Today I am delighted to finally share the cover of my next novel! And the release date: so mark your calendar for October 16th, when it will be on sale in paperback and ebook. (Or pre-order the ebook now!)
Read the plot description here…and find out how I’m mashing up Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast…and a whole lot of sparkles.
Along with today’s review of Inspector Dewey, I’m delighted to offer a guest post from author Kristen Heimerl, on one of our mutually favorite subjects…cats!
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My Book Project: Now This Is Joy–Cats by Kristen Heimerl
What could be more marvelous than a cat? I know dog lovers disagree, and I love a goofy pooch as much as anyone, but there’s just something about cats.
I’ve loved cats from the first time I discovered Fred, my aunt Diana’s big, red, crabby tabby. My sticky outstretched hands, tottering stride, and sound-barrier-shattering shrills of joy did not impress Fred. I didn’t care. It was love.
Cats are people. Really. Their personalities are as distinctive and developed as any human I know, and their social structure and norms are as sophisticated and, at times, as senseless as ours. Their “me in the middle” mindset is a match for any child’s and many adults’.
I am fascinated observing cats—not because I don’t understand them, but because I do. So when it came to writing a book, I couldn’t imagine writing about anything but my beloved furry housemates. I know . . . I know where you are going: “Here we go . . . another cat lady.” Judge away—I’m immune to your disdain! I surrender to the status. Proudly. Continue reading “Guest Post by Kristen Heimerl”
When I had the chance to get a copy of Inspector Dewey by Kristen Heimerl (illustrated by Irene Bofill), I definitely couldn’t pass it up—a story from a cat’s point of view! I love cats and, perhaps just as important, the most popular character I’ve written to date is talking cat Tom! I’m always interested to meet other literary cats and see how other authors have portrayed our furry friends.
This is a charming picture book with gorgeous illustrations. Dewey narrates the tale, introducing his family (fellow cats Thumper and Lily, and human Anna), and describing the night when a thief came to the neighborhood.
I love Dewey’s voice. He’s exactly the self-assured, egotistical type of cat that I love reading abouy. Because all cats, of course, are deeply aware of their own importance! Dewey is very sure that he saved the day when danger threatened, and I enjoy that self-confidence. Continue reading “Book Review: Inspector Dewey”
This week’s Book Blogger Hop question: How many years have you been blogging, and is there a story behind your blog’s name?
I started my blog November 1st, 2010, so it will be five years in another couple months (wow, it goes by!)
Some time years before that I stumbled on L. Frank Baum’s quote: “For since I can remember, my eyes have always grown big at tales of the marvelous.” The funny thing is, it’s a woefully unnoticed quote. It’s buried in an author’s note at the beginning of one of his lesser-known novels, and no one else seems to know about it. Seriously, do a Google search for “L. Frank Baum” “tales of the marvelous.” You’ll get very few hits and most of them will be my blog.
I thought it was a lovely turn of phrase and when I needed a name for my blog I decided it was a good one to adopt, since no one else appeared to appreciate it!
Directly after reading Go Set a Watchman, I started listening to The Help by Kathryn Stockett on audio. This was deliberate–on the surface, they’re similar books. A young woman returns to her small Southern hometown and is appalled by the racism she observes in her friends and family. But there’s a crucial difference–I liked The Help SO MUCH better!
The Help is the story of “colored” maids working for white families in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s. Three women alternate points of view chapters to tell their stories: Aibileen, a maid who deeply loves the white children she cares for; her friend Minny, whose outspokenness has made her almost unhire-able; and Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan, a white woman in her early twenties who has just returned from college and dreams of being a writer. Skeeter starts seeing the racism in her friends and her town, and becomes inspired to write a book of interviews telling the story of the maids.
This book is so good because we get so far inside each of the major characters, learning their backgrounds, what inspired them, what led them to where (and who) they are now. Skeeter is deeply influenced by Constantine, the black maid who raised her–and by her own mother, who seems to be perpetually disappointed in her. Minny’s mother told her the rules for working for white families when she was fourteen (and Minny’s never been all that good at following them), and Aibileen’s own son died shortly before she began working for her current white family. Those are just a few snippets, as the book gives such a rich and complex picture. Continue reading “Book Review: The Help by Kathryn Stockett”
Tales of the Marvelous 