GO AWAY HOME – “The perfect story of coming home” – 2014 Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal winner for Historical Fiction
Set in World War One-era Iowa, GO AWAY HOME is a captivating coming of age novel that will resonate with anyone who’s confronted the conflict between dreams and reality and come to recognize that getting what you want can be a two-edged sword.
The 2014 Man Booker Prize winner was announced this past week. The accolades judging panel chair A.C. Grayling heaped on Richard Flanagan's WWII-era novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North, included this seemingly odd comment: Historical fiction is … [Continue reading]
Life is full of so many questions. What's for dinner? White wine or red? Is it time to turn on the furnace? The writing life is no different. Three events coming up in the next several days let me join other authors in discussing some of the big … [Continue reading]
When I began blogging in 2009, I posted my writing for a full year before telling anyone I was doing it. I was trying out my voice, learning the "rules" of blogging, and seeing if I would stick to it. Five years later, I'm still at it, my topics as … [Continue reading]
Someone cut you off in traffic. Cheated you out of a promotion. Stole your big idea. Or worse for us writers - Reviewed our books with words that stung. Then gave us a One Star rating. They'd have given us zero stars if Amazon let them. Ouch! How … [Continue reading]
I've been a fan of Sue Monk Kidd since I read The Secret Life of Bees. So when Kidd released her newest novel The Invention of Wings, historical fiction set in the early 19th century, I was eager to read. The book did not disappoint. The Invention … [Continue reading]
Getting book reviews that would be posted on Amazon and Goodreads at launch was one of the marketing strategies I pursued prior to publishing my novel Go Away Home. In April, I blogged my intent. Now, I'll share the results. The bottom line first … [Continue reading]
As I walk my prairie this year, I'm struck by how it's maturing. I was aware that flowers predominate in a newly established prairie while grasses take over in later years. This year, I'm seeing that reality. The contrast between new and mature … [Continue reading]
My granddaughter started kindergarten this past week. When she told her dad about her first day in school, she could barely contain herself. "Guess what? We played in the gym!" "Guess what? We had music class!" "Guess what? I met new … [Continue reading]
There are NO vegetables. Everything we call a vegetable is actually a fruit. So said the host of the TV show On The Spot this past weekend. What? I'm a farm kid. I grew up around agriculture and spent most of my professional career in public … [Continue reading]
Six years ago, I prepared the soil and sowed the seeds for a native Iowa prairie. The seed mix I chose from Ion Exchange contained 37 different varieties of prairie wildflowers and grasses. I was so eager for my new prairie to take root and grow, I … [Continue reading]
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