Fiction
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Ink, Dreams, and Ivanhoe: A Writer’s Love of Used Books
I am finally reading Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. Given that we have not one but three copies of this work, you may be surprised to learn that it is not my favorite book. It’s not even a book I’ve been able to finish. I’ve gotten as far as the first chapter and set it aside. Sentences such as, “The human figures which completed this landscape were in number two…” make me twitch; I want to take out my red pen and scratch through it, writing, “Two men…” Scott’s style reminds me of my early writing and my college fiction writing professor who, with all good intentions, handed me a…
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The Inspiration Behind I SEE YOU
Novelists draw from many sources for their inspiration. I draw from my childhood growing up on Long Island, New York. The Dalinger Estate, White Oak Hall, features prominently throughout I SEE YOU my new novel. I draw from three estates on Long Island to create the unique setting for much of the mystery in I SEE YOU. Old Westbury Gardens Old Westbury Gardens includes both Westbury House and the gardens designed by the same architect who designed the house. It is truly a gem of Long Island. It was donated by the Phipps family who built the home to the county in the late 1950s and was preserved intact, including…
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It Was Mine Selected as Top Novella, Receives Great Reviews
My novella, It Was Mine, is receiving pure 5-star ratings on both Amazon and Goodreads – the top rating you can give a book. Shortly after Christmas, I found out that the blogger over at Franciscan Mom had awarded It Was Mine the title of “Best Novella” of 2018. I’m thrilled. It’s not a Pulitzer, but it’s something, and it gives me a great sense of satisfaction to know that my story touched at least one person so much that she wanted to share it as a book worthy of recommendation to others. If you haven’t purchased your copy of It Was Mine yet, it is available in paperback and…
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Say I Love You in ASL
From my book, I Believe You: David thrust his backpack at him, handed him a $5 bill for lunch, and kissed Eddie on top of the head. He raised his hand, pinky finger and index finger pointed skyward, middle two fingers folded down, thumb out in the ILY gesture. I love you. Eddie flashed ILY back and headed out the back door. David stepped through the mudroom door to the back porch, watching as his youngest raced down the driveway, crooked tie flapping, jacket loose and unbuttoned. One of the questions I’m asked a lot is, “Do you speak ASL?” ASL stands for American Sign Language. One of the main…
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Long Island’s Gold Coast
The primary setting for my novel, I Believe You, is Long Island’s famous “Gold Coast.” The Majek family lives in Brookville, an elite, upscale town on the North Shore of Long Island. Although Tibor, David’s father and the patriarch of the family, still lives in Bellerose, I purposely chose Brookville for David. Here’s why. To me, Bellerose represents the immigrant families who were moving up in the world. My grandparents were such a family. My grandparents immigrated from Germany in the early 20th century and lived in a roach-infested tenement in the Bronx until my dad was a teenager. Immigrants saved their pennies to move out of the tenements and into…
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Just for Fun – Eddie’s Kolacky Recipe
In my novel, I Believe You, Eddie plays an important part in the story. Eddie is an 11-year old deaf boy, and the youngest son of the protagonist, David. At the end of the book, Eddie and his new friend Turquoise make a plate of kolachy, a special treat, from an old family recipe. They decide to take the cookies to Tibor, the patriarch of the family, which sets in motion the book’s finale. I thought it might be fun to share a collection of kolachy recipes from around the web! Czech kolachy – probably the closest recipe to what Eddie would have found in his mom’s cookbook. Czech…
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“I Believe You” Is Now Available
Paperback version I’m thrilled to announce that my new novel, I Believe You, is now available! Reader response has been swift and overwhelmingly positive to my latest fiction. You can grab your copies on Amazon. Paperback and Kindle versions are both available. The book follows the story of the Majek family as they struggle to cope with the loss of Cathy, David Majek’s wife. Cathy was killed in November in an unsolved hit and run accident, and now, almost six months after, strange things have started to happen. A stranger lurks under the street lamp one night. David finds $100,000 missing from his bank account. The same music haunts…
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Interest Is Already Building!
It’s a great feeling for an author to find out that even before publicity has begun for a book, there is interest in it. Today, a followed on the Writer Jeanne Grunert Facebook page asked if she’d really get a copy of I Believe You by September 30th. I was astonished by the question, since I hadn’t announced that the book was available yet! The fact is that the paperback version is available on the Amazon Create Space store. It should appear on the Amazon search (“regular” Amazon as we call it at Bricks & Brambles Press) within a week. The Kindle version of the book, on the other hand,…
