Linnea Tanner's Blog, page 16
February 25, 2024
Lynn Downey Dude or Die #DudeRanch #HistoricalFiction #WomensFiction #WesternWomen #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @WriterLynnD @cathiedunn
I am pleased to host Lynn Downey the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between February 12th — March 4th, 2024. Lynn Downey is the author of the Historical Fiction, Dude or Die (H Double Bar Dude Ranch series), released by Pronghorn Press on October 15 2023 (328 pages)
Below are highlights of Dude or Die, Lynn Downey’s author bio, and her fascinating guest post about the American dude ranch where you find the touch of a cowboy and the thrill of the West.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2024/01/blog-tour-dude-or-die-by-lynn-downey.html
HIGHLIGHTS: DUDE OR DIE
Dude or Die
(H Double Bar Dude Ranch series)
by Lynn Downey
Blurb:
It’s 1954, and San Francisco writer Phoebe Kelley is enjoying the success of her first novel, Lady in the Desert. When Phoebe’s sister-in-law asks her to return to Tribulation, Arizona to help run the H Double Bar Dude Ranch, she doesn’t hesitate. There’s competition from a new dude ranch this year, so the H Double Bar puts on a rodeo featuring a trick rider with a mysterious past. When accidents begin to happen around the ranch, Phoebe jumps in to figure out why, and confronts an unexpected foe. And a man from her own past forces her to confront feelings long buried. Dude or Die is the second book in the award-winning H Double Bar Dude Ranch series.
Buy Link:
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/b5BVwp
AUTHOR BIO: LYNN DOWNEY
Lynn Downey is an award-winning novelist, short story writer, historian of the West, and native Californian.
She was the Historian for Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco for 25 years. Her adventures as ambassador for company history took her around the world, where she spoke to television audiences, magazine editors, and university students, appeared in numerous documentaries, and on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She wrote many books and articles about the history of the company and the jeans, and her biography, Levi Strauss: The Man Who Gave Blue Jeans to the World, won the Foreword Reviews silver INDIE award.
Lynn got interested in dude ranches during her time at Levi’s. Her debut historical novel, Dudes Rush In, is set on an Arizona dude ranch in the 1950s; Arizona because she’s a desert rat at heart, and the 1950s because the clothes were fabulous.
Dudes Rush In won a Will Rogers Medallion Award, and placed first in Arizona Historical Fiction at the New Mexico-Arizona book awards. The next book in this series, Dude or Die, was released in 2023. And just for fun, Lynn wrote a screenplay based on Dudes Rush In, which is currently making the rounds of reviewers and competitions.
She pens short stories, as well. “The Wind and the Widow” took Honorable Mention in the History Through Fiction story contest, and “Incident at the Circle H” was a Finalist for the Longhorn Prize from Saddlebag Dispatches. The story “Goldie Hawn at the Good Karma Café,” won second place in The LAURA Short Fiction contest from Women Writing the West, and is based on her experiences in a San Francisco religious cult in the 1970s. (That will be another book one of these days.)
Lynn’s latest nonfiction book is American Dude Ranch: A Touch of the Cowboy and the Thrill of the West, a cultural history of the dude ranch. It was reviewed in The Wall Street Journal, True West, Cowgirl, and The Denver Post, and was a Finalist for the Next Generation INDIE Award in Nonfiction. Kirkus Reviews said the book is “…deeply engaging and balances accessible writing style with solid research.”
When she’s not writing, Lynn works as a consulting archivist and historian for museums, libraries, cultural institutions, and businesses. She is the past president of Women Writing the West, a member of the Western Writers of America, and is on numerous boards devoted to archives and historic preservation.
Lynn lives in Sonoma, California, where she sometimes makes wine from the Pinot Noir grapes in her back yard vineyard.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.lynndowney.com [My site is being redesigned and will be live in another week or so.]
Tumblereads blog: https://tumblereadsblog.com/blog-sg/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WriterLynnD
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lynndowney/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynn-downey-b82460249/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynn.downey.historian/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/westernhistorygal.bsky.social
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/WesternHistoryGal/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Lynn-Downey/author/B001IXQ2N2
GUEST POST: LYNN DOWNEY
My two historical novels, Dudes Rush In, and the new sequel, Dude or Die, are both set on a fictional Arizona dude ranch in the 1950s. Even my most recent work of history is about this topic, American Dude Ranch: A Touch of the Cowboy and the Thrill of the West.
I love the concept of the dude ranch: a place where you can go and live the cowboy life for a few days. This vacation destination began in the 1880s, and today you can do everything from helping the ranchers herd cattle, to getting a spa treatment in a room with views of cactus-studded mountains. Working as the company historian for Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco sparked my interest in dude ranching, because the company made clothing specifically for men and women to wear on ranches: the jeans and jackets, of course, but also gabardine riding pants, wildly patterned western shirts, and shiny satin rodeo shirts with embroidery on the yoke.
Most people who visited dude ranches – especially early in their history – came from the eastern states or even countries across the oceans. So, everything from riding a horse with a western saddle, to wearing clothing they never wore at home, meant a dude ranch vacation made memories guests couldn’t get anywhere else.
Dude ranches are an endless source of stories, including tales of the famous and infamous, who have also enjoyed going to ranches over the years. These include presidents and presidential family members (which seems appropriate for February, the month Americans celebrate President’s Day).
Theodore Roosevelt is at the top of this list. In 1883 he was a rising political star, as well as an author and a well-known outdoorsman. In that year he decided to head West to shoot a buffalo, and a friend recommended going to Medora, North Dakota, a tiny town on the Little Missouri River, where he would find abundant game. He was so taken with the area that he bought a place called the Chimney Butte Ranch, known locally as the Maltese Cross for the design of its cattle brand. He went back home to New York and managed the ranch from afar.
Also in the area were the Eaton brothers of Pittsburgh, who the year before had started up the very first dude ranch on their own cattle spread. Although they would move to Wyoming in 1903, they took in a lot of guests at their place near Medora.
In 1884, Theodore Roosevelt’s world collapsed: his mother and wife died on the same day. To deal with his grief, Roosevelt went West, where he hoped to heal. He arrived at his ranch in June and met the Eaton brothers, and also spent time with other ranchers in the area.
The locals liked him, but they branded him a “dude” for the way he dressed. In the 1880s, a “dude” was a man who was a little too fancy to be considered really masculine. Within just a couple of decades, as the dude ranch industry grew, the word would come to mean someone who came West from somewhere else, to spend time on a dude ranch.
Anyway, Roosevelt apparently loved wearing buckskins, and Howard Eaton – the driving force behind the first dude ranch – knew that was not very practical. He once said of Roosevelt, “Buckskin shirts were all right as long as they didn’t get wet, but when they got wet they’d shrink up. I never did like that buckskin hunting shirt he had but he wouldn’t have anything else.”
The future president kept his ranch until about 1887, and then he sold off his cattle interests. His Maltese Cross cabin is now part of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.
But the Roosevelt dude ranch story doesn’t end there.
His oldest daughter, Alice Roosevelt Longworth, inherited his love of the West, especially the Rocky Mountain region. In August of 1969 she arrived in Cody, Wyoming for her fourth dude ranch vacation. She was 85 years old, and stayed at the Sunlight Ranch, run by Faye and Don Snyder about 45 miles from Cody.
Faye Snyder said Alice was a real character, which is not a surprise. She was famous for some version of this line, “If you don’t have anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me.”
One day during Alice’s time at the ranch, the Snyders’ daughter Sally answered the office phone. She then ran to her mother saying, “Mom, the president wants to talk to Mrs. Longworth, where is she?”
They tracked Alice down, and she took the call on the phone in the staff dining room. Faye Snyder heard her say, “Oh, hi Dick! How are you? What do you want?”
And who was Dick?
President Richard Nixon.
Instagram Handles: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky Handles: @cathiedunn
February 21, 2024
Book Spotlight Steel Valley Jerry Madden #HistoricalFiction #SteelValley #ComingOfAge #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @JerryMadden1948 @cathiedunn
I am pleased to spotlight the book, Steel Valley, by Jerry Madden in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour held on February 22nd, 2024. Steel Valley: Coming of Age in the Ohio Valley in the 1960s is a Historical Fiction published by Potomac Publishing Company on January 20, 2023 (350 pages).
Below are highlights of Steel Valley and Jerry Madden’s author biography.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2024/01/blog-tour-steel-valley-by-jerry-madden.html
HIGHLIGHTS: STEEL VALLEY
Steel Valley: Coming of Age in the Ohio Valley in the 1960s
By Jerry Madden
Blurb:
For readers of The World Played Chess by Robert Dugoni and Last Summer Boys by Bill Rivers
Love is never easy…even in easier times, like the 1950s and 1960s in the Ohio Valley with the steel industry booming.
Second-generation immigrant families were reaching for the American middle class. And Catholic schools — made feasible by selfless Catholic nuns — promised bigger lives for everyone, including Jack Clark and Laurie Carmine. As they spent years searching for their separate futures, though, they were also stumbling toward love just as their world came crashing down.
Steel Valley depicts a story of love longed for, lost, and perhaps still within reach, just as our nation’s mythic yesterday became our troubled today, our last summer of innocence.
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/3nGw5K
AUTHOR BIO: JERRY MADDEN
Jerry Madden grew up in the Upper Ohio Valley in the 1960s. He holds a B.A. from the College of Steubenville and law degrees from the University of Dayton School of Law and the Georgetown University Law Center. After law school, Jerry served as the sole law clerk to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio, C. William O’Neill. He served in the United States Marine Corps (R) between 1970 and 1976.
Jerry has practiced law in Washington, D.C., since 1979, including fourteen years at the Department of Justice as a trial and appellate attorney. He is the principal of The Madden Law Group PLLC in Washington, D.C.
He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, Cyndi, a retired educator. They have two children, Kelsey and Jack, both of whom hold M.Ed. degrees. They have one grandchild, Jamie Maclennan.
Author Links:
Website: https://steelvalleymadden.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JerryMadden1948
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jerry-Madden/author/B0BV19VM3F
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199752995-steel-valley
Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky Handle: @cathiedunn.bsky.social
February 15, 2024
David Fitz-Gerald A Grave Every Mile #Pioneers #HistoricalWestern #WesternAdventure #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @AuthorDAVIDFG @cathiedunn
I’m delighted to welcome David Fitz-Gerald again as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour held February 12th – 16th, 2024. He is the author of the Western / Historical Fiction, A Grave Every Mile (Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail), which was independently released on December 24th, 2023 (204 pages).
Below are highlights of A Grave Every Mile, David Fitz-Gerald’s author bio, and an excerpt from his book.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2024/01/blog-tour-a-grave-every-mile-by-david-fitzgerald.html
A Grave Every Mile: A Pioneer Western Adventure
(Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail)
By David Fitz-Gerald
Blurb:
Embark on a harrowing trek across the rugged American frontier in 1850. Your wagon awaits, and the untamed wilderness calls. This epic western adventure will test the mettle of even the bravest souls.
Dorcas Moon and her family set forth in search of opportunity and a brighter future. Yet, what awaits them is a relentless gauntlet of life-threatening challenges: miserable weather, ravenous insects, scorching sunburns, and unforgiving terrain. It’s not merely a battle for survival but a test of their unity and sanity.
Amidst the chaos, Dorcas faces ceaseless trials: her husband’s unending bickering, her daughter’s descent into madness, and the ever-present danger of lethal rattlesnakes, intensifying the peril with each step. The specter of death looms large, with diseases spreading and the eerie howls of rabid wolves piercing the night. Will the haunting image of wolves desecrating a grave push Dorcas over the edge?
With each mile, the migration poses a haunting question: Who will endure the relentless quest to cross the continent, and who will leave their bones to rest beside the trail? The pathway is bordered by graves, a chilling reminder of the steep cost of dreams.
A Grave Every Mile marks the commencement of an unforgettable saga. Start reading Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail now to immerse yourself in an expedition where every decision carries the weight of life, death, and the pursuit of a brighter future along the Oregon Trail.
Buy Links:
This title is available on #KindleUnlimited.
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/agem
SERIES TRAILER: GHOSTS ALONG THE OREGON TRAIL
FEATURED AUTHOR: DAVID FITZ-GERALD
David Fitz-Gerald writes westerns and historical fiction. He is the author of twelve books, including the brand-new series, Ghosts Along the Oregon Trail set in 1850. Dave is a multiple Laramie Award, first place, best in category winner; a Blue Ribbon Chanticleerian; a member of Western Writers of America; and a member of the Historical Novel Society.
Alpine landscapes and flashy horses always catch Dave’s eye and turn his head. He is also an Adirondack 46-er, which means that he has hiked to the summit of the range’s highest peaks. As a mountaineer, he’s happiest at an elevation of over four thousand feet above sea level.
Dave is a lifelong fan of western fiction, landscapes, movies, and music. It should be no surprise that Dave delights in placing memorable characters on treacherous trails, mountain tops, and on the backs of wild horses.
Author Links:
Linktree https://linktr.ee/authordavidfitzgerald
Website: https://www.itsoag.com/lastthing
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorDAVIDFG
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorDaveFITZGERALD/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authordavefitzgerald/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/AuthorDaveFITZGERALD
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/david-fitz-gerald
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/dfitzgerald
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17341792.David_Fitz_Gerald
EXCERPT: A GRAVE EVERY MILE
First day on the trail, April 15, 1850
Our three teams of oxen, led by Hardtack and Scrapple, stand ready to do their job. It takes a while before it’s our turn to begin pulling, with fifteen wagons ahead of us. When the wheels of the wagon before us begin to turn, Larkin cracks the bullwhip and shouts, “Hi-yah!” He snaps the whip again, and the poor beasts lumber forward.
The broody hen squawks in her box. Straps hold the cage in place on a shelf on the wagon’s exterior. Ridge, the devil-eyed goat, blats in protest as the rope that ties her to the back left corner of the wagon drags her along. I can’t see Blizzard, tied to the other corner of the wagon. The children and I begin on foot, following closely behind Larkin.
I hate it when people are cruel to animals. I should hold my tongue, but I cannot. “Must you snap that whip so sharply? It’s barbaric. We should thank the oxen, not whip them.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Dorcas. I’m not whipping them. I’m whipping the air above them. You know that. We can’t get to Oregon if the oxen don’t move. Don’t carry on like a child.”
Of course, he’s right. Somehow, dressing a deer doesn’t phase me. I can snap a chicken’s neck and pluck its feathers, but the idea of hurting beasts of burden saddens me. “Couldn’t you just tap them lightly on the rump rather than scare the poor creatures?”
“Look, see, we’re already falling behind. We need to drive the oxen faster if we want to get to Oregon before winter.”
“But…”
“That’s enough, Dorcas. Don’t pester me anymore.”
My molars tighten against each other. I know a woman shouldn’t bicker, argue, or nag. Usually, Larkin doesn’t complain about having a garrulous wife. Still, it rankles when he tells me not to pester him.
After walking alongside for half an hour, Dahlia Jane says she is tired. One mile down, one thousand, nine-hundred and ninety-nine miles to go. I lift the child into the wagon. Fortunately, she is content to play quietly by herself.
I walk for a while beside Blizzard. He always seems to listen and understand me when I share my troubles, worries, and complaints. His coat is sleek beneath the palm of my hand. I can never resist stroking his neck. “We’ll take a ride together soon. I promise.”
Dahlia Jane hasn’t moved from her nest in the back of the wagon, so I return to walk with the other children. I’m surprised to find Christopher where Larkin was. Larkin is missing. I glance about and don’t see him anywhere. Andrew smiles and says, “Nature calls.” Rose slaps her forehead and looks at her hand to see if she squashed a bug. Christopher seems to have mastered snapping the bullwhip above the oxen, and it makes me cringe even more than when Larkin does it.
After half an hour, Larkin tells Rose it’s her turn. She had been complaining about boredom and appears to have come alive as Larkin calls out her name. “Alright, Rose. Here is the whip. Hold it high and flick it hard with your wrist so that it snaps in the air above the kine.”
Rose asks, “What if I accidentally hit them with it?”
Larkin answers, “Don’t worry. It will not hurt them. They have thick skin and dull nerves.”
I can’t help but say, “Larkin, how do you know how they feel? Please don’t beat our animals.”
Larkin replies, “We’ll try, but the children must learn how to drive them. If you can’t bear to watch, may I suggest you visit our neighbors?”
“Very well, then.” It doesn’t make it any better knowing they whip the beasts while I’m gone, but I pluck Dahlia Jane from her burrow and wander back to the next wagon.
Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub
February 12, 2024
Deborah Swift The Shadow Network #WW2 #Thriller #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @swiftstory @cathiedunn
I am pleased to host Deborah Swift again as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between February 13th — March 5th, 2024. Deborah Swift is the author of the Historical Fiction / WW2, The Shadow Network (Secret Agent Series ), newly released by HQ Digital on 13th February 2024 (376 pages)
Below are highlights of The Shadow Network, Deborah Swift’s author bio, and her fascinating post about how fake news was broadcast in World War II to undermine the German people’s trust in their leaders.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/12/blog-tour-the-shadow-network-by-deborah-swift.html
HIGHLIGHTS: THE SHADOW NETWORK
The Shadow Network
(Secret Agent Series)
by Deborah Swift
Blurb:
One woman must sacrifice everything to uncover the truth in this enthralling historical novel, inspired by the true World War Two campaign Radio Aspidistra…
England, 1942: Having fled Germany after her father was captured by the Nazis, Lilli Bergen is desperate to do something pro-active for the Allies. So when she’s approached by the Political Warfare Executive, Lilli jumps at the chance. She’s recruited as a singer for a radio station broadcasting propaganda to German soldiers – a shadow network.
But Lilli’s world is flipped upside down when her ex-boyfriend, Bren Murphy, appears at her workplace; the very man she thinks betrayed her father to the Nazis. Lilli always thought Bren was a Nazi sympathiser – so what is he doing in England supposedly working against the Germans?
Lilli knows Bren is up to something, and must put aside a blossoming new relationship in order to discover the truth. Can Lilli expose him, before it’s too late?
Set in the fascinating world of wartime radio, don’t miss The Shadow Network, a heart-stopping novel of betrayal, treachery, and courage against the odds.
Buy Links:
Universal Buy Link: mybook.to/RadioLies
Link to bookshop: https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/the-shadow-network-ww2-secret-agent-series-deborah-swift/?variant=40268383617102
AUTHOR BIO: DEBORAH SWIFT
Deborah Swift is the English author of eighteen historical novels, including Millennium Award winner Past Encounters, and The Lady’s Slipper, shortlisted for the Impress Prize.
Her most recent books are the Renaissance trilogy based around the life of the poisoner Giulia Tofana, The Poison Keeper and its sequels, one of which won the Coffee Pot Book Club Gold Medal. Recently she has completed a secret agent series set in WW2, the first in the series being The Silk Code.
Deborah used to work as a set and costume designer for theatre and TV and enjoys the research aspect of creating historical fiction, something she loved doing as a scenographer. She likes to write about extraordinary characters set against the background of real historical events. Deborah lives in North Lancashire on the edge of the Lake District, an area made famous by the Romantic Poets such as Wordsworth and Coleridge.
Author Links:
Twitter https://twitter.com/swiftstory
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authordeborahswift/
Website: www.deborahswift.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/deborahswift1/
Amazon http://author.to/DeborahSwift
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/deborah-swift
Bluesky Handle: @deborahswift.bsky.social
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: FAKE NEWS IN WW2
The Shadow Network Tour
Fake News in WW2
by Deborah Swift
‘We must never lie by accident.’
Sefton Delmer about the fake WW2 radio station Soldatensender Calais
Whilst researching the Political Warfare Executive in WW2, I became fascinated by a wartime propaganda outfit that was used to fool the German population into thinking that their leaders cared little for them, but only for enriching themselves and their own situation. The idea of manipulating the public through ‘fake news’ had many resonances for today, and so I went down a fascinating rabbit hole to research it.
The secret radio stations operating in WW2 pretended to be genuine German radio stations and employed German prisoners of war or other German speakers to make their broadcasts. The broadcasts were deliberately racy and were designed to capture the hearts of ordinary Germans and make them believe they were listening to a forbidden radio station from their own country. Their popularity spread, and they got wide audiences for their programmes.
In wartime Britain there were three branches of propaganda, known then as ‘white’, ‘grey’, or ‘black,’ though we probably wouldn’t call them that today. White propaganda came from a known source and was completely transparent. Grey propaganda, on the other hand, was the subtle promotion or amplification of a political opinion by broadcasters self-proclaiming themselves as ‘objective’ or as neutral.
However, with black propaganda the audiences were oblivious to the fact they were being manipulated and did not feel that they were being pushed in a certain direction. This was because black propaganda pretended to come from a source that was not the true source – in The Shadow Network my characters work for a black propaganda radio station.
The first such station, Gustav Siegfried Eins (GS1), featured a fake Nazi extremist called ‘Der Chef’, played by an actor, who accused Adolf Hitler and the Gestapo of going soft. It undermined the German soldiers’ trust in their leaders by reporting on their (alleged) corruption and sexual improprieties.
The two stations mentioned in my novel The Shadow Network are the British radio station Soldatensender Calais, supposedly a radio station for the Wehrmacht based in France, and Atlantiksender, a shortwave radio station for German submariners. Both were coming from Bedfordshire in the England, under the direction of Tom Sefton Delmer, a British journalist who had resided in Germany and spoke perfect German. Delmer created several stations and used gossip from prisoners of war, or from intercepted German mail, to create credible stories. He had a team of people collecting suitable material from newspapers and from bugging the captured officers’ camps.
Soldatensender Calais broadcasted a combination of popular music, supposed support of the war, and “dirt” – news that would create dissent in the German forces, such as speculation that German soldiers’ wives were having affairs with the many foreign workers in German factories.
There were British black propaganda radio stations broadcasting in most of the languages of occupied Europe, and many of these were based in the area of Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire. The broadcasts were transmitted using an ex RCA transmitter mast from the USA, which was more powerful than any other, and which was bought for £165,000.
Finding out all this stuff led me on an interesting journey through many research books, and also to a network of Radio buffs and amateur radio enthusiasts who were able to point me in the right direction. The National Archive holds material on Sefton Delmer, as does the Sefton Delmer archive.
For further reading, I can recommend this website: https://writersandpropaganda.webspace.durham.ac.uk/tag/sefton-delmer/ and Sefton Delmer’s own book Black Boomerang published in 1962.
BUY THE SHADOW NETWORK mybook.to/RadioLies
‘Brilliant! Loved this novel about the input made by the Political Warfare Executive to WW2. The characters seemed so real and true.’ — NetGalley Reviewer
‘A gripping tale of wartime subterfuge, spies, saboteurs and black propaganda.’— NetGalley Reviewer
Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky Handle: @deborahswift.bsky.social @cathiedunn.bsky.social
February 5, 2024
Book Review The Low Road Katharine Quarmby #WomensFiction #FeministFiction #HistoricalFiction #TheCoffeePotBookClub #BlogTour @katharineq_ @thecoffeepotbookclub
It is my pleasure to introduce Katharine Quarmby as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour that is being held between January 16th — February 6th, 2024. Katharine Quarmby is the author of the Historical Fiction / Lesbian Fiction / Women’s Literature novel, The Low Road, released by Unbound Publishing on 22nd June 2023 in the UK, on September 2023 in the US, and on 2nd January 2024 in Australia/NZ (400 pages).
Below are highlights of The Low Road, Katharine Quarmby’s author bio, and my review of her poignant 19th-century novel.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/12/blog-tour-the-low-road-by-katharine-quarmby.html
HIGHLIGHTS: THE LOW ROAD
The Low Road
By Katharine Quarmby
Blurb:
In 1828, two young women were torn apart as they were sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay. Will they ever meet again?
Norfolk, 1813. In the quiet Waveney Valley, the body of a woman – Mary Tyrell – is staked through the heart after her death by suicide. She had been under arrest for the suspected murder of her newborn child. Mary leaves behind a young daughter, Hannah, who is later sent away to the Refuge for the Destitute in London, where she will be trained for a life of domestic service.
It is at the Refuge that Hannah meets Annie Simpkins, a fellow resident, and together they forge a friendship that deepens into passionate love. But the strength of this bond is put to the test when the girls are caught stealing from the Refuge’s laundry, and they are sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay, setting them on separate paths that may never cross again.
Drawing on real events, The Low Road is a gripping, atmospheric tale that brings to life the forgotten voices of the past – convicts, servants, the rural poor – as well as a moving evocation of love that blossomed in the face of prejudice and ill fortune.
Buy Links:
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mg5RAD
Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-low-road-katharine-quarmby/7418138?ean=9781800182394
AUTHOR BIO: KATHARINE QUARMBY
Katharine Quarmby has written non-fiction, short stories and books for children and her debut novel, The Low Road, was published by Unbound in 2023. Her non-fiction works include Scapegoat: Why We Are Failing Disabled People (Portobello Books, 2011) and No Place to Call Home: Inside the Real Lives of Gypsies and Travellers (Oneworld, 2013). She has also written picture books and shorter e-books.
She is an investigative journalist and editor, with particular interests in disability, the environment, race and ethnicity, and the care system. Her reporting has appeared in outlets including the Guardian, The Economist, The Atlantic, The Times of London, the Telegraph, New Statesman and The Spectator. Katharine lives in London.
Katharine also works as an editor for investigative journalism outlets, including Investigative Reporting Denmark and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.katharinequarmby.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KatharineQ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katharinequarmbywriter/
LinkedIn: Katharine Quarmby – Writer, Journalist, Editor – Self-employed | LinkedIn
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katharinequarmby_/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Katharine-Quarmby/author/B004GH8LS6
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2082356.Katharine_Quarmby
BOOK REVIEW: THE LOW ROAD
The debut historical fiction novel, The Low Road by Katharine Quarmby, is a tragic tale about female prisoners banished from Britain to Australia in the 19th century. Based on real-life events, the story takes place in the Victorian era when women were judged by rigid moral codes and suffered social injustice. At the beginning of the story, Hannah Tyrell reflects on how her fate was cast at the moment her out-of-wedlock mother—Mary Tyrell—gave birth to her. She recalls how they were taken in by a kind couple in exchange for work on their farm. Fate throws Hanna’s mother a cruel twist when she is raped and impregnated. She keeps her pregnancy a secret until her baby dies shortly after birth. Arrested for murder, she is jailed and commits suicide. Hannah is forced to witness the gruesome act of her mother’s body being staked through the heart for her unpardonable sin before being buried.
Later, Hannah is sent away to the Refuge for the Destitute in London, where she is trained in domestic service. She meets and falls deeply in love with a fellow resident, Annie Simpkins. Their strong bond and friendship are tested after they are caught stealing from the Refuge’s laundry and are imprisoned in filthy prisons where they wait for their sentences. Eventually, they are separately banished to Botany Bay where they may not see each other again.
Author Katharine Quarmby has written a compelling story told from the first-person perspective of Hannah Tyrell. The lyrical stream-of-consciousness narrative delves into her inner thoughts and emotions from childhood to adulthood. The tale is gripping and engaging as we learn about the injustices that Hannah and her mother must endure. The aspect I liked best about the book is Hannah’s relationships with other females: her mom, her friends at the Refuge, and other various side characters. Mary Tyrell comes across as a strong and tragic heroine—a protective mother who has a profound impact on her daughter Hannah. The spiritual bond between mother and daughter permeates throughout the story.
The story reflects the author’s impeccable research and passion for the subject. At mid-point, the story promises to be an epic tale of Hannah’s fight to overcome her struggles. However, the relationship between Hannah and Annie did not resonate with me, and the story veered in a different direction than I anticipated when Hannah arrived in Australia. Still, it is an evocative, gripping tale of cruelty juxtaposed with courage and kindness that an orphaned girl experiences, struggling to survive poverty and seek love on the other side of the world.
I recommend The Low Road to historical fiction readers interested in the realistic depiction of female convicts transported from Britain and Ireland to Australia where they help build a young colony in a harsh land.
Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky Handle: @cathiedunn.bsky.social
February 2, 2024
S.P. Somtow IMPERATRIX #HistoricalFiction #AncientRome #LGBTQ+ #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @somtow @cathiedunn
I’m delighted to welcome S.P. Somtow as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour held January 31st – February 2nd, 2024. S.P. Somtow is the author of the Historical Fiction / Ancient World / LGBTQ+ Interest, “IMPERATRIX: The Empress who was once a Slave (Nero and Sporus Series, Book 2), released by Diplodocus Press on 24th December 2023 (276 pages).
Below are highlights of IMPERATRIX, S.P. Somtow’s author bio, and a snippet from his book.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2024/01/blog-tour-imperatrix-by-sp-somtow.html
HIGHLIGHTS: IMPERATRIX
IMPERATRIX: The Empress who was once a Slave
(Nero and Sporus Series, Book 2)
By S.P. Somtow
Blurb:
Captured by pirates and sold to a Roman aristocrat as a sex slave, Sporus attracted the attention of no less a personage than the Emperor Nero, ruler of the known world. Would-be poet, patron of the arts, aesthete, and brutal autocrat, the Divine Nero saw in the boy a startling resemblance to the Empress Poppaea – and made him an empress as well.
Suetonius, Tacitus, and other Roman historians have given tantalizing glimpses into the incredible life story of the boy who became twice an empress to two emperors, and was condemned to die in the arena by a third.
In this meticulously researched trilogy World Fantasy, award-winning author S.P. Somtow lays bare the darkest secrets of Imperial Rome – its triumphs and its nadirs, its beauty, and its cruelty. Through this chaos, a contorted mirror of our contemporary world, this figure of Sporus moves, all too knowing yet all too innocent, providing a worm’s eye view of one of the wildest periods in ancient history.
Imperatrix, the second volume of the tale, takes us into the heart of the Imperial palace with all its intrigue, depravity, and splendor.
Buy Links:
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mV2EaJ
AUTHOR BIO: S. P. SOMTOW
Once referred to by the International Herald Tribune as ‘the most well-known expatriate Thai in the world,’ Somtow Sucharitkul is no longer an expatriate, since he has returned to Thailand after five decades of wandering the world. He is best known as an award-winning novelist and a composer of operas.
Born in Bangkok, Somtow grew up in Europe and was educated at Eton and Cambridge. His first career was in music, and in the 1970s, upon his first return to Asia, he acquired a reputation as a revolutionary composer, the first to combine Thai and Western instruments in radical new sonorities. Conditions in the arts in the region at the time proved so traumatic for the young composer that he suffered a major burnout, emigrated to the United States, and reinvented himself as a novelist.
His earliest novels were in the science fiction field, and he soon won the John W. Campbell for Best New Writer as well as being nominated for and winning numerous other awards in the field. But science fiction was not able to contain him and he began to cross into other genres. In his 1984 novel Vampire Junction, he injected a new literary inventiveness into the horror genre, in the words of Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, ‘skillfully combining the styles of Stephen King, William Burroughs, and the author of the Revelation to John.’ Vampire Junction was voted one of the forty all-time greatest horror books by the Horror Writers’ Association.
In the 1990s Somtow became increasingly identified as a uniquely Asian writer with novels such as the semi-autobiographical Jasmine Nights and a series of stories noted for a peculiarly Asian brand of magic realism, such as Dragon’s Fin Soup, which is currently being made into a film directed by Takashi Miike. He recently won the World Fantasy Award, the highest accolade given in the world of fantastic literature, for his novella The Bird Catcher.
Returning to Thailand in 2001, he became artistic director of Opera Siam and has had more than a dozen operas produced around the world including The Snow Dragon and The Silent Prince, premiered in the United States, Helena Citronova, an opera set during the Holocaust, and the ten-part DasJati: Ten Lives of the Buddha.
In the last few years he has made a return to writing novels with the Nero and Sporus trilogy and the young adult series, Club X.
In 2021, the film he produced and wrote, The Maestro: Symphony of Terror, received over forty awards at international festivals, and in 2023, the Thai government officially elevated him to the status of National Artist.
Read S.P. Somtow’s interview on Literary Titan about Imperatrix at https://literarytitan.com/2024/01/21/the-core-of-innocence/.
Author Links:
Website: www.somtow.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/somtow
Facebook: www.facebook.com/somtow
Instagram: www.instagram.com/somtow
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/s-p-somtow
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B000APBJXC
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/81037.S_P_Somtow
SNIPPET: IMPERATRIX
I had got up from my dining couch and was circulating among other triclinia laid out in the garden, and I heard those exact sentiments from an old drunk man; I recognized him as Pontius Pilatus, and I recognized the stories, too — the orgiastic love-feast cults, the baby-eating and what not — from the last banquet I’d seen the old general at. But the way he told the stories was more … I would say, more mechanical, like a schoolboy reciting Homer, trying to get through the lines while avoiding the tutor’s quirt.
“Ah,” he said, greeting me, “Poppaea. Or are you Poppaea’s evil twin? You’ve lost your baby belly.”
“Still telling the same tall tales, General,” I said. “But the telling isn’t the same; this time, your tales are literally lighting up the banquet.”
“It’s a good thing they’re using the display crosses,” said Pilatus, “so we can get the light without the smell.”
A woman sitting next to him said, “And without the guilt, Pontius.”
“I daresay if they were marinated in garlic and garum instead of being coated with pitch, the smell would be quite pleasant,” another guest piped up.
“The guilt,” the woman said again, grimly lifting a honeyed mouse by the tail and popping it her mouth, then spitting out the tiny bones.
“My wife, the Lady Procula,” said Pilatus. “She used to have nightmares about it. Now, I have the nightmares.”
“Because, my dear,” said the Lady Procula, “you know they don’t actually have baby-eating orgies.”
“Blood rites, dear. They do have blood rites.”
“Metaphorical, husband! They are a completely harmless cult. The Jews don’t worship the Emperor either, and they’re not lighting up his dinner parties.”
“They will be soon,” said another voice. Tigellinus, also making the rounds. “I hear they are revolting again.”
Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub
January 23, 2024
Linda Lappin Signatures in Stone#SignaturesinStone #DaphneWinner #Bomarzo #HistoricalMystery #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @LindaLappin1 @cathiedunn
I’m delighted to welcome Linda Lappin as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour held January 24th – 26th, 2024. She is the author of the Historical Mystery / Art History Mystery, Signatures in Stone: A Bomarzo Mystery (2nd edition), released by Pleasure Boat Studio on November 30, 2023 (290 pages).
Below are highlights of Signatures in Stone: A Bomarzo Mystery Doctor, Linda Lappin’s author bio, and a snippet from her book.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/12/blog-tour-signatures-in-stone-by-linda-lappin.html
HIGHLIGHTS: SIGNATURES IN STONE
Signatures in Stone: A Bomarzo Mystery
by Linda Lappin
Blurb:
Captivating critics and readers, SIGNATURES IN STONE, was the OVERALL WINNER in the DAPHNE DU MAURIER AWARDS for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense Writing – best mystery of 2013
Rome, Italy – November 2023 – Pleasure Boat Studio is thrilled to announce the release of the second edition of Linda Lappin’s celebrated novel, SIGNATURES IN STONE: A BOMARZO MYSTERY. This captivating suspense tale takes readers on a thrilling journey through the enigmatic Monster Park of Bomarzo, also known as the Sacred Wood, an extraordinary Baroque sculpture garden in Italy. With the 500th anniversary of the park’s creation, this edition is accompanied by a magnificent new cover and a series of Tarot card illustrations by Santa Fe artist Carolyn Florek.
In SIGNATURES IN STONE, readers are transported to the atmospheric setting of the Monster Park of Bomarzo, a sixteenth-century garden adorned with mythical creatures believed to represent a terrifying journey into the realm of nightmares. Against this backdrop, four travelers find themselves intertwined in a fate-driven Italian holiday. Daphne, a British writer of occult mysteries, her down-on-his-luck aristocratic publisher Nigel, the aspiring artist and American gigolo Clive, and the art historian Professor Finestone, all converge in a dilapidated villa near the park. They are attended by rustic servants who harbor secrets of their own.
Professor Finestone has made a groundbreaking discovery, revealing that the garden was designed by one of Italy’s greatest artists as a transformative experience that delves into the shadow side of life. Over the centuries, the park’s meanders continue to influence the minds and destinies of those who venture within. As the group explores their heart’s desires amidst the haunting sculptures, they become entangled in a web of intrigue and danger. When Daphne, renowned for writing cozy murder tales, becomes the prime suspect in a shocking homicide, she must confront her own darkness and rely on her sleuthing skills to uncover the terrifying truth.
Linda Lappin’s gripping tale presents an intriguing exploration of gardens in Renaissance Italy, where they were regarded as tools for altering consciousness and changing destiny. The Monster Park of Bomarzo becomes the backdrop for a “Gothic-in-Wonderland” phantasmagoria, immersing readers in a suspenseful and thrilling journey.
New Edition of Linda Lappin’s Award-Winning SIGNATURES IN STONE: A BOMARZO MYSTERY Commemorates the 500th Anniversary of the Monster Park.
Praise:
“Layers of mystery are woven into Linda Lappin’s beautifully written and atmospheric historical novel set in Bomarzo, Italy’s enigmatic park of stone monsters.”~ Gigi Pandian, author of The Accidental Alchemist.
“Deftly mixing fascinating art history and murder with an exotic atmospheric setting (the Bomarzo garden actually exists), dramatic historical period (1928 fascist Italy), and fully fleshed characters, Lappin (The Etruscan) has written a hallucinatory gothic mystery in which no one is as they appear. Daphne is a most memorable, if a bit unreliable, narrator. Readers looking for an intelligent summer mystery will find much to savor here.” ~ Wilda Williams, Library Journal
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mYDWvd
AUTHOR BIO: LINDA LAPPIN
Linda Lappin, poet, translator, novelist, and travel writer is the prize-winning author of four novels: The Etruscan (Wynkin deWorde, 2004); Katherine’s Wish (Wordcraft, 2008), dealing with the last five years of Katherine Mansfield’s life; Signatures in Stone: A Bomarzo Mystery (Pleasureboat Studio, 2013,2023), overall winner of the Daphne Du Maurier award for the best mystery novel of 2013; and Loving Modigliani: The Afterlife of Jeanne Hébuterne (Serving House Books, 2020), 2021 Daphne Du Maurier award finalist and shortlisted for the 2021 Montaigne Medal for Books of Distinction.
She is also the author of The Soul of Place: Ideas and Exercises for Conjuring the Genius Loci, (Travelers Tales, 2015), winner of a Nautilus Award in the category of creativity in 2015.
A former Fulbright scholar to Italy, she has lived mainly in Rome for over thirty years. She is at work on a second Daphne Dublanc mystery novel, Melusine, set in Bolsena. The second edition of Signatures in Stone (2023) has been issued to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Monster Park.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.lindalappin.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LindaLappin1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindaLappinAuthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/linda_lappin_author/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@linda_lappin_author
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lindalappin.bsky.social
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/linda-lappin
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/lindalappin
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1157178.Linda_Lappin
SNIPPET: SIGNATURES IN STONE
Behind me, the moonlit villa seemed dwarfed by the shadowy mass of the ridge overhanging it, where the old stone houses and towers of the town clung to the edge like moldering teeth set in a jawbone. The gate to the park was locked, of course, and tall walls of shaggy yew hedges obscured the view within. I peered in through the iron bars, but all I could see was a gray sphinx crouching at the head of a path vanishing amid the thick vegetation where boulders were visible beyond.
The statues in the park portrayed a series of monstrous, imaginary creatures—denizens of a pagan hell, or, perhaps, allegories of the seven cardinal sins. The place was known to local legend as “the Monster Park.” That’s all I knew about our destination, which had been explained during our journey down from Paris. As an author of mystery stories, I confess I found it all quite appealing.
Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky Handle: @lindalappin @cathiedunn.bsky.social
January 17, 2024
Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard The Beauty Doctor #historicalfiction #historicalmystery #cosmeticsurgeryhistory #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @EHBernardAuthor @cathiedunn
I’m delighted to welcome Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held January 15th – 19th, 2024. She is the author of the Historical Mystery Suspense, The Beauty Doctor, the 2nd edition released by Black Rose Writing on January 4th, 2024 (327 pages).
Below are highlights of The Beauty Doctor, Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard’s author bio, and an excerpt from his book.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/12/blog-tour-the-beauty-doctor-by-elizabeth-hutchison-bernard.html
HIGHLIGHTS: THE BEAUTY DOCTOR
THE BEAUTY DOCTOR: A NOVEL
By Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard
Audiobook narrator: Lisa Bozek
Blurb:
A Bone-Chilling Mystery-Suspense-Thriller Set in the Edwardian Era
Finalist, Eric Hoffer Book Award
“Beauty is power,” Dr. Rome told her. “And with enough power, one can achieve anything.”
Straightening noses, trimming eyelids, lifting jowls . . . In the year 1907, his revolutionary beauty surgery is considered daring, perhaps dangerous. Still, women want what Dr. Rome promises. Neither is his young assistant Abigail Platford immune to Dr. Rome’s persuasive charm.
Abigail once dreamed of becoming a doctor, though of a much different sort. That dream ended with her father’s tragic death from a medical error for which she holds herself responsible. Dr. Rome, who proudly displays his medical degree from Johns Hopkins, seems to believe in her. If he were willing to act as her mentor, might there still be a chance to realize her dream of someday becoming a doctor serving New York City’s poor?
But something feels terribly wrong, as though an insidious evil is closing in. Broken promises, lies, and intrigues abound. The powerful are threatening to destroy the weak, and a doctor’s sacred duty hangs in the balance. Abigail no longer knows who to believe; but with Dr. Rome now her mentor and her lover, she desperately wants to trust him.
Even when she discovers that one of their patients has mysteriously disappeared.
From bestselling author Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard, a suspenseful work of historical fiction grounded in the social and moral issues of the Edwardian era in America. Second Edition with Author’s Preface.
Buy Links:
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/316BAr
BOOK TRAILER: THE BEAUTY DOCTOR
https://www.linneatanner.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/TBD-Main-File-1.m4vAUTHOR BIO: ELIZABETH HUTCHISON BERNARD
Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard is the author of bestselling historical novels. Her 2023 release, Sisters of Castle Leod, is an Amazon Kindle #1 Bestseller (Historical Biographical Fiction, Historical Literary Fiction), winner of the 2023 Maxy Award for Historical and Adventure Fiction, and an Editors’ Choice of the Historical Novel Society. Her biographical novel Temptation Rag (2018) was hailed by Publishers Weekly as a “resonant novel . . . about the birth and demise of ragtime . . . in which romance and creative passions abound.” Elizabeth’s 2017 historical mystery-suspense-thriller, The Beauty Doctor, was a finalist for the prestigious Eric Hoffer Book Award. The book’s re-release (Jan. 4, 2024) features a stunning new cover and an Author Preface with insights into social and moral issues of the Edwardian era that frame this shocking fictional story set in the early days of cosmetic surgery. Before becoming a full-time author, Elizabeth was executive editor of an international aesthetic surgery journal, and senior consultant to the National Cosmetic Network in conjunction with Johns Hopkins University’s plastic surgery educational program. Learn more about Elizabeth and her books at www.EHBernard.com.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.ehbernard.com
Twitter: https://www.X.com/EHBernardAuthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EHBernardAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EHBernardAuthor
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Elizabeth-Hutchison-Bernard/author/B072N681MZ
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16953486.Elizabeth_Hutchison_Bernard
EXCERPT: THE BEAUTY DOCTOR
Chapter Four
She contemplated, not for the first time, why a handsome professional man like Franklin Rome was unmarried. Recalling what he’d insinuated about Arthur, and how he claimed to have a pretty good eye for that kind of thing, she allowed herself a moment to consider whether Dr. Rome might himself have a hidden predilection. But no, that was impossible. She remembered the little flutter in her stomach that night at the banquet when he first smiled at her and then later, again, when he leaned close, saying she intrigued him. She couldn’t deny he was immensely attractive.
Unsettled by the direction of her thoughts, she reminded herself that Dr. Rome was her employer and a person from whom she might learn a great deal. Yes, he was a beauty doctor. But his credentials were impressive. That very afternoon she had helped him hang half a dozen framed diplomas on the wall of his private office, tangible proof of his training and competence. Even her father hadn’t so many certificates. Yet as Mr. Chapman had rather indelicately questioned the other night, why would a doctor waste the efforts of all that training on something as inconsequential as beauty surgery?
Certainly, it might be the money. Her father would have been lucky to make a hundred dollars in six months’ time. Most of his patients were poor; he not only treated them without thought of remuneration but often was forced to pay for the medicines they needed from his own pocket. Then she remembered how, at the Hennessys’ banquet, Dr. Rome had referred to the work of a doctor as the medical arts. That was it, of course! He did, in fact, strike her as the artistic type; more than once, she had admired the gracefulness of his long fingers, imagining them holding a blade—cutting and shaping human flesh, much like a sculptor molds clay. If Dr. Rome was a physician with the soul of an artist, it was understandable why he might become a beauty doctor.
She thought again of Isabelle Hadley and how her first success as Dr. Rome’s foil had given her an unexpected sense of pride. Already, she was embracing her new role with more enthusiasm than she’d anticipated. Why shouldn’t she? It was surely better than the awful dispiritedness that had plagued her since her father’s death. Besides, she enjoyed the sense of collegiality she shared with Dr. Rome. Yes, she was only an office girl, but he occasionally spoke to her about medicine and surgery and how far it all had come in recent years. She remembered how effusive he had become last week when the autoclave was delivered to the office. He’d explained in great detail about the steam sterilizer. It was one of the most important inventions of the late nineteenth century, he’d said. Many problems could be avoided by sterilizing instruments before they were used in patients. When he’d unpacked it from the crate, he’d told her how—
She threw off the comforter, every nerve in her body alert. The delivery! How could she have forgotten to tell Dr. Rome about the man who had stopped by the office after he’d left for the day?
Hastily, she lit the lamp, jumped out of bed, and began dressing, all the while replaying the conversation in her mind from late that afternoon. It had been awkward and very strange. She was locking up around five o’clock when a squat, unkempt little man appeared on the doorstep. Right away, she noticed his nose, which was large and misshapen, with a red, bulbous tip. Assuming he was a prospective patient, she gave him a card and instructed him to call the office in the morning for an appointment. With obvious impatience, he crumpled the card in his hand.
“You can’t get in touch with him?”
“Well, I might—”
“Yes or no.”
She didn’t answer, put off by his rudeness. Who was he to speak to her in such a manner?
“Just tell him Shark said to look for a delivery tonight, same time as before,” he said without waiting. “Got it?”
“What kind of delivery?”
“He’ll know. Tell him midnight, just like he wanted.”
“Midnight? Why, that’s ridiculous! Nobody makes deliveries at that hour.”
“Look, lady, I ain’t got time for parlor games. I make a lot o’ deliveries. The day ain’t long enough for all of ‘em, so I work late. The doc says he don’t mind. Just tell him, all right? And make sure you don’t forget.”
Pulling on her boots, she pictured again his dissipated look, the malicious twist to his lips, the wrinkled gray sack suit, and the shabby bowler perched precariously on his wide head. A shiver of revulsion ran through her. A rendezvous with such a fellow, alone and in the dark of night, was the last thing she wanted, but now there was no choice. She would conduct whatever brief transaction might be necessary and leave the delivery for Dr. Rome to find in the morning. He would never have to know how irresponsible she’d been in failing to inform him.
She went to the door and stepped outside. The stars, covered by a haze of clouds, provided only scant light, but the glimmer of electric street lamps made up for any deficit. She climbed the half dozen stairs from her room and then the short flight to the office entrance, unlocked the door, and entered. Inside was pitch-black. She felt her way to the desk and lit the lamp. Her eyes scanned the dim interior. The room in which she had grown accustomed to spending her days seemed somehow foreign at night, its sense of comfort reliant on sunlight streaming through the tall windows that now were shrouded in velvet drapery. She looked toward the dark hallway leading to the operating room and Dr. Rome’s private office and felt a vague apprehension, as if something sinister lurked beyond her small circle of light.
Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub
January 7, 2024
R.w. Meek Sabrine The Dream Collector Book 1 Sabrine & Sigmund Freud #LiteraryFiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @cathiedunn
Welcome R.w. Meek as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held January 8th – 12th, 2024. He is the author of the Literary Historical Fiction, The Dream Collector (Book 1: Sabrine & Sigmund Freud), released by Historium Books on December 19th, 2023 (723 pages).
Below are highlights of The Dream Collector (Book 1: Sabrine & Sigmund Freud), R.w. Meek’s author bio, and an excerpt from his book.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/12/blog-tour-the-dream-collector-by-rw-meek.html
HIGHLIGHTS: THE DREAM COLLECTOR
The Dream Collector
(Book 1: Sabrine & Sigmund Freud)
By R.w. Meek
Blurb:
The Dream Collector immerses the reader into the exciting milieu of late 19th Century Paris when art and medicine were in the throes of revolution, art turning to Impressionism, medicine turning to psychology. In 1885, Julie Forette, a self-educated woman from Marseilles, finds employment at the infamous Salpêtrière, hospital and asylum to over five thousand disabled, demented and abandoned women, a walled city ruled by the famed neurologist and arrogant director, Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot.
Julie Forette forms a friendship with the young, visiting intern Sigmund Freud who introduces her to the altering-conscious power of cocaine. Together they pursue the hidden potential of hypnotism and dream interpretation. After Freud receives the baffling case of the star hysteric, Sabrine Weiss, he is encouraged by Julie to experiment with different modes of treatment, including “talking sessions.” Their urgent quest is to find a cure for Sabrine, Princess of the Hysterics, before Dr. Charcot resorts to the radical removal of her ovaries.
In Paris, Julie finds a passion for the new art emerging, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, and forms friendships with the major artists of the period, including Pissarro, Monet, and Degas. Julie becomes intimately involved with the reclusive Cezanne only to be seduced by the “Peruvian Savage” Paul Gauguin. Julie is the eponymous ‘Dream Collector’ collecting the one unforgettable, soul-defining dream of the major historical figures of the period.
Praise for The Dream Collector:
“Meek never fails to stun and impress with his evocation of scenes and events, of sights and dialogue, and of peoples’ reactions to them.” ~ HFC Reviews
“Tribute must be paid to the obvious and clear literary skills of the author R.w. Meek and to his ability to invoke historic personages and the Belle Époque he so evidently adores.”~ Julian de la Motte, award-winning author of Senlac
Buy Link:
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/4jE52j
AUTHOR BIO: R.w. Meek
R.w. Meek has a Master’s degree in Art History from the American University in Washington, D.C., his areas of expertise are Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, with a particular interest in Vincent van Gogh. He has interned and conducted tours at the National Museum of American and the National Gallery of Art. In 2022 and 2023 five of his chapter excerpts from his soon to be published novel, The Dream Collector, were either finalists or published in various literary journals. The author has also won the Palm Beach Book Festival Competition for “Best Writer in Palm Beach,” his manuscript judged by a panel of NYT Best Selling authors. The Dream Collector also received gold and silver medals in the Historical Fiction Company literary contest and earned runner-up for the “Best Historical Fiction Novel’ of 2022.
The author was born in Baltimore, adventured in Europe for many years, and recently moved from Delray Beach, Florida to Santa Clarita, California. His wife is a psychologist, sculptress, playwright, and stand-up storyteller. His daughter Nora is a storyboard artist in the animation world and resides in Hollywood, California. His favorite writers are Dostoevsky, John Fowles, and Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.ronmeekauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010220437381
EXCERPT: THE DREAM COLLECTOR
Book 1: Sabrine & Sigmund
“Alone with Sabrine”
“Do you have a special fear?” Sigmund decided to ask her.
“I have no fears, so it’s my duty to take them away from others.”
She stepped out of his rim of light, skipping away. He could not shake the thought that she was behaving like a mischievous schoolgirl. As best he could, he followed her with the one trembling, tallow candle.
“I want to dance!” she announced loudly.
And so she did, making gentle turns and playful leaps, delighting in being the center of attention. Sigmund had never found the temerity to engage in dancing, but he easily guessed its pleasure as he followed her with the candlelight. Keeping her mask in place, she performed pirouettes and self-assured spins before concluding with a charming bow.
She dropped the mask—Sabrine and no other! The candle’s flame flickered in the green of her eyes. “On special occasions the young doctors allow us to have costumed balls,” she said. “The hypnotized are not supposed to remember them, but we do.”
Pounding at the library door prompted her to quickly whisper: “Shall we meet again to share more secrets?”
The commotion outside grew louder: “Someone has locked it from the inside! Find another key, another key!”
As the door flew open, Sigmund eagerly conceded to her, “We can meet again, Mademoiselle, if you like.”
Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub
Bluesky Handle: @cathiedunn.bsky.social
December 20, 2023
Milana Marsenich Beautiful Ghost #historicalfiction #Butte #Montana #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @milanamarsenich @cathiedunn
It is my pleasure to welcome Milana Marsenich as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between December 18th – 20th, 2023. She is the author of the Historical Fiction novel, Beautiful Ghost (Sequel to Copper Sky), released by Open Books on November 8, 2022 (217 pages).
Below are highlights of Beautiful Ghost, Milana Marsenich’s author bio, and an excerpt of her novel.
Tour Schedule Page: https://thecoffeepotbookclub.blogspot.com/2023/11/blog-tour-beautiful-ghost-by-milana-marsenich.html
HIGHLIGHTS: BEAUTIFUL GHOST
Beautiful Ghost
(Sequel to Copper Sky)
by Milana Marsenich
Blurb:
During the fall of 1918, the influenza pandemic crosses the nation and reaches the mining town of Butte, Montana.
Marika Jovich, who wants to go to school to become a physician, works menial tasks for Dr. Fletcher. She feels useless as she tries to save friends and neighbors from the ravages of the flu. In the midst of the pandemic, she watches the town shut down, young and old perish, and her medical dreams all but evaporate.
Kaly Monroe used to be a half-good woman of the night. She left that life to raise her daughter, Annie, and live and work with her long-lost mother, Tara McClane. Kaly waits for her husband, Tommy, to return from the war. Word from the east is that soldiers are dying of influenza and she prays that Tommy is not one of them.
When an out-of-town woman named Amelia suddenly dies in Dr. Fletcher’s office, both women try to learn more about the mysterious woman and the circumstances regarding her death. Is she another casualty of the pandemic, or the victim of manmade foul play? Who is this stranger, and is her demise a portent of the fate that awaits the residents of Butte?
Praise for Beautiful Ghost:
“Marsenich doesn’t just describe the place and times, she conjures it up like time travel.”
~ Amazon Review by Ellen Leahy Howell
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/m06BOJ
AUTHOR BIO: MILANA MARSENICH
Award-winning author, Milana Marsenich lives in Northwest Montana near Flathead Lake at the base of the beautiful Mission Mountains. She enjoys quick access to the mountains and has spent many hours hiking the wilderness trails with friends and dogs. For the past 20 years she has worked as a mental health therapist in a variety of settings. As a natural listener and a therapist, she has witnessed amazing generosity and courage in others. She first witnessed this in her hometown of Butte, Montana, a mining town with a rich history and the setting for Copper Sky, her first novel.
Copper Sky was chosen as a Spur Award finalist for Best Western Historical Novel in 2018. Her second novel, The Swan Keeper, was a Willa Award finalist in 2019. Her short story, Wild Dogs, won the Laura Award for short fiction in 2020.
She has an M.Ed. in Mental Health Counseling from Montana State University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Montana. She has previously published in Montana Quarterly, Big Sky Journal, The Polishing Stone, The Moronic Ox, BookGlow, and Feminist Studies.
She has three published novels, Copper Sky, The Swan Keeper, and Beautiful Ghost, and one popular history book, Idaho Madams. Her upcoming novel, Shed Girl: A Juliet French Novel, will be released January 2024. Her popular history book, Mary MacLane: Butte’s Wild Woman and her Wooden Heart, will be out sometime in 2025.
You can find her books and blog posts at https://milanamarsenich.com/
Author Links:
Website: https://milanamarsenich.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/milanamarsenich
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MilanaMarsenichAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milanammarsenich/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/milanamarsenich/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/milana-marsenich
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Milana-Marsenich/author/B07DTJRR2K/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/16544640.Milana_Marsenich
EXCERPT: BEAUTIFUL GHOST
Amelia clearly had her secrets, like everyone, but her secrets had led her to Butte and ultimately to some kind of violence and death. The flu might have killed her, but strong hands stopping her breath were not far behind.
She hadn’t been running from the flu. She’d been running to the flu. The striations on her neck had blended with the blue gray of her skin and, in the end, were barely visible. Amelia’s coat had been left in the sick room, folded, and put on a shelf. Marika covered her hand with a cloth and reached into the pockets to see if the woman had carried a clue to her identity, to her family in Philadelphia. Most travelers did. A piece of paper crinkled under Marika’s fingers. She pulled it out and unfolded it. The scribbled lead of the pencil had faded and fallen into the folds.
Still, it was readable: J.K., Butte, Montana.
Marika wrapped the paper in the cloth and put them both on top of the filing cabinet. Thinking of the nursing instructions command: wash your hands with soap and water every time you think the word “pee,” she rushed to the washroom to do just that.
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