed with equal doses of comedy, tragedy, and moral grandeur. Here is something beyond history and approaching art.” — Harold Holzer, chairman, Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation

“Jerome Charyn is one of the most important writers in American literature.” — Michael Chabon

“Jerome Charyn is merely one of our finest writers with a polymorphous imagination and crack comic timing. Whatever milieu he chooses to inhabit, his characters sizzle with life, and his sentences are pure vernacular music, his voice unmistakable.” — Jonathan Lethem

“Charyn, like Nabokov, is that most fiendish sort of writer—so seductive as to beg imitation, so singular as to make imitation impossible.” — Tom Bissell

“One of our most intriguing fiction writers takes on the story of Honest Abe, narrating the tale in Lincoln’s voice and offering a revealing portrait of a man as flawed as he was great.” — Abbe Wright, O, The Oprah Magazine

“Jerome Charyn, like Daniel Day-Lewis in Steven Spielberg’s superb 2012 movie, manages a feat of ventriloquism to be admired… Most of all, Lincoln comes across as human and not some remote giant… With that, Jerome Charyn has given Lincoln a most appropriate present for what would have been his 205th birthday this month: rebirth not as a marble memorial but as a three-dimensional human who overcame much to save his nation.” — Erik Spanberg, Christian Science Monitor

“Daring… Memorable… Charyn’s richly textured portrait captures the pragmatism, cunning, despair, and moral strength of a man who could have empathy for his bitterest foes, and who ‘had never outgrown the forest and a dirt floor.’” — The New Yorker

Buy the Book

Amazon
Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Jerome Charyn is an award-winning American author. With nearly 50 published works, Charyn has earned a long-standing reputation as an inventive and prolific chronicler of real and imagined American life. Michael Chabon calls him “one of the most important writers in American literature.”

New York Newsday hailed Charyn as “a contemporary American Balzac,”and the Los Angeles Times described him as “absolutely unique among American writers.” Since the 1964 release of Charyn’s first novel, Once Upon a Droshky, he has published 30 novels, three memoirs, eight graphic novels, two books about film, short stories, plays and works of non-fiction. Two of his memoirs were named New York Times Book of the Year. Charyn has been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. He received the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and has been named Commander of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture. Charyn was Distinguished Professor of Film Studies at the American University of Paris until he left teaching in 2009. In addition to his writing and teaching, Charyn is a tournament table tennis player, once ranked in the top 10 percent of players in France. Noted novelist Don DeLillo called Charyn’s book on table tennis, Sizzling Chops & Devilish Spins, “The Sun Also Rises of ping-pong.” Charyn lives in Paris and New York City.

For more information please visit Jerome Charyn’s website. You can also find him on Twitter and Goodreads.

I Am Abraham Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, February 9

Review at Flashlight Commentary

Tuesday, February 10

Interview & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary

Wednesday, February 11

Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past

Thursday, February 12

Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book

Friday, February 13

Spotlight at What Is That Book About

Monday, February 16

Review & Excerpt at A Virtual Hobby Store and Coffee Haus

Tuesday, February 17

Interview & Giveaway at A Virtual Hobby Store and Coffee Haus
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Wednesday, February 18

Review at Back Porchervations

Thursday, February 19

Spotlight at A Literary Vacation

Friday, February 20

Interview & Giveaway at Let Them Read Books

Saturday, February 21

Spotlight at Historical Readings & Reviews

Monday, February 23

Interview & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews

Tuesday, February 24

Audio Book Review & Interview at Just One More Chapter

Wednesday, February 25

Review at Bookish

Thursday, February 26

Spotlight at Historical Fiction Connection

Monday, March 2

Review at Forever Ashley

Tuesday, March 3

Interview at Books and Benches

Wednesday, March 4

Spotlight at Caroline Wilson Writes

Thursday, March 5

Review & Reader’s Guide at She is Too Fond of Books

Friday, March 6

Review at Impressions in Ink



Spotlight on Flowers of Grace by Teresa Hirst

 

Flowers of Grace

Publication Date: February 20, 2015

Published by Little Forest Big Spring Press

332 pages

ASIN: B00SP6MB30

ISBN: 978-1-937059-02-6

 

Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction

 

 

Flowers of Grace, a novel inspired by a true story, is a heart-wrenching book club choice that one reviewer called "a tribute to love and friendship."

 

Set in an upscale St. Louis boutique amid a fragile economic climate when retail customers are trading brick and mortar stores for online shopping, Flowers of Grace is a story of love and loss, friendship and forgiveness.

 

Still mourning a broken engagement, Grace inherits a hibiscus with a legacy she fears she will kill. Doubt in her capacity to nurture anything prompts her to bring the plant into the clothing store she manages, and the dynamic personalities of the female staff band together to help it bloom. Grace and the hibiscus blossom through a wedding and a birth, but its unexpected death pushes her to face false assumptions, opening a path for new love to appear.

 

The simple gift is more than a plant. When it blooms, so does she. But when it dies, she fears love will too.

 

 

About the Author

 

 

 

Teresa is the author of Flowers of Grace, a new novel inspired by a true story. She grew up feasting on Harriet the Spy and now counts legitimate people watching as a favorite hobby.

 

Teresa was raised in St. Louis, Missouri, studied journalism at Brigham Young University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications. She has worked for a newspaper, in public relations, and as a freelance writer and editor. Today, she observes and tells insightful stories - both fiction and nonfiction - that characterize our emotional experience with life.

 

Teresa lives with her husband and teenage children in Minnesota, loves sentimental movies and great conversations, and practices daily gratitude to cope with neuroendocrine cancer. Find out more about her and her books at www.teresahirst.com or subscribe to her blog at www.tjhirst.com. Find her online where she is active on Goodreads and Facebook, as well as other social media sites such as Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Google+.

 

 

Advance Praise

 

 

"This is a beautiful story celebrating different kinds of female connections, including those that we may feel we make imperfectly - we especially need each other in our "not-quite-in-full-bloom" stages" - a Goodreads reviewer

 

"...truly brings to light how women need women, how we are uniquely invested in overcoming problems, how we grow stronger as an individual when we embrace our differences by communicating, sharing a simple laughter, or extending sympathy in times of sorrow." - a Goodreads reviewer

 

 

Buy the Book

 

 

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

 

 

Promotion and Giveaway Opportunities!

 

 

Flowers of Grace will be releasing on February 20th, 2015. Anyone who pre-orders it before the release date will get the eBook for the promotional price of $2.99!

 

You can also enter to win a signed copy of the book through a Goodreads giveaway running until February 26th, 2015. Go HERE for the giveaway information and to enter.

 

 

 

 

Spotlight on The Witch Hunter's Tale by Sam Thomas

Publication date: January 6, 2015
St. Martin’s Press
Formats: eBook, Hardcover
Pages: 320

Series: Book Three, The Midwife Mysteries Series
Genre: Historical Mystery

Sam Thomas takes readers back to Puritan England with midwife Bridget Hodgson, hailed by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as “one of the most fascinating detectives in contemporary mystery fiction.”

Winter has come to the city of York, and with it the threat of witchcraft. As women and children sicken and die, midwife Bridget Hodgson is pulled against her will into a full-scale witch-hunt that threatens to devour all in its path, guilty and innocent alike.

Bridget—accompanied once again by her deputy Martha Hawkins and her nephew Will Hodgson—finds herself playing a lethal game of cat and mouse against the most dangerous men in York, as well as her sworn enemy Rebecca Hooke. As the trials begin, and the noose begins to tighten around her neck, Bridget must answer the question: How far will she go to protect the people she loves?

Praise for the Midwife Mystery Series

“Sam Thomas has created one of the most　fascinating detectives in contemporary mystery fiction—a crime-solving, wealthy, widowed midwife in embattled 17th-century York, England. . . . Bridget is as fascinating, fun and fierce as ever.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer on The Harlot’s Tale

”Besides making his heroine a plausible sleuth, Thomas conveys the challenges of midwifery without clumsy exposition.” —Publishers Weekly (starred) on The Harlot’s Tale

“As pleasurable as his mystery is, the true thrill here is Thomas’s lively portrait of 1644 York and his unique heroine.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer on The Midwife’s Tale

“A briskly plotted historical mystery starring a pair of brave, tenacious, intelligent women who take no prisoners and make no apologies.” —Lyndsay Faye, author of Gods of Gotham

“Thomas is a historian by profession and it shows in the wealth of detail with which he recreates the city of York amid the turmoil of the English civil war.” —Rhys Bowen, author of the bestselling Royal Spyness series

“A heart-stopping page-turner coupled with a gritty and realistic portrayal of two strong and contrasting woman characters vividly depicted against the backdrop of the besieged city of York.” —Cora Harrison, author of I Was Jane Austen’s Best Friend

“The gripping story, fascinating characters, and intriguing era make Thomas’s debut mystery a reader’s delight.” —Priscilla Royal, author of The Killing Season

“Thomas’s fiction debut is packed with fascinating information about a midwife’s skills and life during the English civil war. The ingenious, fast-paced mystery is a bonus.” —Kirkus Reviews on The Midwife’s Tale

“Everything rings true in historian Thomas’s superb first mystery. . . Authentic details of life in 17th-century York complement the whodunit’s intelligently concealed clues.” —Publishers Weekly (starred) on The Midwife’s Tale

Buy the Book

Amazon (Hardcover)
Amazon (Kindle)
Barnes & Noble
iTunes
IndieBound
Powell’s

About the Author

Sam Thomas is an assistant professor of history at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He has
received research grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Newberry Library, and the British Academy. He has published articles on topics ranging from early modern Britain to colonial Africa. Thomas lives in Alabama with his wife and two children.

For more information please visit Sam Thomas’s website. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

 

The Witch Hunter's Tale Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, February 9

Review at With Her Nose Stuck In A Book
Spotlight at What Is that Book About

Tuesday, February 10

Review at Flashlight Commentary
Spotlight at The Lit Bitch

Wednesday, February 11

Review at Build a Bookshelf

Friday, February 13

Spotlight at A Literary Vacation

Monday, February 16

Review at Book Babe
Spotlight at Let Them Read Books

Tuesday, February 17

Review at The Emerald City Book Review

Wednesday, February 18

Review & Interview at Back Porchervations

Friday, February 20

Spotlight at Passages to the Past

Monday, February 23

Interview at Mina’s Bookshelf
Spotlight at Historical Fiction Obsession

Tuesday, February 24

Review at A Book Geek

Wednesday, February 25

Review at A Chick Who Reads
Spotlight at CelticLady’s Reviews

Thursday, February 26

Review at Beth’s Book Nook Blog
Spotlight at Brooke Blogs

Friday, February 27

Review at So Many Books, So Little Time



Spotlight on Close to the Sun by Donald Michael Platt

Publication Date: June 15, 2014
Fireship Press
eBook; 404p

Genre: Historical Fiction

Close to the Sun follows the lives of fighter pilots during the Second World War. As a boy, Hank Milroy from Wyoming idealized the gallant exploits of WWI fighter aces. Karl, Fürst von Pfalz-Teuffelreich, aspires to surpass his father’s 49 Luftsiegen. Seth Braham falls in love with flying during an air show at San Francisco’s Chrissy Field.

The young men encounter friends, rivals, and exceptional women. Braxton Mobley, the hotshot, wants to outscore every man in the air force. Texas tomboy Catherine “Winty” McCabe is as good a flyer as any man. Princess Maria-Xenia, a stateless White Russian, works for the Abwehr, German Intelligence. Elfriede Wohlman is a frontline nurse with a dangerous secret. Miriam Keramopoulos is the girl from Brooklyn with a voice that will take her places.

Once the United States enter the war, Hank, Brax, and Seth experience the exhilaration of aerial combat and acedom during the unromantic reality of combat losses, tedious bomber escort, strafing runs, and the firebombing of entire cities. As one of the hated aristocrats, Karl is in as much danger from Nazis as he is from enemy fighter pilots, as he and his colleagues desperately try to stem the overwhelming tide as the war turns against Germany. Callous political decisions, disastrous mistakes, and horrific atrocities they witness at the end of WWII put a dark spin on all their dreams of glory.

Blogger Praise for Close to the Sun

“Donald Michael Platt’s Close to the Sun is an amazing story told from the perspective of average male fighter pilots in the onset and during WWII, juxtaposing between various men from many sides of the war. The details in this novel were spectacular, creating imagery and depth in the scenes and characters, as well as the dialogue being so nostalgic and well-written it felt right out of a 1950’s film. The romantic nuances of his storytelling felt incredibly authentic with the tug and pull of the men being called to serve and the women whom they loved who had their own high hopes, dreams, or work. I loved how he portrayed this women the most—strongly and fiercely independent. I’ve read several other books by Platt, and this is the best one I’ve read yet! I couldn’t stop reading. ” – Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi, Hook of a Book

“Donald Platt’s Close To The Sun, is nothing short of Historical Fiction gold. Platt’s flair for emotionally provocative storytelling makes this book attractive to both male and female readers. Seamlessly weaving the threads of action and feeling into a brilliant tableau of humanity. This is a masterfully penned tale of war, ambition, love, loss, and ACES!” – Frishawn Rasheed, WTF Are You Reading?

“Fast-paced and riveting I couldn’t get enough of Hank, Karl and Seth’s exploits! CLOSE TO THE SUN is a thrilling novel that leads readers through idyllic dreams of heroism and the grim reality of war. Platt provides readers with a unique coming-of-age story as three adventure-seeking boys discover far more than how to be an aerial combat pilot. CLOSE TO THE SUN is an amazing tale of adventure, heroism, war and the drive within us all that keeps us going when things look bleak.” – Ashley LaMar, Closed the Cover

“I found Close to the Sun to be an entertaining read, it was well written, with well developed characters, these characters had depth and emotion. A unique plot, told from the point of view of pilots prior to and during World War II. It was a well researched and interesting book” – Margaret Cook, Just One More Chapter

Buy the Book

Amazon
Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Author of four other novels, ROCAMORA, HOUSE OF ROCAMORA, A GATHERING OF VULTURES, and CLOSE TO THE SUN, Donald Michael Platt was born and raised in San Francisco. Donald graduated from Lowell High School and received his B.A. in History from the University of California at Berkeley. After two years in the Army, Donald attended graduate school
at San Jose State where he won a batch of literary awards in the annual SENATOR PHELAN LITERARY CONTEST.

Donald moved to southern California to begin his professional writing career. He sold to the TV series, MR. NOVAK, ghosted for health food guru, Dan Dale Alexander, and wrote for and with diverse producers, among them as Harry Joe Brown, Sig Schlager, Albert J. Cohen, Al Ruddy plus Paul Stader Sr, Hollywood stuntman and stunt/2nd unit director. While in Hollywood, Donald taught Creative Writing and Advanced Placement European History at Fairfax High School where he was Social Studies Department Chairman.

After living in Florianópolis, Brazil, setting of his horror novel A GATHERING OF VULTURES, pub. 2007 & 2011, he moved to Florida where he wrote as a with: VITAMIN ENRICHED, pub.1999, for Carl DeSantis, founder of Rexall Sundown Vitamins; and THE COUPLE’S DISEASE, Finding a Cure for Your Lost “Love” Life, pub. 2002, for Lawrence S. Hakim, MD, FACS, Head of Sexual Dysfunction Unit at the Cleveland Clinic.

Currently, Donald resides in Winter Haven, Florida where he is polishing a dark novel and preparing to write a sequel to CLOSE TO THE SUN.

For more information please visit Donald Michael Platt’s website. You can also connect with him on Facebook and Twitter.

Close to the Sun Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, January 26

Spotlight at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, January 27

Guest Post at What Is That Book About

Wednesday, January 28

Spotlight at Let Them Read Books

Thursday, January 29

Interview at Flashlight Commentary

Monday, February 2

Spotlight at Historical Fiction Connection

Tuesday, February 3

Guest Post at Latte Da

Friday, February 6

Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Spotlight at Boom Baby Reviews

Wednesday, February 11

Review at Back Porchervations

Thursday, February 12

Spotlight at A Literary Vacation

Monday, February 16

Spotlight at So Many Books, So Little Time