Judith F. Brenner's Blog, page 3
May 3, 2022
Dialogue Podcast with Author Susan Wingate
If you have 25 minutes, listen to an interview about life in the 1940s and how it relates to today's family relationship dynamics, plus a few words about The Moments Between Dreams novel:
https://www.blogtalkradio.com/dialogu...
April 26, 2022
Audiobook; 5/24 Event News
Audiobook Released May 3!
I’m excited to announce the May 24 book launch event is where I will be ready to greet you online or in-person! Read more about how you can join the event below.
Also, the audiobook for The Moments Between Dreams releases next week! The audiobook is narrated by Lisa Bozek, a native of Canada and professional voice artist in Wisconsin. It was produced by Blue Nose Productions in Kansas City, MO. Listen to The Moments Between Dreams after May 3rd if you like audiobooks.
Readers can purchase the paperback and eBook as pre-orders now, or in-person at the hybrid event Tuesday, May 24th. Stores and Amazon warehouses ship orders May 17. The book is published by Greenleaf Book Group in Austin, TX! It takes a village!
Audiobook Available in MayAuthor Talk / Book Launch May 24 Hybrid Event!
You are invited to attend an Author Talk at my novel’s book launch reception the evening of Tuesday, May 24. To date, nearly 40 people are signed up, plus another 20 online for the live stream via zoom. We have space for you!
Details and How to register:
Reserve your chair in the Sherwood Room in Edina’s Senior Center, next to the Edina Grandview Library. Address is on the Eventbrite button link below. Doors open at 6 p.m. You can purchase a book at the event, thanks to Magers & Quinn bookstore staffing our book table. Then taste Polish bakery and sip coffee, plus get your book signed! A respected writer and realtor, Maggie Taylor, will start the conversation and moderate a Q&A after a short reading from the novel at 6:30 p.m.Join the event via Zoom by signing up for our Virtual Author Talk! The above event is streamed live May 24 at 6:30 p.m. C.T. / 7:30 p.m. E.T. / 4:30 p.m. P.T.In-Person Edina MN Event RegistrationZoom Virtual Author Talk RegistrationPre-order Activity:
I’m honored that many independent bookstores are adding this title to their shelves, as are some libraries! The momentum is growing thanks to you and others asking for it locally, and my publisher’s outreach efforts. The book ships May 17th. It’s a passion of mine as a small business to support small businesses.
Minnesota: Magers & Quinn Bookstore, Minneapolis If you prefer, ask your library! Reserve @ Hennepin County Library and others..Nationally, visit any online bookseller site or brick-and-mortar store such as Barnes & Noble, Target, or Walmart. Amazon orders online is an option in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and NZ .Illinois: look for it in Chicagoland at Women and Children First Bookstore (Andersonville neighborhood), The Book Cellar (Chicago’s Lincoln Square), Unabridged Books (on Broadway).Iowa: Prairie Lights Bookstore, Iowa City. Wisconsin: Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee.More updates to come! The eBook and paperback are also available anywhere books are sold, including The Strand bookstore inside the LaGuardia Airport. You can also put in your zip code on Bookshop.org to ask your closest bookstore to order for you!
What’s it all about?
The Moments Between Dreams, a novel, is a conversation starter for fiction readers.
In this novel, set in Chicago during the 1940s-50s, with scenes in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, protagonist Carol misses red flags about Joe’s need for control before she marries him, dashing her dreams for herself and her family. Trouble escalates after their daughter Ellie is paralyzed by the polio virus and Joe returns from WWII. Carol realizes how brutal waking life can be, and she conceals bruises and protects her children the best she can. Sparks fly when she meets a heart-throb journalist covering the epidemic, and creates a secret plan.
For more information, please explore this website: judithfbrenner.com. If you received an advanced copy, post a photo of yourself on social media with the book cover! I thank you for your support on this journey. The publishing world is dependent on stars aligning, great mentors and good planning. I’m grateful to have a wonderful network of friends and professionals along this path to publication.
The post Audiobook; 5/24 Event News appeared first on Judith F Brenner.
Audiobook Coming Soon; 5/24 Event News
Audiobook Coming Soon!
I’m excited to announce the May 24 book launch event is where I will be ready to greet you online or in-person! Read more about how you can join the event below. Also, the audiobook for The Moments Between Dreams releases next week! The audiobook is narrated by Lisa Bozek, a native of Canada and professional voice artist in Wisconsin. It was produced by Blue Nose Productions in Kansas City, MO. Listen to The Moments Between Dreams after May 3rd if you like audiobooks. Readers can purchase the paperback and eBook as pre-orders now, or in-person at the hybrid event Tuesday, May 24th. Stores and Amazon warehouses ship orders May 17. The book is published by Greenleaf Book Group in Austin, TX! It takes a village!
Audiobook Available in MayAuthor Talk / Book Launch May 24 Hybrid Event!
You are invited to attend an Author Talk at my novel’s book launch reception the evening of Tuesday, May 24. To date, nearly 40 people are signed up, plus another 20 online for the live stream via zoom. We have space for you!
Details and How to register:
Reserve your chair in the Sherwood Room in Edina’s Senior Center, next to the Edina Grandview Library. Address is on the Eventbrite button link below. Doors open at 6 p.m. You can purchase a book at the event, thanks to Magers & Quinn bookstore staffing our book table. Then taste Polish bakery and sip coffee, plus get your book signed! A respected writer and realtor, Maggie Taylor, will start the conversation and moderate a Q&A after a short reading from the novel at 6:30 p.m.Join the event via Zoom by signing up for our Virtual Author Talk! The above event is streamed live May 24 at 6:30 p.m. C.T. / 7:30 p.m. E.T. / 4:30 p.m. P.T.In-Person Edina MN Event RegistrationZoom Virtual Author Talk RegistrationPre-order Activity:
I’m honored that many independent bookstores are adding this title to their shelves, as are some libraries! The momentum is growing thanks to you and others asking for it locally, and my publisher’s outreach efforts. The book ships May 17th. It’s a passion of mine as a small business to support small businesses.
Minnesota: Magers & Quinn Bookstore, Minneapolis If you prefer, ask your library! Reserve @ Hennepin County Library and others..Nationally, visit any online bookseller site or brick-and-mortar store such as Barnes & Noble, Target, or Walmart. Amazon orders online is an option in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and NZ .Illinois: look for it in Chicagoland at Women and Children First Bookstore (Andersonville neighborhood), The Book Cellar (Chicago’s Lincoln Square), Unabridged Books (on Broadway).Iowa: Prairie Lights Bookstore, Iowa City. Wisconsin: Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee.More updates to come! The eBook and paperback are also available anywhere books are sold, including The Strand bookstore inside the LaGuardia Airport. You can also put in your zip code on Bookshop.org to ask your closest bookstore to order for you!
What’s it all about?
The Moments Between Dreams, a novel, is a conversation starter for fiction readers.
In this novel, set in Chicago during the 1940s-50s, with scenes in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, protagonist Carol misses red flags about Joe’s need for control before she marries him, dashing her dreams for herself and her family. Trouble escalates after their daughter Ellie is paralyzed by the polio virus and Joe returns from WWII. Carol realizes how brutal waking life can be, and she conceals bruises and protects her children the best she can. Sparks fly when she meets a heart-throb journalist covering the epidemic, and creates a secret plan.
For more information, please explore this website: judithfbrenner.com. If you received an advanced copy, post a photo of yourself on social media with the book cover! I thank you for your support on this journey. The publishing world is dependent on stars aligning, great mentors and good planning. I’m grateful to have a wonderful network of friends and professionals along this path to publication.
The post Audiobook Coming Soon; 5/24 Event News appeared first on Judith F Brenner.
April 8, 2022
Spring Book Launch, The Moments Between Dreams, Plus an Excerpt from Novel!
Tulips can be subtle or showy like words on a page with a message between the lines.Spring always holds a special place in my heart, because it kicks off a renewal spirit in the season and new beginnings. I turn a year older each spring, and during that occasion, I check in on my New Year resolutions. Usually I’m disappointed and it’s a time to turn over the soil in my life. I will forgive myself for what I didn’t get done, and celebrate what I did! Here’s what book lovers will enjoy that will help us all feel like celebrating:
Join the Book Launch for The Moments Between Dreams. Author talk and book signing: Tuesday, May 24 evening. It will be streamed online wherever you are, and held in-person in MN. Register for either here. Link has details.If you enjoy this rainy daffodil and tulip season like I do, you might like to read a guest blog paragraph appearing on the Hasty Book List about, what else? Spring! I like to say that gardeners are artists expressing creativity when arranging bulbs in the ground just as writers arrange words on a page to make a provocative impact. Colorful tulip displays can whisper or shout. Sometimes, gardeners and writers are intentionally are subtle. You can read what I wrote and what other authors love about spring here. Would you like to read what Carol, the protagonist in my novel, likes about spring? Here’s an excerpt!SPRING 1944 CHAPTER EXCERPT – THE MOMENTS BETWEEN DREAMS, A NOVEL by J.F. Brenner
On the first Sunday Joe could travel home in April, he hopped aboard a streetcar for the fifty-minute ride and short half-mile walk to my front door. Tulips popped through melting snow near the front porch where I waited. My eyes followed Tommy’s baseball sailing up to the roofline. It smacked in his glove just as I caught sight of Joe coming down the sidewalk in his sailor uniform. I felt that warm attraction all over again. Tommy tossed his mitt to the ground and ran to his father. The uniform and Joe’s purposeful stride made him look important. His frame looked stronger but thinner at the waist. A man fit to serve. He ruffled Tommy’s hair, then dropped his duffle bag and picked me up. “Hi, doll. You look beautiful. Hey, I smell something good in there. But first, let me look at you.” I felt the rush I always got when first seeing him, his skin now tanned from outdoor assignments.
***
Later that week, I brought tulips from my garden for the nurses’ station, getting to know Margaret, the charge nurse who worked weekends. The next time I saw her, I asked, “Could you use some coffee coupons this month?”
“Oh, I get enough free hot coffee here. Thanks much, Mrs. Wozniak. You keep them. WWII ration coupons are hard to come by.”
“You know my Ellie is up in the polio ward.”
“Yes, the cute little girl with the dark wavy hair.”
“Her dad’s in the military, locally assigned at Navy Pier because of her illness. Somedays he can get a Liberty pass to visit. Can you please let him visit Ellie on a Sunday?”
“Sorry, that’s against regulations.” *** (Find out why and how Carol must sweeten the deal to relax regulations!)
Preorder the book today! Bookshop.org. Amazon, or check your favorite retailer. Better yet, buy one signed at the May 24 book launch!
The post Spring Book Launch, The Moments Between Dreams, Plus an Excerpt from Novel! appeared first on Judith F Brenner.
February 14, 2022
When a Romantic Request to Dress Goes Too Far
The Ego Stroke of Being Asked Out Boosts Self-Esteem
That loving, longing look your way from a potential partner is flattering, but if you are craving attention, having missed it during the pandemic, you might be vulnerable. It’s ok to let your guard down, as long as it’s up by the second or third date. After all, it’s flattering to be wanted. Your confidence might be boosted when a compatible mate prospect wants to get to know you better. You’re flattered by the attention that comes your way, especially since humans crave touch, interaction, hugs, a desire to be desired. When the focus is on you, you might be caught up in the lovely and much deserved attention, especially if you’ve felt overshadowed by others, and finally it is your turn. The attention is welcome. One can get an ego stroke and even measure self-worth by how many people notice you when you are feeling attractive, especially in front of a potential suitor. Ideally, your suitor isn’t shallow, but initially, getting the wink and nod might be just what you need to lift spirits after a long time of not being noticed. However, once that suitor starts telling you what to wear for the next date, it may be time to distance again. While it is unusual, there are red flags even while on a first date that a person might watch for should a mate have a desire to control you to satisfy their own needs.
How Red Flags Appear in Life and in Fiction
In my novel, The Moments Between Dreams, the initial signal that something is awry comes in the first flashback. The protagonist Carol can’t control how tall she is; her beautiful long legs are God’s gift to her shape. When I was writing the scene, I recalled hearing a story from a male acquaintance about how he met his mate. He’d walk near an attractive woman and if he was taller than her, he’d consider asking her to dance. But in the fiction novel, Carol is sitting, so her potential dance partner doesn’t know her height. She’s a tall, strong single woman who isn’t shy to dance with a stranger. When handsome Joe succeeds to dance her feet right out of her high-heeled shoes, and gets her to agree to wear shorter heels on their next date, this red flag goes unnoticed.
Why not aim to please your date since there is a mutual attraction? Is the request of dressing a certain way to please the partner a matter of control? There are limits. Suggestions about what to wear can be very flattering, and a former boyfriend of mine liked the look of high-heeled boots when we went out. I once changed outfits twice before he was happy how I looked.
When He Tells You What to Wear, Watch Out
Innocent suggestions about what to wear initially can become second nature to a mate who wants you to conform to their world of expectations, and what they perceive looks good or makes them look or feel good about the couple image. We’ve heard of the mature man wanting to date the gorgeous trophy wife, but what if his trophy is a wife forced to dress down so no one will want her but him?
Clothes, shoes, the bags we carry, and even our hairstyles form our own individual style based on our own identities. When someone wants to change how you look, to suit their need to have control, watch out! What seems as a romantic request initially can be a signal for more demands later. Romantic suggestions that dictate how you look might be coercive in nature, so keep your heart free of chains this Valentine’s Day!
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October 6, 2021
The Moments Between Dreams
The Moments Between Dreams by Judith F. Brenner – Book Cover Reveal
Watch for Pre-order opportunities at year-end. Endorsements accepted through December 2021. Release date in Spring 2022. Published by Greenleaf Book Group. Join my mail list for updates.
The post The Moments Between Dreams appeared first on Judith F Brenner.
August 30, 2021
What’s in a Name? A Novel’s Title Unveiling Coming Soon!
Naming a person in the flesh came easily to me thanks to the baby name books on my shelf purchased while I was pregnant. I named my infant daughter before I met her. I had chosen a backup name in case I gave birth to a boy. I easily named the second baby, having reserved the boy’s name, and only had to dream up a girl’s name, which came in handy. It was a joy to have God surprise me.
Inventing characters in my novel came naturally to me and naming them was easy as their identities came floating down to the page within the setting and era in which they lived. I consulted my old Baby Name books anyway, to see about special meanings. Saying the names aloud, and then tapping them out on the keyboard felt natural: Carol, Joe, Tommy, Ellie. I imagined the characters each looked like their author given names. They lovingly said them in dialog to each other.
Taking my husband’s last name when I married was less natural, since for the first 28 years of my life, I was always a Paprock. Even that name was changed, accidentally, from Paprocki. The latter is a popular Polish name of descendants from Poland living in Chicago. When my great grandfather had his truck painted, his customers noticed before he did that the “i” was left off the end, and his caged chickens rode around the south side of Chicago in the Paprock truck. His sons took on the name when they were registered for school, and any children born since went by Paprock.
Changing my last name from Paprock to Brenner came slowly and deliberately. I kept a separate checking account under my maiden name as a newlywed. I didn’t feel compelled to write Brenner down officially until I needed to renew a government-issued ID. Then when I switched jobs, I was comfortable introducing myself as a Brenner, and noticed that moving up in the alphabet in the office directory had its advantages. I was no longer in the middle of the pack and there were fewer requests about my last name’s spelling.
I named my first fiction novel, “Wheels to Liberty,” back in 2011 when Chapter One was first penned. The original title is a play on words of wheels in wheelchairs offering a sense of independence to get around, like that liberating feeling of having one’s first drivers’ license. The word, liberty, was patriotic during WWII. In the novel, two characters are restricted from driving, and one must use a wheelchair. Today, there are women in the Middle East and living in Afghanistan who are prohibited from driving, or worse. The theme of empowering women to take the wheel stood out to me.
Like my great grandfather’s chicken truck, I’m painting over the title page, but not by accident. It’s time for the novel to grow up and take on a proper name that will resonate with more readers of Women’s fiction. Giving up the original name Wheels to Liberty feels much like the transformation when taking on a new identity. It’s a rite of passage, a milestone, yet it is renaming the same holistic being, if you consider a book to bring a story alive. This debut novel deserves a title that conveys courage and hope in dark times. The chosen keywords will invoke a feeling of promise and intrigue. The title chosen will be one that a reader will want to get to know, and look what’s inside, and by the end, find out what makes this new title tick!
I’ll be unveiling a new title next month and subsequently celebrating the rebirth of this novel after an editing process is complete. I’m in suspense, too! This naming process is more difficult than any process I’ve experienced, and the weight of its importance feels like all others I’ve gone through. At the end of the day, it’s what is inside that counts.
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July 20, 2021
Vaccine Hope, Iron Will
My debut novel, Wheels to Liberty, is a Women’s Fiction novel that includes an iron will by the protagonist to take control of her life. It also touches on the scare of polio. “Iron Will,” a title to a video clip and blog post this month by Bill Gates in his essay about the historical invention of the Iron Lung, offers a historical perspective included in the time scope of my fictional story with a dose of factual history. The fear of a new vaccine and fear of not having a cure are as relevant today as those issues were back in the 1940s and 1950s. Please join my mailing list to learn of updates on my book’s path to publishing, it’s release, and if so inclined, click on this link to learn about the iron lung which helped children and adults breathe when a virus claimed their bodies. #WheelsToLiberty #empowering-women-to-take-the-wheel. https://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/An-important-moment-in-the-fight-against-polio
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July 10, 2021
A Historical Novel to Address a Timely Issue
When I read about shootings by ex-boyfriends, ex-husbands, or current spouses, it breaks my heart to know people can’t escape the violence even with restraining orders in place. The characters in my novel are intended to bring this issue to the forefront, showing the challenges that make leaving an abuser complicated. However, society, close friends and family can help those in the crosshairs, by asking, “Do you feel safe at home?” The answer can motivate even strangers to offer a safe place to hide, before permanent change can happen.
My novel, Wheels to Liberty, showcases a Chicago homemaker Carol who dedicates herself to her daughter Ellie’s recovery so that she’ll learn to walk again. While husband Joe is in the Navy, Carol befriends handsome Sam, a Chicago newsman who is covering the polio epidemic. Joe returns from WWII with a violent streak, thwarting Carol’s efforts to empower Ellie to overcome struggles while Joe’s favored son Tom competes for his parents’ attention. When Joe’s threats and restrictions impede Ellie’s future independence, Carol must make a choice, knowing that accepting help from Sam or her siblings endangers them all.
I will keep historical fiction fans informed when it is released in 2022. Please join my mailing list for updates.
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