First 50 Words: BLUE MERCY by Orna Ross

Buy BLUE MERCY by Orna Ross

"A complex tale of betrayal, revenge, suspense, murder mystery — and surprise...John McGahern meets Maeve Binchy." ~ IRISH INDEPENDENT

60 Second Review: WHITE LADY by Jessica Bell

Sonia, unfaithful wife of a Melbourne drug lord, yearns for sharp objects and blood. But now that she’s rehabilitating herself as a “normal” mother and math teacher, it’s time to stop dreaming about slicing people’s throats. Easier said than done.

 “Edgy, pacy, and chillingly real.” JJ MARSH, author of The Beatrice Stubbs series

 "...strikes at the heart of families in turmoil...a painfully honest portrayal of flawed humanity." ~C. S. LAKIN, author of Innocent Little Crimes

Jessica Bell is an Australian novelist, poet, singer/ songwriter /guitarist who lives in Athens, Greece. She is Publishing Editor of Vine Leaves Literary Journal and author of the bestselling Writing in a Nutshell series.

 Visit Jessica's website

60 Second Review: BLUE MERCY by Orna Ross

Mercy stands accused of killing her elderly and tyrannical father. Now, at the end of her life, she needs Star, the daughter she fought to protect, to know what really happened that fateful night.

 "A complex tale of betrayal, revenge, suspense, murder mystery — and surprise...John McGahern meets Maeve Binchy." ~ IRISH INDEPENDENT

 "Skillful …infinitely rewarding...It’s superb." ~ THE BOOKBAG

Orna Ross writes novels, poems and the Go Creative! book series. The Bookseller called her "one of the 100 most influential people in publishing" for her work with The Alliance of Independent Authors.

 Visit Orna's website

Complicated mommy issues = beefy book club fodder in THE MIDWIFE

My review of Jolina Petersheim's THE MIDWIFE is almost as conflicted as the main character, a gestational surrogate who absconds with the unborn child she's carrying for a wealthy couple.

(Plus a few words about the importance of grammar.)

THE PROMISE = a compelling duet in a rich historical setting

THE PROMISE is set in Galveston circa 1900 and told as an intimate duet, both voices speaking in first person.

Nan, an earthy Texan housekeeper struggles to keep her promise to care for a little boy and his widowed father, Oscar. Catherine, an exile from polite Midwestern society, escapes disgrace by marrying Oscar and struggles to adjust to a drastically different life on the Gulf Coast. A maelstrom of emotion (and other stormy things) ensues.

A beautifully written novel I'm highly recommending for book clubs.

The Chronicle of Secret Riven = another lyrical journey for Hunger Games fans

Sequels suck. Almost always. This one, happily, does not.

Last year, I was swept away by the lush, imaginative MAPMAKER'S WAR, so I was anxiously awaiting Book 2. It delivers, neatly avoiding that sucking sequel dynamic. Anxiously awaiting Book 3!

Highly recommended for anyone who loved the Hunger Games books.

#2MinRevu Transcendent SEAL WOMAN by Solveig Eggerz creates rich emotional history

Highly recommending Seal Woman, a beautifully written novel of love, loss and self-discovery in the shadow of the Holocaust.

Jerusha was proofreading the manuscript for the publisher and said, "Mom, you have to read this book so we can discuss it!" An invitation I could not resist.

Book clubs: There is much to love and discuss in this powerful story (including a surprising storytelling choice toward the end over which Jerusha and I strongly disagreed.)

Whuh-BAM! Ingrid Ricks' memoir HIPPIE BOY hits the NYT bestseller list!

Delighted to see Hippie Boy: A Girl's Story, a soaring coming-of-age memoir by Ingrid Ricks, hit the New York Times bestselling ebook list this week! I loved this book when it first came out almost two years ago, subsequently got to know Ingrid and was blown away by her vivacious spirit. She's definitely the grown woman version of the book's bright, ballsy kid who manages to survive adolescence with a well-meaning mother, tyrannical Mormon step-father and peripatetic tool salesman dad.

Below is my review of Hippie Boy: A Girl's Story, originally posted last year. (My very first video review, in fact, so I'm claiming a technology learning curve.) Toward the end, I mention looking forward to Ingrid's forthcoming FOCUS, which centers on the loss of her eyesight to Retinitis Pigmentosa. It came out a few months later, and I immediately bought and snarfed it up. Excellent, as I suspected it would be. On her Determined to See blog, Ingrid continues to chronicle the fight to save what little remains of her eyesight.

So how does a two-year-old release from a legally blind self-published author make it big, you wonder? Well, for starters, it's a terrific book by a talented author. Beyond that, I can only say that every once in a while, the universe gets it right.

 

Everything I loved about 'Top of the Lake' I loved about THE MEMORY OF LOVE by Linda Olsson

The harshly beautiful landscape of New Zealand -- and the harshly beautiful people of New Zealand -- create a rich environment for this wonderfully talented author.

On a quest to rescue a little boy from a rotten home situation, the protagonist, Marion, journeys into her own troubled past and confronts the realities of the people who loved and hurt damaged her.

Highly recommended for book clubs and lovers of excellent literary fiction.

Once upon a time...I got cancer. (Bald in the Land of Big Hair trailer)

This month's Reader's Digest features a story about the day Gary and I met, and it's spurred a lot of interest in my memoir, Bald in the Land of Big Hair.

My favorite review of the book said, "This is not the usual cancer memoir; it is a love letter to an extraordinary caregiver." This year, the Gare Bear and I mark 30 years together, our kids (5 and 7 when I was diagnosed) are grown up and thriving, and life is good.

Click for a free preview of Bald in the Land of Big Hair

I'm repeating myself, but JK Rowling's CASUAL VACANCY holds up. So there.

Would you believe I'm still getting email and comments about my CASUAL VACANCY review? Seems like it bears repeating, and I'd love to hear what others think. Also, I'm recycling because I've been reading like a fiend but haven't had a good hair day on which to record reviews lately. (Actually, I'm working on my bookstore and writing a memoir with a really wonderful ghostwriting client.) Anyway, here's this, and having had some time to think about it, I still feel the same way.

BLUE MERCY by Orna Ross

Here's my review of BLUE MERCY by Orna Ross. Highly recommending this intense family drama. (Think WHITE OLEANDER with a twist.) An excellent selection for smart book clubs and lovers of strong contemporary literary fiction.