Jennifer S. Alderson's Blog, page 11

Why is Swayambhunath stupa on the cover of Down and Out in Kathmandu: Adventures in Backpacking?

The Swayambhunath stupa is one of the most recognizable symbols of Nepal, which is why I chose to feature a silhouette of it on the cover of my debut novel, Down and Out in Kathmandu: Adventures in Backpacking. It is part of a large temple complex perched on a sliver of land rising high above the Kathmandu Valley floor, collectively known as the ‘Monkey Temple’ thanks to the colony of well-fed primates which reside there.

The central stupa is topped by a gold-colored block onto which Buddha’s face has been painted on all four sides. Some say his watchful eyes are intentionally menacing so as to ward off evil. The nose is the Nepali number ‘1’ as well as the symbol for unity. The stupa’s broad white base represents the four elements: earth, wind, fire and air. Prayer flags covered in mantras flutter from lines attached to the stupa’s spire, allowing the wind to spread their holy messages. The thirteen concentric rings on the spire symbolize the thirteen steps which must be taken to achieve Nirvana, represented by the umbrella perched on top.

I took this picture in the fall of 1999, during one of many visits to this awe-inspiring UNESCO site while volunteering in the Kathmandu Valley as an English teacher. Miraculously this enormous stupa survived the devastating earthquake of April 2015, though most of the surrounding temples and shrines did not. I feel privileged to have seen this complex in its full glory, as described in my debut novel, Down and Out in Kathmandu: Adventures in Backpacking.




Here’s a very short excerpt of Zelda Richardson’s first visit to the mind-bogglingly beautiful shrines, stupas, temples and monasteries known collectively as Swayambhunath, accompanied by her guide Khamel:

“She paid her entry fee and rushed through the last gate, anxious to get inside. An enormous eye stopped her in her tracks. It floated ominously above a half-dome the height of a five-story building, painted completely white.

“What is that?”

“It is a Tibetan stupa, a holy place for Buddhist peoples. The eye of Buddha reminds us he is always watching.”

“And that one there?” Zelda pointed towards a large stone cylinder, covered in ornate carvings.

“That is an Indian stupa, Hindu people pray there.”

“But they are right next to each other!”

“Yes?” Khamel looked at her quizzically before moving on.

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Vacation reading & New Book Cover Down and Out in Kathmandu

Hello again! I'm back from a wonderful family reunion / travel adventure to the Pacific Northwest and feeling very relaxed. I'm also quite happy to see the new cover for Down and Out in Kathmandu was finished during my break and is now spreading itself slowly over the internet! Check it out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferSAld...

I'm having it updated on Goodreads though it may take a few days. It's already been updated on most Amazon sites as well...

I hope everyone had a fabulous two weeks of fun and reading pleasure! It looks like many of you were very busy considering the number of reviews published in two short weeks (229!!); I'm slowly working my way through them now, but have already added Rupert and The Collector to add to my Currently Reading List. I did manage to read half of the so-far quite excellent Bridge of Sighs and Dreams while on vacation and am eager to find time to finish it! Look out for my review later this week...

Have a great week! Jennifer

Happy vacation reading everyone!

Hello everyone! I’m about to head off on a travel adventure / family reunion, and just wanted to THANK all of the new readers who’ve found my second novel, The Lover's Portrait: An Art Mystery. Even in its third week of release, it’s still topping the Art Mystery lists on Amazon UK, USA, Germany, and the Netherlands (bedankt!), as well as Kobo and Barnes & Noble! I'm also thrilled to see two fantastic reviews on Goodreads, one on Amazon.com and one on iBooks already -- amazing! I’m grateful to all of you for taking a chance on a new author, and letting everyone know what you think of it!!

I’m also happy to announce that my book is being supported by Pink Point Amsterdam, the world’s first gay & lesbian (LGBTI) tourist kiosk, located in the heart of Amsterdam next to the Westerkerk. To find out more information, see the pinned link on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/JenniferSAlde... .

Additionally, two lovely stores in Amsterdam are already stocking my second novel, Boekhandel Vrolijk (Gay and Lesbian book store) and Caffe il Momento (Specialty coffee and gifts). More about them (and direct links) on my website: http://www.jennifersalderson.com/.

It’s even available for perusal at the Stedelijk Museum Library! Check it out next time you’re in Amsterdam and want to see some amazing contemporary and modern art: http://stedelijk.nl/en/visit-us/library/

To enhance you’re reading pleasure, I’ve also created an interactive map of Amsterdam, highlighting the more important locations in the novel. Check it out on Goggle maps: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?...

And to make my wonderful week even better, my first novel, Down and Out in Kathmandu: adventures in backpacking, just got another amazing 5 star review on TripFiction. Read the full review, and TripFiction’s fantastic travel (non-)fiction recommendations, here: http://www.tripfiction.com/review/nep...

Have a wonderful few weeks and enjoy the summer (or winter)! Happy reading, Jennifer

Murder Mayhem & More

How cool to see that The Lover's Portrait: An Art Mystery is included in Murder Mayhem & More's latest round of book recommendations!

Check out there great selections in their recommended new release round-up: 'Crime Time: new titles and recommended reads'

"Start stacking the shelves for your summer holiday – this week’s list of cracking crime fiction includes Nordic noir, international espionage, murder mysteries, Scandi crime, literary fiction and historical investigations: thrillers, killers and all-action assassins, from world-class writers and newly discovered indie authors."

Their great list includes books by Karin Fossum, Parker Bilal, Mark Leggatt, Frank Demain, LD Beyer, Lisa Gordon, Jussi Adler-Olsen, Robert LaLonde, Mason Cross and myself!

If you're looking for a great mystery or thriller, check out Murder Mayhem & More's website for great book reviews!

Most amazing book launch ever!

Many thanks to all of the wonderful readers who’ve purchased my second book, The Lover's Portrait: An Art Mystery, since its release last Friday!

Thanks to you, The Lover’s Portrait has spent the weekend as:
- The #1 Art Mystery Kindle ebook on Amazon.com
- Started off as the #25 paperback Art Mystery on Amazon.com, but quickly moved up to the #1 slot by Saturday evening
- Rose rapidly from the number 200+ position on Kobo, ending up as the #5 bestselling art mystery book by Sunday evening
- Couldn’t find it at all on iBooks Friday or Saturday, just saw this morning (Monday) that it’s now the #6 Art Mystery book on Apple
- And over at Barnes & Noble, The Lover’s Portrait fluctuated between the #1 and #2 NOOK book, and the #1 to #9 paperback in the Art Mystery category

I've also been blessed with three wonderful reviews, two here on Goodreads and one on Amazon.com, that give you a great idea of what you can expect, if you are interested in reading it!

For a new, indie author, this is incredible news and *very humbling*!

I want to thank each and every one of you who’s bought my book, added it to your ‘to-read’ shelves here on Goodreads, or shared the news of its release with your friends – YOU have made the launch of The Lover’s Portrait a huge success!

To those who did order it: please do let me know what you think, if you get the chance. I’ve only been a published author for seven months now and still have much to learn!

Have a wonderful week, Jennifer S. Alderson

p.s. I added my first attempt at a Book Trailer for The Lover's Portrait to my profile {Jennifer S. Alderson}, check it out if you have time and let me know what you think!

#3 Art Mystery on Amazon this morning

Simply blown away to see The Lover's Portrait is now listed as the #3 Art Mystery on Amazon, out of 17,925 books!!!! Thanks again to all those who've pre-ordered it already!

Today is your last chance to win 1 of two PROOF paperback copies here on Goodreads...don't miss it!

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

Paperback and eBook released worldwide on June, 24th... thanks for all of your support!

Amazon search for Art Mystery books

Screen capture of Amazon search on Facebook taken on June 19

Thanks for pre-ordering The Lover's Portrait

THANKS to all the lovely people who've pre-ordered The Lover's Portrait: An Art Mystery so far! Your support has pushed my book up to no. 3 (out of 182) on Amazon's International Mystery & Crime list! Only a week to go and it will be in your library...I hope you love it!

Photo on Facebook

Proof copies of The Lover's Portrait are in the house!

Today my proof copies of The Lover's Portrait: An Art Mystery arrived and they look great! There's still time to enter the Goodreads giveaway for 1 of these beauties! :). Check The Lover's Portrait: An Art Mystery page for more details...

*This blog doesn't like my photo link so I've updated my profile photo so you can see it! :)

Interesting & obscure WWII references

My second book, The Lover's Portrait: An Art Mystery is an amateur sleuth mystery describing the plight of homosexuals and Jewish artists in Europe during World War II, as well as the complexities inherent to the restitution of artwork stolen by the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s. Before writing it, I read a number of very interesting and somewhat obscure reference books and articles to help me better understand this complex period in European history. I've seen several Goodreads threads looking for information about different aspects of WWII and thought this list may help others.

I've copied an excerpt from the Acknowledgements into this blog post. By the way, I'm also running a Goodreads giveaway for two signed proof copies of The Lover's Portrait right now (ends June 20th). https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

**note: this is from the almost finalized manuscript, there could still be spelling errors present!

Acknowledgements (The Lover's Portrait):
All of the books, records and historical documents I used as reference material while writing The Lover’s Portrait can be found at one of these fine intuitions: the library of the Dutch Resistance Museum; the archives of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam; the Rijksmuseum’s Research Library and Print Room; the archives of NIOD: Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies; the Amsterdam City Archives; the National Library of the Netherlands; the Jewish Historical Museum’s library; the Hollandse Stadschowburg: National Holocaust Memorial; the (now disbanded) library of KIT Tropenmuseum; and the University of Amsterdam’s libraries and Special Collections. I am deeply grateful to the knowledgeable staff of all of these museums, archives and libraries for so graciously helping a young American learn more about this incredibly complex period in European history.

I am particularly indebted to archivist Peter Kroesen of the Amsterdam City Archives for taking time early on in this project to share many interesting facts and obscure stories about Amsterdam in the 1930s and 1940s, such as the existence of the gay-friendly bar Café ’t Mandje, real-life escape routes to Switzerland organized by various resistance groups, and the confiscation of occupied homes located around Museumplein.

Three books were crucial in providing insight into the Dutch art market and standard practices of European art dealers during the 1930s and 1940s: De Nederlandse kunstmarkt 1940-1945 by Jeroen Euwe, Roofkunst - De zaak Goudstikker by Pieter den Hollander and Kunsthandel in Nederland 1940-1945 by Adriaan Venema. Two research papers, written in 1985 by then-bachelor student Rob Lambers, were immensely useful resources in understanding the kinds of exhibitions Dutch museums and galleries presented during the war, as well as how artists’ collectives functioned: Het Stedelijk Museum te Amsterdam tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog and Musea en Kunstenaarsverenigingen tijdens de jaren 1940-1945 in Nederland.

The catalogue for the exhibition Westphaalsch-Nederrijnsche Kunst (August 2, 1941 - September 14, 1941) – initiated by Reich Commissioner Arthur Seyss-Inquart, organized by the Nederlandse-Duitse Kultuurgemeenschap and held in the Rijksmuseum – explains why Hitler’s Nazi Regime considered Dutch citizens to be their cultural and linguistic ‘brothers’.

The fictitious Stolen Objects research project and associated restitution process described in this book are based on the actual Herkomst Gezocht (Origins Unknown) project led by the Ekkart Committee. Their reports, published between 1999 and 2004, describe in explicit detail their research into thousands of unclaimed objects still in the care of the Dutch government and their efforts to track down potential claimants through international advertising campaigns and the aforementioned exhibition, Looted, but from whom?. The Ekkart Committee’s reports and findings, as well as a description of the workings of the actual Restitution Committee, are available online in English via http://www.herkomstgezocht.nl/eng/. Their – dare I say – visually unappealing collection database can be found at http://www.herkomstgezocht.nl/eng/zoe..., though a new version of the site is scheduled to launch in June 2016, coincidentally the same month this book is published.

There are countless books written about what Adolf Hitler considered to be degenerate art, as well as his plan to create a new mega-museum in Linz by stealing artwork he admired from private citizens, art dealers and cultural institutions across Europe. I found these four books to be the most useful in understanding Hitler’s motivations and the tactics used to realize his ‘dream’: The Lost Museum: The Nazi Conspiracy to Steal the World's Greatest Works of Art by Hector Feliciano, The Linz File: Hitler's Plunder Of Europe's Art by Charles De Jaeger, Museums and the Holocaust: Law, Principles and Practice by Norman Palmer, and The Rape of Art: The story of Hitler’s Plunder of the Great Masterpieces of Europe by David Roxan and Ken Wanstall.

In contrast, there is very little written about the plight of homosexuals in the Netherlands during World War Two. Luckily I found two books containing a wealth of information which enabled me to better understand the challenges a prominent citizen and closeted homosexual, such as the fictional Arjan van Heemsvliet, would have faced. These two indispensable resources are Het vervolgen van homosexuelen voor, tijdens en na de tweede wereldoorlog (1911-heden), an essay bundle published by the Federation of Dutch Associations for Integration of Homosexuality (COC) in 1985; and the book Doodgeslagen, Doodgezwegen: Vervolging van Homosexuelen door het Nazi-Regime 1933-1945 by Klaus Müller. To give my English readers a better idea of their tone, the titles of these two tomes can be translated as The persecution of homosexuals before, during and after the Second World War (1911-present) and Beaten to Death, Silenced: Persecution of Homosexuals by the Nazi-Regime 1933-1945.

In 1995 the exhibition Rebel, Mijn Hart: Kunstenaars 1940-1945, held in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, commemorated Dutch artists who were killed during the Second World War. The exhibition catalogue, written by Sem Dresden and Max Nord, explains how Jewish artists were affected by the rise of National Socialism in the 1930s, the ever-stricter rules created by the Nazi’s Ministry of Culture, and wide-spread censorship. It also includes information about many of these forgotten artists’ work and personal lives. This excellent resource helped me to understand the ordeals my fictitious character, the up-and-coming Jewish artist Lex Wederstein, would have faced.

There is a wide range of literature available which recounts life in the Netherlands, and in particular Amsterdam, during the Second World War. I relied most heavily on three publications when describing the city in war-time: Kroniek van Amsterdam 1940-1945, published in 1948 by the Genootschap Amstelodamum and compiled by J.F.M. den Boer and Mej. S. Duparc; Ooggetuigen van de Tweede Wereldoorlog in meer dan honderd reportages, complied by Connie Kristel and Hinke Piersma; and De bezette stad: Plattegrond van Amsterdam 1940-1945 by Bianca Stigter. The image banks of the Amsterdam City Archives (http://beeldbank.amsterdam.nl/beeldbank) and NIOD (http://www.beeldbankwo2.nl) were also extremely useful resources when visualizing this era.

Three books by and about strong international women

Last Sunday, Mother's Day, I checked my email while sipping my first cup of coffee and just about choked when I saw this fantastic column by Beth Green on The Displaced Nation entitled, "BOOKLUST, WANDERLUST: In honor of Mother’s Day, three books by and about strong international women," and realized I was one of the three!

Beth reviews the A Mother's Secret by Renita D'Silva, My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem and my first novel Down and Out in Kathmandu: adventures in backpacking, calling it "a book I’d like to mention to any readers thirsting for some armchair adventure". What a great review and an incredible honor to be included on this list!

Check out Beth Green's May 6th column on The Displaced Nation:
https://thedisplacednation.com/2016/0...