Martha Holoubek Fitzgerald's Blog
November 16, 2012
Yeah! a review in Library Journal!:
So often we confuse the words anxious and eager. As in ... She was anxious to take a vacation.
But here's a case where the word anxious was right: I was anxious to read the review of my new book in Library Journal.
My publicists (former publicists--they got the ball rolling and I'm on my own now) were thrilled the trade magazine agreed to the review. A rare coup, they said.
But I didn't find it online the week of October 15, when it was due. When I did, I could only read the first few lines.
Silly me expected to get an email from Library Journal with the complete review. And I thought I couldn't get an online subscription, as it was for "the trade" only.
I was wrong on both counts (anyone can subscribe). I finally wrote the Health and Medicine section editor and got the review. And it was worth waiting for. Thanks, LJ!
Former Shreveport Times columnist Fitzgerald, daughter of the late doctors Alice and Joe Holoubek, collects a series of letters that detail her parents’ courtship, from their first meeting at a Mayo Clinic fellowship in 1937 to their marriage two years later. These two young people awaken to their strong feelings for each other despite distance, busy internships, uncertain futures, and the illnesses that befell both. As biographer Joan Reardon ("As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto") recently showed, collections of personal correspondence can provide a fascinating slice of life and the interplay of unique personalities. The Holoubeks’ letters show them to have been enormously likable, and the book shines with their modesty, consideration for each other, and concerns for humanity.
VERDICT: This charming book is replete with enough medical references to interest any student of medical history. Other readers will fall under the spell of the music, automobiles, and social mores of the 1930s. For everyone.
But here's a case where the word anxious was right: I was anxious to read the review of my new book in Library Journal.
My publicists (former publicists--they got the ball rolling and I'm on my own now) were thrilled the trade magazine agreed to the review. A rare coup, they said.
But I didn't find it online the week of October 15, when it was due. When I did, I could only read the first few lines.
Silly me expected to get an email from Library Journal with the complete review. And I thought I couldn't get an online subscription, as it was for "the trade" only.
I was wrong on both counts (anyone can subscribe). I finally wrote the Health and Medicine section editor and got the review. And it was worth waiting for. Thanks, LJ!
Former Shreveport Times columnist Fitzgerald, daughter of the late doctors Alice and Joe Holoubek, collects a series of letters that detail her parents’ courtship, from their first meeting at a Mayo Clinic fellowship in 1937 to their marriage two years later. These two young people awaken to their strong feelings for each other despite distance, busy internships, uncertain futures, and the illnesses that befell both. As biographer Joan Reardon ("As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis DeVoto") recently showed, collections of personal correspondence can provide a fascinating slice of life and the interplay of unique personalities. The Holoubeks’ letters show them to have been enormously likable, and the book shines with their modesty, consideration for each other, and concerns for humanity.
VERDICT: This charming book is replete with enough medical references to interest any student of medical history. Other readers will fall under the spell of the music, automobiles, and social mores of the 1930s. For everyone.
November 2, 2012
Southern Writers Essay on writing nonfiction
So much of the writing I've been doing lately is for my author talks and library presentations that I'd almost forgotten this column turned in months ago for Southern Writers Magazine ("Sensing the Story Within," page 30, November/December issue).
The magazine features essays in a column called In Author Words, and I took the opportunity to write about a certain instinct that drives writers of nonfiction. Like artists and craftsmen, we look for the story within--that is, the human element that touches the heart.
In my case, I had reams of material--almost 800 letters, expanded by footnotes and other research work. I sensed the universal story within: a young couple sharing thoughts and feelings, building trust, and clinging to hope during trials and troubles. But I found even deeper drama and richer historical context than I expected.
Then I had to chip away, like a sculptor, to release the story within. The final version of "The Courtship of Two Doctors" comprises excerpts from about 300 letters.
The magazine features essays in a column called In Author Words, and I took the opportunity to write about a certain instinct that drives writers of nonfiction. Like artists and craftsmen, we look for the story within--that is, the human element that touches the heart.
In my case, I had reams of material--almost 800 letters, expanded by footnotes and other research work. I sensed the universal story within: a young couple sharing thoughts and feelings, building trust, and clinging to hope during trials and troubles. But I found even deeper drama and richer historical context than I expected.
Then I had to chip away, like a sculptor, to release the story within. The final version of "The Courtship of Two Doctors" comprises excerpts from about 300 letters.
September 8, 2012
Three cheers for SIBA
In Naples, Florida, at the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance trade show ... I handed out purple Mardi Gras beads all day and invited people to my book signing late this afternoon and tomorrow during the Moveable Feast authors panel. It was a treat to see so many people walking around the show floor wearing purple beads! ... I've really enjoyed getting to meet these indie booksellers. They are so enthusiastic about books and authors, especially books about the South and books by Southern authors. They gave my fellow Shreveporter, children's book author and Oscar-winning Bill Joyce, a standing ovation last night after showing of his short film The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore, inspired by the effects of Katrina on Louisiana.
August 18, 2012
What's with the purple?
“Love the purple flowers!” said visitors to my first official book signing today at Barnes & Noble. And then they noticed I was signing with purple ink. What gives?
I credit Wisconsin-based Kathi Dunn, the talented graphic designer who created the book cover for “Courtship of Two Doctors,” and later the poster and bookmarks. Her cover design fits the theme we came up with, of “discovering” a cache of old letters and photos. The letters are real, some of the nearly 800 in the entire collection of courtship letters. And the photo is from my dad’s 1938 scrapbook. Kathi picked up the purple from the postage stamps and “AIR MAIL” ink stamp.
“Hmmm,” I said, “Purple ….Are you psychic?” Purple, of course, is a celebrated color in Louisiana–LSU’s purple and gold, and Mardi Gras’ purple, green and gold theme. Also, deep purple was my Dad’s favorite color!
I now know why: “Deep Purple” was a song on the Hit Parade in 1939, the year my parents married. It was No. 1 for 7 weeks, and is mentioned several times in the letters.
Thus the purple ink and flowers. Just don’t expect me to drive a purple car!
I credit Wisconsin-based Kathi Dunn, the talented graphic designer who created the book cover for “Courtship of Two Doctors,” and later the poster and bookmarks. Her cover design fits the theme we came up with, of “discovering” a cache of old letters and photos. The letters are real, some of the nearly 800 in the entire collection of courtship letters. And the photo is from my dad’s 1938 scrapbook. Kathi picked up the purple from the postage stamps and “AIR MAIL” ink stamp.
“Hmmm,” I said, “Purple ….Are you psychic?” Purple, of course, is a celebrated color in Louisiana–LSU’s purple and gold, and Mardi Gras’ purple, green and gold theme. Also, deep purple was my Dad’s favorite color!
I now know why: “Deep Purple” was a song on the Hit Parade in 1939, the year my parents married. It was No. 1 for 7 weeks, and is mentioned several times in the letters.
Thus the purple ink and flowers. Just don’t expect me to drive a purple car!
"Oughta be a movie"
I've been hearing for several months now that "Courtship of Two Doctors" ought to be a movie. That compliment is sweet to the ears of any writer, that the manuscript comes alive as if on the big screen.
Earlier this week during a TV chat, the reporter said, "I can picture this as a black-and-white movie, with Jimmy Stewart as Dr. Joe."
And last week a good friend told me she envisioned Meryl Streep as Dr. Alice.
Now that's something I'd pay to see, the young Meryl Streep in a time warp appearing with the young Jimmy Stewart.
But another good friend has a completely different idea for the male lead: Sean Penn.
Whom would I pick for my dream cast? I'll give it some thought and let you know ...
Earlier this week during a TV chat, the reporter said, "I can picture this as a black-and-white movie, with Jimmy Stewart as Dr. Joe."
And last week a good friend told me she envisioned Meryl Streep as Dr. Alice.
Now that's something I'd pay to see, the young Meryl Streep in a time warp appearing with the young Jimmy Stewart.
But another good friend has a completely different idea for the male lead: Sean Penn.
Whom would I pick for my dream cast? I'll give it some thought and let you know ...
August 9, 2012
Blog review: "with tears in my eyes"
The homeschooling Mom who blogs at Living, Learning and Loving Life confesses she “read the entire Preface with tears in my eyes as Martha Holoubek Fitzgerald writes about her parents.” Our thanks to Amanda Chambers for her review.
Read more at: http://www.livinglearninglovinglife.c...
I love books like this because they are rich in history. … The historical aspect I found fascinating was the mention of salaries and the cost of items. In 1937, Joe spent $3 a night on the hotel next to the Clinic. He later mentions paying eight hours salary, a whopping 25¢, on a movie back in Nebraska. And three hours salary on a glass of beer. Meanwhile, in New Orleans, Alice is spending 23 hours salary on a movie! Later, Alice calls her $10 monthly paycheck “huge.”
Read more at: http://www.livinglearninglovinglife.c...
August 7, 2012
ForeWord Review: "Poignant and dramatic ...Well-written"
Imagine discovering eight hundred love letters written by your parents during their two-year courtship. At first Martha Holoubek Fitzgerald was reluctant to read the letters, to intrude on her parents’ private thoughts and feelings. But, with her father’s permission and support, she began a book about their devotion to medicine during the late 1930s, and to each other, based on these letters and the diary her father kept during his medical training. ...
A former columnist and associate editorial page editor for the Shreveport Times, Fitzgerald has shaped a well-written, interesting book about two remarkable physicians and loving parents.
Read more at https://www.forewordreviews.com/revie...
A former columnist and associate editorial page editor for the Shreveport Times, Fitzgerald has shaped a well-written, interesting book about two remarkable physicians and loving parents.
Read more at https://www.forewordreviews.com/revie...
August 6, 2012
Dr. Alice as "prefeminist"
One of our first blog-reviewers (Fairy Cakes) is intrigued by the evidence of sexism in 1930s medicine and the clear support Dr. Joe gave Dr. Alice: "I particularly like how Joe constantly stokes the fire in Alice to achieve her dreams of becoming a doctor despite being a woman. Alice’s letters emphasize that being a doctor in a man’s world will not strip her of her femininity ..."
So intrigued was the blogger that she added a last-minute Author Q&A to her post. Here's an excerpt:
I think your mother was an early feminist. Would you agree?
I call her a “prefeminist” defying social convention. She certainly believed women were as intelligent and capable as men. Her self-confidence sprang from loving parents who recognized and supported her achievements. And in my father, she found a man who did not feel threatened by her success; indeed he always sought more recognition for her.
Yhank you, Fairy Cakes! Read more at http://maimoonamayrahman.wordpress.co...
So intrigued was the blogger that she added a last-minute Author Q&A to her post. Here's an excerpt:
I think your mother was an early feminist. Would you agree?
I call her a “prefeminist” defying social convention. She certainly believed women were as intelligent and capable as men. Her self-confidence sprang from loving parents who recognized and supported her achievements. And in my father, she found a man who did not feel threatened by her success; indeed he always sought more recognition for her.
Yhank you, Fairy Cakes! Read more at http://maimoonamayrahman.wordpress.co...
August 2, 2012
On letter writing ... and sweet agonies
I just had a delightful phone interview with John Andrew Prime of the Shreveport Times, my hometown newspaper (and my former employer). We spoke at length about letter writing, the core content of both "Courtship of Two Doctors" and my father's 2004 Bible-based novel, "Letters to Luke."
Letters are personal, direct, and intimate, I said. I once coached seniors in starting to write their life stories, and to get them past the "I'm not a writer" block, suggested they simply write letters. Imagine they are writing to grandchild or a dear friend.
John spoke of what people are missing today by not writing letters. They will never know the "sweet agony" of waiting a few days for a reply. Beautifully said!
Letters are personal, direct, and intimate, I said. I once coached seniors in starting to write their life stories, and to get them past the "I'm not a writer" block, suggested they simply write letters. Imagine they are writing to grandchild or a dear friend.
John spoke of what people are missing today by not writing letters. They will never know the "sweet agony" of waiting a few days for a reply. Beautifully said!
July 19, 2012
FrontRow Lit features “Courtship"
I am so pleased to share a link with you. http://frontrowlit.com/?p=2614
The online magazine Front Row highlights new books, and today it is offering a preview of “Courtship.” Here's a peek at the beginning of the prologue – and the first few letters in the collection. Be sure to read the last letter in the excerpt!
The online magazine Front Row highlights new books, and today it is offering a preview of “Courtship.” Here's a peek at the beginning of the prologue – and the first few letters in the collection. Be sure to read the last letter in the excerpt!
