Posts Tagged ‘Books’

What I’ve Been Reading

Saturday, May 2nd, 2015

Two books I’ve read recently had quite an impact on me, and so I am sharing them with you.

The Remains of War, Surviving the Other Concentration Camps of World War II
by Pauline Kok-Schurgers
Self-published (iUniverse)

I forget where I read about this book. Someone, somewhere had read it and another iUniverse book and remarked that The Remains of War was well worth reading. The comments were intriguing enough that I bought it and read it. It’s one of the most affecting books I’ve read in a while, and more about that later. I’m sorry indeed that the publisher is iUniverse. It means the author has not made the money she could have or deserves. That said, I’m glad the book is out there to be read.

The story is about a young Dutch girl who, with her family, was interned in a series of Japanese concentration camps in Indonesia. It’s as harrowing and heartbreaking as you’d expect. The family survives, by the way which is what got me through the book, though the power of the words and language would probably have kept me reading. Kok-Schurgers was nine when she and her family were interned and twelve by the time they were liberated. The men, her father included, were sent to a different camp, so she was with her mother, two sisters and a brother.

It’s a powerful story, powerfully told.

At first, the language was just ever so slightly loose, but by the second chapter, Ms. Kok-Schurgers’s story utterly drew me in. Everything was immediate and visceral. It’s not told from a distance, instead we get an astonishing, living, breathing girl on these pages who is both aware of her flaws and learning who she is. The quote below is something said to her by an adult in the camp about a young boy also interned.

“He liked the shadows, which gave him comfort and shelter, because light asked from him more than he was willing to give.”

Voices like that should not be forgotten. I’m glad I read this book. Other reviewers are right. This is an important text.

Kok-Schurgers has a blog here and an uninformative website here. Amazon link (Kindle Version). This is worth the price.

From Dust to Digital: Ten Years of the Endangered Archives Programme
Maja Kominko, Editor

Open Book Publishers

This work is from the British Library and describes several preservation programs dedicated to, as the title says, endangered archives. The forward is oh so slightly boring until it begins a discussion of the ways in which Western cultures have removed knowledge from indigenous populations, denied them access to their own heritage, and removed the artifacts from the very surroundings and people who gave the information meaning. The descriptions of the collections described in this volume are fascinating. This is wonderful, amazing material. Mind-blown. Myths exploded. Read it. Amazon Link

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Happy New Year from Carolyn!

Tuesday, December 31st, 2013
Pink Tulips

Happy New Year

Photo by: Yours Truly. 2013’s tulips were lovely. There are something like 300 bulbs in the fridge so 2014 promises to be another banner tulip year. They’ll go in the ground soon and come early Spring I will have pictures! And vases of tulips in the house, too.

Happy New Year!

2012 turned out to be a year of ups and downs, more than usual, I think. My son graduated from High School and then went off to college. O_o

My day job turned out to be stressful in ways that aren’t good. It’s sapped time and energy from my writing.

I turned down a contract offer from NY.

I published my first independently written novel; My Darkest Passion, Book 5 in the My Immortals series. It was . . . something to write exactly what I wanted to write. I’d catch myself thinking, can’t do that! And then I’d realize I could. So I did. My editor edited for my story. Not for the market.

I took a serious look at some short, super dirty stories, some of which were written years ago. And I realized they could be out there making money for me, written exactly the way I wanted. One of the reasons I’ve not looked more seriously at the commercial erotica market is the language — words I feel writers are being asked to use. Words that make a lot of erotica/erotic romance feel cookie cutter and forced. As if vocabulary matters more than what sex means to the characters. I spent a fairly brief amount of time polishing etc and got them out there with words that were right for what I wanted to do. That’s the stories in Whispers, Collection No. 1.

Yes, there will be a Collection No. 2. Including continuations of the characters in Inigo The Magician and the world in My Goblin Boyfriend. And new stories. Some of the other stories hanging around needed more work than the 5 I put out.

The sequel to Lord Ruin continues to go much more slowly than I want it to. (See: Day Job, supra) It’s really at critical mass right now–enough words that really, the story is done, and I just need to make it work. It will work. It will be done. But I won’t put it out there until it’s ready.

Books You Should see From Me in 2014

Kind of in order.

My Dangerous Pleasure, My Immortals Book 4 (Reverted, re-issued with few, if any changes.) I know hardly anyone read this book, but I like it a lot because I got away with a lot. Because, I suspect, my publisher had already given up on the series. (When your editor sends you an ENTIRE CASE of Arcs they found weeks after release you know nobody gave a damn about the book.)

Lord Ruin Sequel

A novella in the My Immortals world

Whispers, Collection No. 2

A novella for Hester and Camber from Not Proper Enough

My Immortals, Book 6.

Resolved!

Not much.

Write more.

Possibly eat less chocolate. Or less of something else so I can keep chocolate levels optimum.

Write balls to the wall. Everything on the page.

What about you?

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Interview with Author Megan Caldwell with Contest AND Shoe-Off Poll

Friday, January 11th, 2013

Yay!!! My good friend Megan is visiting here today to answer questions, talk about her new book, and submit to a Shoe-Off. (Dun dun dun!!!) There’s a poll AND a contest.

Hello Megan!

About Megan Caldwell

Photo of Megan Caldwell. Pale skin, very dark hair. Black eyeglass frames and a black shirt.Megan Caldwell grew up in a remote town in New Hampshire where she devoured every book of fiction in her well-read parents’ library. An English literature major at Barnard College with double minors in political science and religion, Megan wrote and edited reviews for a music industry magazine for fifteen years. Eventually, she became editor-in-chief and went on to develop conference programs for the industry. Now she is the community manager for Heroes and Heartbreakers, a romance novel website, where she blogs daily as Megan Frampton about the fiction she reads. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son.

www.meganframpton.com
Twitter: @meganf
Facebook: megancaldwellbkny

About Vanity Fare

Cover of Vanity Fare by megan Caldwell. Plate of Cookies sitting on a stacka of books.Molly Hagan is overwhelmed.

Her husband left her for a younger, blonder woman; her six-year-old son is questioning her authority, and now so is she. In order to pay her Brooklyn rent and keep her son supplied with Pokémon and Legos, not to mention food and clothing, she has to get a job—fast.

So when an old friend offers Molly a freelance position copywriting for a new bakery, finding romance is just about the last thing on her mind. But the sexy British pastry chef who’s heading up the bakery has other thoughts. And then so does Molly, when she meets the chef’s intimidating business partner—who also happens to have a secret that might prevent Molly from getting her own happily ever after.

What they’re Saying

First – this book was hilarious! I was texting my daughter parts and she would “LOL” back. Then I had to just call her and read her a whole page because it was too long to text. There were parts where I was laughing so hard I had tears running down my face. This book was very quirky, quippy, snarky, and sarcastic and I loved it for it! A book after my own heart! Wall-to-wall-books

Molly’s journey towards financial and emotional independence is a wonderfully witty, charming, and yummy tale that is sure to appeal to readers and foodies alike. Caldwell’s debut is a winner across the board and a perfect addition for everyone’s romance shelf. Tori Benson, via Goodreads

Grade: A-
Reading this book is like sitting down with a friend and talking about her life. Molly is complete and well-drawn, with intelligence, flaws, fantasies, a snarky voice, and a great sense of humor. She’s the kind of woman you know—or maybe wish you knew. You sort of want to punch her ex-husband, and you definitely want to hug her kid…even if you don’t generally like kids in books. Laura C: The Good, The Bad, and The Unread

Read an Excerpt

Read an Excerpt at Heroes & Heartbreakers

Where to Get Vanity Fare

HarperCollins

Interview

Q: When you were working on this book, did you ever get hungry? Also, I have heard that you are making some of the items from the bakery in the book. Spill.

A: I am usually hungry, so yes, I did get hungry in the course of writing the book. I love food, I love all kinds of food except for lima beans. I did try to make one of the recipes along with my much more organized friend and author Liz Maverick; our results are here: Do Readers Actually Make Recipes in Novels, Romance at Random

I don’t think I’m going to attempt any more, not at this time. I kind of suck as a cook; I can follow recipes,  and I like eating, of course, but I am not good beyond that.

Q:. Your family has a pet. Can you tell us about the kitty? Does she help you write? Do you have a picture? My cat Abu was stuck in a tree for three days. Do you worry your cat will be stuck in a tree?

A: We got Kiki over the summer as a kitten (a rescue), and MAN do I love this kitty. She’s all black with green eyes, and she’s quite wee, just under five pounds. I was brought up to believe I had OMGDEATHLYHOSPITAL allergies, so this is the first pet I have ever had and been allowed to keep (my mom fed my pet gerbils to a boa constrictor. Thanks, Mom!). Kiki is a strictly indoors cat, so she won’t get stuck in any trees, although she has a tendency to want to sneak under our bed, because she’s not allowed in our bedroom, so of course it makes it the most appealing room EVER. I can’t imagine having a cat stuck in a tree for three whole days! Yikes!

Q:. OK, I didn’t know this was a thing, but apparently it is. Three people, which one do you marry, which one do you kill, and which one do you have mad intimate relations with. I am going to make this really hard for you:

1. Richard Armitage
2. Gerard Butler
3. Clive Owen

A: This is a snap, because Gerard Butler is totally not my steez. I would fuck Richard Armitage until the cows come home (stay out late, cows, okay?), I would marry Clive Owen, and I would kill Gerard Butler because, dude, your film choices and your hair have both been sliding downhill for awhile now.

Q. Answer this in 3 seconds: Cupcakes or Tarts? Why (you can take longer than 3 seconds to answer to why part)

A: Tarts! I agree with my son when he announced cakes are just bread with frosting, and since cupcakes are smaller than that, I would have to go for a tart. Tarts have buttery, flaky dough, and cupcakes are cute to look at, and all, but not for eating. So tarts. Plus the word—TART. Love it.

Q: You have actual style. Do you have any advice for those of us who don’t? How can we fake it?

A: Wear only a few colors (make sure they go together, so no tangerine and asparagus). I wear a TON of black (yes, I live in NYC, it’s a requirement). Everything matches, and you always look put together.

Q: This book has a journey. Please tell us about that.

A: A journey as in it went somewhere? It went all over the place—I wrote it just for ME, even though I didn’t think of myself as a contemporary author, much less someone who would write something that could be called ‘women’s fiction.’ Because, ugh, women’s fiction sounds so pigeonhole-y and dismissive. But anyway. I started writing it, and it was a blast, and I felt like I had to finish it, and I went and queried agents, and nobody wanted to represent it, not even the agent who said she read it and laughed out loud, because she couldn’t think where to sell it. But then I was at a conference with an author friend who was getting into agenting, and I got drunk with her and we talked about books, and I sent her a copy of my first—and heretofore only—published book, A Singular Lady, prior to her taking a long plane ride to South Africa. I asked if she wanted to see a proposal of Mothering Heights (which was what Vanity Fare was first called), and she said yes, and she asked for the whole thing, and she said she wanted to represent it. We agreed to work together, she sent it out a lot of places, where it got rejected, and then it got TWO offers, both from excellent publishers. I went with William Morrow.

Q: What the hell is it with boots in NY? Seriously. Here in my part of California the people who wear boots are cowboys, someone stopping at the coffee place on their way home from riding their horse, and people from NY.

A: Boots are so practical! You can wear them through bad weather, and puddles, and snow, and with and without tights, and under jeans, and with dresses, and they’re kick-ass. And—guess what I’m wearing RIGHT NOW?

Q. What’s next for you?

A:
I’m writing a Regency-set historical called What Not to Bare, which is a far cry from Vanity Fare, except that once again there’s a hot British guy in it. I can only write my characters if I have a real person in mind for them, and for this book, the hero looks a LOT like British male model David Gandy.

The Shoe off Poll

photo of a black, low heeled boot. Megan is wearing it.

Megan’s Boot

And….

Carolyn's light purple canvas slip on shoe.

Carolyn’s Shoe

Who has the better footwear? Megan Caldwell or Carolyn Jewel? Don’t worry, I will NOT release the Hounds Of Hell no matter who you vote for.

And the winner of the shoe-off is....

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Contest

All right, people, a $20 Amazon gift certificate goes to one random commenter who asks Megan a question. Bonus Karma points for telling us what shoes you’re wearing.

Rules: Must be 18 or over to enter. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. International is OK IF AND ONLY IF it’s not void or illegal where you live and Amazon will let me send you the gift certificate. Contest closes midnight PST January 15, 2013.

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Monster Mailing!

Friday, November 2nd, 2012

Today, I bought mailers and took all the books that needed to be mailed to the mail store:

100 copies of My Wicked Enemy
10 copies of Not Proper Enough
10 copies (total) of Not Proper Enough and Not Wicked Enough for the RITAs
A miscellaneous other number of books that are embarrassingly late getting mailed.

My local mailing store is awesome because if I didn’t get the right number or kind of shipping materials, they will supply them. They will take care of everything. All I had to do was drop off the books and supplies.

Bliss.

If I owe you a book, it will be on its way soon!

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Reporting In

Sunday, September 16th, 2012

I am happy to report I am making good progress on My Immortals 5. It’s really, really, interesting the way I keep reminding myself that I can do this exactly the way I want to. I’m about 35% through, so there’s a shape developing and a structure I didn’t anticipate at the start.

My writer friend Liz Maverick was in my town today. We had an awesome breakfast and then we walked around P-town and I discovered that she loves antique stores as much as I do. Bliss. We came across a collection of sexually explicit netsuke. Nothing like unexpected peen! We stopped at the bookstore and talked about which book covers we thought worked and which ones seemed tired and old.

And now, off to bed.

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An Experimental Offer

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

So, I have this idea.

My Experimental Offer To You

1. I wrote this really short (2000 words) but pretty erotic historical story. It’s so short I feel bad about charging $0.99 for it and haven’t put it up anywhere for people to read except this one Erotica blog where I was invited to write something, well, erotic and did.

2. I have this other somewhat longer but possibly filthy paranormal story.

3. Both of these stories technically involve demons.

4. The second story is massively open-ended and one of these days I will write what I think is a pretty filthy conclusion so it’s tied up all neat and sexy.

5. I have a very pretty cover for the first story.

6. If you are 18 or older, and if you post a review for one or more of my ebooks (Lord Ruin, The Spare, Future Tense) at Amazon and/or B&N, I will send you the eBook file for those two stories with the pretty cover. Just write your review (your HONEST opinion, please) and send me a link when it posts along with your email so I can send you the file. I can pull off the major formats without too much headache I think.

What do you think?

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Go Over There –>!

Tuesday, December 28th, 2010

I’m giving away some books over at the Girlfriend’s Book Club. Find out what I have against Brussel’s sprouts, my favorite color and more in an insightful self-interview. Also, three silly questions for you. Go.

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RWA Update Saturday

Saturday, July 31st, 2010

All right, so Saturday, I had an energy bar for breakfast then went to a workshop on Promotion with Sheila Clover of COS Productions (Book trailers) Rebecca York (author) Barbara Vey of PW and Sue Grimshaw of Borders. Lots of good ideas about promotion. Then I went to an agent panel with Steve Axelrod, Kristin Nelson (my agent) and Karen Solem. That was packed to beyond full. I got totally freaked about everything, but there was great information and varied opinions about the business.

I had a lovely lunch with my Berkley editor Kate Seaver, then dashed to the RITA rehearsal which was short and also freaked me out because I never thought I would be a RITA finalist and there I was in a room full of my dream authors. Since my main decongestant didn’t kick in and do the job, right before lunch I took the other decongestant and just as Kate and I were sitting down to lunch, I could hear again. YAY!!!

After that I signed books at the Grand Central signing. I had a line much of the time which was pretty cool. I bought raffle tickets for the benefit for Jennifer Haymore, a Grand Central author who is currently battling breast cancer. A couple of years ago, we sat next to each other at the GCP dinner and had a wonderful chat. I wish she were here instead of this.

I finished off the afternoon by sitting with my roomie, Sarah Wendell of Smart Bitches Trashy Books, Sarah Franz, Angela James of Carina Press and several other people talking about, what else? books.

Then I came back to the room to get ready for the RITAs.

I’m currently trying to decide if I should take more decongestant. I can hear OK so I’ll just have some on hand I suppose.

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One more reason authors should have an agent

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

As you may know if you’ve dropped by here before, my 2004 Historical The Spare is being re-issued. My agent had nothing to do with the sale of this book. I did email her about the re-issue because the new cover mentions Indiscreet and Scandal, books she sold for me. In my email to her, I said, gee, if only they’d re-issue Lord Ruin, since to this day I get emails about that book.

Well, she said she’d email my old publisher about that, and she did. The upshot is that it’s now possible (possible, only) that Lord Ruin will be reissued. And wouldn’t that be lovely?

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Contest – Signed Copy of Barry Eisler’s Fault Line

Saturday, May 8th, 2010

Cover of Fault Line by Barry Eisler Author Barry Eisler was the speaker at today’s meeting of my local RWA chapter, SFA-RWA. He gave a great talk and then gave away a bunch of copies of his thriller Fault Line. As some of you may know, I read and LOVED Fault Line some time ago, but I now have a pristine, unread, signed copy of this book, complete with a bookmark! just in time for a lucky reader of this blog to read before the release of the sequel, Inside Out. I can tell you that I read an ARC (Advance Reader’s Copy) of Inside Out and loved it.

Stolen from Barry’s website:

In Silicon Valley, the eccentric inventor of a new encryption application is murdered in an apparent drug deal.

In Istanbul, a cynical undercover operator receives a frantic call from his estranged brother, a patent lawyer who believes he is the next victim.

And on the sun-drenched slopes of Sand Hill Road, Silicon Valley’s nerve center of money and technology, old family hurts sting anew as two brothers who share nothing but blood and bitterness wage a desperate battle against a faceless enemy.

Alex Treven has sacrificed everything to achieve his sole ambition: making partner in his high-tech law firm. But then the inventor of a technology Alex is banking on is murdered… and the patent examiner who reviewed it dies… and Alex himself narrowly escapes an attack in his own home. Off balance, out of ideas, and running out of time, he knows the one person who can help him is the last person he’d ever ask: his brother.

Ben Treven is a Military Liaison Element, an elite undercover soldier paid to “find, fix, and finish” high-value targets in America’s Global War on Terror. Disenchanted with what he sees as America’s culture of denial and decadence, Ben lives his detached life in the shadows because the black ops world is all he really knows—and because other than Alex, who he hasn’t spoken to since their mother died, his family is long gone.

But blood is thicker than water, and when he receives Alex’s frantic call, Ben hurries to San Francisco to help him. Only then does Alex reveal that there’s another player who knows of the technology: Sarah Hosseini, a young Iranian-American lawyer who Alex has long secretly desired… and who Ben immediately distrusts. As these three radically different people struggle to identify the forces attempting to silence them, Ben and Alex are forced to examine the events that drove them apart—even as Sarah’s presence, and her own secret wants, deepens the fault line between them.

A full-throttle thriller that is both emotionally and politically charged, Fault Line centers on a conspiracy that has spun out of the shadows and into the streets of America, a conspiracy that can be stopped only by three people—three people with different worldviews, different grievances, different motives. To survive the forces arrayed against them, they’ll first have to survive each other.

How Do I Get the Chance to Win This Awesome Book?

Easy. Leave a comment to this blog in which you answer the following question:

If you had a bazillion dollars, what would you get me?

Contest closes Midnight Pacific, Wednesday May 12, 2010. If you don’t leave a valid email, you’ll have to check back after Wednesday to see if you won. I can use the email WordPress asks for, by the way. I will choose a winner at random, so, actually, the awesomeness of your hypothetical generosity to me has no bearing on your chance of winning. But I might end up loving some of you more than others. Hypothetically speaking.

Go!

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