The Murderer's Daughters - Randy Susan Meyers

Yipes! I promised a review of this book awhile back then got caught up in life. Well that was a disservice to my readers because I loved this book almost as much as I loved the author.

The Murderer's Daughters revolves around two young sisters who witness, to one degree or another, their mother's death at the hands of their father. The sisters are shuttled from the house they lived in, which neither they nor I call a home, to their aunt's house, which proved to be even less of a home than their first.

The aunt quickly finds she doesn't want the children and sends them to live in an orphanage. One of the sisters makes out alright, while the other is teased and bullied, leading to issues we'll see later in her life. I found this section of the story riveting and intense. Having two young children of my own made it even harder to read but the author added enough supporting characters that you didn't feel you were drowning in the sister's sorrowful tale.

As the girls mature, one turns to academia and the other to men and drink. I have to admit I am a sucker for a good alcoholic story and we this one does not disappoint. Merry's story unique and true to life, which is what gives it power.

The central factor in the story is how the two women deal with the father that floats about the periphery of their lives from his prison cell. Lulu, the doctor, refuses to see him, while Merry dutifully visits him but pays a price for each trip.

The ending of the novel was action-packed and terrifying. The story resolves nicely, though not too nicely. Really a very good read. I'd suggest you pick it up.

The Muse & the Marketplace conference

Yesterday I attended day one of the Muse & the Marketplace conference at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston. The event was fantastic and very rejuvenating for my tired, beat-down writing soul. Plus, I met an agent I would love to work with, Mitchell Waters. Before we get too excited, he hasn't agreed to take me on - yet. He did ask for my card and promised (well, not promised but said) he would read my submission. He represents the key note speaker at yesterday's event, Vestal McIntyre who wrote Lake Overturn which you can pick up on Amazon by clicking on the link - it's on sale for $10!! I haven't read it yet but it won the Grub Street Book Award so it's a no-brainer.

I also got a chance to chat with my friend Brunonia Barry whose new book The Map of True Places is coming out tuesday! I am on page 150 (at the event she had 10 pre-debut copies available and, of course, I scooped one up) and LOVING it. Not sure I should say this but I like it even more than the Lace Reader, which is saying a lot!

I also bumped into Randy Susan Meyers, who remembered, which is amazing considering she must do a ton of speaking engagments over the course of the year, and Amy MacKinnon, who you may recall turned me on to Grub Street and was gracious enough to call me, way back when, to give me some much needed advice. She had actually read my blog and gave me an addiitional pointer that was hard to hear but clearly true and useful, so I thank her again for that.

Other than my brushes with greatness - I attended three seminars. One on the publishing industry's glossary of terms, one on query writing, and one where they randomly selected first pages and read them aloud.

The glossary session was extremely helpful. I thought I knew it all but they discussed a lot of insider terms I have never heard, like "quiet" and "up-market". Having attended the seminar I will be a more savvy marketer of my work.

The Literary Idol session was wonderful until they got to my page, which was the very last one. In fact, the actress who was doing the readings was standing there with my page in her hand for about five minutes as the panel of four agents chatted and answered questions. My heart literally raced and I could feel my face flush as I waited, hopefully, to see if they would get to my page. They did. Which was good and not so good. The agents stopped the actress before she got to the end of her reading but they had very good input and made me see somethings I can fix to better catch their eye in the future.

My final session, on query writing, was a little less helpful only because I feel pretty confident about my query letter. I did enjoy meeting the agent who ran the session, Sorche Fairbanks, because she is local and clearly very good at what she does.

At the end of the day I got to meet one on one with an agent, Julie Barer, who had reviewed 20 pages of my novel and critiqued it. Yippee, she said the writing was great. Not so yippee she said the structure needed work (put it back how it was - and Dad & Karen nod to each other saying "we told you so"). She wasn't interested in taken the project on but she did give me great feeback and, overall I thought the session was well worth it!

The Muse & the Marketplace is held yearly and sponsored by Grub Street. If you are serious about writing it's well worth attending.

Matters of Faith - Kristy Kiernan

Matters of Faith revolves around a family: mother, father, son, sister. The son is in college and brings home, for lack of a better term, a wacko. She is a religious freak, which the mother seems to think is OK because she's liberal and willing to let her child experiement with his beliefs and pretty much anything else.
The father, having been raised by a religious wacko of his own, disapproves of this girl but keeps quiet, receeding into his work, giving fishing tours to local tourists.
The family's daughter has a peanut alllergy. When the son and girlfriend decide to take the father's boat out for a ride, the younger sister asks to come along. The girlfriend, trying to ingratiate herself with the family, readily agrees. While the three are on the boat an accident occurs. There is blood everywhere - so much blood it's difficult to figure out what really happened. It turns out the son and girlfriend mixed a bit of peanut butter into the sister's sandwich because the girlfriend thought the daughter would build up a tolerance. The girlfriend unfortunately convinces the brother their prayers would pull them all through, but of course, she is horrifically mistaken.

Not to give away too much away - as the daugher lays in the hospital, struggling to recover we learn about the parents and their battle to believe their daughter will (or won't) recover. They argue over how best to handle their son who, upon being released from prison and bailing out zealot girlfriend, flees to live with his grandmother - the same one his father refuses to speak to.

In the end the daughter comes out of her coma but will never be whole again. The girlfriend returns to her fugitive life after being outed as older than she let on and more criminally inclined. She escapes back to her family leaving the son holding the bag and facing years in prison. The end of this novel could have easily been sappy but wasn't which was a plesant surprise.

If you are interested in matters of faith and enjoy an interesting twist on a family saga, check this book out.

The brief wonderous life of Oscar Wao - Junot Díaz

The brief wonderous life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz is a crazy, unique, stomach churning novel about an overweight, sci-fi obsessed boy growing up in the Dominican Republic and New Jersey. It chronicles the struggles he faces with the mythology of Dominican men as predatory lovers and macho cavemen. It's about tolerance and acceptance and love, then death.

I heard about Oscar Wao in a writing group at Grub Street in Boston. My instructor, Lara, mentioned how amazing the book was but I didn't think I wanted to read a biography or autobiography - because at the time I didn't know if it was either - of Oscar Wilde, which is what I thought she said. Katherine, another student in the group, told us her book group had read Oscar and unilaterally hated it. Lara was aghast having thougth it one of the best books she'd ever read. Katherine, on the other hand, explained that whole sections of the novel were told in footnote - what? - and Spanish. That clenched it for me; I knew I'd never read it.
Until, I saw it in a bookstore. Then I realized it wasn't Oscar Wilder but Oscar Wao and I wondered who the heck that was, so I picked it up and read the back. I have to say the write-up and the cover intrigued me so I signed up for it at the library and forgot about it.
When it finally came through (about 2 months later), I was surprised it had won the Pulitzer Prize. Now I was convinced I would hate it but I dove in and, I have to say, I loved it! The brief wonderous life of Oscar Wao is one of those novels that read like the author speaks, which - yes - is interspersed with Spanish and heavily footnooted, but the footnotes are intriguing and his way of getting "behind the scenes".
I tore through the book in a week and loved every minute of it. Some of the story is told from other people's points of view but each shows a different side of Oscar and the trials he faces as he grows older and continues to be hampered by his weight and appearance. It reminds me a little of She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb but edgier and less Oprah-ish.
Because of its Pulitzer and, mostly, because of the writing I'd say this is a novel to buy and share with friends. Let me know what you think!

Four Circles Hell & 19th Wife review

I hate my book. I hate it! I worry about it constantly..should Jack's story be first, should it be the short version or the longer version with Trista's back story? Should I start with Marsha, as I originally intended? Should all of the characters be introduced before going into what the Four Circles is? Is the chapter explaining the Four Circles too much of an information dump? What even happens at the end of the book because it's been so long since I've read it to the end I'm not sure I know.

I would quit, I'm telling you I would, but my big mouth is stopping me - which is good, I guess. People ask, e-mail, or call me about the book about five times a day - more than they ask me about the kids. Which means I can't quit but I still hate it. Though it's a good book, I just feel like someone else should have written it at this point.

The 19th Wife - David Ebershoff

First off, I marvel at David's ability to write in completely different voices depending on the chapter. His chapter's in Jordan's voice (if you see the review below you will catch up) were excellent but all of the following chapters were also engaging.

I loved this book, though it was a slightly long in certain parts but always informative and well written.
If you are a fan of historical fiction this book is well worth the money so I suggest you check it out and, if you love it as much as I did, recommend it to five friends!!

Author reading of The 19th Wife - David Ebershoff

When you go, as a writer, to hear another writer read their work it's many things, one of which is intimidating.
Not the author themselves, they're almost always wonderful, intelligent, and inspirational. It's the writing that's intimidating, the work itself. When I hear an author read, and I like their work, I compare it to my own and it often comes up lacking but enough of my tales of insecurity. On to David's tale of polygamy.
David Ebershoff made the trip from Martha's Vineyard to Duxbury this past Sunday for a reading from his historical saga The 19th Wife. He was a tad late, being that it was a monsoon, so it gave me and my outing partner a chance to buy the book ahead of time. When he arrived, apologetic and wonderful, Anne and I looked at each other wondering if he could have possibly driven there being that he looked all of 18! After the reading I asked for a picture to prove my point (by the way I've since thrown away the sweater - it may be soft but it also makes me look like a purple wooly mammoth).

His youthful appearance did not stop him from writing an eloquent novel and reading powerfully from it.
The 19th Wife is about Ann Eliza Young, the 19th wife of Brigham Young and deserter of the First Church of Later Day Saints. The story is told from many points of view including Jordan Scott a young man left by the side of the road because he is a boy and was caught holding hands with one of his sisters. It's not the sister thing that was a problem, it was that she may reciprocate his affections and the group's elders liked to hold on to their young girls.  Did I mention the one that left him by the side of the road was his mother? That can mess with your head.
Other voices I've read are thsoe of Ann Eliza, her father, and her mother. David spoke about the different points of view and his research in Utah. It was fascinating and amazing to learn this way of life continues to go on to this day in many parts of the mid-Western United States.
I'm only part way through the book (having had it in my possession for only 2 days) but I can already say I recommend it whole heartedly. It's interesting, educational, horrifying, and soul-searching.
I wish I could be home reading right now but kids, work, life calls. I'll be reading it tonight though, probably until midnight. It's that good.
http://www.19thwife.com/
Buy it!

N.B. - North Arts Arts Society Writers Workshop meeting TONIGHT, 7pm GAR hall. All aspiring writer's welcome! For more info: http://nraswritersworkshop.blogspot.com/

I'm a guest blogger!

I've been trying to reach out to other writer's and recently found the North River Arts Society Writer's group. They were looking for some guest bloggers so I gave it a shot.
See my post on overused words and writing pet peeves here: http://nraswritersworkshop.blogspot.com/2010/03/guest-blog-post-by-lisa-vallier.html