Does A Husband's Lie Make the Marriage Void? ~ "The Year She Fell" by Alicia Rasley

Book Cover Summary :

The tragic mystery at the heart of their family has finally surfaced . . .

When Presbyterian minister Ellen Wakefield O'Connor is confronted by a young man armed with a birth certificate that mistakenly names her as his mother, she quickly sorts out the truth: his birth mother listed Ellen on the certificate to cover up her own identity, but also because Ellen is, in a way, related to the child.
Because the birth father is Ellen's troubled husband, Tom.
The secrets of the past soon engulf Ellen, Tom, and everyone they love. This drama of love, loss, family and betrayal will capture readers with its unforgettable power.

My Review:

I've been savoring every sentence of "The Year She Fell."  When a book starts off telling you it's about a Presbyterian woman minister, I'm nearly asleep by the second paragraph; not so with this rather surprising volume. 

 It had me by the the first and second sentences:  "I couldn't help but think of him as "the love child." It was an old-fashioned term, more genteel than "bastard," more evocative than "biological son," with an origin not in genetics but in passion."

Very quickly the pace is shifted to 4th gear as it speeds around curves from that point on.  The very astute and "no man's fool" minister kick boxes her way through the shock of a husband's betrayal...a son he never told her about, and an unwillingness to reveal to her and his son the name and whereabouts of the mother.  She's not taking his closely withheld secret with the expected spiritual glow he might have expected...she's hopping mad!  And, this, my friends makes me so devilishly delighted to read her story!

Alicia Rasley is an award winning author, albeit little known in mainstream book circles.  She is also a nationally known writing instructor.  She's an extremely gifted writer.  Ms Rasley writes so well, I can't understand why I haven't heard about her before.  I seriously read a lot of books, and I search the "stacks" for new indie press authors just like her, thankfully!  Kudos to http://www.bellebridgebooks.com/  for bringing her to every one's attention!  Please, please, let's hear more soon...

Her story structure and plot builds to a maddening crescendo!  Heart racing and pushing to that "just one more chapter before my eyes close" state.  Her method of describing the inner lives of characters is dynamic; it adds significantly to the momentum and resolution of her story.  I always love a book divided into the thoughts and perspectives of the different main characters.  Ms Rasley's book does this and it makes it all the more suspenseful.  Frankly, I was dying for the truth as much as Ellen was. 

In summary, and because I don't want to hold you back from purchasing thebook this is a rather brief review.  You can see I think "The Year She Fell" is a winner... up there with books by writers like Jodi Picoult, except it's written with serious suspense. 

My only gripes are the editing issues....words left out, for instance, which just takes from any reading experience for me (as you know I'm vampirish in that area), and the story began to become a bit slow in the section narrated by Laura.  Otherwise, exceptional writing!

4 1/2 stars  

Deborah/TheBookishDame

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Devils, Death and Detectives ~ "The Ridge" by Michael Koryta

Book Reviews from Others:
"Koryta delivers another supernatural thriller with punch....Part ghost story, part murder mystery, all thriller, this fast-paced and engaging read will have readers leaving the night-light on long after they have finished the book." (Publishers Weekly (starred review) )

"The choice is simple: Kill or be killed....Koryta, whose affection for the big cats and those who care for them is contagious, has produced a supernatural thriller that will raise goosebumps the size of golf balls." (Kirkus )

"A chilling supernatural thriller by [a] rising literary star" (Alexandra Alter, The Wall Street Journal )

ABOUT MICHAEL:

Michael Koryta (pronounced ko-ree-ta) is the author of many novels, some of which have won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Great Lake Books Award, and St. Martin's Press/PWA Best First Novel prize, while also earning nominations for the Edgar, Quill, Shamus and Barry awards. In addition to winning the Los Angeles Times prize for best mystery, his novel Envy the Night was selected as a Reader's Digest condensed book. His work has been translated into nearly twenty languages. A former private investigator and newspaper reporter, Koryta graduated from Indiana University with a degree in criminal justice. He currently lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Bloomington, Indiana.

Watch This Great Trailer with Mr. Koryta~
You'll find more of his videos and interviews on YouTube under his name.  This means you just have to read more of his books!


My Review:
Earlier last year, I reviewed Koryta's "Cypress House." (Please see it on my blog in 2010) It was my first introduction to his writing.  I became an immediate addict...Michael Koryta is a master storyteller.  He is the type of author who could have us mesmerized for hours while we waited out a hurricane!  And, we'd never even know we were in the midst of one except that it would be a fitting setting for his story.  I could read his books in tandem and be entertained all week without boredom.


Koryta's genius, it seems to me, is that he draws us in right away by making the circumstances quite ordinary and believable.  The first chapter leaves us with a handful of questions; some of them not so obvious until we muse upon them.  So much fun to do that.  And, from that moment on, we are hooked.  We are driven by an urge to know...


His characters are so real, I feel as if I know them.  They are easily visualized.  They are easily understood from a psychological perspective.  However, this doesn't mean all is immediately as it seems, ever, in a Koryta novel.  My attention is driven by his type of characterization with the "brick hasn't yet fallen" suspense.  What I'm trying to convey is that you think you can "see" the characters, but he always leaves you with that mote of doubt that irritates your seeker's eye.


I wasn't expecting the supernatural context of this novel.  I frankly refrained from reading the overleaf because I didn't want to spoil a minute of the actual read for myself.  That's how good Mr. Koryta is!  So, I didn't expect this ghostly intrigue and it was a surprising addition for me.  From his typical writing genre as I knew it from "Cypress House" it was an unusual twist.  Reminiscent of the Gothic novel, it worked perfectly with a modern day police suspense/mystery in the end.


"The Ridge" is a book I couldn't stop reading until the end. I dreamt of it...I read it when I was eating, and I read it during commercials between the Casey Anthony murder trial.  This gives you some idea of the intensity of the writing skills of this author.  I'm obsessive about the Anthony Trial...and "The Ridge" tore me away at times!


I can do no more than strongly urge you to get to know Michael Koryta as an author with his mind and fingers on the pulse of new suspense/thriller writing.  If there is an evolution of writers with vision in this genre, Michael Koryta is leading the curve.  His work reminds me why I read suspense and thrillers.


Without going into the storyline of this book, which the reviews and trailer do above, I want to also say that it's a story that just left me with wide eyes and the feeling that it might really happen.  I'm not one to chase after ghosts and demons, but this book made me think twice...


5 stars


Deborah/TheBookishDame

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The Dame's Reading List This Next 2 Weeks ~ Be Forewarned! :P

Dear Bookish Readers,

I've been reading like a ravenous pup these last few weeks, and there seems to be no end to it in sight.  Sometimes I just have this binge of books hit me and I'm on a run of reading that can't be saited.  Thus, the following books in my immediate stack:




I've just begun this book, and it's awesome!  I love the writing, and the theme which is young American girls whose wealthy families are primed to find titled husbands to pad the family name.  Set in the 1893 in Newport, Rhode Island.  Very fast moving!

 So looking forward to this one...  Isn't the cover interesting and a visual "grabber?"

A new YA fiction ~ time travel with trips back to the Guilded Age of New York City.  Can't wait to start this one.  Beautiful cover, again!

Oh, dear, the children are coming home...with the grandkids!  I'm about the age to appreciate this one.  Can't wait to find out how the mom/grammie handles it.  I only have a villa w/ 3 bedrooms in FL... sorry!  :]

Well, here's a sort of cheater.  I've read nearly all of this one, but have to come to the end of it.  It's a YA mystery/horror that's so loveable! 

That's The Dame's Reading List...   Just add your blog in my comments area, and I'll stop by to see what you're reading!

The Bookish Dame/Deborah

P.S.:  I'm very disappointed and shocked at the recent verdict in the Casey Anthony murder trial.  It only remains to be said that sweet Caylee did not get justice on this earth, but she is in the arms of God and has her everlasting beautiful life. She would probably forgive her mother out of the purity of her heart. 
 I believe it when God says, "Vengence is Mine."  We may not know the end of this story for a while...

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"The Story of Beautiful Girl" ~Chilling Love Story and Commentary on Asylums

Grand Central Pubishing

Hardcover:  346 ppgs.

Overview:

It is 1968. Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability, and Homan, an African American deaf man, are locked away in an institution, the School for the Incurable and Feebleminded, and have been left to languish, forgotten. Deeply in love, they escape, and find refuge in the farmhouse of Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow. But the couple is not alone-Lynnie has just given birth to a baby girl. When the authorities catch up to them that same night, Homan escapes into the darkness, and Lynnie is caught. But before she is forced back into the institution, she whispers two words to Martha: "Hide her." And so begins the 40-year epic journey of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia-lives divided by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, yet drawn together by a secret pact and extraordinary love.

Author:  Rachel Simon
In addition to being an author of substance and renown, Ms Simon is an advocate of such organizations as:
AAIDD: The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.  She speaks at rallies, as seen below, on Capital Hill in support of those with developmental disabilities, and the awareness of programs and special education for them.  In this photo, you can see the topic is "community and opportunity." 

The Book Trailer:

My Review:
"...Beautiful Girl" is an unusual novel in that it demands a suspension of believe for the story to progress; while it urges us to believe in the horrors of the days when families hid their disabled children away from society and themselves, it also wants us to feel the angst of a love story. Ms Simon does a good job of writing a book that "works" for the most part, and which draws us into the characters of her book, as well as the unconscionable insiders and innerworkings of a torture camp for the misbegotten.

This is the chilling story of a couple of lost, "thrown-away" residents of an institution who are shifted off on an anonymous asylum, forgotten, and helpless in a world that is frightening and unpredictable.  Their lives have been stolen from them...they are incarcerated in a holding place of horrors, daily punishments are meted out to them and there is no apparent way out. The couple are lost or rejected and "dead" to parents and other family members, so they come to cherish the connection and love they've forged with each other.

The main characters of the asylum, Homan, a deaf man whom no one understands; and Lynnie, a young woman unable to speak fluently; fall in love and eventually escape the asylum.  Lynnie is pregnant, she gives birth enroute, and the couple finds shelter at a home with a lighthouse carving on the mailbox.  This lighthouse signals a familiarity with "home" to Lynnie who cannot articulate or remember where she came from. 

The story follows Lynnie, Homan, their baby girl, as well as Martha, the brave woman who takes the baby under her protection when Lynnie asks her to take care of her as the authorities straight jacket her and take her back to the prison of the asylum.  Homan, at the same time, escapes the police and abusive asylum guards, running for his life in order to come back another day to rescue Lynnie and the baby.  

There are twists and turns that pace "The Story of Beautiful Girl" and tell us of the plight of these people. Their lives lack real sympathy, support and understanding for the greatest part.  They are the lost and forgotten, the ones not capable of defending themselves, and the ones we cry for in pity for their entrapments. Were it not for the rare few who saw them as valuable human beings with meaning and creative abilities, they would surely have been victims of corrupt, self-serving people until they died.

The view we have of Lynnie's and Homan's love story is moving.  Their devotion to each other despite their inability to "talk" in conventional ways was touching and heartwarming.  Though both have lost their "voices," they communicate from the heart with spirits that unite them over 40 years.  I was moved, as well, by the personal sacrifices that Martha made in her devotion to Lynnie and the baby she came to love.

What falls short to me in this special novel is that it wants to be two things at once, and the author's attempts to blend both was not wholly successful.  The book dragged in parts and it often skipped details without links from one person to another,  leaving gaps in the flow of the story. Perhaps we weren't meant to form an attachment to the child, but I think it may have tied the story together better had we known who she was and how she may have reflected the best of all the characters.  Somehow, the story fell short for me because of these components. 

What I did find most interesting and vital in the novel were the insights into the asylum and its characters.  They were fierce and enlisted stong feelings from me.  I was shocked by the abusive, inhumane conditions, the roadblocks that even those who wanted to help the inmates feared, and the ungodly disregard for human life.  Here was the meat of this novel, I felt--a story that held rich and horrific descriptions of a prison-like facility for the pitiful, demanding we look at the unseen. It begged this recognition, because with awareness comes curiosity and with more curiosity, many might become involved.  This, then, was the most powerful part of Ms Simon's book.

All in all, I really liked "The Story of Beautiful Girl," sans the stated issues above.  Ms Simon is a writer of great talent and devotion to social issues.  Her book is commendable and worthy of support...certainly worthy of  reading. 

I simply feel responsible to tell you that the book is not your typical love story.  It's rather a novel of exposure and indictment of a society that felt it was good to hide away the disabled and those with imperfections.  It's the story of two heart who survive through love.  And, the dedication of one woman, past her prime, whose life becomes one of love and devotion.  Happily, there is redemption  for all in the end.  Hopefully, we have progressed as a society since the days this novel takes place.  But, I'm not sure we have...

I recommend "The Story of Beautiful Girl" as long as my readers realize it's not just a love story.

4 stars

Deborah/TheBookishDame

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"A Spark of Death" ~ Early 1900's Electrical Professor is Dashing Detective

Book Summary:

“Seattle in 1901 is the setting for this distinctive scientific mystery that delves into the political machinations of the university and the changing technological landscape of that era. Like today’s concerns about terrorists, fear of anarchists ran high at the time. Professor Bradshaw, our intrepid  protagonist, becomes the amateur detective in this promising new series.”  Library Journal

Author:  Bernadette Pajer:
Bernadette loves the Pacific Northwest. She spent her childhood in Seattle, surrounded by beautiful mountains, listening to KJR (which played top 40 hits back then), and daydreaming (the first stage of writing). After high school, she studied pre-engineering at the University of Washington for two years before love—and a growing awareness that she was indifferent to Differential Equations—intervened. Newly wed, she and her husband moved to Orcas Island where the idea of being a writer took hold. She was working at the local bank when she met one of the island’s most famous residents, Richard Bach, author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. She’s sure he doesn’t remember the occasion, but she recalls clearly how very kind he was. She told him she was thinking of writing, and he smiled gently and told her not to think, do. Writers write.

She began to write. And write. And submit, and wait, and write. Fast forward a decade, past dozens of rejections and a growing pile of manuscripts, and she returned to the UW to take a Creative Writing Certificate course, where she met fellow writers who are very dear to her today. In 2001, she decided to complete her degree at the UW at the Bothell campus. Her focus was on Culture, Literature and the Arts. It was during spring break of her final quarter that her son, at last, was born.

When she returned to writing fiction, she discovered that her heart and her passions were encapsulated in characters she’d created years earlier. Professor Bradshaw, his son Justin, Mrs. Prouty, Henry Pratt, and Missouri Fremont. She knew, after her long writing journey, that her writing home belonged with them, at 1204 Gallagher in Seattle. Now she is immersed in writing the Professor Bradshaw Mystery Series, happily exploring with her favorite characters the early days of the turn of the last century, a wondrous time when the race was on to discover and invent—everything—including the very same radio that some 70 years later carried music to a daydreaming teen.

The Bookish Dame Interviews Ms Pajer:

Welcome to the Bookish Libraria, Ms. Pajer.  I'm so pleased to have you here today!  May I ask you too many questions?  LOL

Thanks for having me. Ask away!

1)     In your bio, it's mentioned that you began to create the characters that you eventually use in your Professor Bradshaw Mystery Series years before you wrote A SPARK OF DEATH.  Where did these characters actually come from?

They came to me as characters sometimes do, fully formed and wanting their story told. Benjamin Bradshaw was a Professor of Electrical Engineering, and I thought about changing him to an English Professor, but he said absolutely not. Characters, of course, don't really manifest out of thin air, but emerge from our own experiences and psyches. I've always been fascinated by invention, and moved by people deeply hurt who manage to move on with life.

2)     I love the name Missouri Fremont for your female protagonist.  What made you name her that?  Is it one of those symbolic, anagram names?

OK, you're going to think I'm telling tales, but again, she just is Missouri. I don't know why. If I look deeper, maybe there's something musical and mysterious yet earthy about her name that taps into the part of me that would like to be that way. I was born in 1963, after all.

3)     Your concentration on the early dawning of the era of "enlightenment" and invention in America is one that is so interesting, Bernadette.  Was there something specific that "sparked" your interest in the turn of the century time frame?

That's when everything began to change big time. In 1901, there wasn't a single, viable, heavier-than-air flying machine. Just 68 years later, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Radio, television, computers – everything we take for granted now was being invented then. It's an exciting time to set a series that features an electrical inventor.

4)     Which of your characters do you most identify with in the Bradshaw Mystery Series?  Who is your favorite character?

Bradshaw,definitely. It's hard to explain that connection you get with a character that captures your heart. I see his world through him and yet I care about him as someone separate from me. And yes, writers are slightly insane.

5)     Please tell us where you most like to write and why.

I like to write at my dining room table, partly out of necessity. I have a very small house, and while the closet-sized room we call an office is where I store my research books and other writing paraphernalia, I prefer to write out here. Everything eventually ends up here on the table, and my family gets pushed to the tv trays. I don't like to be closeted away when I write, I'm one of those writers that needs something to tune out. Plus, from here, I'm able to easily jump up and do what needs done—fix a meal, get some laundry going, keep an eye on my son—and then get right back to work. But even though I'm just a few feet from the stove, I've been known to let dinner burn when caught up in a scene. Yesterday, it was the hot dogs on the grill that suffered. They were too burnt even for my son.

6)     Will you describe what's on your desk/writing area…be specific...look at it now and tell us what's on it and what you may keep there that you gain comfort or good fortune from seeing.  What do you see from your desk/writing area?

It's a wooden dining table surrounded by six wooden chairs. The table is covered with a green cloth. From left to right, there's the July issue of the PCC newspaper (local organic store); 3 copies of this week's Monroe Monitor (that has a feature story on me on page 6!), my black binder that lists events, blog requests, business cards of bookstores and writers; my author copy of A SPARK OF DEATH (I misspelled my own name when signing it, so it became my working copy); an empty plate with remnants of frosting from my birthday cake; my laptop where I'm now typing; a nearly empty cup of tea, two pens, a notepad with my son's handwriting practice (he wrote "pot, pop, bot, robot, pooping robot, i love mommy then DaD, MoM, Joey" and drew hearts with faces), my watch, a stack of birthday cards, a USB drive, a Hallmark statue/calendar of Snoopy sitting at his typewriter atop his red doghouse (birthday present from my hubby), and a box of tissues.

The dining table is in the back corner of the house. It's an open floor plan. To my left is the kitchen area (dishwasher's going), in front of me is the living room area with leather furniture and a wool rug, a large bookshelf and wall entertainment unit with the television and books and photos. To my right is a sliding glass door that looks into the backyard. I see the small patio and barbecue, my three raised garden beds, a large green lawn, and my son's cedar play structure. My son, whose 8, has been in all of these spaces as I type.

 7)     Are you an outline, organized writer, or are you a writer who just puts the story down as it comes to you?  I've recently seen a video in which Jeffrey Deaver talks about how he is an extremely organized writer with charts, pictures and everything.  And, my friend, Barbara Delinsky has a bulletin board with notes and pictures on a book when she writes.  But many authors just write extemporaneously.

I do a bit of both. I begin with a rough idea of how the story develops then begin to write. The writing reveals what research I need to do, what character arcs and back story need development, and elements of the plot I need to nail down. That’s when I write a more detailed outline of the mystery elements and subplots. I will often draw diagrams and makes lists of clues and dates. As I continue to write, I fine tune all the story elements, and often go back to insert a new thread or rip out one no longer needed. I don't currently have a bulletin board, but I have in the past, and of course I'm always surrounded by historical texts and photos when I write. 

8)     What inventor of the turn of the century do you most admire?

Oh, there were so many amazing inventors! But I'd have to say Alexander Graham Bell. His most famous invention, the telephone, was patented in 1876, but at the turn of the century, Bell was still fascinated with discovery and continued to invent. He was a good soul, by all accounts, devoted to his wife and family, and although he did support a few theories that were later used to tragic ends, I believe he was motivated always by a desire to help mankind. My Professor Bradshaw met him as a boy and was inspired by him. As am I.

9)  Will you make sure I receive all the Professor Bradshaw books in the future because I love "A Spark of Death" and want to read all of the series?  (My gratuitous question)  You don't have to answer this one!  

I will do my best to get each book in the series to you (you had me at "I love A SPARK OF DEATH.")

10)  Anything you'd like to tell us about yourself or your book that I haven't covered?

I'd just like to add that readers don't need to know anything about electricity to enjoy the mystery and follow the clues to "whodunnit."

Thanks so much for this interview, Bernadette.  I look forward to reviewing more of the Professor Bradshaw and associates books in the future.

 You're very welcome, and thank you!

My Review:

"A Spark of Death" is an exciting new series that covers an era in American history of inventors, modern thinkers, science and the awareness of women's contributions to science and society outside of the drawing room and nursery.  It's a series I expect to follow as an avid fan.

Bernadette Pajer is a writer of depth and quality.  Her descriptive abilities are exceptional.  She captured me from the first chapter and left me entranced with her treks down scientific cellars and studies to undiscovered safaris of electricity. She is an author of distinct mind and creativity.  "A Spark of Death" introduces us to her genius, and will most certainly enlist a crop of followers for the future.

The protagonist of Pajer's mind, Dr. Bradshaw, is a most dashing and devastating figure.  He's a character well drawn--intelligent, attractive and inventive.  It's practically impossible not to become mesmerized by him and his wry humor.  His fully developed character encompassing an astute faculty for the mysterious--detective work is compelling and great fun to read about.  I can only hope to get to know more about him in the near future. Suffice it to say that the book ended too soon for me. I think I'm in love with Dr. Bradshaw!

It was such a pleasure to meet Ms. Pajer's other characters, as well.  I've become a fan of Missouri Fremont.  She's the "every woman" with panache we'd love to be in that era and to cheer on in our century.  You'll get a kick out or her, and admire her as I did, I'll bet. What a great continuing character she's going to be.

I highly recommend "A Spark of Death" to all of my readers, and your readers, as well.  This is a book that's well written, has an easy flow to it; it's in the vein of a gaslight historical novel...only much more intelligent and with that "spark" of a country on the verge of an electrical illumination.  I can only urge you to pick up a copy of this first in the Dr. Bradshaw series. 

You'll find the novel on Amazon.com. 
For more information, please visit Ms Pajer's website at: http://www.bernadettepajer.com/


Deborah/TheBookishDame

Bradshaw’s World

In the great span of human history, there is no other era as revolutionary as the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. In that time, mankind went from smoky oil lamps to clean electric bulbs, from clopping horses to roaring automobiles, from tap-tapping telegrams to long-distance telephones, from muddy daguerreotypes to clear moving pictures, from earthbound transport to powered flight.
Sometimes the attempts at ingenuity brought ridicule. In the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in 1901, a contributor wrote a lengthy article explaining why human flight was so ridiculous and why attempts had failed, concluding, “There is as much likelihood that the granite bowlders (sic) of a dozen states will some day get up and fly back to their original strata, as there is that the Langley and Kress, or any other purely mechanical flying machines will become practical many-carrying realities.” Two years later, the Wright Brothers flew, and a mere 63 years after that, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.
All of these marvels were built upon the hard work and far-sighted vision of countless folks over many hundreds of years, but it was at this time that a million “aha” moments occurred around the world, and all that discovery became things we could feel, see, touch, and use. It was a marvelous, mad time.
If you’d like to delve further, here are a few links for you to explore.
The Seattle Municipal Archives

Museum of History and Industry

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"Lizard People" by Charlie Price: Reptilian Time Travelers Cure Mental Illness?!

Overview: 
Ben Mander's junior year is derailed when his mentally ill mother erupts in the school office. "You meet the nicest people in the lobby of a psychiatric hospital," says Ben about his mysterious new friend, Marco, who also has a mentally ill mother. Marco tells a story that turns Ben's idea of reality upside down. Soon Marco's tale begins to uncomfortable mirror Ben's own life. Is Ben losing his grip? Or is he experiencing an unforeseen boundary between time and space?

Author:  Charlie Price
“I was raised in Colorado and Montana, and I lived in Italy, New York City, Oakland, and Mexico before settling in Northern California. After I graduated from Stanford in the early 1960’s, I had a dual career in education and mental health. Working in a variety of schools and hospitals, I grew to deeply admire the courage of those who lived and worked with mental illness on a daily basis. I admired the young people I came to know—their triumphs, as well as the valiant way they dealt with hardships and failures.

“I am married to a lovely woman who has surpassed my dreams for the past thirty years. Moreover, I hereby attest and confirm that my daughter, Jessica Rose, is always right. Unfortunately, as she will be the first to tell you, I am not of sound mind.”     
                                                                                              Charlie Price
 
Charlie Price, in addition to writing and working with therapeutic groups, is a trainer, an executive coach, and a consultant who conducts business workshops and troubleshoots for private and public agencies. He is an avid reader, a pretty fair free-throw shooter, and a hopelessly addicted fly fisherman.
 
He has had a 30-something year career in education and therapeutic recreation. He has been a program director and clinical supervisor in psychiatric hospitals, a teacher and academic dean in many private school settings from Head Start to graduate seminars. He began in 1968 by working with high school dropouts in Bedford Stuyvesant. Now he writes and consults with private and public agencies in the areas of leadership and morale.

My Review:

Although Charlie Price is a very distinguished and honored author in juvenile/Young adult fiction, and has been since the early 2000's, he has sadly escaped my notice. I feel ignorant for that misstep in my literary education.

His book "Dead Connection" won An ALA Best Book for Young Adults, A Booklist Top Ten Mystery for Youth, A Book Sense Children's Pick, and a Publishers Weekly "Flying Starts" Selection mention.
I can hardly wait for my ordered book to get to me...drat the long holiday for that!

Publisher's Weekly calls Price's books:  "Superb. Compulsively readable." Others rave:  "Readers will like the edginess and be intrigued by the extrasensory elements."

Let me tell you how I reacted to "Lizard People." It was an immediate hit with me. I read the first 4 paragraphs and literally didn't stop reading until I finished the book some 4 hours later. It was fun, so interesting, a new concept, piercing, and had a twist that left me wondering until the very end whether I was experiencing psychosis or not. Fabulous insight into the mind of the mentally ill! I was taken there and back and I loved it. Sometimes it was frightening at the same time it was intriguing and irresistible.

Price's main character, Ben, is a sympathetic young man who is just trying his best to be a typical junior in high school. Like a lot of boys his age, he wants to be like other, popular guys and he, frankly, doesn't want to deal with his bizarre and sometimes violent, mentally ill mother. Is it too much to ask to have a grown up to help him, or at least a friend to discuss the responsibility and problem?  Herein lies the crux of all that torments Ben, and it is within this labyrinth that Ben must also find an answer to the Lizard People who terrify this mother and live in the stories of his friend, Marco. 

Mr. Price offers a fantastic journey that juxtaposes realism and the fantastic straight from the mind(s) of those who seem normal. I found it so gratifying that things weren't always as they seemed, and that the ordinary was sometimes slightly "off" but still within the acceptable in Ben's current live as in ours.
That families of the mentally ill are truly left to fend for themselves much of the time, and that many fear and ostracize them is something that Price clearly shines a light upon. I wanted to cheer his initiative. I loved the storyline that expressed it. 

This is a book that has more depth than may first appear. There are messages here that are valuable for young adults and adults alike regarding the mentally ill and those who care for them. I applaud Mr. Price for his life work, and for having the humor coupled with the heart to bring such a beautiful and enjoyable book to our lives.

I loved this book which flowed like a charm and was a charming story of hope and resilience with a dash of laughter. Also perfect for the classroom.

5 stars Mr. Price!!  See more of him and his books at: http://www.charlieprice.com/

Deborah/TheBookishDame

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Chevy Steven's "Never Knowing" ~ A New Soon-To-Be Bestseller! Electrifying



Authorized Overview:

All her life, Sara Gallagher has wondered about her birth parents. As an adopted child with two sisters who were born naturally to her parents, Sara did not have an ideal home life. The question of why she was given up for adoption has always haunted her. Finally, she is ready to take steps and to find closure.

But some questions are better left unanswered.
After months of research, Sara locates her birth mother — only to be met with horror and rejection. Then she discovers the devastating truth: Her mother was the only victim ever to escape a killer who has been hunting women every summer for decades. But Sara soon realizes the only thing worse than finding out about her father is him finding out about her.
What if murder is in your blood?
Never Knowing is a complex and compelling portrayal of one woman’s quest to understand herself, her origins, and her family. That is, if she can survive....

CHEVY STEVENS grew up on a ranch on Vancouver Island and still calls the island home. For most of her adult life she worked in sales, first as a rep for a giftware company and then as a Realtor. At open houses, waiting between potential buyers, she spent hours scaring herself with thoughts of horrible things that could happen to her. Her most terrifying scenario, which began with being abducted, was the inspiration for STILL MISSING. After six months Chevy sold her house and left real estate so she could finish the book.

Chevy enjoys writing thrillers that allow her to blend her interest in family dynamics with her love of the west coast lifestyle. When she’s not working on her next book, she’s hiking with her husband and dog in the local mountains. 

My Review:

Isn't Chevy Stevens beautiful, for one thing?  She is, and she has the mind of an incredible writer years beyond her age.

Ms Stevens has done it again!  After her hard-hitting, smash hit "Still Missing" which I reviewed last year, and urge you to search for here, she has come up with a new book that even trumps that one!  See a more comprehensive study of "Still Missing" and "Never Knowing" on her website at: http://www.chevystevens.com/

Chevy is a master of the suspense novel...a spider spinning her web around us like a delicate lace until we're captured, turned this way and that, in the intrigue and thrill of her nightmareish story.  It's thrilling--a reader's best hopes for a suspense novel.

"Never Knowing" makes us feel confined and trapped in the seemingly "no win" situation that Stevens's protagonist, Sara, finds herself.  This gut-grabbing reaction she creates is akin to watching a movie and losing oneself in the action. It's not until you put the book down for a bit that you realize it's had you under this spell.

As the narrator of her own story, Sara's feelings and actions become real. The more we read, the more allied we are with her point of view and the more we're drawn into her web of danger and isolation. 

As stated in the book overview, Sara is an adopted daughter who as an adult with her own child, decides to look for her birth parents. She walks into a journey of horrors since her adoptive parents never chose to share any part of her past with her. Chevy creates not only a note of suspense here, but the central expression of isolation and distrust Sara has experienced all her life. Chevy seems to be saying it's not what we're trusted to know that harms us, but what is kept from us. 

Within this situation that careens out of Sara's control, it was difficult for me to like any of the other characters in the novel.  None of them seem genuine, and they are cloaked in a distance that makes it impossible to really support her or her efforts.  Even her husband, Evan, fails to come through for her. Her family were all disappointing, and symbolized to me the isolation many of us feel when we must face some of the most heart-wrenching mountains in our lives--stunned when we discover we're emotionally estranged from those we most hoped would be there for us.

Strangely, the person who appears to come closest to supporting her is a police detective assigned to her as he tracks her psychotic father.  An institutional figure...interesting in 2011.  The outcome here is very interesting.

On another significant point: A unique method Ms Stevens employs in her novels is her main character's interactions with a psychotherapist.  The therapist acts as Chevy's and our sounding board; a "voice of reason" in the protagonist's mind, and a way to help navigate her feelings and actions within the maze of her personal conundrum.  This technique is both effective and terribly engaging.  It's a writing method I find unique.  It allows us to probe the thought patterns Sara employs.  Just mesmerizing and a glimpse into how the author builds her story.

In summary, Chevy Stevens has a gift for writing that sets her apart from the ordinary. Her intelligence shows! She's an author who is making a niche for herself in these competitive and often repetitive times.  Her work is outstanding.

I'm a huge fan who will run at break-neck speeds to get her next book hot off the presses!  I suggest you do, too.

5 stars without hesitation for "Never Knowing" by Chevy Stevens.

Deborah/TheBookishDame

*Please let me know how you like it!

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