Jessica Knauss's Blog, page 55

My Famous Appearance on Mera's YA Booklist

I haven't been in the blogosphere much lately because of work commitments, but there's something pretty special going on! Check out Mera's YA book list this week for free bookmarks of Tree/House! Visit this link.

These bookmarks are shiny and beautiful with extremely high quality printing and that lovely butterfly. Trust me, you want one! Mera has a great page, anyway. You won't be sorry.

Thanks for your support!

SSS: Six More from New Story

Halfway through January already! Thanks for the encouragement about this new story. Here are the next six sentences.

* * *

One earnest officer took me into confidence and whispered, "Pretty girls have been disappearing lately and we haven't found any of them.""Am I at risk?" I had asked, figuring that if my identical twin had disappeared, I too would be the kidnapper's type."No," he said, too quickly. "You graduated from Harvard."Like most twentysomethings in Boston, I had more university degrees than life experience. "So?"

* * *
The missing twin's name, Dulcy, is short for Dulcinea, so I guess I don't have the monopoly on it, although I wish I did. These sentences look as though they're leading to a police drama, but the story is really going to be about what happens after they get Dulcy home. Thanks so much for visiting and leaving comments, remembering that this is unedited so far. I'll be sure to return the favor!

And if you like YA paranormal, definitely check out my last post!

Transcendent Giveaway!

Today I'm pleased to present Transcendent: Tales of the Paranormal. Every one of the stories in this new anthology by up-and-coming YA paranormal authors is original and memorable. If you like Twilight, you'll love these short adventures! Perhaps the most sensitively written is "Pumpkin Thief" by Evan Joseph, in which we get to see the Headless Horseman's romantic side. I have two personal favorites: "Seduction of a Siren" by Lani Woodland and Melonie Piper, for the way it turns a neglected part of Greek folklore on its head in funny and romantic ways, and "Feather" by Rita Webb, which combines breathtaking encounters with nature and mysterious romance to create a truly unique Native American perspective. None of the stories disappoint and all will inspire the reader to see his or her life in a more magical way.

Transcendent can be yours for an economical price at the outlets listed below, or you can win a copy right here! Leave a comment with your name and email address (written out to avoid bots if you desire) and which e-book format you prefer to be entered into a drawing for one free digital copy! Drawing takes place the morning of January 23 (Happy Chinese New Year!) and the winner will receive the prize that same day. Good luck!

Purchase Information:
    o Paperback on Amazon: Purchase for $10.99!
    o Paperback on Barnes and Noble: Coming Soon!
    o eBook on Kindle:  Purchase today for 99c!
    o eBook on Nook: Purchase today for 99c!


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SSS: New Year, New Story

After the enforced holiday for Christmas, I sort of skipped New Year's, too. Glad to be back! Here are the first six lines from a brand new, mysterious story. It's so new, it's still raw, so please be kind!

* * *

After months of searching, I followed my instinct to Manhattan. I didn't find my twin sister Dulcy so much by her presence as by the void she created in the commotion surrounding her. On my second morning there, she was standing in the middle of the sidewalk on Fifth Avenue, surrounded by a wave of powerwalking natives and gawk-walking tourists and endless shouts to "Get out of the *ing way!" or to "Shove over!"The cops in Boston had been singularly unhelpful and told me they were going to close the case. "It's policy, ma'am. If we have no leads on a case for a certain amount of time, we have to move on," said the stern leader. 

* * *I apprecite all your comments sooooooo much! I will definitely visit you back! Happy 2012!

A Seaworthy Tale: Astreya II, The Men of the Sea

I've mentioned before how I might be biased because I ushered the Astreya Trilogy through the entire publication process. I've changed my mind. These are objectively enjoyable tales, each one with its own enchanting personality.

If you're skeptical of sequels, I should point out that Astreya, Book II: The Men of the Sea is in reality a continuation of the story and Book I is not complete without Books II and III. The story picks up minutes after where The Voyage South leaves off, when Astreya is faced with a decision to resist his kidnappers, who turn out to be his only blood relatives, or to willingly learn about them, their astounding technology and skills, and the legacy of the Wanderer's Curse. Astreya's burgeoning romance with Lindey seems to hang in the balance, as he is never sure whether she can forgive him, no matter what decision he makes. Or whether he will ever see her again.

In The Men of the Sea, we meet an entire cast of new characters even while we keep pace with our old friends from Book I. The new characters are nearly all pirates, but not the type gleaned from certain theme park rides. These pirates have real motivations and fears. The leader is an intriguing psychological study in frustration, while the likes of Adramin, Mirak, and Mufrid you'll love to hate. The story moves through water and time at a swift pace, bringing unpredictable adventures at every turn. No matter what you look for in a good story, you can't help being thrilled at the battle at sea. That would seem to be the climax -- but no! Even more secrets are revealed and quests undertaken! You'll dread the end of this book, but you can still take comfort in the knowledge that Book III, The Wanderer's Curse, is coming soon.

The Men of the Sea is perfect for readers who already have their sea legs and love the Age of Sail, but the lubbers out there will love this book at least as much as Astreya I, possibly more.

History Monday: On This Day in 1492

Perhaps you thought only one event happened in 1492, but on January 2 of that year a different part of history was playing, making Columbus's voyage financially possible.

Today is the 520th anniversary of the capitulation or surrender of the great city of Granada by the last Muslim king, Boabdil, to the Catholic Monarchs, Fernando and Isabel. Unlike what is depicted in this famous and romanticized painting by Padilla, the Muslim leader met with the Christian commanders in secret, in the dead of night inside the Alhambra palace in order to avoid the immediate rebellion of his subjects, who in general, still preferred death to surrender. Under the circumstances, Boabdil made a reasonable decision in order to preserve his family and his own life, and has been reviled for it ever since. In another probably romanticized anecdote from history, as the king rode away from his breathtakingly beautiful city, a tear came to his eye. His mother reportedly told him to "Weep like a woman for what you could not save like a man."
The Christian monarchs of the kingdoms of Iberia had been trying, with varying levels of earnestness, to eject the Muslims from the peninsula for nearly 780 years. The surrender of Granada was the last step in the unification of what is now Spain under Fernando and Isabel, who'd started out as the king of Aragón and the queen of Castile respectively. But the cultural revolution (some might say "apocalypse") was far from over. With the relatively small Muslim population now theoretically under control, Isabel could turn her religious zeal against the Jews, whom she expelled from her kingdom by royal edict later in 1492. The new geographical unity helped make the following century all about Spain, all over the world. With the expensive "reconquest" of the Iberian peninsula complete, Fernando and Isabel could finally devote funds to other projects, such as granting the wishes of that loony Genoan sailor-scholar who wanted so badly to be Admiral of the Ocean Sea on Spain's behalf.

The Knauss Awards for Excellence in Publishing: My Best Books of 2011

My reading is pretty erratic and eclectic, dictated not so much by my own preferences as what books I win and what comes across my desk at Fireship. (Got a Spanish topic? Send it across my desk at Açedrex!) But this year I've been impressed enough with my tiny random sampling of the enormous number of books being published that I decided to single out the best ones here.

Best Book I Edited. This category isn't meant to disparage the other fine books I edited this year. When Astreya came "over the transom," as the new Fireship boss likes to say, it was kismet. I'm convinced I became an editor at Fireship just so I could work with this author. It's a trilogy, and we're trying to get the installments out within a month of each other, so the involvement has been much more intense than with any other. Add to that the fact that I was just finishing the editing of Book I when the founder passed away and you'll get some idea of the powerful emotions I can't separate from Astreya. I'm glad I got to go through all that with a book that so tickled my fancy and an author who's a genuine human being. Original review

Best Non-Fiction. Hands-down winner is The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure. This book arrived in the mail and I devoured it in two days. It's an adventure I wish I'd thought of having myself, engagingly written and informative. Absolutely wonderful. Original review

Best Fiction. This is was the most difficult category to narrow down. In the end, it came to which book had a Spanish theme, an epic feel, struggles against the Nazis, and nascent feminism. In spite of its large size, I devoured The Time In Between almost as quickly as I did The Wilder Life, so it's the winner. The hardback is so beautifully designed, I almost need to add a design category here. But I'll refrain. Original review

So, that's all, folks! Happy holidays one and all! See you in the new year!

SSS: A Disastrous Marriage

This week, I'm presenting the first six sentences from my now freshly published ode to love, "A Disastrous Marriage." You may remember when I was terribly worried I would never find a publisher for it. I'm sure some of that karma helped speed the piece along. Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your comments so very much.

* * *

It rained so hard, the wicker baskets were overflowing. Water poured through the ceiling, carrying nails, unrecognizable timbers, and sloppy pink insulation. It was a relief to go outside. "This isn't as bad as the time our house burned down in the middle of Death Valley," said Herbert, standing under the useless awning. "Why?" I shouted, skeptically, through the pounding roar. 

* * *
You can read the whole thing here! The story of the origin of this piece is here.

Check out all the other great sixes at www.sixsunday.com!

Kvetch Enough and...

Just last month, I was bemoaning my inability to find a publisher for my flash fiction, "A Disastrous Marriage." It celebrates my marriage, gives a little insight into how I met my husband, and grossly exaggerates the difficulties we've been through.

This week, I found out that there is indeed a publisher who "gets" the story, and they have published it today! Check it out here!

"A Disastrous Marriage" came about when my husband and I were living in Pennsylvania. We were feeling pretty sorry for ourselves because we'd had to abandon the beautiful Boston where we met for an economically depressed area, and then the job we'd moved there for didn't work out, so our income fell to zero only a month and a half after we bought a new house. After some painful job search months, my husband landed a job at a retailer. It was a job he loved, but it only provided 12% of what he had been making. It was not enough to keep the house, much less stay in the house and eat. So we did what we could with the house and made the wrenching decision to come to Arizona to live with my sister-in-law. It was under that kind of strain that I came up with all the exaggerations in "A Disastrous Marriage," wanting to graphically illustrate that although nothing had gone very well since we'd gotten married, I still believed in us and knew we could be happy as long as we had each other.

And that's how it's turned out. We didn't actively choose to come to Arizona, but this weird place has blessed us over and over again. And we're happy.

The first image from the story, of there being so much water that wicker baskets are overflowing (imagine how much rain it would take!), has been morphed from a line in a Manolo García song, "Malva." It's about love gone wrong, so I wanted to redeem it.

MWF Seeking BFF by Rachel Bertsche

Rachel Bertsche moved to Chicago by choice, but it was not by choice that she left her lifelong friends in New York behind. She finds that her husband cannot provide her the kind of support she knows she could get from good local female friends. She finds herself in the fix that so many of us do today: we know we want more friends, but without the kind of structure provided by school or summer camp, we're puzzled as to how to go about it. Unlike most of us, she takes a forward-thinking approach and resolves to go on one "friend date" a week for a whole year, in the hope of getting to the end of the year with at least one Best Friend. The result is a funny and poignant memoir.

Along the way, Rachel discovers the latest research and theories on both how social contacts are made and their effects on our health, and she spreads the information out masterfully. Most people she's talked to assume that friendships "just happen," but Rachel does the digging and finds out better details about what really makes them happen. Then she does her best to make those things work for her. Her biggest first assumption is that people will react badly to her advances, thinking she's a freak. It's a huge relief to find that the women she approaches are in the same boat and open to new friendship.

By the end of the book, she's "tried everything," so if you've been wondering how to make more friends, read MWF Seeking BFF to give every idea you're considered a vicarious test run. Rachel's writing gives you a very clear picture of who she is and what she expects and gives in a friendship, so through her experiences, it's easy to weed out the best suggestions for you.

This book shows that the world is full of people who'd like to escape the isolation of today's techno-world and, more simply, to meet new people, including you! It's an active, optimistic antidote to the depression and loneliness forecast by sociologists and social commentators. Thanks so much, Rachel, for letting us know we aren't nearly as alone as we thought!

MWF Seeking BFF is on sale everywhere December 20. Pick it up if making new friends is one of your resolutions. Check out a lot more research and connection possibilities at http://mwfseekingbff.com/.