Jessica Knauss's Blog, page 30

Fried Chicken

My husband and I love living in New England, have been trying to get back here ever since we left, and are over the moon with joy now that we're here. In spite of all that, North Carolina was a nice place to live (in a hotel room). Although I never had a good hair day there, I do have pangs of nostalgia for the last place we lived.

For one, some parts of the hotel felt like home. On the morning we left, the staff explained that they would give themselves some time before they rented out the room where we stayed for nearly eight months to avoid the feeling that something was terribly wrong when someone else was in "our room." They also got to know my husband's morning coffee habits so well that they gave him a bagful of his favorite creamer and chocolate as a parting gift. I thought that was really touching. My husband made sure to treat everyone there well from the beginning, but I maintained my shy standoffishness even through all their southern openness and charm.

The immediate difference I've noticed has been our eating habits. In North Carolina, it was possible for me to go weeks with chicken as my only protein. Fried chicken has always been my favorite food (aside from chocolate, which is not food so much as life force), so perhaps you can imagine the bliss of living in a place where all anyone ever eats is fried chicken or pork barbecue. Every restaurant does it differently, and yet every place does it right. How can that be? Even the chain restaurants gave consistently virtuosic performances, with my favorites being Smithfield's (they show you that KFC clearly uses too much black pepper), Zaxby's, and O'Charley's. Any time one of them wants to franchise in New England, I will give them a southern welcome.

Celebrating 50,000 Hits Success

With no disrespect to Edward Hopper — yay, no more hotel room!Thanks to everyone who made my latest Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Blog Hop such a success!

After a crazy week and a half, my husband and I have moved into an apartment. You heard that right — we no longer live in a hotel! We're in New England, where we've been trying to get back to ever since we left five years ago and we couldn't be happier in spite of all the challenges of settling in to an old building.

We managed to get the prizes off to the winners today. Winners came from five different states and all seemed to be thrilled with their prizes. I was especially proud that Tree/House ended up being the most requested title. I hope you all get as much enjoyment out of these wonderful books as I did.

2014 is off to a great start!

Egyptomania by Bob Brier

Although this book is written by an "insider" — Egyptologist Bob Brier has done all the requisite studying and publishing and even working with TV networks — Egyptomania is a read just about everyone will enjoy. It's strange, but nearly everyone on the planet seems to have at least a passing interest in some aspect of ancient Egypt.

Brier traces this preoccupation back to Roman times, when Cleopatra was a living, breathing, and breathtakingly intelligent representative of a culture that was already thousands of years old. I really enjoyed the detail with which he reported on the Renaissance transporting of the obelisk in Rome and Napoleon's savants. The excitement of the discoveries and the melding of scholarly work with popular souvenirs is palpable. There are plenty of illustrations of engravings and later paraphernalia, like cigarette cases in the shape of temples.

The author takes great care to describe the engineering marvels France, England, and New York undertook in order to obtain their obelisks, complete with severe weather and losses at sea. The exaggerated efforts required to move the obelisks in modern times only helps the reader appreciate the unknown genius of the Egyptians who constructed them in the first place.

There is sure to be something new here for even the most avid Egyptomaniac, as Brier goes into the cinematic history of mummies and Cleopatra and how they were portrayed differently according to what discoveries had been made.

Brier rounds up the book by gleefully reporting that he may have made the latest big discovery about the history of every's favorite boy king, Tutankamen. Egyptomania is a fast, enjoyable read that will fan the flames of any enthusiasm you already have (because you probably have some) for ancient Egypt.

You can win my ARC paperback copy of Egyptomania and four other great books if you enter here before January 11!

Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop — Celebrating 50,000 Hits!

Sometime when I wasn't looking (in October, I think), this blog hit a thrilling milestone: 50,000 page views. I never imagined it would come this far.

I've now had many more views than that, but I still thought I would take this opportunity to celebrate by giving you, my readers, FREE BOOKS.

The books up for grabs:

Egyptomania  by Bob Brier. A fun study of the fascination with ancient Egypt in the Western world and a great resource for understanding what the museums are talking about. This is a publisher's Advance Reader's Edition paperback with just a few signs of wear. Full review to come later.

Dragon's Child by M. K. Hume. The first book in a new King Arthur series that's sure to enthrall all round table enthusiasts. Another publisher's Advance Reader's Edition, but with almost no signs of wear.

The Abencerraje. The softcover edition of this enchanting short story from medieval Spain includes the original Spanish with modernized spelling and the popular new English translation. A Top 20 Amazon bestseller and 2013's #2 bestseller at Açedrex Publishing, which has also been adopted as a college textbook.

Tree/House by Jessica Knauss (yours truly). The softcover edition with the gorgeous new cover of my jaw-dropping, head-scratching coming-of-age novella. Highly rated on Amazon, Tree/House gives any reader a lot to ponder.

The Fleet Angels of Lakehurst by Barbara Marriott. Loose Leaves Publishing's first book is a humorous and factual tribute to the Navy helicopter pilots from Lakehurst who saved so many lives. Seven ***** reviews on Amazon and Silver Medalist in the Stars and Flags Military Book Award!

Three fiction, two non-fiction! Prize winners and bestsellers! Have you chosen your favorite yet?

RULES

To win, just comment below. Please tell me which book you'd like and include your email (written out to avoid spam if you desire) so I can contact you for a mailing address if you're a winner. Winners will be drawn on January 11th and notified the same day. Increase the number of times your name is in the "hat" by following this blog via GFC or email, liking my and/or Açedrex Publishing's Facebook page or following me on Twitter or Pinterest. Drawing is open to US residents. (Sorry, I wish postage wasn't so expensive!)

There are a lot of other books that need new homes! Check out all the other blogs on this linky list to enter their drawings — you could get quite a library going!


Thanks for 50,000 magical internet moments! Many more to come!

Welcome 2014 with Manolo García

Note: Starting January 4, I'm participating in the Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop. Five prizes will be up for grabs, so stop by and check it out.

"One Year After Another" by Manolo García
English translation by Jessica Knauss
from Los días intactos (2011)

One day I realized searchingwas what kept me awake.Without a trace of treasures,without finding answers,in the happy morning light.January came and wentthe way a traffic light changeson those confounded highwayswhere I sometimes still feel like a donkey tied at the entrance to the dance.New years came and passed by,Like the lives of monks in monasteries.
One year and another, so much time,so many August moons that pass by.A hot wind came from the south,the deepest south,and in it, you came, intensifying. One year and another.
One day I realized searching was what kept me awake.Without a certain rewardasking myself questionswhile dusting my own buttresses.A wind blew from the south.You came inside it with your heatand your Gypsy talk.You came joyfully in a puffto this pile of trash where we sometimes bog ourselves down. You came inside a light.
Days are bullets and when you yearn to head for the horizon you're already ploughing the deep blue.
One year and another, so much time,so many August moons that pass by.A hot wind came from the south,and in it, you came, and you came yearning.One year and another, so much time,so many August moons that pass by. One year and another, so much time.
A hot wind came from the southfrom the deepest south,And in it you came intensifying,desiring new horizons. One year and another.
Note: "Like a Donkey Tied at the Entrance of the Dance" is the title of one of Manolo García's biggest hits with his former group, El Último de la Fila.
Note: We're finally leaving the hotel! After nearly eight months! We're headed for another hotel... soon to be replaced by an apartment, complete with my books and other items necessary for feeling like home. Catch you on the other side.
Note: Happy New Year!

Third Annual Knauss Awards for Excellent Books

Here we are again! Something that never changes from year to year is my love for reading. It seems I get to do less and less every year, and this time I was further hampered by the fact that I've lived in a hotel room for eight months. Such spaces are not known for their ample bookshelves, and I can confirm that I had zero nice places to store my books. Unless you consider a box under the bed a nice place. (Crimes against literature, I tell you.) On to the winners!

Best FictionThe Color Master by Aimee BenderThe best fiction title of 2013 won by virtue of its being the one I most look forward to having handy on a shelf so I can open it back up and discover something new all over again. The Color Master is full of shimmering language in the service of a vigorous imagination. Read the full review here.

Best Non-FictionClara's Grand Tour by Glynis RidleyThe best nonfiction title this year had more competition than I even remembered, but it's so good it beat out the others even though it was published in 2004. It researches and describes a world-changing moment (two decades) in the eighteenth century when a Dutch sea captain purchased and toured throughout Europe with a female greater one-horned rhinoceros. The author never puts forth ideas without solid evidence to back them up, but so much joy shines through her facts that the reader can't help but conjecture and imagine both the sailor and the rhino as personal acquaintances. It's everything a non-fiction book should be. (Of course, I love anything that helps me learn more about rhinos.)

Best Book I EditedThe Fiery Alphabet by Diane LeferThis category gets more competitive by the minute. Looking back over the year, I actually find it hard to believe I edited The Fiery Alphabet in 2013. I feel like it's been with me forever. That overall fondness, coupled with its exquisite writing and historical, philosophical, sociological plot, make it the best book I edited this year. Read about its debut and an interview with the author here.

I wish I could honor every book I read because reading is such an amazing experience. Congratulations to the winners! Here's to an equally wordy 2014!

Interview: A World of Joy Author K. N. Lee

Author K. N. LeePlease welcome prolific author K. N. Lee! Her story adds some fantasy to the holiday magic of A World of Joy.

JK: What is your story about?

KNL: "The Ticking Ring" is about a young couple in Ireland. Amidst a strange snowstorm, they experience a magical moment that reveals to them what their true dreams and priorities are. Jack and Ella discover a few spectacular things about one another. 

JK: Does the story depart from your usual writing?

KNL: While the anthology  A World of Joy  is about joy, goodwill, family, and the holidays, I knew that I must stay true to my fantastical style. Therefore, the reader can look forward to a few surprises and a hint of magic!


JK: What else can readers find written by you?

KNL: I am the author of the urban-fantasy, The Chronicles of Koa: Netherworld, Thicker Than Blood, and the poetry collections Wicked Webs and Empty Your Heart. The Chronicles of Koa has a sequel called Lyrinian Blade coming out this December!
JK: What are your plans for this holiday season?

KNL: I'm quite the avid traveler, so this Christmas I'll either explore Munich, Germany or go somewhere tropical! I haven't decided, but I'm certain that I'll have a blast working on my next science-fiction series, Freya's Bridge.

JK: Thank you so much for sharing the holiday spirit with us. 

KNL: Thank you! 
Visit any of K. N. Lee's many websites:www.TheChroniclesofKoa.comwww.TheBookNymph.comwww.WriteLikeAWizard.comwww.TheNomadScrolls.com Facebook   [image error] Twitter  

And of course, A World of Joy is available for download now! Thank you, readers, for spending December with the World of Joy authors. Happy Holidays! Come back December 30 for the Knauss Awards.

Interview: A World of Joy Author Juliet Kincaid

Welcome Juliet Kincaid, whose story in A World of Joy features not just people, but also Maine Coon cats.
Q: Tell us about your story.
JK: “Another Christmas Carol” is actually the third of the mystery stories I’ve written involving Jen Shirey, a young female private detective, and several Maine Coon cats. In the first story, “Cat Show Caper,” she meets the cats and their owners, Blanche Hubbard and Blanche’s mother, Mrs. Elvira Jones. In the second, “Catnapped!” Jen travels to the Hubbards’ bed and breakfast located in a small town much like Westin, MO. Here she meets Blanche’s personable son, Eric Hubbard. By time “Another Christmas Carol,” takes place, Eric and Jen have gotten to know each other fairly well and seem ready to take their friendship to the next level — until Eric’s old flame shows up.
Q: What was the inspiration for the tale?
JK: Part of the fun and festivity of the holidays for me is attending productions of seasonal favorites like the Nutcracker Ballet and A Christmas Carol. Also, in and around Kansas City, historical homes are often open to the public with appropriately seasonal decorations and costumed guides. Yet in Dickens’ original story and in our very real lives, we can have mixed feelings about the holidays. Partly, this arises from disappointment when holidays don’t meet our high expectations for them. So Jen’s cranky and not at all joyous to start the story, pretty much like Ebenezer Scrooge, but the story ends happily for Jen, as it does for Scrooge.
Q: What other writing are you working on?
JK: Currently I’m writing and publishing Cinderella, P. I. stories and a novel. Like “Another Christmas Carol,” they’re crime fiction, but not murder mysteries. They have humor and happy endings. Walls, a Cinderella, P. I. Novel is now available as a Kindle eBook and a trade paperback. And Cinderella, P. I., and Other Fairy Tale Mystery Stories is also available as a Kindle eBook. The trade paperback version of the story collection should become available this month. And coming in January 2014: January Jinx, the first in the Calendar historical mystery series.
Q: Do you have holiday traditions of your own? 
JK: My daughter and I are looking forward to attending a friend’s ladies tea, a mystery dinner theatre with a Roaring 20’s theme, and The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, a wild and fun variation on the usual story from the Owen/Cox Dance Group. We will spend Christmas itself quietly with just the two of us. We’ll give each other gifts, eat well (maybe we’ll roast a duck this year), and take joy in being together.
Q: Where can readers fin out more about your writing?
JK: My web site is www.julietkincaid.com, recently restored after a hiatus. I post blogs on a variety of subjects including my experiences launching a new career after the age of sixty and what I learn from the books I read that help me write my own.
Q: Thanks for sharing your story from this joyous anthology.
JK: Thank you so much!
Spread the yuletide cheer! A World of Joy is available for free download now.

Interview: A World of Joy Author Judith Works

Welcome Judith Works, who brings a special Italian flavor to the World of Joy anthology.
JK: What is your story about? Is it inspired by your personal experiences with the holidays?
JW: I wrote this little story about Christmas in Rome because at this time of the year my thoughts always return to Italy, where I lived for ten years. My husband and I moved to Rome when I had a job with the United Nations and he took a very early retirement from his own job to become our chef, home manager, driver and tour guide for us and for our daughter and friends who visited regularly. 
The story tells how different the holiday celebration is compared to here: much lower key, more emphasis on the Christmas story, and with its own traditional foods. Because of the happy memories from those years, we now keep some of the Italian traditions like eating panettone, and enjoying a Nativity set made in Italy. In the story, I write about the crystal drops we purchased at a flea market to hang on our Christmas tree. The drops, taken from old chandeliers, always make me think of who might have danced under the glittering lights in the 1800s —a sentimental touch for our home now so far from Italy. JK: Do you ever get to go back to Italy?
JW: We return to Italy nearly every year to see friends and to enjoy life. This year we spent two weeks in September in Milan and Rome, and for a special treat, we are returning for Thanksgiving. Italians do not celebrate this holiday, but there are special events to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the UN World Food Program which we will attend.   JK: What else have you written and published?
JW: I am the author of a memoir, Coins in the Fountain, which depicts the joys and travails of expat life in Italy. It is available as an ebook. I also blog at http://aLittleLightExercise.blogspot.com about my travel adventures. I write travel articles for two on-line magazines, Travel Belles and Plum Deluxe. My forthcoming novel, set in Rome, is in the final stages as my editor is just finishing up reviewing the last two chapters.JK: Thank you so much for adding an international flair to the anthology.
A World of Joy is available for free download now.

Interview: World of Joy Author Diane Major

Author Diane MajorWelcome Diane Major, whose wonderful World of Joy story is "Mason and Bess at Christmas."
JK: What is your story in the anthology about?
DM: Mason and Bess live in a world named Sanctea. It is Christmas Day when the children wake up to discover their Christmas tree has vanished. Queen Anna, Mason’s mom, accompanies the children in their search for the tree. When Mason and Bess finally find the tree, they meet Father Christmas, who has a splendid surprise.
This is a story which suggests that giving presents is fine, but it is more important to bring friends and family together to celebrate the festive season.

JK: What else have you written and published? 
DM: To date, I have written several fantasy adventure novels. They range from books for adults to my children’s series about Mason and Bess. The Mason and Bess books are all fantasy adventure, or you might call them fairy tales. I wrote these stories to inspire children, but particularly boys, to enjoy reading. They are fast-paced stories about two friends who meet various creatures, both good and bad; however, they all have a happy ending.
JK: Do you have any special holiday traditions in real life?
DM: All of my relatives come together at my house for Christmas dinner. We do this on an annual basis on Christmas Day. This is the one time of the year when my mother, children, grandchildren, brother, nephew and his family, ensure we meet to celebrate the festive season as a family.
JK: What's next for you?
DM: As well as "Mason and Bess at Christmas" being available in  A World of Joy , my third book in the series which is called, Mason and Bess, A Different Adventure, will be published in the very near future. This is a story when the children meet Dragons and Boggarts.
JK: Sounds cool! Thanks for sharing the seasonal joy at my blog.
DM: Thank you so much, Jessica.
Visit Diane's author page: Amazon US and Amazon UK
And don't forget to get your free copy of A World of Joy!