Teri M. Brown's Blog, page 39

Teri M Brown Discusses Sunflowers Beneath the Snow on All Things Moore County with Bill Sahadi

Author Teri M. Brown, with ties to Moore County, has a story to tell. Sunflowers Beneath the Snow is her debut novel and was written and edited while working at the Writers-in-Residence program at the Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities.

The novel, set in Ukraine, explores the tenacity of women, showing that even in grueling circumstances, they can and do, experience all the good things life has to offer- compassion, joy, love, faith and wonder.

Her own story of reflection, family, and her life find their way into the characters of the book in such a way that life lessons are shared that are inspirational, heartfelt and hopeful, no matter what age or stage of life you are in.

​www.terimbrown.com

Midwest Book Review - Editorial Review of Sunflowers Beneath the Snow

Decisions hold consequences beyond those who make them, sometimes resonating through generations. That's one of the messages in Sunflowers Beneath the Snow, a historical novel which follows the interconnected lives of three generations of women changed by the Ukraine's downfall under the Soviets and an act of betrayal.

Simple people can be transformed by political strife and events that reach into their homes and lives: "How had he gone from a simple man – Lyaksandro Hadeon Rosomakha – a university employee, a son, a father, and a husband – to a man facing a decision at the end of a gun? What had pulled him into a life littered with secret meetings, men with no names, and information passed in the hours between darkness and dawn?"

What is worth living and dying for when everything changes and personal survival takes precedence over moral and ethical foundations? Ukrainian rebel Lyaksandro's choice resonates through the psyches of Ivanna, Ionna, and Yevtsye.
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Vivid passages capture these characters and the conundrums they face as political influence and rebellion change their lives and loves forever: "He regarded his hands, realizing they were capable of both stroking his wife’s cheek and effectively signing her death certificate."

While readers receive a good deal of history about the Soviet takeover of the Ukraine and events that happen afterwards, there is no need for prior familiarity with any of these events.

Teri M. Brown crafts a story that operates on emotional levels. It uses history and politics as a backdrop for closely considering love, hate, betrayal, and redemption. This allows the story to be solidly cemented in interpersonal relationships and the concurrent choices of three women affected by circumstance, those around them, and their own hearts.

As Yevt summons the courage to share family secrets with her prodigy, who will carry their consequences to future generations, readers receive a powerful story that excels in its examination of the long-term, wide-ranging effects of these choices: "Her father’s death was a turning point in her life, and one that obviously still caused her pain, but it was a pain she didn’t share. He often considered the silence on the matter was to protect herself from further pain as much as it was to protect her mother."​

The result is a compelling novel of different generations changed by events both within and beyond their control.
 
Sunflowers Beneath the Snow represents an intersection of facts and fiction that proved challenging for Brown to capture ("Sunflowers Beneath the Snow...did not start with a spark, but rather a red-hot coal...it took me three years to figure out how to stay true to her experiences, while at the same time, staying true to the craft of fiction writing. Although names have been changed and circumstances are of my own creation, the basic premise of the story is true. This is, without a doubt, a case where truth is far more powerful than fiction.").
 
Readers will depart with both a thoroughly absorbing read that teaches them about the Ukraine at a key, pivotal point in its history just when people best need to understand these past events in order to absorb the present-day challenges that nation faces.
 
Historical fiction collections will find Sunflowers Beneath the Snow an enlightening, compelling read.

Independent Book Review's Editorial Review of Sunflowers Beneath the Snow

A resounding novel that delves into the past and present of three generations of women who all have their own stories to tell.

Sunflowers Beneath the Snow tells the story of a Ukrainian rebel and the impact of his decisions on the lives of three generations of women: his wife, their daughter, and their granddaughter. 

Author Teri M. Brown shows, through the lens of family, the power of storytelling and the effect it can have on shaping a child’s life. At once heartbreaking and uplifting, this novel presents a simple story about a complicated subject: holding onto one’s identity in a nation that changes drastically in a lifetime. Brown portrays what unconditional love is for a home country despite what it once was or what it has grown to be. 

The story begins in 1973 when Lyaksandro, a university employee, is faced with the decision to either flee to London to save his life or die in his country of Ukraine as an informant. He cannot relay to his wife (Ivanna) or their daughter (Yevtsye) where he has gone. And for all he knows, they are already dead. 

Ivanna and Yevstye, however, are alive and made to believe that this man who was once their protector is now their betrayer. The two women are lied to and told that Lyaksandro was killed in a fire set by his lover’s husband. 

As the years go by, we follow these two women and their conflicting ideas of what their country should look like and what their roles in it should be. Yevtsye is saddened by her mother’s meager way of life and horrified that she should be so content with her job at a fish market that pays so little. She and her husband, Danya, take Ivanna into their home, and Ivanna naturally forms a bond with her granddaughter, Ionna. We follow Ionna all the way to the United States in the present day, where she lives with the stories of her grandmother and those of her mother, to form a new life and write stories of her own. 

Brown’s story is one in which we can all recognize. Each character has had something precious ripped from them, and they are left to live as best they can without. We are influenced by the stories we are told when we are young, and Brown shows our nature to replace what is missing with stories of what once was and perhaps could be again. We romanticize, and we yearn for those memories to resurface in our own reality, but Brown shows us the pain that living and yearning for the past can cause. 

Lyaksandro’s father would tell him fairytale-like stories about Ukraine before communism and the USSR, and it felt as real to him as his own present. His father died trying to take back his Ukraine, one which flourished in art and culture, and Lyaksandro became a spy in an effort to pick up where his father left off. Surely we can fight for our right to live how we once did, but at what cost? How much influence do the stories we tell our children have on their lives, present and future?
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I’d recommend Sunflowers Beneath the Snow to anyone who seeks to better understand a different generation. Anyone who wishes they were born in a different time will cling to the family at the core of this novel. I’d recommend it to anyone who could recount stories told to them by their parents or grandparents as if they were their own experiences and memories. Brown will make you recall feelings of nostalgia for a time that you never experienced, a reminder that if your elders lived it, in a sense, you have lived it, too.

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Would You Be Able to Make the Call?

It's that time again - are you ready to meet another one of my favorite characters?
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This time, the character is Ellen Gleeson from the novel Look Again by Lisa Scottoline. Ellen is a single, adoptive mom who comes home one day to find a photo of a missing boy in her mailbox - and the boy looks remarkably like her son.

As a mom, I immediately found Ellen relatable and realistic. She loves her son fiercely. But what will that love look like? Does it look like throwing away the postcard or does it look like finding the truth? Is it possible to want both? Can you love someone enough to do something that could be painful to both of you because it is the right thing to do?

Throughout the pages, I felt Ellen's love for her son and experienced her angst. The author did a great job creating a vivid picture of Ellen's feelings and her determination.
I wont' tell you how it ends, but I will tell you that you will love Look Again!

Happy Reading!
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​PS: If you haven't already done so, buy a copy of Sunflowers Beneath the Snow. You are sure to love Ivanna, Yevtsye, and Ionna, 

Conversations with Authors

​Teri M Brown: From North Carolina to the Ukraine...Would you like to learn more about Sunflowers Beneath the Snow? And more about me, Teri M Brown? Then you'll love this podcast with Allison Thompson, aka The Proof Fairy as we discuss the book, why I write, how I write, and what's coming up next.

Enjoy.

Be Part of Something Big in 2022

​I hope your holiday season was amazing. After enjoying family and friends (and spending a huge amount of time on Toys for Tots), I'm ready to settle down into 2022 and start reaching my goals. Of course, the biggest goals of the year revolve around Sunflowers Beneath the Snow, so here are a few quick (and exciting - at least for me) updates:  Book Launch 

January 25th is the official launch date of Sunflowers Beneath the Snow. It is available in print on my website and on Amazon. The ebook version is currently available on my website and will be available on Amazon beginning January 25th.
Editorial Reviews
Sunflowers Beneath the Snow has gotten two editorial reviews - and to be honest, I cried when I read them. I'm still in awe that this is happening.
Diane Lunsford with Feathered Quill wrote: "Ms. Brown spends an admirable amount of time and patience in the development of her characters which gives her audience a sense of walking alongside her as she tells the story." To read the entire review, click here.
Grant Leishman with Readers' Favorite wrote: "This novel is deeply character-driven and the author has done a superb job in developing the principal players in the story and inviting the reader to identify with and root for them, which is ultimately most authors' aim, so kudos to her for that. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and can highly recommend it." To read the entire review, click here.

The Big Ask

I'd love to ask two things of you - buy and read the book if you haven't already AND please leave a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads once you do. I've been learning from a marketing professional how valuable early reviews are to the success of a book - and remember, I have 2022 goals for Sunflowers Beneath the Snow. I'd love for you to be part of this novel's success!

PS: Please, feel free to reach out to me if there is anything I can do that will help you make 2022 a great year for you.

"I love a fuss-budget" said no one until they met Britt-Marie

My goal as an author is to connect my readers with characters they'd love to invite to lunch. So, in addition to introducing you to the characters in my own novels, I want to talk to you about those I find in the books I'm reading.

Today that character is Britt-Marie from Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman. When you first meet Britt-Marie, you may not find her very likeable. She lacks social graces, is completely inflexible, and believes everyone should live their life just like she does - and has no problems telling that to those around her. However, Fredrik Backman weaves a tale in which the reader experiences Britt-Marie's metamorphosis from a fussy, strict rule keeper to a kind, courageous, and feisty woman.

Britt-Marie is like any woman who has ever had to make changes later in life and take a step into the unknown. She gives us hope that we can become who we are meant to become - even if we spent years being someone else. In the end, we must all determine what really matters and then live in a way that honors it.

Britt-Marie is a character that will not disappear after you've read the final page. Without a doubt, she is someone you'd love to invite to lunch.

I highly recommend Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
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Buy It Here

Two Ukrainian Holiday Treats Just for You!

The holiday season is upon us, so I wanted to give offer you a few things to do to celebrate.

Holiday Idea #1 - Fix Bobla'ki

One is to fix a Ukrainian dish served on Christmas Eve called Bobla'ki. These baked balls of dough, served with poppy seeds and honey, will only take 15 minutes to prepare (though they will need to rise twice) and 20 minutes to bake.

Dough Ingredients:
2 cups water (Split into 1.5 cups and 0.5 cups)
3 tablespoons sugar (Split into 2 TB and 1 TB)
2 teaspoons salt
5 tablespoons canola oil
2 packages (2 Tablespoons) active dry yeast
6 cups all-purpose flour
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​Syrup Ingredients
1/2 cup poppy seeds
1/2 cup honey

DirectionsBring 1 1/2 cups water to boil in a medium saucepan. Add 2 TB sugar, salt, and oil. Return to a boil. Remove from stove and cool to until warm.Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water and 1 TB sugar.Place flour in a bowl. Add the water mixture and the yeast mixture.Combine and then knead until smooth. This usually takes 5+ minutes with a stand mixer or 10+ minutes by hand. Cover and let rise until doubled (about an hour).Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.Punch down the dough and place onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough so that it is between 1/2 inch and 1 inch thick.Cut dough into pieces so that you can roll the pieces between your palms to create 1-inch balls.Place the balls, touching, on the lined cookie sheet.Cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let sit until doubled.Preheat oven to 375F.Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned.Cool.
Make the syrup by:Grinding the poppy seeds in a mortar and pestle with a little bit of milk. Warm the honey in the microwave. Mix with the poppy seeds.Dip the bread in the syrup.
Enjoy! And be sure to send me a photos! I'd love to know how they turned out.

Holiday Idea #2 - Buy Yourself a Novel
If your family is like mine, then getting a good book is a welcomed gift! You can order your copy of  Sunflowers Beneath the Snow . I can't promise it will be here by Christmas, but I can promise that it will be worth the wait! Order your copy today!
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I hope your holiday season, however you celebrate, is all that you want it to be.
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Delia Owens Creates Amazing Characters!

My goal as an author is to connect my readers with characters they'd love to invite to lunch. So, in addition to introducing you to the characters in my own novels, I want to talk to you about those I find in the books I'm reading. Today, that character is Kya from Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

We meet Kya as a young child, who very quickly is abandoned by everyone she knows and loves - and yet, she finds a way to not only survive, but thrive. Imagine having to forage for food, hide from those who might wish to harm you, and make your way in a world that doesn't understand you.

That's Kya. And that's me. And that's you. That's every woman who has ever had to do something or be someone simply because we had no other choice.

Despite her experiences - or perhaps, because of them - Kya finds a kind of life satisfaction we all long for. And like the women in Sunflowers Beneath the Snow, she shows us that women, regardless of their circumstances, can, and do, experience all the good things life has to offer - compassion, joy, love, faith, and wonder.

I highly recommend Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. I also know you'll love Ivanna, Yevtsye, and Ionna in Sunflowers Beneath the Snow , too. Preorder it today!