Lisette Brodey's Blog - Posts Tagged "secrets"
SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO & CROOKED MOON
Greetings Goodreads friends:
On March 18th, 2009, I published my novel, SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO on Amazon.com in the Kindle (eBook) edition. (Note: The paperback edition of SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO was published in June 2009.)
While this will be my second-published novel, it is actually my first-written book. For reasons that are valid or invalid (only time will tell), I chose to publish my second novel, CROOKED MOON, as my debut novel.
Let me tell you a little bit about SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO:
On March 18th, 2009, I published my novel, SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO on Amazon.com in the Kindle (eBook) edition. (Note: The paperback edition of SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO was published in June 2009.)
While this will be my second-published novel, it is actually my first-written book. For reasons that are valid or invalid (only time will tell), I chose to publish my second novel, CROOKED MOON, as my debut novel.
Let me tell you a little bit about SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO:
Darla McKendrick is nine when she first hears her mother and her aunt Didi secretly discussing their younger sister, Rebecca, speculating about her life in squalor. From the moment Darla asks to know more about her mysterious aunt, she is offered nothing but half-truths, distortions, and evasions. As Darla grows into her teen years, her life is oddly yet profoundly affected by this woman she has never known. She can’t help but notice that Rebecca seems to exist only in dark corners of conversations and that no one ever wants to talk about her—with Darla. Neither Darla nor her three cousins have a clue about their aunt, yet their respective parents appear to recoil in fear at the sound of her name.
SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO is a coming-of-age story shrouded in family mystery. As the plot takes twists and turns, secrets are revealed not only to Darla but to the “secret keepers” as well. Darla learns that families are only as strong as the truths they hold and as weak as the secrets they keep.
****************************************************
For those who might be interested in my current novel, CROOKED MOON, here's a synopsis:
As children, Frankie Cavalese and Callie Mason were the very best of friends, growing up together on opposite walls of a row home in a blue-collar neighborhood of Philadelphia called Rainytown. The friendship they shared was special - the kind that storybook heroines had - and neither ever considered the possibility of it not lasting forever. But after high school, life interfered and circumstances separated them as they each went on to live drastically different lives.
Twenty-three years later, one hot Rainytown summer, the lives of these women suddenly come crashing back together. To complicate the fragile reunion, Callie's marriage is suddenly at risk, further complicated by the affections of (and attraction to) Frankie's brother, Paulie. Tensions and passions explode in the sweltering heat, and amidst pain and tragedy, each woman not only ends up with a life-altering secret regarding the other, but the burning question of what to do with it.
Thank you all for taking the time to read about my novels. I wish each and every one of you the very best of luck with your own personal endeavors, and always,
Happy Reading!
Lisette
WHY DOES YOUR BOOK HAVE SUCH A WEIRD TITLE?
Okay, I’ll admit it. My recently published Young Adult/General Fiction novel, SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO, has a downright bizarre title, especially since it’s only peripherally about squalor and not at all about New Mexico.
The seed for the title/book began in my childhood. Every time I heard it said that someone lived in squalor, it sounded like a place to me. For years, I had the identical notion every time I heard the word: “Is Squalor a town?” “Is it a city?” “Where is it?” The word “squalor” nagged at me. The universe and the word were trying to tell me something. (“Write a novel! Write a novel!”)
It was then that I decided that I wanted to begin a novel with the sentence: “My aunt lived in Squalor.” I had no idea who the main character would be, who her aunt would be and why said aunt would live in Squalor, but it all began from there. I built a 159,000-word book (445-pages) completely around my desire to use that opening sentence. Though it is not specifically stated, the book is set in the 1970s in an east coast suburb.
The first page of the book explains the unusual title:
My aunt Rebecca lived in Squalor. I first heard my mother and my aunt Didi discussing this one day when I was nine. I was supposed to be in my bedroom doing homework, but I snuck down the back stairs into the kitchen for a McIntosh apple and an Oreo cookie. Mom and Aunt Didi were close by in the dining room, huddled together at the corner of the table, as they often were, and they were talking about Aunt Rebecca. To me, the most curious thing about Aunt Rebecca, whom I had never met, was that Mom and Aunt Didi only brought her up when they thought no one was listening.
“I’m sure she’s still living in squalor,” Aunt Didi told Mom authoritatively. “Unless she’s screwed her way out!”
I had no idea what all that meant, but it seemed like such an odd thing to say that I was willing to take the risk of letting my presence be known and ask.
“What’s squalor, Mom?” I said, walking into the dining room.
“Goodness, Darla!” Mom said putting her hand to her throat. “How long have you been listening?”
“Not long. I just came down for an apple.” (I thought it best not to mention the cookie.) “What’s squalor, Mom?” I repeated.
Aunt Didi, knowing Mom would be loath to answer my question, took hold of the reins for her. “It’s a town in New Mexico, Darla. It’s an Indian name.”
Mom looked at Aunt Didi in amazement. I figured she hadn’t known what it meant, either.
“Oh,” I said. And then I took a bite out of my apple.
“You have a book report due tomorrow,” Mom said.
“I know,” I said, taking another bite.
“Well, you’re not going to get it done standing here, are you?”
“I guess not,” I replied reluctantly. “All right, I’m going. Mom?”
“Yes, Darla?” she asked impatiently.
“What did Aunt Didi mean about—”
“Please dear,” Mom pleaded softly. “Go upstairs and finish your—”
“But Mom, I really want to know what—”
“Darla!” Aunt Didi screamed. “Listen to your mother. Go upstairs, now, and finish your book report!”
“All right. Forget it!” I said indignantly. “How am I supposed to learn stuff if I don’t ask?”
So, friends, now you know. SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO began as a lie told to a child to quell her curiosity and ended up being the unlikely symbol for all of the lies, secrets and twisted truths that can destroy a family. It is a coming-of-age story shrouded in family mystery, and yes, I’ll admit it: it has a very strange title.
SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO is available on Amazon.com. It can also be purchased at my website: www.lisettebrodey.com. My first-published novel, CROOKED MOON, was released in 2008.
Gullivera, who resides on the rocks in Malibu, CA, enjoys her copy of SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO.
The seed for the title/book began in my childhood. Every time I heard it said that someone lived in squalor, it sounded like a place to me. For years, I had the identical notion every time I heard the word: “Is Squalor a town?” “Is it a city?” “Where is it?” The word “squalor” nagged at me. The universe and the word were trying to tell me something. (“Write a novel! Write a novel!”)
It was then that I decided that I wanted to begin a novel with the sentence: “My aunt lived in Squalor.” I had no idea who the main character would be, who her aunt would be and why said aunt would live in Squalor, but it all began from there. I built a 159,000-word book (445-pages) completely around my desire to use that opening sentence. Though it is not specifically stated, the book is set in the 1970s in an east coast suburb.
The first page of the book explains the unusual title:
My aunt Rebecca lived in Squalor. I first heard my mother and my aunt Didi discussing this one day when I was nine. I was supposed to be in my bedroom doing homework, but I snuck down the back stairs into the kitchen for a McIntosh apple and an Oreo cookie. Mom and Aunt Didi were close by in the dining room, huddled together at the corner of the table, as they often were, and they were talking about Aunt Rebecca. To me, the most curious thing about Aunt Rebecca, whom I had never met, was that Mom and Aunt Didi only brought her up when they thought no one was listening.
“I’m sure she’s still living in squalor,” Aunt Didi told Mom authoritatively. “Unless she’s screwed her way out!”
I had no idea what all that meant, but it seemed like such an odd thing to say that I was willing to take the risk of letting my presence be known and ask.
“What’s squalor, Mom?” I said, walking into the dining room.
“Goodness, Darla!” Mom said putting her hand to her throat. “How long have you been listening?”
“Not long. I just came down for an apple.” (I thought it best not to mention the cookie.) “What’s squalor, Mom?” I repeated.
Aunt Didi, knowing Mom would be loath to answer my question, took hold of the reins for her. “It’s a town in New Mexico, Darla. It’s an Indian name.”
Mom looked at Aunt Didi in amazement. I figured she hadn’t known what it meant, either.
“Oh,” I said. And then I took a bite out of my apple.
“You have a book report due tomorrow,” Mom said.
“I know,” I said, taking another bite.
“Well, you’re not going to get it done standing here, are you?”
“I guess not,” I replied reluctantly. “All right, I’m going. Mom?”
“Yes, Darla?” she asked impatiently.
“What did Aunt Didi mean about—”
“Please dear,” Mom pleaded softly. “Go upstairs and finish your—”
“But Mom, I really want to know what—”
“Darla!” Aunt Didi screamed. “Listen to your mother. Go upstairs, now, and finish your book report!”
“All right. Forget it!” I said indignantly. “How am I supposed to learn stuff if I don’t ask?”
So, friends, now you know. SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO began as a lie told to a child to quell her curiosity and ended up being the unlikely symbol for all of the lies, secrets and twisted truths that can destroy a family. It is a coming-of-age story shrouded in family mystery, and yes, I’ll admit it: it has a very strange title.
SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO is available on Amazon.com. It can also be purchased at my website: www.lisettebrodey.com. My first-published novel, CROOKED MOON, was released in 2008.
Gullivera, who resides on the rocks in Malibu, CA, enjoys her copy of SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO.
Excerpts of CROOKED MOON now available!
Hello Friends:
I will now be offering excerpts of my novel, Crooked Moon at Whispers of the Muse. As of this writing, February 8, 2010, Chapter One is available to be read. I will be releasing at total of four chapters.
Crooked Moon, first and foremost, is a human drama, an emotional journey into the lives of two women and those closest to them.
As children, Frankie Cavalese and Callie Mason were the very best of friends, growing up together behind opposite walls of a row home in a blue-collar neighborhood of Philadelphia called Rainytown. The friendship they shared was special - the kind that storybook heroines had - and neither ever considered the possibility of it not lasting forever. But after high school, life interfered and circumstances separated them as they each went on to live in drastically different worlds.
Twenty-three years later, one hot unsettled summer, their lives come crashing back together when Callie, who has led a life of privilege, returns to Rainytown and finds her old friend still living in her childhood home, unmarried, and caring for her angry dying mother, Ruby. Frankie is faded. Her signature tenacity is threadbare as she routinely implores her playboy brother, Paulie, to help ease the burden of being their mother’s sole caregiver.
As the two women reconnect, Frankie tries to forgive Callie for abandoning the friendship, while Callie wrestles with the guilt of having disappeared.
To complicate the fragile reunion, Callie's marriage to her husband, Jackson, is suddenly at risk, further muddled by the affections of (and attraction to) Paulie. Tensions and passions explode in the sweltering heat, and amid pain and tragedy, each woman not only ends up with a life-altering secret regarding the other, but the burning question of what to do with it.
Crooked Moon is a story about us all. As a writer, I attempt to show our strengths and weaknesses, the validity and the hypocrisy of our convictions, the resiliency of our spirit, and the humor and humanity in our adversity.
http://www.whispersofthemuse.org/Auth...
The first three chapter of my YA novel, Squalor, New Mexico are also available on this site.
Hope everyone is surviving the winter!
Happy Reading,
Lisette
I will now be offering excerpts of my novel, Crooked Moon at Whispers of the Muse. As of this writing, February 8, 2010, Chapter One is available to be read. I will be releasing at total of four chapters.
Crooked Moon, first and foremost, is a human drama, an emotional journey into the lives of two women and those closest to them.
As children, Frankie Cavalese and Callie Mason were the very best of friends, growing up together behind opposite walls of a row home in a blue-collar neighborhood of Philadelphia called Rainytown. The friendship they shared was special - the kind that storybook heroines had - and neither ever considered the possibility of it not lasting forever. But after high school, life interfered and circumstances separated them as they each went on to live in drastically different worlds.
Twenty-three years later, one hot unsettled summer, their lives come crashing back together when Callie, who has led a life of privilege, returns to Rainytown and finds her old friend still living in her childhood home, unmarried, and caring for her angry dying mother, Ruby. Frankie is faded. Her signature tenacity is threadbare as she routinely implores her playboy brother, Paulie, to help ease the burden of being their mother’s sole caregiver.
As the two women reconnect, Frankie tries to forgive Callie for abandoning the friendship, while Callie wrestles with the guilt of having disappeared.
To complicate the fragile reunion, Callie's marriage to her husband, Jackson, is suddenly at risk, further muddled by the affections of (and attraction to) Paulie. Tensions and passions explode in the sweltering heat, and amid pain and tragedy, each woman not only ends up with a life-altering secret regarding the other, but the burning question of what to do with it.
Crooked Moon is a story about us all. As a writer, I attempt to show our strengths and weaknesses, the validity and the hypocrisy of our convictions, the resiliency of our spirit, and the humor and humanity in our adversity.
http://www.whispersofthemuse.org/Auth...
The first three chapter of my YA novel, Squalor, New Mexico are also available on this site.
Hope everyone is surviving the winter!
Happy Reading,
Lisette
Celebrate e-Book Week
Hello Friends:
In celebration of eBook Week, ireadiwrite.com is selling all eBooks for half price. I hope you'll check out my novel, CROOKED MOON!
Happy Reading!
Lisette
In celebration of eBook Week, ireadiwrite.com is selling all eBooks for half price. I hope you'll check out my novel, CROOKED MOON!
Happy Reading!
Lisette
New Edition of SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO on sale now!
Hi Friends:
I'm happy to announce that the new edition of my YA novel, SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO, is now on sale in paperback on Amazon.com with 20% off the retail price. (Available in Kindle, too!)
Darla McKendrick is nine when she first hears her mother and her aunt Didi secretly discussing their younger sister, Rebecca, speculating about her life in squalor. From the moment Darla asks to know more about her mysterious aunt, she is offered nothing but half-truths, distortions, and evasions.
As Darla grows into her teen years, her life is oddly yet profoundly affected by this woman she has never known. She can't help but notice that Rebecca seems to exist only in dark corners of conversations and that no one ever wants to talk about her-with Darla.
SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO is a coming-of-age story shrouded in family mystery. As the plot takes twists and turns, secrets are revealed not only to Darla but to the "secret keepers" as well. Darla learns that families are only as strong as the truths they hold and as weak as the secrets they keep.
http://tinyurl.com/mzqpnp
Happy Reading & Writing to all!
Best wishes,
Lisette
I'm happy to announce that the new edition of my YA novel, SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO, is now on sale in paperback on Amazon.com with 20% off the retail price. (Available in Kindle, too!)
Darla McKendrick is nine when she first hears her mother and her aunt Didi secretly discussing their younger sister, Rebecca, speculating about her life in squalor. From the moment Darla asks to know more about her mysterious aunt, she is offered nothing but half-truths, distortions, and evasions.
As Darla grows into her teen years, her life is oddly yet profoundly affected by this woman she has never known. She can't help but notice that Rebecca seems to exist only in dark corners of conversations and that no one ever wants to talk about her-with Darla.
SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO is a coming-of-age story shrouded in family mystery. As the plot takes twists and turns, secrets are revealed not only to Darla but to the "secret keepers" as well. Darla learns that families are only as strong as the truths they hold and as weak as the secrets they keep.
http://tinyurl.com/mzqpnp
Happy Reading & Writing to all!
Best wishes,
Lisette
SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO now available for all eReaders!
Hello Friends:
I'm happy to announce that my YA novel, SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO, is now available in multiple eBook formats at ireadiwrite.com - Omnilit.com and Smashwords.com for just $4.99. In the days to come, SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO will be available in many other e-venues as well.
SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO, a coming-of-age story shrouded in family mystery, is set in east coast suburbia in the not-too-distant past.
A recent reader told me that her 18-year-old daughter thought it was "way cool" to read a YA novel about family problems, secrets, and mysteries that didn't involve cell phones, text messages, emails or computers. Sometimes good old-fashioned sleuthing has its merits, indeed!
Additionally, my first-published novel, CROOKED MOON, is also available at ireadiwrite.com for the reduced price of $4.99 as well.
CROOKED MOON is the story of two childhood best friends who reunite after twenty-three years after leading very different lives. Their lives collide one hot Philadelphia summer and each ends up with a life-altering secret regarding the other.
Both books are also available on Amazon.com in both Trade Paperback and Kindle editions.
Happy Reading! Happy Writing to All!
Lisette
I'm happy to announce that my YA novel, SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO, is now available in multiple eBook formats at ireadiwrite.com - Omnilit.com and Smashwords.com for just $4.99. In the days to come, SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO will be available in many other e-venues as well.
SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO, a coming-of-age story shrouded in family mystery, is set in east coast suburbia in the not-too-distant past.
A recent reader told me that her 18-year-old daughter thought it was "way cool" to read a YA novel about family problems, secrets, and mysteries that didn't involve cell phones, text messages, emails or computers. Sometimes good old-fashioned sleuthing has its merits, indeed!
Additionally, my first-published novel, CROOKED MOON, is also available at ireadiwrite.com for the reduced price of $4.99 as well.
CROOKED MOON is the story of two childhood best friends who reunite after twenty-three years after leading very different lives. Their lives collide one hot Philadelphia summer and each ends up with a life-altering secret regarding the other.
Both books are also available on Amazon.com in both Trade Paperback and Kindle editions.
Happy Reading! Happy Writing to All!
Lisette
HALF-PRICE eBook Sale: 10/10/2010 for 10 days!
Hi Friends:
Just wanted to let you know that for a week, my two novels (in eBook format) will be featured at ireadiwrite.com for the half-price discount of $2.50 each.
SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO (YA) is a coming-of-age story shrouded in family mystery and CROOKED MOON (general fiction) is the story of two friends (who have lived very different lives) who reunite after 23 years one hot, August summer.
Both books are chock full of all kinds of juicy secrets and quirky characters.
I'm delighted to have my novels featured at ireadiwrite.com -- a great store for independent authors, and I hope you'll check out my books and all of the other new, emerging authors.
If you're reading this after the special has expired, please note that both novels are regularly priced at $4.99.
Trade paperback editions of both novels are available on Amazon.com. You can also read more on my website: www.lisettebrodey.com
If you're on Facebook, please check out my public page under "Lisette Brodey, Author." I'd be honored if you'd join my FB page! To all writers, if you also have a FB author page, I'd love to "like" yours, too!
Happy Reading; Happy Writing!
Lisette
Just wanted to let you know that for a week, my two novels (in eBook format) will be featured at ireadiwrite.com for the half-price discount of $2.50 each.
SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO (YA) is a coming-of-age story shrouded in family mystery and CROOKED MOON (general fiction) is the story of two friends (who have lived very different lives) who reunite after 23 years one hot, August summer.
Both books are chock full of all kinds of juicy secrets and quirky characters.
I'm delighted to have my novels featured at ireadiwrite.com -- a great store for independent authors, and I hope you'll check out my books and all of the other new, emerging authors.
If you're reading this after the special has expired, please note that both novels are regularly priced at $4.99.
Trade paperback editions of both novels are available on Amazon.com. You can also read more on my website: www.lisettebrodey.com
If you're on Facebook, please check out my public page under "Lisette Brodey, Author." I'd be honored if you'd join my FB page! To all writers, if you also have a FB author page, I'd love to "like" yours, too!
Happy Reading; Happy Writing!
Lisette
SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO Kindle edition $2.99 for January 2011
Hi Friends:
Just wanted to let you know that my Young Adult novel, SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO, is now only $2.99 for the Amazon Kindle version for the month of January 2011.
Listen to the main character in my novel, Darla McKendrick, tell you all about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkZVqr...
Hope everyone is doing great. Happy Reading! Happy Writing!
Lisette
Just wanted to let you know that my Young Adult novel, SQUALOR, NEW MEXICO, is now only $2.99 for the Amazon Kindle version for the month of January 2011.
Listen to the main character in my novel, Darla McKendrick, tell you all about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkZVqr...
Hope everyone is doing great. Happy Reading! Happy Writing!
Lisette
SUMMER READING SPECIAL!
SUMMER READING SPECIAL! From now until June 6th, I'm offering the Kindle edition of my YA novel, "Squalor, New Mexico" for only .99. This oddly titled book takes place in east coast suburbia during the 70s, and is the story of how lies and secrets can fracture a family, especially with the passage of time. While this is classified as a Young Adult novel, it is for people of all ages. :-)
http://amzn.to/jVH3pq
http://amzn.to/jVH3pq
.99 Sale for MOLLY HACKER IS TOO PICKY! extended.
Hi Everyone:
Last week, my character, Molly Hacker, decided to run a week-long Kindle sale of her novel, Molly Hacker Is Too Picky! But …
… Molly has decided to extend the sale of the e-book edition of her novel. Some people are a glutton for punishment. I guess she wants everyone to know her crazy innermost thoughts, to learn the explosive secrets of friend and foe alike in Swansea, and of course, to find out if indeed, Molly Hacker really is too picky! Available on Kindle on Amazon: http://amzn.to/IFsHMk and also on Apple for .99.
Molly Hacker Is Too Picky! is a romantic comedy that makes a great Mother's Day gift!
Last week, my character, Molly Hacker, decided to run a week-long Kindle sale of her novel, Molly Hacker Is Too Picky! But …
… Molly has decided to extend the sale of the e-book edition of her novel. Some people are a glutton for punishment. I guess she wants everyone to know her crazy innermost thoughts, to learn the explosive secrets of friend and foe alike in Swansea, and of course, to find out if indeed, Molly Hacker really is too picky! Available on Kindle on Amazon: http://amzn.to/IFsHMk and also on Apple for .99.
Molly Hacker Is Too Picky! is a romantic comedy that makes a great Mother's Day gift!
