Cover Crush: The War Outside by Monica Hesse

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!

One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at Historical Fiction Reader, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. You'll find my Cover Crush selection below and I'll link to everyone else's at the end of the post.

 

So, without further ado, my Cover Crush this week is.....

 

 

 

 

First off, I love the soft focus of this cover, with the dark border along the top drawing your eyes down. Given the barbed wire (perfectly framing the title, I might add) and airplanes in the top right hand corner you get the sense that this is a novel of war, with the clothes of the two women making me think it is probably set during WWII. I love when a cover can express for the potential reader what sort of story they might find within! This is definitely a cover I'd snatch up in a minute!

 

Let's see how close my assessment of the cover is to what the story is really about....

 

 

A stunning novel of conviction, friendship, and betrayal from Monica Hesse, the Edgar Award-winning and bestselling author of Girl in the Blue Coat

It's 1944, and World War II is raging across Europe and the Pacific. The war seemed far away from Margot in Iowa and Haruko in Colorado--until they were uprooted to dusty Texas, all because of the places their parents once called home: Germany and Japan.

Haruko and Margot meet at the high school in Crystal City, a "family internment camp" for those accused of colluding with the enemy. The teens discover that they are polar opposites in so many ways, except for one that seems to override all the others: the camp is changing them, day by day and piece by piece. Haruko finds herself consumed by fear for her soldier brother and distrust of her father, who she knows is keeping something from her. And Margot is doing everything she can to keep her family whole as her mother's health deteriorates and her rational, patriotic father becomes a man who distrusts America and fraternizes with Nazis.

With everything around them falling apart, Margot and Haruko find solace in their growing, secret friendship. But in a prison the government has deemed full of spies, can they trust anyone--even each other?

 

 Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):



Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Erin at Historical Fiction Reader
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired



Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede

 

 



Cover Crush: Little Do We Know by Tamara Ireland Stone

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!

One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at Historical Fiction Reader, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. You'll find my Cover Crush selection below and I'll link to everyone else's at the end of the post.

 

 

 

 

The texture on this cover is delicious! I feel like I could reach out and move around the pieces. The colors are eye-catching and I love the little houses hiding within the swirls. Just a really cool cover all in all!

 

Let's see what the story is about....

 
Next-door neighbors and ex-best friends Hannah and Emory haven’t spoken in months. Not since the fight—the one where they said things they couldn’t take back.

Now, Emory is fine-tuning her UCLA performing arts application and trying to make the most of the months she has left with her boyfriend, Luke, before they head off to separate colleges. Meanwhile, Hannah’s strong faith is shaken when her family’s financial problems come to light, and she finds herself turning to unexpected places—and people—for answers to the difficult questions she’s suddenly facing.

No matter how much Hannah and Emory desperately want to bridge the thirty-six steps between their bedroom windows, they can’t. Not anymore.

Until their paths cross unexpectedly when, one night, Hannah finds Luke doubled over in his car outside her house. In the aftermath of the accident, all three struggle to understand what happened in their own ways. But when a devastating secret about Hannah and Emory’s argument ultimately comes to light, they must all reexamine the things they hold true.

In alternating chapters, a skeptic and a believer piece together the story of their complex relationship and the boy caught somewhere in the middle. New York Times best-selling author Tamara Ireland Stone deftly crafts a moving portrait of faith, love, and friendship.

 

 

Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):

Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede

Erin at Historical Fiction Reader

Heather at The Maiden's Court

Stephanie at Layered Pages

Holly at 2 Kids and Tired

Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede

 

 



Cover Crush: This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!

One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at Flashlight Commentary, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. You'll find my Cover Crush selection below and I'll link to everyone else's at the end of the post.

So, without further ado, my Cover Crush this week is.....

 

 

 

 

I don't even know where I should start regarding what I love about this cover. And what's all the more amazing...it's quite simple! It's a massive swirl of creamy blues all melding together and flowing around the white stars. I just want to reach out and squish my hands right in the center! I like how the title seems to swirl within the background as well. Just really, really pretty!!

 

While this cover doesn't really give any hint about what the story is about I'm guessing the synopsis will.....

 

 
Sloane isn't expecting to fall in with a group of friends when she moves from New York to Florida—especially not a group of friends so intense, so in love, so all-consuming. Yet that's exactly what happens.

Sloane becomes closest to Vera, a social-media star who lights up any room, and Gabe, Vera's twin brother and the most serious person Sloane's ever met. When a beloved painting by the twins' late mother goes missing, Sloane takes on the responsibility of tracking it down, a journey that takes her across state lines—and ever deeper into the twins' lives.

Filled with intense and important friendships, a wonderful warts-and-all family, shiveringly good romantic developments, and sharp, witty dialogue, this story is about finding the people you never knew you needed.  

Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):

Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede

Erin at Flashlight Commentary

Heather at The Maiden's Court

Stephanie at Layered Pages

Holly at 2 Kids and Tired

Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede

 

Cover Crush: The You I've Never Known by Ellen Hopkins

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!

One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at Flashlight Commentary, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. You'll find my Cover Crush selection below and I'll link to everyone else's at the end of the post.

So, without further ado, my Cover Crush this week is.....

 

 

 

 

I love the fragmented, weaved together pieces of this photo. This, combined with the title, makes me think of trying to piece together the many components of a person's personality and life in order to get a better image of the person as a whole. It's great imagery and symbolism and just a really cool cover!

 

We'll let the synopsis fill us in on what the story is about.....

 

 

For as long as she can remember, it’s been just Ariel and Dad. Ariel’s mom disappeared when she was a baby. Dad says home is wherever the two of them are, but Ariel is now seventeen and after years of new apartments, new schools, and new faces, all she wants is to put down some roots. Complicating things are Monica and Gabe, both of whom have stirred a different kind of desire.

Maya’s a teenager who’s run from an abusive mother right into the arms of an older man she thinks she can trust. But now she’s isolated with a baby on the way, and life’s getting more complicated than Maya ever could have imagined.

Ariel and Maya’s lives collide unexpectedly when Ariel’s mother shows up out of the blue with wild accusations: Ariel wasn’t abandoned. Her father kidnapped her fourteen years ago.

What is Ariel supposed to believe? Is it possible Dad’s woven her entire history into a tapestry of lies? How can she choose between the mother she’s been taught to mistrust and the father who has taken care of her all these years?

In bestselling author Ellen Hopkins’s deft hands, Ariel’s emotionally charged journey to find out the truth of who she really is balances beautifully with Maya’s story of loss and redemption. This is a memorable portrait of two young women trying to make sense of their lives and coming face to face with themselves—for both the last and the very first time.

Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):


Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Meghan at Of Quills & Vellum
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired



Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede

Cover Crush: The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!

One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at Flashlight Commentary, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. I've decided to join in this year and will link to their posts down below.

So, without further ado, my Cover Crush this week is.....

 

 

 

 

Just take a moment and move your eyes around this cover. There's so much to see it's hard to decide where to start! With all the gorgeous imagery flowing around I love that it twists back around to make a figure eight. It gives me a feeling of continuity and overlap. I have to see this one in person because I have a feeling it's even more stunning in hardback!

 

What sort of story could be wrapped within this stunner? Why don't we read the synopsis and see...

 

 Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.

 

 

Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):


Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Meghan at Of Quills & Vellum
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired



Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede

 

 

 

Cover Crush: A Tourch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!

One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at Flashlight Commentary, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. I've decided to join in this year and will link to their posts down below.

So, without further ado, my Cover Crush this week is.....

 

 

 

 

This cover is somewhat plainer than I typically pick, but it's that starkness that really catches my eyes. The title is center stage, and the sharp lines and blue color gives it a hard, cold feel to it. Your eye then travels down to the image of two people, just coming out of what appears to be a desolate and cold environment (again, the blues and whites give you that feeling), running towards the only bright color in the whole thing, a bright orange flame. What are they running from, and what exactly is inside that more inviting cave? The image and the title bring up so many exhilarating questions for me! 

 

So what's the story actually about? Let's see....

 

 

Elias and Laia are running for their lives. After the events of the Fourth Trial, Martial soldiers hunt the two fugitives as they flee the city of Serra and undertake a perilous journey through the heart of the Empire.

Laia is determined to break into Kauf—the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prison—to save her brother, who is the key to the Scholars’ survival. And Elias is determined to help Laia succeed, even if it means giving up his last chance at freedom.

But dark forces, human and otherworldly, work against Laia and Elias. The pair must fight every step of the way to outsmart their enemies: the bloodthirsty Emperor Marcus, the merciless Commandant, the sadistic Warden of Kauf, and, most heartbreaking of all, Helene—Elias’s former friend and the Empire’s newest Blood Shrike.

Bound to Marcus’s will, Helene faces a torturous mission of her own—one that might destroy her: find the traitor Elias Veturius and the Scholar slave who helped him escape…and kill them both.

 

 

Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):


Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Meghan at Of Quills & Vellum
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired



Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede

 

 

 

Cover Crush: Wicked Like a Wildfire by Lana Popovic

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!

One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at Flashlight Commentary, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. I've decided to join in this year and will link to their posts down below.

So, without further ado, my Cover Crush this week is.....

 

 

 

 

I adore the bright, vibrant colors in this cover! The purple background is gorgeous and makes a stunning backdrop for the vivid pinks, greens, and blues of the flowers flowing around the title. The white title and butterfly add beautiful contrast and ends up standing out amongst the stunning bright colors. It's just so pretty!!

 

Let's read the synopsis to see what we can expect from the story....

 

All the women in Iris and Malina’s family have the unique magical ability or “gleam” to manipulate beauty. Iris sees flowers as fractals and turns her kaleidoscope visions into glasswork, while Malina interprets moods as music. But their mother has strict rules to keep their gifts a secret, even in their secluded sea-side town. Iris and Malina are not allowed to share their magic with anyone, and above all, they are forbidden from falling in love.

But when their mother is mysteriously attacked, the sisters will have to unearth the truth behind the quiet lives their mother has built for them. They will discover a wicked curse that haunts their family line—but will they find that the very magic that bonds them together is destined to tear them apart forever?  

 

 

Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):


Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Meghan at Of Quills & Vellum
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired



Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede

 

 

Cover Crush: A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!

One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at Flashlight Commentary, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. I've decided to join in this year and will link to their posts down below.

So, without further ado, my Cover Crush this week is.....

 

 

 

 

Seriously, just look at this cover for a minute! It's gorgeous, right?! There's so much to see! Taking your eye around the tree you've got animals and hands with what I believe are quills and fireballs and a key right at the top. What could it all mean??? I have no idea and I really don't care...I just want to stare at the picture some more! And I love the black background as it really makes all of the images pop and the colors vibrant.

 

Let's read what the story is about....

 

This is the story of a bear-hearted girl . . .

Sometimes, when a person dies, their spirit goes looking for somewhere to hide.
Some people have space within them, perfect for hiding.

Twelve-year-old Makepeace has learned to defend herself from the ghosts which try to possess her in the night, desperate for refuge, but one day a dreadful event causes her to drop her guard.

And now there's a spirit inside her.

The spirit is wild, brutish and strong, and it may be her only defence when she is sent to live with her father's rich and powerful ancestors. There is talk of civil war, and they need people like her to protect their dark and terrible family secret.

But as she plans her escape and heads out into a country torn apart by war, Makepeace must decide which is worse: possession – or death."

 

 

Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):


Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Meghan at Of Quills & Vellum
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired



Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede

 

 

Cover Crush: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Hello, my name is Colleen and I am a cover slut. I know, I know....you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover. I just can't help myself! A beautiful cover draws my eye every single time and I can't help but pick up the book it's dressing and see if the inside seems as intriguing as the outside. Sometimes it does, and sometimes a pretty cover is just a pretty cover. Either way, I love getting an eyeful!

One of my favorite bloggers, Erin at Flashlight Commentary, created a weekly blog post called Cover Crush and she and some other blogger friends are sharing their favorite covers each Thursday. I've decided to join in this year and will link to their posts down below.

So, without further ado, my Cover Crush this week is.....

 

 

 

 

I absolutely love the opposing images on both sides of this cover!!! Are the blue moths flying over that golden landscape, or are the golden butterflies escaping to fly free into the blue horizon? I don't know but it's gorgeous nonetheless!

 

I'm thinking from the image that the story might be about two worlds, each the opposite of the other  (if you know what I mean). Let's see if I'm right.....

 

 

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

 

Don't forget to check out what covers my blogger buddies are drooling over this week (updated as they become available):


Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Meghan at Of Quills & Vellum
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Heather at The Maiden's Court
Stephanie at Layered Pages
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired



Created by Magdalena of A Bookaholic Swede

 

 

Spotlight on The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman by Robin Gregory

Publisher: Mad Mystical Journey
Pub. Date: November 1st, 2015
Pages: 294

Genres: Young Adult (13+) / Literary /Magical Realism


Having won a number of awards, Robin Gregory's The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman is being lauded as a classic. A haunting, visionary tale spun in the magical realist tradition of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude and Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children, the profoundly unique voice and heart-stirring narrative recall great works of fiction that explore the universal desire to belong.


Early 1900s, Western America. A lonely, disabled boy with a nasty temper and uncontrolled mystical powers, Moojie is taken by his father to his grandfather's wilderness farm. There, Moojie befriends an otherworldly clan of outcasts, and wants to prove he can fit in with them. Following a series of misadventures, magical and mystical, Moojie struggles to master his powers. He is summoned by the call to a great destiny ... if only he can survive one last terrifying trial.

Praise for The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman

"The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman is an extremely unique story delving into the mystery and intrigue of Moojie's supernatural life. [The] writing has a lyrical quality that is both playful and exciting, and we would be truly honored to represent [the] book in our catalog of award winning titles this coming year."—Nicholas Beatty, Executive Director, Gelett Burgess Center, Gelett Burgess Children's Book Award


“The book’s mysticism is lucidly presented, and its magical realism is effective, moving, and heartening. A lively, original take on a story of a boy with more limits—and more magic—than most.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review, Best Indie Books of the Year 2016
“Wow! Wonderful lyricism and magical reality. Captivating.”—Lisa Rojany, award-winning author of Surviving the Angel of Death.


"Gregory has imagined and written one of the best books I've read in decades. With a touch of magic realism and characters straight out of science fiction, The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman will melt your heart.—Franny B., NetGalley

Book Awards

*Best Indie Books of the Year, 2016, YA, Fantasy, Kirkus Reviews
*Best Fiction, 2016, The Indie Spiritual Book Award
*Best First Middle Grade, 2016, Gold & Pre-Teen Fantasy, Gold, Literary Classics
*International Book Award
*Best Book of 2016, YA, Fantasy, Gold, Mom’s Choice
*Curated Pick, 2016, Indie California Book Collection, Library Journal, Self-e
*Book of the Year, 2016, Cover Design & Fiction, Gold, IPPY
*Book of the Year, 2016, YA, Fiction, International Book Assn
*Medalist Winner, 2016 Visionary Fiction & Best New Fiction, New Apple Awards
*Book of the Year, 2015, YA, Finalist & Cover Design, Gold, Foreword Reviews’ INDIEFAB Awards
*Children’s Book Award, 2015, Fantasy, Gold, Gelett Burgess
*Best Indie Books of December, 2015, Kirkus Reviews

 

Buy the Book

 

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

 

 

About the Author

 

 

Aspiring avatar. Weaver of dreams. Terrible housekeeper.

 

ROBIN GREGORY was born in Pensacola, Florida. She grew up in California, accompanied by seven siblings, and surrounded by horses, real cowboys, and the occasional rattlesnake. She has always been drawn to helping others, a trait that began, to her mother's horror, with bringing home swallow chicks stricken from their nests. She has worked as a journalist, lay minister, and infant massage instructor for mothers and babies at risk. Her studies include Literature and Creative Writing at University of California, Santa Cruz and Stanford University's Writer's Workshop. She lives with her husband and son in a Carmel cottage old enough to make you sneeze. 

 

The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman, her début novel, has won 21 awards.

You can learn more about Robin on her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 



Guest Post by Sharman Russell, Author of Teresa of the New World

Today I have a fascinating guest post from Sharman Russell, author of Teresa of the New World, about communicating with animals. I absolutely love this because I find myself talking to animals all the time, whether they realize I'm communicating with them or not! So please enjoy and continue on for more information about the author, her new book and other stops on this exciting blog tour!

 

Today on my walk to the Gila River in southwestern New Mexico, I jumped two feet--backward--when a rattlesnake buzzed seemingly next to my ear, suddenly and startlingly visible, a muscular coiled presence in clumps of yellow grass. Apparently I had come too close for its comfort and now for mine. The rattlesnake BBBZZZZZZZed like the sound of a plane making an emergency landing in my chest. Kind. Of. Intense. But also helpful. “Thank you,” I said out loud, glad to be warned instead of bitten.

Photo by Elroy Limmer



This was a prairie rattlesnake, chocolate-brown squares down a yellow-brown back, the triangular head and golden eye, the black pupil elliptically vertical, and the rattled tail vibrating madly--a less common and more excitable species than the black-tailed rattlesnake I also encounter on my walks.

“You are very beautiful,” I added formally, not using contractions. “And now I am going the long way around. Over here. Not near you.”

Flattering snakes is something you find yourself doing in the desert. At the very least, your own voice calms you. And suddenly you have a relationship with this animal. You need all your communication skills.

Hiking for the last thirty years in the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona, I’ve had a dozen similar conversations with rattlesnakes. Dozens more with other snakes (like the striped whiptail in the photo above) and with lizards. Lots of lizards. With tarantulas and butterflies and tiger beetles. With coatis and javelinas and mule deer and coyotes. With a fox and her kits. With a few bears. With ravens, of course.

Photo by Elroy Limmer



For certain mammals, I know that my scent, body language, and tone of voice are genuine forms of communication. But I am just amusing myself when it comes to the snakes and butterflies and beetles. I talk to them mainly because articulating and affirming our relationship is such a pleasure--for me, at least. I am so happy to meet them.

And because I do think they are beautiful. So why not say so?

In Teresa of the New World, my main character also talks to animals, and they answer back. She listens to the musical notes of sunflower, phlox, and orange poppy. She sinks into the earth and swims through stone. The stones are remembering forests of kelp, lakes of fire. The ants are singing, too. The earth is whispering to the girl, "I love you. I love watching you. You are such a mystery. I watch and wonder what you will do next." The girl moves through the earth like wind moves through the branches of a tree.

Photo by Elroy Limmer



Magical realism. It's just a metaphor for the world in which we actually live.

 

Thank you Sharman for the great guest post! While I love talking to animals I'm not sure I would be brave enough to talk to a snake! I'm sure the sounds coming out of my mouth would be a lot less calming and more dangerous given the situation :).

 

Publication Date: March 3, 2015
Yucca Publishing/Skyhorse Publishing
Formats: Hardcover, Ebook
ISBN: 978-1631580420

Genre: Historical Fiction/Young Adult/Fantasy


From the bestselling author of An Obsession with Butterflies comes a magical story of America in the time of the conquistadors.

In 1528, the real-life conquistador Cabeza de Vaca shipwrecked in the New World where he lived for eight years as a slave, trader, and shaman. In this lyrical weaving of history and myth, the adventurer takes his young daughter Teresa from her home in Texas to walk westward into the setting sun, their travels accompanied by miracles–visions and prophecies. But when Teresa reaches the outposts of New Spain, life is not what her father had promised.

As a kitchen servant in the household of a Spanish official, Teresa grows up estranged from the magic she knew as a child, when she could speak to the earth and listen to animals. When a new epidemic of measles devastates the area, the sixteen-year-old sets off on her own journey, befriending a Mayan were-jaguar who cannot control his shape-shifting and a warhorse abandoned by his Spanish owner. Now Teresa moves through a land stalked by Plague: smallpox as well as measles, typhus, and scarlet fever.

Soon it becomes clear that Teresa and her friends are being manipulated and driven by forces they do not understand. To save herself and others, Teresa will find herself listening again to the earth, sinking underground, swimming through limestone and fossil, opening to the power of root and stone. As she searches for her place in the New World, she will travel farther and deeper than she had ever imagined.

Rich in historical detail and scope, Teresa of the New World takes you into the dreamscape of the sixteenth-century American Southwest.

Praise for Teresa of the New World

“Wow! The magical elements were a total thrill-ride, and what a satisfying ending. After finishing it I had that wonderful sensation I get from a great read—the mysterious feeling of having been somewhere, of dreams having risen up and carried me along on a wild journey.” – Sarah Johnson, Editor

 

Praise for Sharman Russell

 

Russell has written twelve previous books with numerous starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Booklist. The San Francisco Chronicle has said “Russell’s writing is luminous” and Kirkus Reviews wrote, “A deep reverence for nature shines throughout Russell’s rich, enjoyable text.” The Seattle Times described her An Obsession with Butterflies as a “masterpiece of story-telling” and the San Diego Union Tribune called it “A singular work of art, with its smooth, ethereal prose and series after cascading series of astonishing lore.” The New York Times and Discover Magazine both described her book on hunger as “elegant.”

 

 

Buy the Book

 

 

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Skyhorse Publishing

 

 

About the Author

 

 

Sharman Apt Russell has lived in Southwestern deserts almost all her life and continues to be refreshed and amazed by the magic and beauty of this landscape. She has published over a dozen books translated into a dozen languages, including fiction and nonfiction. She teaches graduate
writing classes at Western New Mexico University in Silver City, New Mexico and Antioch University in Los Angeles, California and has thrice served as the PEN West judge for their annual children’s literature award. Her own awards include a Rockefeller Fellowship, the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award, a Pushcart Prize, and the Henry Joseph Jackson Award.

For more information visit Sharman Russell’s website. You can also find her on Facebook and Goodreads.

Teresa of the New World Blog Tour

Monday, May 11

Guest Post at What Is That Book About

Tuesday, May 12

Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective

Wednesday, May 13

Spotlight & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More

Friday, May 15

Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views

Monday, May 18

Review at Flashlight Commentary

Wednesday, May 20

Guest Post at A Literary Vacation

Thursday, May 21

Spotlight at Cheryl’s Book Nook

Friday, May 22

Blog Tour Wrap Up & Giveaway at Passages to the Past