Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva

I acquired this book on NetGalley and I am kicking myself for not picking it up sooner to read and review! I started this book today in the car line waiting to pick up my daughter from school and I am absolutely in love with this story already! I’m only about four-chapter in and wow. More to come! -Stephanie M. Hopkins

 Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha SilvaMr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva

Hardcover, 276 pages

Published October 31st 2017 by Flatiron Books

Shakespeare in Love meets A Christmas Carol in this transporting debut novel set during the whirlwind period in which Dickens wrote his beloved classic, as he embarks on a Scrooge-like journey of his own.

For Charles Dickens, each Christmas has been better than the last. His novels are literary blockbusters, and he is famous on the streets of London, where avid fans sneak up on him to snip off pieces of his hair. He and his wife have five happy children, a sixth on the way, and a home filled with every comfort they could imagine. But when Dickens’ newest book is a flop, the glorious life he has built for himself threatens to collapse around him. His publishers offer an ultimatum: either he writes a Christmas book in a month, or they will call in his debts, and he could lose everything. Grudgingly, he accepts, but with relatives hounding him for loans, his wife and children planning an excessively lavish holiday party, and jealous critics going in for the kill, he is hardly feeling the Christmas spirit.

Increasingly frazzled and filled with self-doubt, Dickens seeks solace and inspiration in London itself, his great palace of thinking. And on one of his long walks, in a once-beloved square, he meets a young woman in a purple cloak, who might be just the muse he needs. Eleanor Lovejoy and her young son, Timothy, propel Dickens on a Scrooge-like journey through his Christmases past and present—but with time running out, will he find the perfect new story to save him?

In prose laced with humor, sumptuous Victorian detail, and charming winks to A Christmas Carol, Samantha Silva breathes new life into an adored classic. Perfect for fans of Dickens, for readers of immersive historical fiction, and for anyone looking for a dose of Christmas cheer, Mr. Dickens and His Carol is destined to become a perennial holiday favorite.

 

 

Cover Reveal: The Renewal by Mike Torreano

The Renewal By Mike TorreanoAbout the book:

Print Length: 248 pages

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc (March 19, 2018)

Publication Date: March 19, 2018

Ike McAlister has finally put the ghosts of his past to rest. He’s found new joy with a spirited wife, a young daughter, and a mountain valley ranch where a man can make something of himself. But a coming railroad through the South Park valley threatens to take his land and tear his hard-won peace apart.

Discovering that the railroad could easily bypass his ranch, he organizes opposition and earns the animus of the formidable foreman. When Ike’s brother Rob, the sheriff, is bushwhacked, Ike sets out on a high stakes quest to get the killer before the killer gets him.

Available on Amazon for Pre-Order.

About the Author:

Mike T

Mike Torreano has a military background and is a student of history and the American West.

His western mystery, The Reckoning, was released September 2016 by The Wild Rose Press and the sequel, The Renewal, is due to be released soon. He’s working on the next western now and he also has a coming-of-age Civil War novel looking for a publisher.

Mike’s written for magazines and newspapers. An experienced editor, he’s taught University English and Journalism. He’s a member of the Historical Novel Society, Pikes Peak Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Western Writers of America and several other western writing groups. He brings his readers back in time with him as he recreates life in 19th century America.

Author Website

Layered Pages interview with Mike will be posted here on march 5th! Don’t miss it!

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The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish

Me in Summer time 2017Yesterday I was walking the dog in the morning and I stopped to talk with a neighbor who asked me what I was currently reading and I told her at the moment I’m reading a modern-day mystery thriller. I then asked her what she was reading and she told me she just finished The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish and would I be interested in reading the story? I told her I would be delighted to. She went in her house and brought out the book for me to borrow.

This evening I started reading, The Weight of Ink and I adore the literary medium written! I won’t be getting much sleep tonight. Take a look below at a fine example of her writing style.

Page 9: “And in the silence-the unmistakable silence of an old house-she felt, for just an instant, the old feeling; the impossible ache of standing so close to a piece of history. A feeling like something dropping endlessly inside her- like being in the presence of a long-ago lover who had once known every inch, but now refused to acknowledge her.”

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About the book:

The Weight of Ink

An intellectual and emotional jigsaw puzzle of a novel for readers of A. S. Byatt’s Possession and Geraldine Brooks’s People of the Book.

Set in London of the 1660s and of the early twenty-first century, The Weight of Ink is the interwoven tale of two women of remarkable intellect: Ester Velasquez, an emigrant from Amsterdam who is permitted to scribe for a blind rabbi, just before the plague hits the city; and Helen Watt, an ailing historian with a love of Jewish history.

As the novel opens, Helen has been summoned by a former student to view a cache of seventeenth-century Jewish documents newly discovered in his home during a renovation. Enlisting the help of Aaron Levy, an American graduate student as impatient as he is charming, and in a race with another fast-moving team of historians, Helen embarks on one last project: to determine the identity of the documents’ scribe, the elusive “Aleph.”

Electrifying and ambitious, sweeping in scope and intimate in tone, The Weight of Ink is a sophisticated work of historical fiction about women separated by centuries, and the choices and sacrifices they must make in order reconcile the life of the heart and mind.

About the Author:

Rachel Kadish

I often begin writing when something is bothering me. Years ago, I was thinking about Virginia Woolf’s question: what if Shakespeare had had an equally talented sister?

Woolf’s answer: She died without writing a word.

What, I wondered, would it take for a woman of that era, with that kind of capacious intelligence, not to die without writing a word?

For one thing, she’d have to be a genius at breaking rules.

My novel The Weight of Ink reaches back in time to ask the question: what does it take for a woman not to be defeated when everything around her is telling her to sit down and mind her manners? I started writing with two characters in mind, both women who don’t mind their manners: a contemporary historian named Helen Watt and a seventeenth century Inquisition refugee named Ester Velasquez. It’s been a delight working on their story.

The Weight of Ink is my third novel, but I’ve also written two other novels and one novella, plus a few dozen essays and stories. Whether I’m writing fiction or nonfiction, I put words to paper because it’s my way of metabolizing life. To paraphrase Henry James: I don’t really know what I think until I see what I say.

Website

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I love the cover, premise and from what I have read so far, the story has inspired me to come up with an art piece for it. More of my thoughts on this beautiful story soon!

Stephanie M. Hopkins

 

Wish-List 5: William R. Forstchen

In this month’s Wish-List 5, I am making a bold statement. -Stephanie M. Hopkins

One Second After (After #1) by William R. ForstchenOne Second After (After #1) by William R. Forstchen

New York Times best-selling author William R. Forstchen now brings us a story which can be all too terrifyingly real … a story in which one man struggles to save his family and his small North Carolina town after America loses a war, in one second, a war that will send America back to the Dark Ages … A war based upon a weapon, an Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP). A weapon that may already be in the hands of our enemies.

Months before publication, One Second After has already been cited on the floor of Congress as a book all Americans should read, a book already being discussed in the corridors of the Pentagon as a truly realistic look at a weapon and its awesome power to destroy the entire United States, literally within one second. It is a weapon that the Wall Street Journal warns could shatter America. In the tradition of On the BeachFail Safe, and Testament, this book, set in a typical American town, is a dire warning of what might be our future … and our end.

One Year After (After #2) by William R. ForstchenOne Year After (After #2) by William R. Forstchen

The thrilling follow-up to the New York Times bestselling novel One Second After.

Months before publication, William R. Forstchen’s One Second After was cited on the floor of Congress as a book all Americans should read. Hundreds of thousands of people have read the tale. One Year After is the thrilling follow-up to that smash hit.

The story picks up a year after One Second After ends, two years since the detonation of nuclear weapons above the United States brought America to its knees. After suffering starvation, war, and countless deaths, the survivors of Black Mountain, North Carolina, are beginning to piece back together the technologies they had once taken for granted: electricity, radio communications, and medications. They cling to the hope that a new national government is finally emerging.

Then comes word that most of the young men and women of the community are to be drafted into an “Army of National Recovery” and sent to trouble spots hundreds of miles away.

When town administrator John Matherson protests the draft, he’s offered a deal: leave Black Mountain and enter national service, and the draft will be reduced. But the brutal suppression of a neighboring community under its new federal administrator and the troops accompanying him suggests that all is not as it should be with this burgeoning government.

The Final Day (After #3) by William R. ForstchenThe Final Day (After #3) by William R. Forstchen

The highly-anticipated follow-up to William R. Forstchen’s New York Times bestsellers, One Second After and One Year After, The Final Day immerses readers once more in the story of our nation’s struggle to rebuild itself after an electromagnetic pulse wipes out all electricity and plunges the country into darkness, starvation, and terror.

After defeating the designs of the alleged federal government, John Matherson and his community have returned their attention to restoring the technologies and social order that existed prior to the EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) attack. Then the government announces that it’s ceding large portions of the country to China and Mexico. The Constitution is no longer in effect, and what’s left of the U.S. Army has been deployed to suppress rebellion in the remaining states.

The man sent to confront John is General Bob Scales, John’s old commanding officer and closest friend from prewar days. Will General Scales follow orders, or might he be the crucial turning point in the quest for an America that is again united? As the dubious Federal government increasingly curtails liberty and trades away sovereignty, it might just get exactly what it fears: revolution.

Pillar to the Sky by William R. ForstchenPillar to the Sky by William R. Forstchen

From William Forstchen, the New York Times bestselling author of One Second After, comes Pillar to the Sky, a towering epic to rank with Douglas Preston’s Blasphemy and Michael Crichton’s Prey…

Pandemic drought, skyrocketing oil prices, dwindling energy supplies and wars of water scarcity threaten the planet. Only four people can prevent global chaos.

Gary Morgan—a brilliant, renegade scientist is pilloried by the scientific community for his belief in a space elevator: a pillar to the sky, which he believes will make space flight fast, simple and affordable.

Eva Morgan—a brilliant and beautiful scientist of Ukranian descent, she has had a lifelong obsession to build a pillar to the sky, a vertiginous tower which would mine the power of the sun and supply humanity with cheap, limitless energy forever.

Erich Rothenberg—the ancient but revered rocket-scientist who labored with von Braun to create the first rockets and continued on to build those of today. A legend, he has mentored Gary and Eva for two decades, nurturing and encouraging their transcendent vision.

Franklin Smith—the eccentric Silicon Valley billionaire who will champion their cause, wage war with Congress and government bureaucracy and most important, finance their herculean undertaking.

The Goddard Space Flight Center—the novel’s pre-eminent hero, it’s enormous army of scientists, engineers and astronauts will design, machine, and build the space elevator. They will fight endless battles and overcome countless obstacles every step of the way.

Day of WrathDay of Wrath by William R. Forstchen

This novella by New York Times bestselling author William R. Forstchen imagines a horrifying scenario where, in the course of one day, the terrorist group ISIS carries out massacres in schools and on highways across the United States. With a surprisingly small but well-organized and ruthless force, the nightmarish devastation brings America to a state of near-paralysis.

Author of ONE SECOND AFTER and PILLAR TO THE SKY, this heart-stopping novella brings home just how fragile our defenses and infrastructure really are. It is also a story of heroic efforts to save lives, while sounding a wake-up call to American citizens and their government.

 

Story: Bob Petersen arrives with his daughter at the Middle Grade school in Maine where he teaches, expecting another regular day but worried about what recent ominous news reports might portend. Suddenly his school — along with many others across the United States — is under attack. Gunmen burst in, slaughtering children and adults alike.

From the ISIS leader in Syria, to the murderous rampages throughout the U.S., Day of Wrath reveals with chilling effect how national panic and paralyzing terror at the spiraling violence can bring a mighty country to a near-standstill. Petersen’s fight to save lives and stop the merciless gunmen provides edge-of-the-seat drama. Day of Wrath is a provocative work that should stimulate an intense national debate.

Note: ONE SECOND AFTER was cited on the floor of Congress as the book everyone should read.

Check out these other wish-list by my amazing fellow book bloggers!

A Literary Vacation

Holly at 2 Kids and Tired
Heather at The Maiden’s Court
Erin at Flashlight Commentary
Magdalena at A Bookish Swede

Mary Rowlandson’s Rescue by Alfred Woollacott, III

Me in Summer time 2017I have found Alfred Woollacott’s article Mary Rowlandson’s Rescue to be fascinating because much of this history relates to Alfred’s ancestry.  Not only that but the time period Al writes about in the article below, marks King Philip’s War as the last major effort by the Indians to force out English settlers in the Southern New England part of the Americas. Many people and towns suffered greatly during this war and many were surrendered and were sold into slavery.

Furthermore, what interest me about this post is Mary Rowlandson and the lengths John Hoare went to for her release. The ordeal she experienced is undoubtedly traumatic and how she endured it is extraordinary.

I have many thoughts and questions about King Philip’s War, the people captured and having read the blog post below I am starting to have a deeper understanding of its history and look forward to learning more.

Stephanie M. Hopkins

A Narrtive of captive

Mary Rowlandson’s Rescue

At sunrise on 10 February 1676 during King Philips’s War. Native Americans attacked the remote town of Lancaster, killing thirteen and taking over twenty-four captives, among them Mary Rowlandson and her three children. Her six-year-old daughter succumbed from her wounds after a week of captivity. For eleven weeks, Mary and her children were forced to accompany their captors as they raided other settlements and eluded the English militia. On 2 May, Concord’s John Hoare paid a £20 ransom while at Redemption Rock  in Princeton, and Mary’s ordeal ended…read more of the article HERE

About Author:

Alfred W

Alfred Woollacott, III retired from KPMG after a career spanning 34 years, choosing to reside full time at his summer residence on Martha’s Vineyard. Being “45 minutes from America” and with a 50 – 60 hour per week void to fill, he began dabbling into his family history. His dabbling grew into an obsession, and he published several genealogical summaries of his ancestors. But certain ones absorbed him such that he could not leave them. So he researched their lives and times further while evolving his writing skills from “just the facts ma’am” to a fascinating narrative style. Thus with imagination, anchored in fact and tempered with plausibility, a remote ancestor can achieve a robust life as envisioned by a writer with a few drops of his ancestor’s blood in his veins.

When not writing, Al serves on several Boards, and keeps physically active with golf, tennis, and hockey. He and his wife of 44 years, Jill, have four children and ten grandchildren.

Author Website

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L.A.P. it is a social media platform that applies to a variety of professions-such as-Literature, Art and Photography. The practicalities of Internet life can be tricky for many, not everyone is computer savvy and would prefer to solely focus on their craft or they have a tight budget but need help in this arena. There are so many entities out there charging fees that are not doable for most or they promise what they cannot deliver. L.A.P. it has created a new concept of social media marketing and provides a unique service to showcase writers, artists and photographers work. L.A.P. it will also work with publishers, independent presses, artists/photographers galleries and other entities that involve the three areas mentioned.

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Cover Crush: The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton

Cover Crush banner

I am not a cover designer but I can agree that cover layouts play an important role in the overall presentation of stories and I must admit, often times I first judge a book by its cover.

Cover Crush is a weekly series that originated with Erin at Flashlight Commentary.

The Queens of Innis LearThe Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton

Macmillan-Tor/Forge

Sci Fi & Fantasy

Pub Date 27 Mar 2018

Description

Dynasties battle for the crown in Tessa Gratton’s debut adult epic fantasy, The Queens of Innis Lear.

Three Queens. One crown. All out war.

Gaela. Ruthless Commander.
I am the rightful heir of Innis Lear. No more will I wait in the shadows and watch my mother’s murderer bleed my island dry.

The King’s hold on the crown must end—willingly or at the edge of my sword.

Regan. Master Manipulator.
To secure my place on the throne, I must produce an heir. Countless times I have fed the island’s forests my blood. Yet, my ambition is cursed.

No matter what or whom Imust destroy, I will wield the magic of Innis Lear.

Elia. Star-blessed Priest.
My sisters hide in the shadows like serpents, waitingto strike our ailing king. I must protect my father, even if it means marrying a stranger.

We all have to make sacrifices. Love and freedom will be mine.

“Amazing. Just Amazing.”–Robin McKinley

My thoughts: 

Powerful cover. I love the tones and the vibe it gives. I’ll be reviewing the excerpt from NetGalley and blogging about it soon!

Stephanie M. Hopkins

Other great cover crushes from my fellow book bloggers: 

Magdalena at A Bookaholic Swede
Colleen at A Literary Vacation
Heather at The Maiden’s Court
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired
Meghan at Of Quills & Vellum

Stay calm and support book bloggers

Blog Talk Radio with Yvonne Mason

The Case of the Boarding House Murder (An Upson PI Mystery Book 1) Kindle Edition

Saturday at 8:00 pm on blog talk radio with Yvonne Mason, Author Norton Upson will be talking about his upcoming book. The Case of the Boarding House Murder! Link HERE 

Interview: MARY –Tudor Princess by Tony Riches

I’d like to welcome best-selling historical fiction author, Tony Riches To Layered Pages! 

Thank you for chatting with me today, Tony! Please tell me about your latest book, MARY –Tudor Princess.

Mary Tudor Princess

 Hi Stephanie, thanks for inviting me. I researched Mary Tudor’s early life for my last book, Henry – Book Three of the Tudor Trilogy. In the Tudor Trilogy I’d moved forward one generation with each book, so it appealed to me to write a ‘sequel’ which did the same. I’d become intrigued with Mary’s story of how she risked everything to defy her brother, King Henry VIII.

How did you come to write stories about the Tudors and what captivates you about them?

I was born in Pembroke, within sight of the castle where Henry Tudor was born, so I’ve always been keen to know more about how he became King of England. My research has taken me to some amazing places. I followed the footsteps of Jasper and Henry Tudor to their exile in remote Brittany and visited Henry’s magnificent tomb in Westminster Abbey. I’ve become an expert on the Tudor dynasty and want to help readers understand the true stories behind the myths. Last year I was part of a community group which raised the money for a statue of Henry Tudor in front of Pembroke Castle, so his importance to the town will never be forgotten.

Henry Tudor statue at Pembroke Castle

 Please tell me a little about Mary’s relationship with her brother Henry VIII

 Mary was Henry’s closest living relative, as neither got on well with their sister Margaret, (who’d been married off to the King of Scotland at the age of fourteen). Mary didn’t seem to mind when Henry married her off to the fifty-two-year-old King Louis XII of France. Although Mary was barely eighteen at the time, Henry saw his younger sister as a small price to pay for a treaty with France. The problems between them began when Henry turned his back on Queen Catherine, as Mary was one of the few who dared to speak out against Anne Boleyn.

What sets your story apart from other Tudor Stories?

This book has the benefit of the three others in the trilogy which explore how Mary Tudor’s world developed from the beginnings of the Tudor dynasty. Although Mary – Tudor Princess can be read on its own, the Tudor Trilogy means I’ve had the opportunity to explore her life in much greater depth. The same real people and places connect all my books and I’ve worked hard to ensure they are as historically accurate as possible.

How do you flesh out your characters greatest sorrows?

 There is a famous quote by Pulitzer prize winning poet Robert Lee Frost ‘No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.’ I become so immersed in the lives of my characters that something like the loss of a child can be quite emotional. Mary Tudor was a princess and Queen of France, but she suffered greatly after the death of King Louis, so I had plenty to work with.

Was there a scene you found humorous to write about?

 Mary was one of the guests of honour at the spectacular meeting between Henry VIII and King Francis I of France in June 1520, which became known as the Field of the Cloth of Gold. The two kings did their best to outdo each other in every possible way. Although it was a serious diplomatic meeting, there are stories about the two kings wresting each other to the ground, playing tricks and even seeing who could sing the loudest. Hall’s chronicle notes that ‘When dinner was over, some time was spent dancing in the banqueting hall. Before he started to dance, the French king went from one end of the room to the other, carrying his hat in his hand and kissing all the ladies on both sides – except for four or five who were too old and ugly’.

Tony Riches in front of castle

What are Mary’s attributes you find most intriguing to write about?

 I wanted to explore Mary’s vulnerability as well as her strengths. I was intrigued by the complex relationship with her brother Henry VIII, and she had a strange dependence on Henry’s right hand man, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. Wolsey was always doing her favours and lending her money. Of course, she knew he had ulterior motives, but she wept when she heard of his death.

What are some emotional triggers for Mary and how does she act on them?

There are many in this book, from the consequences of her decision to marry for love, to the trials of medieval childbirth. Although Mary shows exceptional courage and resilience, in the end they take their toll on her. Then she emerges from her sanctuary in Suffolk to challenge her brother’s decision to divorce her lifelong friend, Catherine of Aragon.

How is Henry influenced by his settings?

Henry used his father’s fortune to create his own settings and filled them with like-minded people. He was constantly on the move, in what was known as a ‘royal progress,’ and often took over a thousand people of his household with wagons carrying everything he might need. Even when he went to France he created a tented palace at huge expense. This could be seen as tremendous self-belief but in truth it veiled a deep insecurity.

How much research went into your story?

I’ve been researching the early Tudors for the last five years. When I began the trilogy I had little information about Owen Tudor, (Mary’s great-grandfather). The amount of information increased exponentially by the time I reached the story of Mary’s father, Henry Tudor, as he kept detailed legers of his finances. This time, I had the advantage of a fascinating book The French Queen’s Letters, by Erin Sadlack, which includes all Mary’s surviving letters, many with replies, as well as an insightful analysis of her state of mind at the time. I prefer primary research and found her letters offer an evocative ‘voice’ for Mary, as well as revealing how she felt about people and events.

What are you working on next?

When I was writing about Mary Tudor I researched the life of her second husband, Sir Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, and visited his tomb at Windsor Castle. He was Henry VIII’s best friend and a champion jouster and adventurer, leading an army into France even though he had no military experience. Then he breaks his promise to Henry and secretly marries Mary. I’m now writing Brandon – Tudor Knight, which will tell the story from his point of view.

Where can readers buy your book?

All my books are exclusive to Amazon and available worldwide in eBook and paperback. The Tudor Trilogy is also available as audiobooks and an audiobook edition of Mary – Tudor Princess is now in production.

(Book links)

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Amazon AU

About the Author

Tony Riches

Tony Riches is a full-time author of best-selling historical fiction. He lives in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the fifteenth century, with a particular interest in the Wars of the Roses and the lives of the early Tudors. For more information about Tony’s other books please visit his website tonyriches.com and his popular blog, The Writing Desk and find him on Facebook and Twitter @tonyriches.

 

Georgia’s Hightower Trail

Me in Summer time 2017Last Monday my daughter and I drove by a Hightower Trial Marker heading towards Roswell on Shallowford. I was captivated by seeing the marker and remembering the history. It is a fascinating one and yet sad at the same time…

Learning about old roads and trails people in our own history used is extraordinary. So much happened along those roads and there were many settlements around them. Who were theses people? How far would they walk? How did they live? What did they experience? These questions always flood my mind and my thirst for learning more intensifies when I see these markers.

Stephanie M. Hopkins

Hightower marker II Cropped

Text from website about the Historic marker: “Already a well-established route in the 1700s, the Hightower Trail was a major Indian thoroughfare and part of a network of trails connecting Augusta with the Etowah River area and Alabama. The path crossed the Chattahoochee River at a shallow ford below Roswell, traveled in a west and northwest direction through Fulton County, crossing Willeo Creek to enter Cobb County. It traveled over land later developed as the Mountain Creek subdivision and connected with present-day Shallowford Road near its intersection with McPherson Road. Shallowford then closely follows the original path through East Cobb. Pioneers also followed the ancient trail into the region transforming the footpath into a wagon road, remnants of which were still visible to 20th century residents living here when the area was still rural.”

Website

Hightower (Etowah) Trial – Fulton Co., GA – Ancient Traces and Roads

Thinking Roads

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NW Window Turret Photo by WSM Photography

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