BookBrowse Blog

Author as Advocate

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Cathy Marie Buchanan, author of The Day The Falls Stood Still, offers an impassioned plea to preserve the environment and natural beauty of Niagara Falls and prevent the planned high-rise development at the brink of the Falls.....

Lady Howard of Glossop, in her travel journals, published in 1897, describes Loretto Academy as "superbly situated on the highest ground, just above the Horseshoe Falls, commanding the whole bird's eye view of the Falls." Because of its choice setting, Loretto was host to a steady stream of... [More]

The Story Behind "The Forty Rules of Love" by Elif Shafak

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:30:00 -0400

Elif Shafak, the most widely read woman writer in Turkey whose books include The Bastard of Istanbul, explains how Sufism influenced her latest book, The Forty Rules of Love ...

My interest in Sufism began when I was a college student. At the time I was a... [More]

A Warm Welcome to Major Pettigrew

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:20:00 -0400

If you're in the USA, UK or Canada, look out for Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, publishing in hardcover in the next few days. It's a charming first novel by Helen Simonson starring retired Major Ernest Pettigrew and Mrs Jasmina Ali, widowed owner of the village shop. Set in a small country village in the south of England, the author absolutely nails the quintessentially English characters and setting, but the story evolves into something deeper than the anticipated microcosm of village life and prejudices. While very different to... [More]

How Becoming Published Changed My Life (in ways I did not expect)

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:43:00 -0400

Shortly before my first novel was published, I walked through a bookstore with my son. "Once my book is published, I'm not going to be able to do this any more," I told him. Wander into a book store and pleasantly meander the aisles. It was hard to articulate, but suddenly I realized that the next time I walked into a bookstore -- and likely all the times thereafter -- I would be self-consciously focused on one thing: my own book. Did they have it? Where was it placed? Should I offer to sign it? (Was I presentable?)

And it was true ... Going in... [More]

Thoughts on Friendships by Leila Meacham

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 15:25:00 -0400

The dedication in Roses has inspired interest. It reads: For Janice Jenning Thomson . . . a friend for all seasons. Readers ask: "Who is she and why a friend for all seasons?"

Without Janice--her encouragement, faith, and belief in the book from its inception--Roses might not have been completed. Our friendship is going on thirty-two years. She is thirteen years my junior. We met when our husbands were serving as pilots in the US Air Force. Bonds were established immediately--I, a teacher, and she, an attorney. The years brought many... [More]