Debra L. Martin's Blog, page 331

NEW - 4 star review for The Crystal Facade

Thanks very much to Grace at MotherLode for an excellent review of "The Crystal Facade."

http://www.gracekrispy.com/review-the-crystal-facade-by-debra-l-martin-and-david-w-small/

"Overall, another engaging fantasy novel that provides a great bridge between the first novel, and the novel to come. Entertaining throughout, this is a good fantasy read that bridges the world of Otharia with that of Earth."

As Grace says, "The Crystal Facade" works as a stand-alone novel, but to get the full enjoyment of the story it's best to read, "Quest for Nobility" first.

  

And the winners are...

Thank you to everyone who entered for a chance to win a copy of some great books. We have a couple of lucky winners who have won 2 books. The authors will contact you directly for the specific digital file format you need for your ereader.



Let's get right to the winners:



Kristy - Silas & The Crystal Facade



Julie - Lessons (and other Morbid Drabbles) & Helix



Jenni B - Vegas, Baby



Ladyflash - Cameo & Cameo the Assassin



lilchicken - Venom of Vipers



You all WIN a copy of OUT OF TIME by Monique Martin because that book is currently listed as FREE at Amazon. So hop over and download the book while it is still free.



All winners were chosen randomly by Random.org.

Kindle vs. Nook - Which do you prefer?

I have a Kindle 2 and absolutely love it. My co-author and brother, Dave, has a Nook. Which is better? Following is a list of each ereader's attributes.










Kindle Wi-Fi Kindle 3G + Wi-Fi







Display Size 6" diagonal 6" diagonal
Display Type E Ink Pearl E Ink Pearl
Size 7.5" x 4.8" x 0.335" 7.5" x 4.8" x 0.335"
Weight 8.5 ounces 8.7 ounces
Storage 3,500 books 3,500 books
Battery Life (Wireless Off) 2 months 2 months
Battery Life (Wireless On) 3 weeks 10 days
Books in 60 Seconds




Free 3G Wireless




Global Wireless Coverage

100 countries and territories
Wi-Fi




Native PDF Support




Whispersync




Worry-Free Archive




Text-to-Speech




Portrait & Landscape View




Price $114.00(includes Special Offers)

$139.00 $139.00(includes Special Offers)

$189.00


Current page See details






 Nook Color



In the BoxNOOK Color
USB Cable
Quick Start Guide
Power Adapter
Rechargeable Battery

(Installed)
Slim, Light & PortableHeight:
Width:
Depth:
Weight:
8.1 inches
5.0 inches
0.48 inches
15.8 ounces*










Color Touchscreen Display
Stunning 7 inch VividView™ Color Touchscreen shows more than 16 million colors on the best-in-class IPS** display.
Incredibly clear, sharp text and images from an unsurpassed high resolution display at 1024 x 600 delivering 169 pixels per inch (PPI).
Reduced glare and optimum brightness for reading indoors or outside.
Backlit for easy reading day or night.
Customized ExperienceAdjust the font to fit your reading style. Choose from 6 text sizes.
Select font styles, background colors, line and margin spacing.
See a demo of our 6 text sizesExpandable StorageWant to add your own pictures, music or other personal files? Slip in a micro SD card and customize your NOOK Color.
8GB***(up to 5000 ebooks) built in memory.
Expand your memory up to 32GB with microSD™ memory card.
Enhanced Web and Media PlayerEnhanced web browsing with Adobe® Flash® Player for mobile video and interactive experiences.
Watch videos in AAC, MP3, MP4 or Adobe® Flash®Player format.
Use NOOK Color to play audio.
Built-in mono speaker.
Universal 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack.

*Adobe and Flash are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.
Supported File Types****Load these popular formats for eBooks, graphics, audio, and other file types from your computer or microSD card.

EPUB (including Non or Adobe DRM)
PDF
Other documents: XLS, DOC, PPT, PPS, TXT, DOCM, XLSM, PPTM, PPSX, PPSM, DOCX, XLX, PPTX
Graphics: JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP
Audio: MP3, MP4, AAC
Video: MP4
Not Supported: LIT, AMZ (Amazon), LRZ/LRX (Sony)Powerful BatteryRead for up to 8 hours***** without recharging with wireless off.
Installed Rechargeable Battery.
Charge from a wall outlet using the in-box Power Adapter and USB Cable.
Charging time: approximately 3 hours from wall outlet.
Built-in Wi-Fi® WirelessGet books, magazines & newspapers in seconds.

Surf the Web and check email.
Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n).
Free Wi-Fi in all Barnes & Noble stores.
Personalized WallpaperCustomize your NOOK Color quickly and easily.
Load your own photos to create personal wallpaper.
Keep a gallery of cherished pictures on your NOOK Color.
Pre-Loaded NOOK Apps™Email - organize all your web mail in one inbox
Pandora® internet radio, Chess, Crossword, Sudoku, Media Gallery
NOOK Friends™
ConnectorsUniversal 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack.
Charging port
* Actual size and weight vary by configuration and manufacturing process.

** In Plane Switching

*** 1GB = 1 billion bytes; Actual formatted capacity may be less. Approximately 5GB available to store content, of which up to 4GB may be reserved for content purchased from the Barnes & Noble NOOK Store.

**** Contains Reader® Mobile technology by Adobe Systems Incorporated

***** Battery life depends on device settings, usage, and many other factors. Battery tests are conducted using specific units; actual results may vary. In the Box NOOK microUSB Cable
AC Adapter
Rechargeable Battery
$139
Ultra-Light and Super ThinNOOK is lighter than a paperback.

Weight:
Height:
Width:
Depth:
Resolution:
7.48 ounces*
6.5 inches
5.0 inches
0.47 inches
800x600
35% lighter, 6% thinner and over an inch shorter than NOOK 1st Edition™--overall 21% more compact
Longest Battery LifeExtra-long battery life

Battery can last up to 2 months with Wi-Fi® off**
Installed rechargeable battery
Charge via USB to a computer or power adapter
Charging time: 3 hours from wall outlet
Just-Like-Paper ReadingCrisp, clear text and images

Most advanced E Ink® Pearl Display

16-level gray scale for greater detail

High contrast screen-50% greater contrast than NOOK 1st Edition™
Read in bright sun with no glare
80% less flashing and Fast Page™ for immersive reading (see demo)
Quick wireless downloadsDownload books in seconds

Wireless connectivity via Wi-Fi® (802.11b/g/n)
Free Wi-Fi® in all Barnes & Noble stores
Free Wi-Fi® at over 20,000 AT&T® hotspots nationwide
Memory2GB***—Holds up to 1,000 books
Slip in a micro SD card to add your personal files
Expandable microSD† card up to 32GB
ConnectorsMicroUSB connector charges your

battery and connects to your

computerMicro USB connector
Supported file typesNOOK supports these popular formats:

ePub
PDF
Graphic: JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP
Compare The All-New NOOK to KindleSee why the All-New NOOK is exceptional* Actual size and weight vary by configuration and manufacturing process.



**Battery life depends on device settings, individual usage, and

many other factors.

Battery tests are conducted using specific units; actual results may vary.



***Actual formatted capacity may be less. Approximately 1GB available

to store content, of which up to 750MB may be reserved for content

purchased from the Barnes & Noble NOOK Store.



† microSD™ or microSDHC™ memory cards sold separately; microSD

and microSDHC are trademarks of SD-3C



So which one do you prefer? Leave your choice in the comments 

and let's all share our stories.

World of Symbols: Caduceus

The World of Symbols: CaduceusMichelle Snyder, the SymbologistWhite Knight Studiowww.whiteknightstudio.com

The caduceus evolved as a symbol long before ancient Egypt, where the winged rod with two serpents entwined was imaged with the Egyptian god Hermes. Later in Roman mythology it is seen with Mercury, the messenger of the gods. Today the planetary symbol of Mercury is a representation of the caduceus. Mercury presides over commerce, and his rod, the caduceus, has become a symbol of commercial success.

The caduceus is associated with order. The word caduceus is from the Greek  for herald's staff, based on the word eruko, meaning restrain, control.  A legend from 1688  tells this story: In Acadia Apollo found two serpents biting each other. He thrust the rod between the quarreling snakes; they became immediately reconciled and wrapped around the staff. Subsequently the staff came to be seen as a rod of peace, and is carried by messengers as a symbol of peace and protection. The United States House of Representatives has a staff with a caduceus on top which is used to restore order when chaos enters House proceedings.

The caduceus has its beginning in pre-history, when Ashera poles were used for astronomical observations, to measure movement of the stars, and to establish a north/south line; an early surveyor's tool. The ashera pole's line of site between earth and sky became the central rod of the caduceus - the axis mundi, representing the axis of the earth which runs between the North and South Poles, a symbol of the path between Earth and Heaven.

The globe atop the rod depicts a reflective ball which allowed the Ashera pole to be seen from a great distance in any direction. The wings adorning the pole and globe have their roots in a symbol for north, which at that time was the star Deneb in the constellation Cygnus, the Swan. Cygnus is the basis for many bird mythologies, and wings are a symbol for moving time. From these came the royal orb and scepter, which embody the concepts of knowledge, health, and leadership - qualities attributed to those who could measure and record the movements of the heavens.

The snakes around the rod also represent ancient mariners, the Vanir, who were at one time referred to as the "snake-headed people". Later associations to the snakes around the caduceus developed around 4000 BC, when along with owls and cats, non-poisonous snakes protected the stores of grain from rodent infestation, making friends of the old poisonous enemies; the cats of the Celtic goddess Freya have their roots in these protectors of the grain. The entwined serpents also came to symbolize opposites in perfect union, linking the caduceus symbol to alchemy, perhaps leading to its association with medicine.

Although the winged rod with serpents entwined commonly appears as a medical symbol, a more accurate image for this purpose would be the Asclepius rod, a rod with a single snake wrapped around it, a symbol derived from the method Dr. Asclepius (1200 BC) found as a cure for a condition where parasitic worms were present under the skin. He discovered that the worms would attach to a stick through a slit in the skin, and he could wind them around it, removing them. The rod of Asclepius symbol is similar to the description of the serpent Moses held up before the Israelites (Numbers 21:6-9), and is commonly used by veterinarians, medical and nurses associations, Medical Corps, and health organizations. The classic caduceus is also found on everything from ambulances and nurses' pins to tubes of toothpaste, but is more accurately a symbol of commerce and the "order of business".

Article and artwork  © 2011 by Michelle Snyder, author of Symbology: Decoding Classic Images, available at Amazon. Her website is www.whiteknightstudio.com.

Guest Post: New Technology & Self-Publishing

The Relationship Between New Technology and Self-PublishingBy Patricia Garzaonline university rankings

The world of text publishing and authorship has seen many evolutions throughout its existence. With constantly evolving technologies such as computers, printers, digital publications, and e-readers, publishing today exists in many different media and genres. These technological advances have impacted publishing in many ways. While Kindles and Nooks have been detrimental in many major ways for publishers and major publishing companies, these devices have opened up exciting new avenues for the individual author who is interested in self publication. Independent publishing has seen a significant rise in the last several years because of new devices, technologies, and trends in user interests.

Independent and Self-PublishingThere are several pros and cons involved in having books or stories published with independent publishing companies or attempting self publication.

Pros:

1. More Control Over Your Own Book: With a smaller publishing company, authors have more control over their books. You are able to go through the entire writing, editing, and publishing process as an active participant. This is one of the most obvious and major pros that self publishing has. Oftentimes, major publishing companies and their editors will take over all control once you give them your text.

2. Build Stronger Relationships: When an author seeks publication at an independent publishing company they are able to develop closer relationships with their editors and with the publisher themselves. With the ability to promote a positive relationship between each party of the publishing process, it becomes easier for each individual involved to get what they want out of the endeavor. Writers can become more involved in every aspect of their books existence. This personal relationship is rarely developed when publishing with mainstream and major publishing companies. If an author chooses the self publishing route, an even greater relationship can be built between author and editor because those are typically the only entities involved in the process.

3. Lower Costs: Smaller publishing companies and self publishing typically come at a lower cost all around. The author invests their own money into their own works most typically. This can be somewhat risky in the long run, but the overall cost of publishing is less than with a major corporation.

Cons:

1. Smaller Audience Reach: Most of the biggest cons involved in self publication and independent publication involve marketing and exposure. The benefit that major publishing companies have is that they are well known and easily attainable. Books that go through major publishing companies are sold in major book stores. Generally speaking, books published by a larger more mainstream publishing company are able to reach a wider audience range. Of course, with a larger audience, comes larger revenue.

2. Fewer Marketing Opportunities: Another common con involved in self publishing and independent publishing is having a smaller marketing campaign. Major publishing companies are able to market through highly public and widespread media because they have the money to do so. This is a challenge for small and self publishers. There are simply few opportunities for marketing and advertisement when you have a lesser known name and a smaller marketing budget.

3. Immediate Cost Risk: This point can often go overlooked when discussing the positives and negatives in the different publishing worlds. For small and self publishers, the individual has to invest money into their book or project up front with no guarantee of a payout. This means that, self publishing authors spend all the money necessary to publish and distribute their material without having the reassurance that someone will pay to read it. So, small publishers and authors run the risk of losing the money they invest in their writing if their work turns out to be a flop.

The New SolutionThankfully, new technologies and devices have made it easier for individuals to overcome many of the cons involved with independent publishing and self publishing. Consumers today are interested in instant gratification and digital access to almost everything. In this way, independent publishing and self publishing have really flourished. E-readers such as the Kindle, iPad, and Nook are quickly becoming the preferred platform for novel and book reading. Small publishers and self publishers can now bypass the need for expensive printing and pressing equipment that usually requires outside assistance and simply publish their works digitally. Furthermore, social media and the internet craze have made it easier for smaller publishers and authors to market their work to the masses. E-readers and digital publishing has taken much of the power away from the major corporate publishing companies and put it back into the hands of the individual. Self publishers can bypass much of the need for corporate assistance with the new trend in digital works, cutting publishing costs, creating mass marketing opportunities, and boosting sales.



Author Bio:

This guest post is contributed by Patricia Garza, who writes about gadget, technology, design, social media, e-learning related articles at online university rankings.

FREE ebooks: JULY GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA

I have another fantastic line-up of fellow authors who have graciously agreed to give away copies of their books.  All give aways will be digital ebooks.  To enter for a chance to win, please leave your contact information in the comments section by Thursday, July 21 at 6pm EST so if you are chosen, the authors can get in touch with you. 





The winners will be selected using Random.org and announced on Friday, July 22 . 





Now, let's get right to the books:





K.C. May 

Venom of Vipers

Ryder wants to be more than a lab rat; he wants to be free.

Katie wants him to save the world.

Purists want him dead.



A supervirus threatens to wipe out the human population.



The only hope for the future is a cure hidden inside Ryder Stone. Created in a lab and brutalized, betrayed and hated by humans, Ryder yearns for freedom. On the outside, a group of human genetic purists want him dead.



When Katie Marsh, a brilliant young geneticist, discovers his secret, she must fight to protect Ryder, gain his trust...and convince him to save humanity before the purists destroy them both.





Dawn McCullough-White - offering 2 books

Cameo the Assassin, Book 1



The Kingdom of Sieunes is rife with taverns, dirty streets, and clay pipe smoking citizens all toiling to feed their families and keep themselves in something little better than rags. With a foiled revolution just ten years prior still burning in the hearts of many, the royals enlist the aid of assassins to keep things in order.



The townsfolk entertain themselves by dreaming of better times to come and regaling in stories of the undead said to walk the graveyards at night... and of Cameo the killer with corpse-like eyes... Scarred and jaded Cameo is one of the most effective assassins in the employ of the Association, moving from one mission to the next as long as the alcohol keeps flowing.



Her acceptance of the murder-for-hire lifestyle is thrown into doubt when she meets a local highwayman with a penchant for fine clothes and women, and then she begins to think about breaking with the company but no one ever breaks with the Association under good terms.

Cameo and the Highwayman, Book 2The land of Shandow is a place of arctic cold, the scene of the bloody revolution and the location of the item Cameo's master wants so badly. In the dark of winter a vampire lies in wait... Opal is unable to run from his past... and Cameo must make a choice that will cost her the last shred of humanity she has left. 













Monique MartinOut of Time, A Paranormal RomanceProfessor Simon Cross has spent his life searching for evidence of vampires and avoiding emotional entanglements. When a mysterious accident transports Simon and his new assistant, Elizabeth West, back in time, Simon finally finds both the proof that he's been looking for, and the romance that he hasn't.



In 1920s Manhattan, they find that are more than mobsters vying for power in the city's speakeasies. Will Simon and Elizabeth's developing relationship survive the vampires' teeth? Will they survive to make it back? Or will they be forever out of time?

Michael CraneLessons and other Morbid Drabblesa collection of 25 100-word shorts that range from darkly comic to downright terrifying and wrong. Some shorts feature ghouls and monsters while others are simply about people behaving very, very badly. Which is scarier? Find out in this sick and twisted collection.



They may only be a few words long, but that doesn't lessen the bloodshed any...











Robert J. DuperreSilas: A Supernatural ThrillerKen Lowery is a man at odds with his life. He hates his job, is disappointed in his marriage, and feels resigned to leading a mundane existence.



That all changes when his wife brings home a rambunctious Black Labrador puppy named Silas, who forges a remarkable connection with Ken and begins to heal his inner turmoil. When some neighborhood children start to go missing, he takes it upon himself to protect those around him and is thrust into a surreal world where monsters roam.  Not everything is what it seems to be, he soon discovers, including his new best friend.

Sandra EdwardsVegas, BabyBook two of the Soul Searchers series picks up where Broken Wings left off. Rio Laraquette's back in Vegas and settling into her normal routine--except that Eddie LaCall has invaded her space. The two share a mutual attraction and an undeniable connection.



When Eddie's scarred past comes back to haunt him his attachment to Rio strengthens even though neither completely trusts the other. Just when it looks like a poker tournament is bringing them together, their budding relationship gets backburnered when a stalker goes from creepy to dangerous, making several attempts on the reluctant lovers' lives.



Will these two souls--who've been searching for each other across eternity--finally get to share a lifetime together, or will they once again end up as star-crossed lovers?

J.L. BryanHelixIn the 28th century, humans inhabit more than a thousand self-contained orbital colonies in the near reaches of the solar system. Billions of colonists follow the religious teachings of the Aescelan, priests who promote managed evolution and control their followers' reproduction through genetic engineering.



Nicholas Vermeer is the perfect citizen of prosperous New Amsterdam colony: junior police officer, devoted Temple member, soon to be a father. But when he and his wife visit the priests to design their first child, his wife dies in a shocking attack on the Temple, carried out by half-human monsters. His unauthorized investigation draws him into the shadows of a brewing war among the Aescelan priesthood, the United Nations government of Earth, and the cyber-industrial corporate giant Triod Industries, all of them vying for dominance of the unruly colonies.



The Aescelan priests have secretly and illegally spawned experimental new forms of humanity, and the creations are rebelling against their masters. Nicholas finds among these monstrous "chimeras" the truth about his wife's death, the priesthood's centuries-long manipulation of the human genome, and their dark designs for the future of the human species.



Debra L Martin & David W Small

The Crystal Facade (A Fantasy Adventure)

Royal Otharian twins Darius and Dyla Telkur have a big problem: they know too much about a secret sect of their countrymen living on the forbidden planet Earth. On a previous trip to Earth, they traced the sect's lineage back to the time of Merlin, but a run-in with a local crime boss forced them back to Otharia before they could unravel the mystery.



Now Dyla is dreaming again. Her dreams of the London crime boss portend an imminent threat to her family and she has no choice but to secretly return to Earth to find out what they mean. What the twins don't realize is they're walking into a conspiracy involving a centuries old interplanetary smuggling operation. Will they be able to capitalize on their superior PSI powers to get the answers they need before they fall victim to a telekinetic assassin that has hunted them across the galaxy?

Isn't that a great lineup? Be sure to leave your contact info in the comments for a chance to win one of these books.

THE RIGHT PATH receives new 5-star review

The reviews are starting to come in on our FREE novelette, THE RIGHT PATH.







Katy, from Goodreads has given the story 5 stars!!



You can read her full review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/174348347



Here's a snippet:



The story is well-written and the descriptions are amazing. Fans of dark fantasy, and those reading the Dark Future series, will want to be sure to check this story out.



The title is FREE at Amazon, B&N and Smashwords.



If you'd like to read the first story in the Dark Future series, check out PATH TO DESTRUCTION, only $.99.  Free and buy icons are below:





 

























I would also like to give a preview of the next story in the series. Here's the new cover for Zia's Path, designed by my graphic artist extraordinaire, T.M. Roy.  Zia's Path will be published in the next few weeks.  Stay tuned!

Review of CONVERGENCE: Journey to Nyorfias by T.M. Roy

5 of 5 stars

This book has sat in my queue for months waiting for its turn for review. Finally, this week, I picked it up. Boy, oh boy, am I glad I did. Ladies and gents if this book is in your TBR pile, read it now, and if it isn't, add it.  You won't be disappointed. This is one of the best scifi stories I've read in ages.

Sergeant Rett of the Nyorfias military is a kick-ass commander of an elite commando unit, F-troop. Under her expert direction, the psi-able unit consistently pulls off one impossible mission after another against the Yixolyrn Coalition, an alien race bent on conquering Nyorfias for its resources. Because of her strength, her determination, her dedication to the men and women of her unit, and her unfailing belief in their ability to defeat the enemy, Rett finds herself the obsession of Commander Tyndal Ihelon. The Yixolyrn commander is ruthless and determined to get his hands on her believing that if he publicly kills her, the back of the resistance will be broken. When a member of Rett's group is captured, Commander Ihelon is willing to negotiate the soldier's release, but only if Rett will trade places. Rett agrees and the action notches up higher. 

As if keeping her unit and herself alive in the battle for their planet's survival isn't enough, Rett finds herself saddled with an ego-merge, a strange alien being from the planet Earth that has somehow invaded her mind.  The battle of wits begins. What could the deities be thinking? Is Rett in the middle of a deities' battle between Light and Dark or is this someone's idea of a joke?

It's fantastic to read a story with a strong female lead. Make no mistake about it—Sgt. Rett is a badass. The author weaves a story that captures the reader from the opening pages and refuses to let you go. Between Rett's expertise running the military campaigns, the descriptions of the futuristic weapons and conversation between Rett and her merge Pam, I found myself turning the pages faster and faster to find out what T.M. was going to throw at them next.  The other characters in the story are nicely fleshed out and came alive within the story. Battles are harsh and people die. When I read some of those passages, I found a little piece of me dying with them. That is the power of words this author has to make a scene vibrantly come alive for the reader.

As if all of the above wasn't enough to make CONVERGENCE a most enjoyable story, the author throws one more piece into the mix, that is, in the form of Jaq Pym. Jaq, a Zetinorian, has been enslaved by the Yixolyrn Coalition and forced to do unspeakable things. When he has an opportunity to escape, he finds himself captured by none other than Sgt. Rett. To say anything more about these two would be a major spoiler so I leave it at that. Does Rett outright kill the defector? Does her unit go out of their way to protect him? What kind of life can a former Yixolyrn torture master expect now that he's on the other side?

There are so many good things to say about this book, but I'll stop here.  My highest praise: go buy it and find out for yourself! Highly Recommended.

  

Interview with Keith Donohue

I reviewed Centuries of June earlier in the week and I'm so pleased that best-selling author, Keith Donohue, has agreed to time out of his busy schedule and talk about the book. You can read my review here.





Where did you get the idea for the book? Ideas usually twirl around a bit before slamming into each other to give shape to a story.   In the case of Centuries of June, I had been thinking of a couple of things—the myths and archtypal stories that run through American history, the way houses become a part of our lives, the Marx Brothers, Samuel Beckett, a painting of eight women in a bed by Gustav Klimt.  Just the ordinary, random thoughts that flit across the imagination.   Eventually, these disparate notions organized themselves around a theme—does history repeat itself, and if so, do we ever learn?  And a structure: there are nine stories in all, the eight women from the bed and the ninth story that the narrator is telling the old man. 

I got the idea of setting it mainly in the bathroom from that Marx Brothers' movie A Night at the Opera.  Groucho is given a small room on an ocean liner that barely has room for his trunk (in which Chico and Harpo are hiding) when the maid comes in to change the bed, the porter comes in to mop the floor, room service delivers a meal, and on and on until the room is bursting with people.  Groucho says, "Is it my imagination or is it getting crowded in here?"  That made me think of a man whose imagination is a little too crowded, and the worse possible space in a house for a mob of people to stick around and swap stories.

How much research did you do for each story? My rule for research is only enough to get the story told.  I read lots of books over the years about the subjects of the nine stories, and some of them are based on existing tales.   I adapted the "Woman Who Married a Bear" from a real folktale.  The Salem Witch Trials actually have lots of letters and diaries to use as models.  I used slave narratives and accounts of 18th century New Orleans for the "Woman Who Danced the Vaudoux" and so on.  Mainly, in research, I'm looking for the overarching tone, the facts, and most importantly, detail.  I'm a novelist not a historian, so I'm primarily interested in the reality of the story at hand.

Why did you pick the stories you did? Well, the book is called Centuries of June because, among other reasons, the stories take place over five centuries.  That's a lot of Junes.

There are eight women in the bed because each of them tells a story concerning one of the deadly sins (but aren't there seven?  Yep, but I added "despair" as a modern sin).  So I had to space them out in order to have the penultimate story take place sometime before the present day.  There is a method to the madness.

As to the particular stories, they more or less suggested themselves as I went along, drawn from American myth and folktale and the like.  My real problem was deciding what to leave out.  Since they are all concerned with some situation between a man and a woman that also helped me decide.  But some of the process is still mysterious to me.

Did you know the ending when you started or did the book evolve?  There are a couple of endings to Centuries of June.  There's a moment when all eight women, the narrator, an old man, a baby, and a cat are all crammed into the bathroom, and there's a kind of ending in that moment.  I knew about that ending.  And there's the ending when the narrator realizes he is alone, and I knew that ending was coming, too.  What evolved was Sita's story.  That came in after I thought I was done.

My M.O. is to have a general structure in mind but allow myself to be surprised along the way.  My first two novels had children as main characters, and I was resolved not to have any children in this book (other than the few that appear in the stories the women tell).  However, there's a moment during Alice's tale, the one about the Salem Witch Trial, where she absent-mindedly makes a doll out of a washcloth.  The narrator then leaves the room and the doll has turned into a real baby.  That's the kind of surprise I mean.  Once it happens, you deal with it, have fun with it, and integrate it into the story.

Your ending reminded me of the "Sixth Sense" - a great twist. Thanks, a couple of people have said something like that, and not to be coy, but I wasn't aware of how it might come across as a twist.  There are clues along the way, I hope, for people to guess what is afoot.  And just how unusual the narrator is.  The twist, for me, is how he reacts to the situation he finds himself in, and how ready he is to get back on that bicycle.  "We all fall down," he says at the beginning.  And we all get up again.

About the author:Keith Donohue is an American novelist, the author of the national bestseller The Stolen Child, Centuries of June, and Angels of Destruction. He also has written reviews for the Washington Post. Donohue has a Ph.D. in English with a specialization in modern Irish literature and wrote the introduction to the Complete Novels of Flann O'Brien. He lives in Maryland near Washington, DC.

   

Interview with Keith Donahue

I reviewed Centuries of June earlier in the week and I'm so pleased that best-selling author, Keith Donahue, has agreed to time out of his busy schedule and talk about the book. You can read my review here.





Where did you get the idea for the book? Ideas usually twirl around a bit before slamming into each other to give shape to a story.   In the case of Centuries of June, I had been thinking of a couple of things—the myths and archtypal stories that run through American history, the way houses become a part of our lives, the Marx Brothers, Samuel Beckett, a painting of eight women in a bed by Gustav Klimt.  Just the ordinary, random thoughts that flit across the imagination.   Eventually, these disparate notions organized themselves around a theme—does history repeat itself, and if so, do we ever learn?  And a structure: there are nine stories in all, the eight women from the bed and the ninth story that the narrator is telling the old man. 

I got the idea of setting it mainly in the bathroom from that Marx Brothers' movie A Night at the Opera.  Groucho is given a small room on an ocean liner that barely has room for his trunk (in which Chico and Harpo are hiding) when the maid comes in to change the bed, the porter comes in to mop the floor, room service delivers a meal, and on and on until the room is bursting with people.  Groucho says, "Is it my imagination or is it getting crowded in here?"  That made me think of a man whose imagination is a little too crowded, and the worse possible space in a house for a mob of people to stick around and swap stories.

How much research did you do for each story? My rule for research is only enough to get the story told.  I read lots of books over the years about the subjects of the nine stories, and some of them are based on existing tales.   I adapted the "Woman Who Married a Bear" from a real folktale.  The Salem Witch Trials actually have lots of letters and diaries to use as models.  I used slave narratives and accounts of 18th century New Orleans for the "Woman Who Danced the Vaudoux" and so on.  Mainly, in research, I'm looking for the overarching tone, the facts, and most importantly, detail.  I'm a novelist not a historian, so I'm primarily interested in the reality of the story at hand.

Why did you pick the stories you did? Well, the book is called Centuries of June because, among other reasons, the stories take place over five centuries.  That's a lot of Junes.

There are eight women in the bed because each of them tells a story concerning one of the deadly sins (but aren't there seven?  Yep, but I added "despair" as a modern sin).  So I had to space them out in order to have the penultimate story take place sometime before the present day.  There is a method to the madness.

As to the particular stories, they more or less suggested themselves as I went along, drawn from American myth and folktale and the like.  My real problem was deciding what to leave out.  Since they are all concerned with some situation between a man and a woman that also helped me decide.  But some of the process is still mysterious to me.

Did you know the ending when you started or did the book evolve?  There are a couple of endings to Centuries of June.  There's a moment when all eight women, the narrator, an old man, a baby, and a cat are all crammed into the bathroom, and there's a kind of ending in that moment.  I knew about that ending.  And there's the ending when the narrator realizes he is alone, and I knew that ending was coming, too.  What evolved was Sita's story.  That came in after I thought I was done.

My M.O. is to have a general structure in mind but allow myself to be surprised along the way.  My first two novels had children as main characters, and I was resolved not to have any children in this book (other than the few that appear in the stories the women tell).  However, there's a moment during Alice's tale, the one about the Salem Witch Trial, where she absent-mindedly makes a doll out of a washcloth.  The narrator then leaves the room and the doll has turned into a real baby.  That's the kind of surprise I mean.  Once it happens, you deal with it, have fun with it, and integrate it into the story.

Your ending reminded me of the "Sixth Sense" - a great twist. Thanks, a couple of people have said something like that, and not to be coy, but I wasn't aware of how it might come across as a twist.  There are clues along the way, I hope, for people to guess what is afoot.  And just how unusual the narrator is.  The twist, for me, is how he reacts to the situation he finds himself in, and how ready he is to get back on that bicycle.  "We all fall down," he says at the beginning.  And we all get up again.

About the author:Keith Donohue is an American novelist, the author of the national bestseller The Stolen Child, Centuries of June, and Angels of Destruction. He also has written reviews for the Washington Post. Donohue has a Ph.D. in English with a specialization in modern Irish literature and wrote the introduction to the Complete Novels of Flann O'Brien. He lives in Maryland near Washington, DC.