Silence the Bird, Silence the Keeper Synopsis
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In Christopher David Rosales’ first novel, 'Silence the Bird, Silence the Keeper', he creates a completely unique vision that seamlessly blends tropes of magical realism and dystopian fiction in a portrait of power in America that we’ve never seen before. Imagine it as the communal love child of Marquez, Bolaño, and Orwell, a child who inhabits an America that resembles Pinochet’s Chile, and yet feels uncannily (and frighteningly) familiar to present day Los Angeles. A world in which street assassin Tre, a young and much beloved brother and son, finds himself caught in a city where all its citizens, even its most dangerous, are potential targets in the on-going power struggle between an authoritarian military regime and a not-so-community friendly guerrilla force. As Percival Everett says, “This novel treats revolution, love, betrayal and magic with equal adeptness and intelligence. In a world that is at once ours and foreign Rosales makes characters that will be remembered when the novel is done.

Review: 

In a future, dystopian world, the city of Los Angeles is a dangerous place where the authoritarian  military and the guerrillas are in constant battle.  In this Los Angeles, a young man, Rudy the Third, also known as Tre, finds quick and easy money working for the guerrillas as an assassin.  Tre is the son to a professor who may sometimes teach things that the military would rather he not teach and the brother to an extraordinarily smart sister who finds herself in love with a military Captain.  When Tre receives a hit on his father, things begin to get confusing and Tre begins to question his place in life.

We are immediately thrown into a scary world that draws many parallels to today's world and issues.  This book took me a little while to get into, the narrative is a story being told from mother to son, who is not concerned about why the world is the way it is or how it got that way.  Therefore, I didn't know where exactly we were in time or why Los Angeles is the way it is.  The aspects that did absorb me into the book were the dramatic and graphic assaults as well as the emotions of the characters.  Each character goes on an emotional rollercoaster and the journey is in their experiences.  I did find myself gravitating to Tre's sister, Nora throughout the book and was very interested in the decisions that she would make.  Overall, a raw and passionate story of revolution. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

Christopher David Rosales’ Bio:
Christopher David Rosales' first novel, Silence the Bird, Silence the Keeper (Mixer Publishing, 2015) won the McNamara Creative Arts Grant. Previously he won the Center of the American West's award for fiction three years in a row. He is a PhD candidate at University of Denver and has taught university level creative writing for 10 years.. Rosales' second novel, Gods on the Lam releases in June, 2017 from Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing and Word is Bone, his third novel, is forthcoming 2018 from Broken River Books.
 







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Web Links:
Official Website: https://www.christopherrosales.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7246557.Christopher_David_Rosales
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.d.rosales
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CDRosales
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Christopher-David-Rosales/e/B01COPA4KO/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

About the Book: 
The Adventures of Juice Box and Shame
E-Book
ISBN: 978-1545589137
$5.99
 
Paperback
$8.99
 
Thriller, Novella
Alodia Offbeat Creative, LLC
 
Li Nguyen, aka Juice Box, has never really had a friend. That is, until he meets the ultra cool, super mysterious Shame. Though Juice Box feels certain this is his new BFF, Shame’s dark past and nefarious entanglements get them both into serious, life-threatening trouble. It doesn’t help that Shame inadvertently pissed off one of the baddest crime bosses in Baltimore, Anna Nguyen (aka Laoban), who also happens to be Juice Box’s cousin. Shame stirred up trouble with a rival game, putting Anna and her crew in a precarious situation. Torn between his love for Anna and his new, exciting friendship with Shame, Juice Box must choose where his loyalties lie.
 
Will he choose family and leave Shame out to dry, or will he choose the only friend he’s ever had, despite the danger?
 
Love a good, twisted thriller? Catch up on Hadden’s previous book In the Mind of Revenge. Available in print and eBook through LivHadden.com, Amazon and at your local bookstore. Love Audiobooks? You can also purchase and listen through Audible.
 

 
Praise for The Shamed Series
 
“Liv Hadden is a great discovery.” - Writer’s Digest
 
“If a cat has nine lives, Shame has 29.  Liv Hadden leaves us in the dark as to whether this character is a girl or a boy.  As Shame often muses, why is gender that important? It’s reflecting on issues like gender that makes In the Mind of Revenge more than just a rather exciting read.” - Reader’s Favorite
 
“A somber revenge tale, but fronted by a protagonist both absorbing and sublimely complicated.” - Kirkus Reviews
 
“In the Mind of Revenge tackles hot-button social issues in a way that forces the reader to rethink the importance of what society deems as normal.” - Self-Publishing Review
 
“An absorbing crime story…”  - Blue Ink Reviews


“MIND BLOWING! From the first sentence, “I am ugly.” to the last sentence, “I see you.” this book had me glues to the pages. I read this book in one night.”
 
“Fantastic roller coaster of a book. VERY visual.  There were moments where I was too in the moment and felt as if I was truly there.”
 
“The ambiguity that surrounds the main character’s gender/sexuality is a welcome change. It allows you to get wrapped up in the character’s development.”
 
“It’s like Girl with the Dragon Tattoo meets Middle Sex.  The gender ambiguity coupled with the vague use of personal pronouns was bold and executed masterfully.”
 
“What a relief it is to not have a completely heteronormative main character with a love interest for once, and to also have it executed so damn well.  Shame’s identity is kept under wraps masterfully by the author and I almost hope she never reveals it.”
 
“This book sucked me in as soon as I opened it. I swung from feeling pity and heartache for Shame, to hating the character, and back again. After whipping through it in under a week, I can honestly say the novel didn't disappoint in the least--my main problem is desperately wanting the second and third installments in the trilogy to be written NOW so I can read them!’

Author Liv Hadden

​
Liv Hadden has her roots in Burlington, Vermont  and currently resides in Georgetown, TX with her partner and two dogs, Madison and Samuel, where she is an active member of Writer’s League of Texas. Her 2016 release In the Mind of Revenge received high praise from Blue Ink Reviews, Writer’s Digest, Kirkus Reviews,  indieBRAG and five stars from Foreword Clarion Review.
 
Incredibly inspired by artistic expression, Hadden immerses herself in creative endeavors on a daily basis. She finds great joy in getting lost in writing and seeing others fully express themselves through their greatest artistic passions. It’s no wonder she teamed up talented tattoo artist Mo Malone (who scribed a majority of Hadden’s body work) to create her latest release The Adventures of Juice Box and Shame.

​Illustrator Mo Malone
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Malone has been making art since she was a kid. Offered a tattoo apprenticeship while obtaining a B.F.A. in Sculpture from Virginia Commonwealth University. Malone briefly diverted from tattooing to be an elementary and middle school teacher,  an experience she greatly enjoyed, but ultimately came back to her artistic roots. She has tattooed at Rick’s Tattoo in Arlington, Virginia (where she got her start), Iron Age Studio in St. Louis, Missouri and Triple Crown Tattoo in Austin, Texas where she met Hadden.
 
A lover of travel, her craft has taken her all over the world, to include a dozens of tattoo conferences spanning from New York to Moscow. You can now find Malone back in St. Louis at Ragtime Tattoo. She has recently joined Evil Prints to expand into screen-printing, and when she’s not working her magic in the art world, you can find her feeding her adventurous spirit BMXing at her local skate park or wandering the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Q&A with Author Liv Hadden and Illustrator Mo Malone
 
I love the Comic Book vibe and illustrations you’ve incorporated into The Adventures of Juice Box and Shame! Can you tell readers what inspired this theme for your thrilling novella?
Liv Hadden: I grew up around comic books because my brother loved them. Some of that rubbed off on me! I was reading a Deadpool comic before bed one night. When I woke up the next morning, I had this vision of Juice Box and Shame on the cover of a comic book called The Adventures of Juice Box and Shame. I was so excited about the idea, I knew I had to make it real.
 
Mo Malone: I also grew up reading comic books when I was a kid. My dad would take my brother and me to a local comic book shop on a fairly regular basis and I was always excited to add to my collection. I always found the artwork to be striking and dramatic. It impressed me how line weight, perspective, and color theory can further the emotion and storyline of a comic. I was very excited when Liv asked me to join her on this project.
 
Liv, can you tell us a bit about Juice Box’s perspective in this book. How does it differ from Shame in your 2016 release, In the Mind of Revenge?
LH: Unlike Shame, Juice Box is an eternal optimist. He’s one of those people that manage to maintain a heart of gold no matter what adversity gets thrown his way. Where Shame sees despair and a downward spiral, Juice Box sees excitement and adventure. He’s definitely living in his own little world, one where he’s larger than life and there’s good in everyone.
 
Liv, how did you find Mo Malone, and inevitably end up partnering with her on this project?
LH: I knew I was going to need an artist to pull off the comic book theme, and Mo popped into my head immediately. We met years ago when she started tattooing my entire back. Through that process, I got to know her and see what she was capable of. She’s a brilliant artist and a wonderful woman - she seemed like an obvious choice.
 
Mo, did you ever think you would contribute to publishing a book?
MM: I have always wanted to contribute artwork for a book and I’m elated with joy that I get to team up with such a talented and overall amazing person as Liv!
 
How has it been working as a ‘team’ with a co-author/illustrator, versus flying solo?
LH: As far as the writing goes, not too much different, other than having someone’s eyes on my drafts immediately. As a reader of the series herself, she was able to give me perspective I wouldn’t have had access to so early on. She caught some things and helped me fine-tune the characters, which was very helpful. It’s been amazing for me to see her bring the characters to life in her drawings. I love seeing her interpretations of things. It’s a good check for me to see if I’m illustrating the story well with my words.
 
MM: It can be a bit of a daunting task. To find that balance of vision between author and illustrator, you want to make sure you both are on the same page. Having Liv’s guidance through the drawing process has made it much easier to ensure that I carry out her vision for the book.
 
Mo, how quickly did you dream up your illustrations from Juice Box and Shame? Was there any specific part of In the Mind of Revenge that really influence how you saw these characters?
MM: It was quite helpful having already read a book that included these characters. I think we all paint a picture in our mind, when we read. And Liv is so descriptive, that it came pretty naturally. It was important for me to choose scenes from each episode that would further the storyline and keep the reader guessing what might happen next.
 
What do you think will surprise readers most about The Adventures of Juice Box and Shame?
LH: Some things that weren’t revealed in In the Mind of Revenge get addressed. For some, it will be obvious, for others a surprise. There’s also a hint as to where to story will go from here!
 
Liv, you talk about some medical procedures in your story, as well as some of the advancements humans have made in metal. What was the most interesting thing you learned while researching for the book?
LH: I came across a type of metal that can disintegrate bullets on contact! As of now, it primarily has military applications, but I had to ask myself, “What if we could replace human bones with this material?” The answer was intriguing and leads me to some very exciting plot items for the future.
 
I know you’re still hard at work on your second full book in The Shamed Series - can you give us a little teaser on what readers can expect in your next installment?
LH: I am getting so excited about this one! It’s evolving into something intricate and exciting. I’ve grown a lot as a writer, and I think that will be apparent to readers of book one.
 
Here’s what I’m willing to reveal now: there’s a good reason Shame is so emotionally erratic, obsessive, quick to aggression, and physically resilient...and it’s not schizophrenia or any other mental illness as some have guessed. I’m going to leave it here - thrillers are best when you don’t know much!
 
Liv, your release hits right around the 2017 Denver ComicCon, which you will be featured at this year. I hear you’re also working on a SCIFI story - much different than your thrillers. Can you tell us a little about that - and how it differs from The Shamed Series?
LH: Yes! The story, CROSSFADE, tells the tale of Agent Milo Kayd, a hybrid agent of espionage, who puts her ultimate goal and the fate of an entire race on the line when she accepts her deadliest mission yet. It’s an adult science-fiction novel (space opera) that I had blast writing! I’m submitting it to agents as we speak, waiting for the right one to bite.
 
Writing CROSSFADE was more complicated than writing In the Mind of Revenge because it takes on multiple perspectives and character arcs. In the Mind of Revenge really only focuses on Shame’s POV and journey, whereas CROSSFADE covers several converging journeys. It took a lot of work and learning for me to ensure consistency in the plot and the characters. At times it was daunting, but I enjoyed the challenge and am definitely a better writer because of it.
 
There’s a lot of action and conspiracy in CROSSFADE, which is quite similar to In the Mind of Revenge. I do think if you enjoyed the narrative voice and fast-paced movement of In the Mind of Revenge, you’d enjoy the style of CROSSFADE.

​About The Essex Serpent
• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Custom House (June 6, 2017)

Costa Book Award Finalist, Waterstones Book of the Year, winner of the British Book Awards Fiction Book of the Year and overall Book of the Year

“[T]he most deeply satisfying fiction you will read this year.”
–Waterstones Book of the Year

An exquisitely talented young British author makes her American debut with this rapturously acclaimed historical novel, set in late nineteenth-century England, about an intellectually minded young widow, a pious vicar, and a rumored mythical serpent that explores questions about science and religion, skepticism, and faith, independence and love.
When Cora Seaborne’s brilliant, domineering husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness: her marriage was not a happy one. Wed at nineteen, this woman of exceptional intelligence and curiosity was ill-suited for the role of society wife. Seeking refuge in fresh air and open space in the wake of the funeral, Cora leaves London for a visit to coastal Essex, accompanied by her inquisitive and obsessive eleven-year old son, Francis, and the boy’s nanny, Martha, her fiercely protective friend.
While admiring the sites, Cora learns of an intriguing rumor that has arisen further up the estuary, of a fearsome creature said to roam the marshes claiming human lives. After nearly 300 years, the mythical Essex Serpent is said to have returned, taking the life of a young man on New Year’s Eve. A keen amateur naturalist with no patience for religion or superstition, Cora is immediately enthralled, and certain that what the local people think is a magical sea beast may be a previously undiscovered species. Eager to investigate, she is introduced to local vicar William Ransome. Will, too, is suspicious of the rumors. But unlike Cora, this man of faith is convinced the rumors are caused by moral panic, a flight from true belief.
These seeming opposites who agree on nothing soon find themselves inexorably drawn together and torn apart—an intense relationship that will change both of their lives in ways entirely unexpected.
Hailed by Sarah Waters as "a work of great intelligence and charm, by a hugely talented author," The Essex Serpent is "irresistible . . . you can feel the influences of Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens, and Hilary Mantel channeled by Perry in some sort of Victorian séance. This is the best new novel I’ve read in years" (Daily Telegraph, London).


Purchase Links
​HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Review: 

Cora Seaborne is a recent widow to an abusive husband and is reveling in her new found freedom.  Dr. Luke Garrett saw Mr. Seaborne through his illness and is now enraptured with Mrs. Seaborne.  He is also on the verge of performing open heart surgery, if only he had a willing participant.  Taken with new found spirit, Cora travels to Essex with her son, Francis and friend Martha where there have been renewed rumors of a serpent haunting the town.  There, in the small parish of Aldwinter, Cora meets Will, the local vicar, his beautiful and frail wife Stella and their children.  Cora and Will, seemingly opposites, and with very different views of the serpent, strike up an unlikely friendship.  As Cora spends more time in Aldwinter, the mystery and hysteria surrounding the serpent grows challenging the bounds of friendship in all directions.

The Essex Serpent is haunting and magical while being very firmly set in the reality of Victorian England.  Rich and vivid writing makes the scenery and characters jump from the page.  I was transfixed with Cora from the moment that she watched her husband die with a mixture of resolve, hope and giddiness.  I loved that Cora was inspired by Mary Anning, a real paleontologist and so happily took up digging through the mud of a small farming village so unlike her London home.  The mystery of the Essex serpent itself provides a mystery as well as a platform for the small parish of Aldwinter.  I was intrigued by the real accounts of this 'Strange News Out of Essex,' but even more so by the fictional characters reactions to the serpent.  Everything from hysteria to disbelief is displayed in the parish.  However, it was not the serpent that was really the main focus of the book, but the unlikely friendships of the characters and how they progress.  As much as I loved Cora and Will's friendship, I was interested in Stella and Frankie as well as Martha and Joanne. The Essex Serpent also shone light on a variety of Victorian London issues: advances in medical technology, housing crises, poverty, women's rights and gaining knowledge of the environment.  Overall, a curious and addicting tale with as many facets as the serpent's scales that will be sure to take you on a delightful journey.


This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

​About Sarah Perry

Sarah Perry was born in Essex in 1979. Her first novel, After Me Comes the Flood, was longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and the Folio Prize. She lives in Norwich. The Essex Serpent is her American debut.
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Find out more about Sarah at her website, and connect with her on Twitter

Review: 
Caeli Crys is one of the few survivors of the Novali people.  The Novali have special gifts; Caeli happens to be an empath as well as having the ability to heal people.  Because of their gifts, many of the Novali were killed by the other people on her planet, the Amathi. Caeli escaped the Amathi and has been living on her own in the woods.  That is-until she connects with the mind of Derek.  Derek's spacecraft has been hit and is crashing near Caeli's camp.  Caeli arrives at the crash site in time to help heal Derek, but not his partner, Tommy.  After several days of helping Derek heal, Caeli and Derek connect on a deeper level.  Caeli shares her history and her people's trouble with the Amathi.  When Derek's command ship, the Horizon, sends a rescue team, she is granted asylum aboard the ship.  However, the Horizon soon learns of another planet under attack and Derek's team is sent on a mission there.  Derek knows that Caeli's gifts would be helpful on the mission, but fears putting her in danger again.


This is a fast-paced science-fiction romance that had me hooked from the moment Caeli connected with Derek's mind. I was very interested in Caeli's people and their powers.  The story of Caeil's planet, Almagest, that she shared with Derek really drew me in.  Through this backstory, I really got to know Caeli's character; I knew how deeply she cared for people and her true strength, with or without her gifts.  I really think this could have almost been a story by itself.  I am also really interested in how the planet fared after Caeli left, especially with the resistance that was rising.  I do appreciate the parallels on Caeli's planet to what is happening in some parts of the world right now.  Caeli sums it up best in the quote: "No, but I can't ignore the situation in front of me.  My people did that.  They chose not to see, not to act, and it cost us everything."  Hopefully, this will be explored in the next book! While it was no surprise to me that Derek and Caeli formed a romantic relationship after being connected through their minds; however, for me this happened a little too quickly.  Once on Horizon, the pace quickened.  I was glad Caeli found her place so quickly as a physician and was valued among the crew.  When Derek learns of the threat on the planet Tharsis, I knew Caeli would be involved.  The situation was very similar to what happened on her home planet.  This section of the book moved quickly and was filled with suspense.  At the end of the book I am still left with some questions about Caeli's planet and how humans came to populate all of these other planets.  Maybe book two,  Infinity will answer these!

This book was provided for free in return for an honest review. ​

A Guest Post by Tabitha Lord
Writing the Hero
 
In epic space opera stories, like the HORIZON series, characters have to grapple with epic questions. For example: What decisions, large and small, will they make that will come to define them when it matters? Who will stand and fight, and who will betray their neighbor or simply look away? What is redemption and who finds it?  The choices a character makes when faced with these kinds of questions help drive their development, move the plot forward, and define them as a hero – or not.
        
But writing a hero is, in some ways, a balancing act. The character has to evolve, make mistakes, and grow. They can’t be perfect or they aren’t interesting or believable. At the same time, we have to root for them and trust in their intrinsic goodness, even when they’re struggling. The plot will present them with challenges, but it is their response to those challenges that really connects them to the reader and invests the reader in the story.

Sometimes, for a heroic protagonist, it’s a matter of making the best awful choice out of only awful choices. As a writer, I purposefully throw my characters into some pretty rough situations and let them claw their way out. My main male character in the HORIZON series is an inter-planetary spy. He works for the good guys, but he’s often in situations that require him to make split-second, gut-wrenching decisions. It’s my job to show him grappling with those. If they were easy, or if they didn’t have lasting side effects, readers wouldn’t relate to him.

My main female character is also a heroic protagonist. She’s suffered terrible trauma at the hands of a brutal dictator, but instead of allowing that trauma to crush her, she’s joined a resistance movement and aligned herself with their cause. If, however, her suffering didn’t affect her or impact her future actions and choices, she’d lack depth. And, we’d never get to see her triumph over her demons.

In my opinion, readers don’t want perfect heroes. I think they want human heroes - heroes who are flawed and relatable, but despite having to overcome great adversity, still triumph. So, step aboard the starship HORIZON and meet Caeli and Derek, the heroes of my imagination, and let me know what you think!
 

About the Book: 
The Life and Deaths of Blanche Nero
by Ken Brigham
Publication Date: August 1, 2016
Secant Publishing
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback & eBook
Genre: Thriller & Suspense/Historical Fiction/Mystery


At fifteen, Blanche Nero watches the electrocution of her Italian immigrant father, punishment for the inexplicable brutal murder of his recently acquired friend Old Man Flaherty. She resolves to do something with her life that values humanity over justice, mercy over sacrifice. But she is forever haunted by the mystery of her father. She is also drawn irresistibly to the bigger human mysteries of violence and death.
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After a grueling but successful academic career at some of the nation’s finest university hospitals, Blanche is almost sixty. Her long career as a trauma surgeon at Charity Hospital in New Orleans has been abruptly ended by Hurricane Katrina. She takes a year sabbatical from the medical school and leases a small flat in Venice, seeking an understanding of her father in the place where he lived his formative years—and of herself by reliving and recording her own remarkable life.

On a cold morning in Piazza San Marco, Blanche meets Count Lorenzo Ludovici (Ludo) an aging, elegant, and charming Venetian who is dying of AIDS. Blanche is drawn to him and is uncharacteristically self-revealing as he introduces her to his beautiful city. As their relationship develops and his health deteriorates, Blanche becomes ever more fond of the count.

As she relives her past by writing down what she remembers, she sees the girl she was and the woman she became with new eyes: the mystery of her father’s death; her distant mother; her sometimes misguided adolescent efforts to grow up. And then discovering the thrill of medicine, especially the sensual thrill of trauma surgery and losing herself in that career, immersed in violence. She recalls her attempts at relationships, especially with Jesse Pinto, the one man whom she has ever loved, and how she ended that. She remembers her love affair with the Big Easy and Charity Hospital (the Big Free) that came suddenly to a violent end.

Through a series of painful and revealing conversations, Blanche and Ludo discover that each of them has private knowledge of interlocking pieces of their history.

Available on Amazon

Review: 
Blanche Nero's life has been punctuated by a series of important deaths.  At fifteen years old, Blanche's father was executed for the killing of their neighbor.  This death caused Blanche to have an interest into her father's past and sparked a curiosity for violence and death .  After excelling academically in high school and college, her mother's death provides enough money for Blanche to go to Med School.  Blanche is able to train with the best doctors in the field and becomes a successful trauma surgeon at Charity Hospital in New Orleans.  After Hurricane Katrina hits, Charity closes and Blanche takes a leave to Venice.  In Venice she rents a flat and befriends Ludo, or more precisely, Count Lorenzo Ludovici.  Ludo is dying of AIDS, but before he goes Ludo has a secret to reveal to Blanche that will unravel the mystery behind her father's death.  Ludo's death will also open up another door for Blanche to move on with her life.


From the moment Blanche's father murders their neighbor, I was pulled into the mystery of the Nero family.  The name Blanche Nero literally means 'White Black.'  From Blanche's birth, everything has been one or the other, black or white, no grey.  Throughout the book I did wonder if her father gave her the first name of White to try to lessen the black of his name.  Blanche's character lives her life very directly.  The writing brought me back and forth between Blanche's present as a 60 year old woman in Venice and her past growing up in Almesboro and throughout her schooling.  She is looking back at her life and examining her choices through a very mature lens.  Throughout the book death and violence are recurrent themes.  However,  through Blanch eyes, the deaths are drawn in a different light, without much meaning or emotion, but with advancement; that is until Ludo.  Ludo is exceedingly charming and a little frustrating with the slow reveal of his relation to Blanche's mystery.  Ludo's dignified ways create the perfect illusion to begin to introduce Blanche to the black spot in her father's history that I couldn't even begin to piece together until the very end.  In addition to the curious mystery, the Venitian culture and city is brought to life through Blanche and Ludo's travels as well as it's darker history.  Overall, an engaging story that weaves together death, secrets and their impact on our lives. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​About the Author

Ken Brigham is emeritus professor of medicine at Emory University. He is widely published in the scientific literature and has authored or coauthored two previous novels and two nonfiction books. He lives with his wife, Arlene Stecenko, in midtown Atlanta.
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For more information see www.kenbrigham.com. You can also follow Ken on Twitter.

About the Book:
Born at the turn of the twentieth century in Glen Arbor, near the dunes of Northern Michigan, young Belle is the first child of a gruff stove works boss and a crippled mother who weaned Belle on the verse of Emily Dickenson. When a natural disaster results in her mother’s death and nearly takes the life of her younger brother Pip, Belle creates a fierce, almost ecstatic farewell song. Thus begins her journey to compose a perfect Goodbye to Mama.
At 21, Belle ventures south to Ann Arbor for university, with teenaged Pip in tow. There, she befriends Robert Frost, Ted Roethke and Wystan Auden and finds that her poetry stands alongside theirs, and even with that of her hero, Dickinson. Her lyrics capture the sounds, sights, and rhythms of the changing seasons in the northern forests, amidst the rolling dunes by the shores of the Great Lake.
Despite the peace she finds, Belle also struggles in both homes. Up north, she battles her father who thinks a woman can’t run the family business; and clashes against developers who would scar the natural landscape. In Ann Arbor, she challenges the status quo of academic pedants and chauvinists.
Belle’s narrative brings these two places to life in their historic context: a growing Midwestern town driven by a public university, striving for greatness; and a rural peninsula seeking prosperity while preserving its natural heritage. Through the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, World War II, and the Post-War Boom, Belle’s story is hard to put down. Her voice and songs will be even harder to forget.

Advance Praise:
“The Belle of Two Arbors is a beguiling story about a talented woman from the back of beyond who dares to establish her own identity. Capturing the upper reaches of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, Dimond creates a new American fable that, like the great novels of Willa Cather, both lacerates and heals: An ingenious feat of fictional biography.” –Theodore Rosengarten, National Book Award All God’s Children: The Life of Nate Shaw and MacArthur Fellow

“Paul Dimond’s Belle of Two Arbors is historical fiction at its most informative and engaging. Belle is poet, protectress, matriarch and muse, whether advocating for a more inclusive University in Ann Arbor or promoting the preservation of America’s premier national lakeshore in Glen Arbor. Fans of the poets Frost, Roethke, Auden and Dickinson are in for a treat: Belle weaves their histories in Michigan and the legacies of Dickinson and Frost in Amherst expertly with the fictional characters. A treasure of a read!” –Barbara Stark-Nemon, author of award-winning historical novel, Even in Darkness

“Dimond imagines the intertwined lives of literary giants in a saga as evocative as Faulkner, with plot lines as cracking as Hemingway’s short stories in Michigan’s northern woods. Belle’s bravery and artistic consciousness are an inspiration.” –John Dempsey, Chair Michigan Historical Commission and co-author Michigan Notable Book Award Ink Trails: Michigan’s Famous and Forgotten Authors

“In the company of Paul Dimond’s extraordinary Belle, we witness the turbulence of a rapidly changing America in the first half of the 20th century. In her roles as poet, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and conservation leader, Belle interacts with a well-realized cast of characters, both imagined and real, most notably the poet Robert Frost. In this full and searching ‘portrait of a lady,’ Dimond renders the opportunities and obstacles that shape Belle’s story in such a way as to remind us that her world is also ours in the making.” –Donald Sheehy, Ed. The Letters of Robert Frost. Vols. 1–2

Review: 
Belle has grown up in the wilds of Northern Michigan in Anne Arbor at the turn of the century.  She loves going for long swims in the lake, hiking along the dunes and composing poetry.  Young Belle became the caregiver to her younger brother Pip and her mother after Pip's birth took it's toll.  Lovingly deemed Marmie by her brother, Belle continued her caretaker roll as her father ran the family stove business.  After Belle's mother dies in a tragic accident, Belle becomes more involved in the family business, continues to care for her mother and begins the task of saying goodbye to her mother through poetry.  At 21, Belle finally ventures off to college in Ann Arbor where she meets those who will become some of the most influential poets of the day.  More importantly, she learns that her poetry stands up against the greats.  While navigating college Belle still has a hand in her family business and assists Pip as he becomes an adult. 


The Belle of Two Arbors is an epic tome that stretches US history through Belle's eyes from 1913 to 1953. Though Belle is fictional, her story shines light on many events in US history and is interwoven with the stories of poets, scholars and athletes who defined the time.  Belle's character is immediately defined as strong, intelligent and sensitive.  She is the original sandwich generation caretaker, expected to care for a parent and a child while still coming into her own.  From the moment of her mother's death, I knew Belle would prove to be a force to be reckoned with. She proves this time and time again as she fights for women's rights, reproductive care,  indigenous rights, equal rights and environmental conservation.  

 The writing in The Belle of Two Arbors is impressive; to carry me through several decades in almost 700 pages, Belle's story captivated and intrigued.  In partnership with the poetry, the words painted a landscape and evoked strong feelings of love, loss and natural beauty.  I truly did feel that the poetry was on par with the writers of the time.  

Most importantly, for me, the history was brought alive.  Through Belle and her real life people that have been entwined into her life I was able to get a glimpse into to life of Robert Frost and the creation of some of his poetry, a young Theodore Roethke and his troubled but inspirational journey, and Gertrude Ederle and her triumphs as the first female swimmer to cross the English Channel.  Through time, I also witnessed Belle's triumphs through the Great Depression and World War II.  Throughout everything, Belle's story reminds us that we are the greatest tool to shape the world around us.  

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 
​
About the Author:
Since birth Paul Dimond has shared his time between Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan, and Glen Arbor amidst Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northern Michigan.
Prior to researching and writing The Belle of Two Arbors, Paul Dimond served as the Director of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, tried several major race case that divided the U.S. Supreme Court and served as the Special Assistant to President Clinton for Economic Policy. He has also practiced law, chaired a national real estate firm and continues to spend his time between the two Arbors. He is an alumni of Amherst College and the University of Michigan Law School. Visit his Website.

About the Book: 
The Irish Milliner by Cynthia G. Neale
Publication Date: June 2, 2017
Fireship Press
eBook; 276 Pages
Genre: Fiction/Historical/Romance


It is New York City and the Civil War is brewing. Norah McCabe, an Irish immigrant who escaped the Famine as a child, is now a young widow with a daughter. She is a milliner, struggling to survive in tumultuous times. Norah meets Abraham Lincoln, befriends the extraordinary African-American woman Elizabeth Jennings, and assists the Underground Railroad. She falls headlong in love with Edward M. Knox, son of the famous hat-maker Charles Knox, but he is lace curtain Irish and she is shanty Irish. Edward joins the 69th regiment and leaves for battle. Can their love endure through class differences and war?
This is a story of survival, intrigue, romance, as well as, exploring the conflict of Irish immigrants thrust into a war that threatened to destroy a nation. It is about an Irish-American woman who could be any immigrant today, any woman today, seeking to create beauty and make sense of her life.
“Suddenly the Civil War seems very relevant and Cynthia Neale does a great job of focusing on the role of the Irish in the conflict. And it's great fun to be in touch with her wonderful character, Norah McCabe, again!” ~Mary Pat Kelly, author of Galway Bay and Of Irish Blood
“This timely novel spans centuries to bring to our attention to a topic as old as yesterday, as expedient as tomorrow⎯emigration. Neale's work, written with love and insight, reminds us that our neighbor is all mankind.” ~Tim Pat Coogan, Irish broadcaster, journalist, writer and author of 1916 The Easter Rising, Michael Collins and The Famine Plot

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Review: 
Norah McCabe is an Irish-American immigrant living in the Five-Points area of New York City right before the Civil War.  Norah was widowed on the crossing and now does everything she can in order to support her daughter, Katie. Norah has taken to making hats for the women of Five Points, however she would love to expand her business into a department store.  For extra money Norah also writes articles for an Irish Newspaper.  As Lincoln takes office, political tensions arise and  turmoil bubbles over into the Five Points neighborhood where the Irish and African-American's are both struggling to survive.  In her travels, Norah is fortunate enough to have met and befriend Elizabeth Jennings, an African-American schoolteacher.  Through Elizabeth, Norah learns about the Underground Railroad and does what she can to help.  As the War surges on, Norah's fiance is compelled to join the ranks.  In order to follow him, Norah takes a risky newspaper assignment following a photographer to Gettysburg and is able to see for herself the horrors that the war for herself.


The Irish Milliner transported me back to New York City right before the Civil War.  Through Norah's eyes, I had a clear view of the trials facing Irish Immigrants at this point in time, the tenement living, the streets of Five Points, the working conditions,  as well as what it meant to be a woman fighting for her own independence as well as an abolitionist. For a book written about the Civil War, there were many timely and poignant issues and ideas that Norah faced.

​Norah's character is strong, resourceful and caring during a time in history when it would have been easier to simply try to survive and not make waves. Norah is a woman of many hats, both literally and figuratively.  I absolutely loved the idea that she used her time and resources to make hats women on the underground railroad so they would not stand out as runaways.  I do really wish that this storyline would have been expanded upon, especially since the title suggests that the book would be about a milliner.  I would have loved to know exactly how the hats ended up helping the women on their journey and their specific fates.  The book did have a very broad view, covering large swatches of time in several sentences and covering from Lincoln's speeches as a senator to the end of the Civil War.  This broad view did give me a very good sense of the history and feeling of the time, but missed out on telling several detailed, smaller stories within Norah's journey that would have made her story stand out even more. ​

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​About the Author
​
Cynthia G. Neale is a native of the Finger Lakes region of New York and now resides in New Hampshire. She has long possessed a deep interest in the tragedies and triumphs of the Irish during the Great Hunger.

This is Ms. Neale’s fourth novel. She also writes plays, short stories, and essays, and holds a B.A. in Writing and Literature from Vermont College.

For more information, please visit Cynthia G. Neale's website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.