The Enduring Magic of Book Night

The Enduring Magic of Book Night

Oct 15, 2013 | #truestory

Other families have Game Night or Movie Night. We have Book Night.

It started out as a means of self defense. We had two kids under the age of 5. My husband and I both had full time, demanding jobs, and he was pursuing a college degree at night.

Reading for Survival

I felt stretched, especially at bedtime when I tried to read a book or two to each child before they went to bed. But I was always racing from one bedroom to the other; the youngest wasn’t asleep yet as she heard me read to the older; he complained when I stopped reading to go soothe his sister. Bedtime was chaotic and I was exhausted.

So one Monday, as Dad studied, I let both children select 3 books and we all piled onto our big bed. My 5-year-old son tolerated the bunny and alphabet books his 2-year-old sister loved and she stayed quiet as I read about monster trucks and airplanes. By the time all 6 books were read, everybody was ready to go to bed and no one felt shortchanged.

bear and bookBook Night quickly became a Monday tradition, then a Tuesday tradition, then virtually every night became a Book Night, except Thursday, the night I took the kids to an all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet restaurant while my husband had a 4-hour class. The week developed a rhythm, punctuated by the excitement of choosing Book Night books at the library on Saturday. I still had a lot to handle, but Book Night enforced a structure that removed a lot of stress.

Related post: The Power of Daddy

When Tradition Grows Up

We read together like this for several years, until my son said I read too slowly and would rather read on his own. Mind you, this is the kid who started reading Dale Brown in first grade! My daughter and I gradually moved on to reading classics together and the last book I read aloud to her was The Secret Garden when she was in third grade. Then she could read faster to herself than I could read aloud, too.

But Book Night stayed with us. As we gathered in the evenings for dinner, everyone had to be reluctantly parted from their books for a time. At some point someone asked if they could read at the table and Book Night morphed into a dinner rather than bedtime event.

“Is it a Book Night?” someone would ask and invariably we’d each come to dinner with a book. The conversation always started by taking turns asking each other what was the best part of their day (sort of like the Waltons telling each other good night.) Once that ritual had been completed and discussed, we’d each read a bit. But far from being silent meals, we’d end up discussing the books we were each reading. Parents and kids alike learned of new books, (husband and son still regularly swap sci-fi) the kids learned to describe what they read and support their opinions, and we swapped our enthusiasm for all-family favorites like the Harry Potter series and the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Related post: A Lesson From The Great Gatsby

Not Just Survival, But Success

My kids are mostly grown now and thanks to Book Night are voracious readers and literary critics. Their love of reading has bolstered their performance at school, helped their SAT scores, and allowed them to become critical thinkers with interesting things to say.

So if you have kids, read to them. For all of you.

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book night

Book Review: Cartel Rising by Guillermo Paxton

Book Review: Cartel Rising by Guillermo Paxton

Oct 11, 2013 | #reviews

There are various subsets within the crime fiction genre; “tartan noir” for books set in Scotland and “Nordic noir” for those that take place in the Scandinavian countries. If there is a “narco noir” sub-genre for crime fiction set in Mexico, then Paxton is surely the reigning king.

CARTEL RISING is an action-filled crime drama built upon the lives of two Mexican-American men, Memo Smith and Lalo Torres. Their stories straddle the US-Mexican border at the Juarez-El Paso juncture. Both start off with the same meager resources: broken home, hard lessons learned young, and boxing as a way out of poverty. They take similar routes into law enforcement on the US side of the border and meet up in the boxing arena. But after that brief encounter, their lives move apart but stay curiously parallel.

Lalo becomes a homicide detective in the El Paso police department. A diligent investigator, his integrity takes him where no one wants him to go, with disastrous results. Memo is bounced out of his job with the sheriff’s department and leaves his troubles behind by heading south of the border. One thing leads to another and he ends up in a Mexican jail where he becomes the bodyguard for an incarcerated cartel kingpin.

These are the turning points in each man’s life and as the years go by, they are both pulled deeper into the narco world, but with different agendas. For both, staying alive requires a constant balance between killing and negotiation as allegiances within the Juarez cartel shift, new leaders step in, and those who break the rules are punished. And in the background the reader knows the race is on to see if Lalo or Memo will win their inevitable next encounter. But alas, this is a narco noir story and there are few winners, except the reader.

Paxton’s strong prose turns on his insightful and amazingly authentic descriptions. The dialogue stays true to the characters, from sobbing wives or playful mistresses, to the narco kingpins and victims of violence.  Over and over I found myself recognizing the truth behind the fiction; Paxton knows his location, the contemporary history, the character types, and the motivations that drive the storyline. He takes the reader inside Mexico’s mean streets like few other writers.

Content with this much power needs a better editor, although nothing detracted. But the bottom line is that if you like crime fiction, are interested in Mexico and border issues, or are simply looking for a pulse-pounder, Paxton delivers.

Cartel Rising

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© 2017 Carmen Amato.

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I’m author Carmen Amato. I write romantic thrillers and the Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series set in Acapulco. Expect risk, power, corruption. And relationships with heat.  More

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A Book Savor Chat with Social Media Marketing Expert Frances Caballo

Oct 10, 2013 | #friends

 The Book Savor Series grew out of my passion for great books, great friends and interesting conversations about what we are reading.

This week’s guest, social media marketing expert Frances Caballo shares the books she savors.

1.Carmen Amato: What was the first book you read that marked the transition from reading kids’ books to grown-up fare?

Frances Caballo:  I think it was The Scarlett Letter. I was in high school and we had to read the book and provide a report that discussed the symbolism in the book and other issues. I had a huge moment of inspiration and saw very clearly what the author was trying to communicate. What happened next was horribly embarrassing, which is why I remember this transition so clearly. The teacher asked a boy in the class to read my report without revealing the source. As he read, the entire class erupted into laughter. I was mortified but when I received my report back from my teacher, I saw that I was the only student to receive an A+ on the assignment.

2. CA: You are shipwrecked with a crate labeled “Books.” What 3 books do you hope are in it?

FC:  Just 3 books? For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, Don Quijote (it’s spelled that way in Spain) de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes, and The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

Paella book cover3. CA: What book would you give as a housewarming gift and why?

FC:  Great question! Paella by Penelope Casas.

4. CA: You can invite any author, living or dead, to dinner at your home. What are you serving and what will the conversation be about?

FC:  I’m serving paella, Manchego cheese with quince, salad and flan for dessert. I would invite Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of No Ordinary Time, and ask her about how she conducts the extensive researched needed for her books.

5. CA: Can you leave us with a quote, a place, or a concept from a book that inspired you?

FC:  I love this quote: “Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” – Rumi

We all need to take up our calling, whatever it might be. And if we follow the call, our souls will be fulfilled.

Tell us about yourself in 3 sentences or less.

I value integrity above all else. I love writing, books, writers, Labrador Retrievers and my husband-to-be, but not necessarily in that order. I can’t imagine living far from the coast; I would shrivel.

More about this week’s guest: I’d just published my first book when Frances interviewed me for her blog about social media marketing for authors. I’d found alot of tips in her articles and was thrilled that she thought I was headed in the right direction.  Recently she sent me some great tips for using Pinterest that you can get as a free download on her website, http://socialmediajustforwriters.com/.

Frances Caballo 250 by 250Frances  is a social media strategist, trainer, and author of Social Media Just for Writers: The Best Online Marketing Tips for Selling Your Books and Blogging Just for Writers. Presently, she is the Social Media Manager for the Women’s National Book Association-SF Chapter, the San Francisco Writers Conference, and the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+.

What I learned from the Internet this week: Did you know that world-wide, more people have a mobile phone than there are people with access to a flush toilet? Check out water.org for more key water facts.

 

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MADE IN ACAPULCO story collection is free for all

MADE IN ACAPULCO story collection is free for all

Oct 8, 2013 | #EmiliaCruz

Fact may be stranger than fiction but in some cases they are deliberately similar. I routinely comb the news for inspiration for the Emilia Cruz mystery series so that “action torn from today’s headlines” isn’t just a tagline.  Yes, readers will be entertained by fast-paced tales of intrigue and mystery. But they’ll also learn about the impact of Mexico’s drug war.

Made in Acapulco by Carmen Amato

MADE IN ACAPULCO: The Emilia Cruz Stories is a collection of 5 short stories, many of which were inspired by real events in Mexico. The stories take place before the action in the full-length Emilia Cruz novels, including CLIFF DIVER and HAT DANCE:

The Beast captures Emilia’s struggle to become the first female detective on the Acapulco police force. It previously appeared in The Huffington Post’s Huff/Post 50 Featured Fiction showcase.

Note for missing womanThe Disappeared sees Emilia track a friend who goes missing. This story launches the continuing theme of missing persons, especially women, that runs throughout the series. It was inspired by the numerous reports of missing women in Mexico, such as this 2012 New York Times article about missing and murdered women in Juarez.

Related Post: Finding Mexico’s Missing: New Effort or Whitewash?

The Artist was inspired by Mexican poet Javier Sicilia’s efforts to raise the awareness of the plight of families whose loved ones have gone missing amid Mexico’s drug violence as well as threats to schools in Acapulco in 2011 that caused 140 schools in that city to close. For more see The Huffington Post report on Sicilia’s 2012 “caravan” tour of the United States as well as this report in the Christian Science Monitor about the school closings.

The Date explores the downside of a job that pits Emilia against Mexico’s enduring culture of machismo. It draws on real events that occurred at a nightclub in Mexico in 2006, as reported by the BBC.

The Cliff is the original Emilia Cruz story and was previously published in the now out of print first edition of MADE IN ACAPULCO. Written for a literary critique group, the story was initially entitled So Far from God and introduced Kurt Rucker. CLIFF DIVER, the first full-length Emilia Cruz novel, was based on this story.

The stories in MADE IN ACAPULCO draw on the headlines coming out of Mexico today, but it also shows the warmth and resilience of the Mexican people. Mexico is a beautiful and vibrant country with a rich heritage and culture, and Emilia represents hope for the country’s future.

2018 update: MADE IN ACAPULCO: The Emilia Cruz Stories is permanatly free across all ebook platforms.

Amazon https://amzn.to/2z1PsZH

BN.com https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/made-in-acapulco-carmen-amato/1128330225 

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/made-in-acapulco 

Playster  https://play.playster.com/books/10009780985325640/made-in-acapulco-carmen-amato

Apple https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1366616267

You are invited to spend some time in Acapulco with Emilia, Rico, Kurt and the infamous Lt. Inocente, among others.

Will this short story collection prove that fact is stranger than fiction? Probably not, although it may show just how much art imitates life.

P.S. If you enjoyed MADE IN ACAPULCO, please leave a review!

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A Book Savor Chat with Canadian Author Sandra Nikolai

Oct 3, 2013 | #friends

The Book Savor series grew out of my love for good friends, good books, and great conversations about what we are reading.

This week’s guest, Canadian mystery author Sandra Nikolai, shares the books she savors.

Anne frank cover1.Carmen Amato: What was the first book you read that marked the transition from reading kids’ books to grown-up fare?

Sandra Nikolai: When I was a young teen, I read The Diary of Anne Frank. The story touched me deeply because I imagined myself in her situation during the Nazi occupation. It brought home the realization that not every young person has a carefree youth and that some pretty bad things can happen in this world.

2. CA: You are shipwrecked with a crate labeled “Books.” What 3 books do you hope are in it?

SN: I’d hope to find a book on survival skills because I’m a city girl, and I’d need all the help I could get. If an escape plan didn’t work out, I’d dig out Somewhere Over the Rainbow to bolster my hopes of being rescued and returning home. I’d also hope for a huge joke book, because if I were going to die, I’d want to die laughing.

3. CA: What book would you give as a housewarming gift and why?

SN: A coffee table book with lots of photos and illustrations on a topic that ranged from art to cooking to travel, depending on the guest’s interests. Coffee table books attract attention and encourage conversation in a wide variety of topics.

4. CA: You can invite any author, living or dead, to dinner at your home. What are you serving and what will the conversation be about?

SN: I’d invite forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs, bestselling author of the Dr. Temperance Brennan series on which the program Bones is based. I’d serve lasagna with a tossed green salad and a bottle of Chianti. Nothing with bones! We’d chat about her books and Montreal—a city we both know well. I’d wait until we’d had coffee and tiramisu before asking her about the grisly details of her work in the lab.

5. CA: Can you leave us with a quote, a place, or a concept from a book that inspired you?

SN: “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” Rudyard Kipling, 1865-1936

Tell us about yourself in 3 sentences or less.

SN: My parents encouraged my love of reading and I’ll be forever grateful to them. I couldn’t imagine my life without books. Even more so without writing.

Sandra NikolaiMore about this week’s guest: Sandra is the author of a mystery series featuring a ghost writer and a crime reporter; a real departure from the standard police or private detective cast of characters. Her first book, False Impressions, had a character so duplicitous I was glad he was the victim! Her second book, Fatal Whispers, has just been released and delivers more of the psychological twists that readers enjoyed in the first. The title is a fabulous twist on on the murder weapon, which you’ll never guess. Her links:

  • http://sandranikolai.com
  •  @sandranikolai

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A Book Savor Chat with Fabretto CFO Monica Drazba

Sep 26, 2013 | #friends

The Book Savor series grew out of my love for good books, great friends, and interesting conversations about books.

This week Fabretto Foundation CFO Monica Drazba talks about the books she savors.

Shirley Jackson book cover1.Carmen Amato: What was the first book you read that marked the transition from reading kids’ books to grown-up fare?

Monica Drazba: We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson.  I read this disturbing book when I was in sixth grade or so.  I spent hours trying to figure out what it all meant.  It still scares me to this day.

2. CA: You are shipwrecked with a crate labeled “Books.” What 3 books do you hope are in it?

 MD:

  • Modern Times, by Paul Johnson
  • The Rise of the West, by William H. McNeill
  • To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

(I’ve been meaning to re-read the first two, and the last is my favorite novel –one that I re-read every couple of years.)

(plus I hope there are lots of good murder mysteries, more histories, and of course, nerdy sci-fi and fantasy books!)

3. CA: What book would you give as a housewarming gift and why?

MD:  The Egg and I by Betty McDonald: her story of setting up a household in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest is fun and witty and makes everyone feel better about their own new household travails.

4. CA: You can invite any author, living or dead, to dinner at your home. What are you serving and what will the conversation be about?

 MD: Well, aside from Carmen Amato and a variety of Mexican dishes, it would probably be David McCullough or maybe Robert Caro. I’d serve up something simple (grilled tenderloin, roasted vegetables, pilaf), so I could spend my time outside of the kitchen listening to their anecdotes and insights on modern history.

5. CA: Can you leave us with a quote, a place, or a concept from a book that inspired you?

MD: “…., and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning.” — the last line from To Kill a Mockingbird.  My mother died when I was very young, and we were raised by my dad— a troop of tomboys (all sisters until my father remarried and my half-brother came along).  The ending always resonated with me and still does — parenting, love, and being there for your children.

Tell us about yourself in 3 sentences or less.

Monica

MD:  I moved to Latin America from my home state of California in 1980 with my husband and 9 month old daughter.  After 33 years, four countries, and three more children born and raised between Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico and Ecuador, books have been my most enduring friends.  I love entertaining my breathing friends in our home in Nicaragua, where we have lived for the last seventeen years and where I work for a non-profit promoting education and literacy among the rural poor.

More about this week’s guest: Monica is a force multiplier when it comes to her work with Fabretto, a foundation with a  mission “to empower underserved children and their families in Nicaragua to reach their full potential, improve their livelihoods, and take advantage of economic opportunity through education and nutrition.” Fabretto runs schools, vocational programs, craft cooperatives, and much more; all to raise living standards and give children a better future. You can read more about Fabretto at http://www.fabretto.org.

A Book Savor Chat with MommyMaestra.com Founder Monica Olivera

Sep 19, 2013 | #friends

The Book Savor series grew out of my love for good book, great friends and interesting conversations about what we are reading.

This week’s guest, Monica Olivera, the founder of MommyMaestra.com and Latinas4LatinoLit.org, talks about the books she savors.

1.Carmen Amato: What was the first book you read that marked the transition from reading kids’ books to grown-up fare?

The Thin Man novelMonica Olivera: Dashiell Hammett’s The Thin Man. Actually, My grandfather, who was always reading, had a collection of Hammett’s books that included the Thin Man series, The Maltese Falcon, The Dain Curse, and a few others. And I’m sure that was when my love affair with mysteries began. Soon after these books, I was gobbling down Agatha Christie and others. Our local library was a home away from home, as was a nearby second-hand bookstore.

2. CA: You are shipwrecked with a crate labeled “Books.” What 3 books do you hope are in it?

MO: Anything by Elizabeth Peters, Garrison Keillor, or Isabel Allende. I can’t really narrow it down to three books since there are so many that I love and enjoy. My bookshelves groan under the weight of my “favorite” reads from which I simply cannot part. And I have eclectic tastes because I enjoy a good mystery just as much as I do a good comedy or drama. I cannot resist a well-told story.

3. CA: What book would you give as a housewarming gift and why?

MO: Lake Wobegon Summer 1956 by Garrison Keillor. Because every home deserves laughter.

4. CA: You can invite any author, living or dead, to dinner at your home. What are you serving and what will the conversation be about?

MO: Rudolfo Anaya, I think. I would serve warm pork tamales (if I knew how to make them), fresh limonada, and maybe flan for dessert. Or tres leches. We would talk about the desperate need for our children to hear and read these stories that reflect our childhood experiences and how by writing we in some way immortalize said childhood and the loved ones who may have since passed on.

We would talk about how critical it is for our children to hear and read our stories so that they can grow up with confidence, knowing that their history matters and that they have the ability to make a difference.

5. CA: Can you leave us with a quote, a place, or a concept from a book that inspired you?

MO: “Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.” ~Maya Angelou

I agree and think we should nurture a child’s love of reading with books about subjects that he or she is passionate about. Living books make learning a joy.

Tell us about yourself in 3 sentences or less.

I am a homeschooling Latina mami of two who is passionate about reading and education. My most vivid childhood memories are of spending time in libraries and second-hand bookshops. I cannot enter a bookstore without making a purchase because I can’t resist the possibility of a well-written story.

More about this week’s guest: Monica is the founder of MommyMaestra.com, a home schooling resource for Latino families, and is speaking this week at the LATISM13 conference in New York City. I met Monica through the Latino literacy website Latinas4LatinoLit.org, of which she is also a founder. As many readers know, I wrote book discovery posts for the L4LL website this past summer. Working with Monica has been a joy due to her professionalism and clear communications.

A Book Savor Chat with Mystery Author Jerold Last

Sep 12, 2013 | #friends

The Book Savor series grew out of my passion for great books, great friends, and conversations about books we love. Join in!

This week mystery author Jerold Last talks about the books he savors.

1.Carmen Amato: What was the first book you read that marked the transition from reading kids’ books to grown-up fare?

Sherlock Holmes novelJerold Last:  I don’t remember which of two it was, either Sherlock Holmes and “The Hound of the Baskervilles” or “The Guns of Shiloh” by Joseph A. Altsheler.  We were learning about the Civil War in 5th or 6th grade, which brought me to the Public Library and Altsheler’s highly readable series of young adult novels about the War Between the States.  One of my uncles gave me a copy of Doyle’s classic for a birthday gift at about the same time.  Of course I’d read all of the Nancy Drew novels and Hardy Boys books before this.  Given my lifelong love of mysteries, I’d like to believe my first adult novel was Sherlock Holmes.

2. CA: You are shipwrecked with a crate labeled “Books.” What 3 books do you hope are in it?

JL:  That’s a tough choice to make.  Maybe a waterproof iPad and a WiFi connection is an allowable selection?  If I have to choose, then:  1. “The Novels of Dashiell Hammett”; 2. “Raymond Chandler’s Stories and Early Novels”; 3.  Ross MacDonald’s “Archer at Large”.  That’s several weeks worth of reading for me.  Hopefully, rescue is possible about then.

3. CA: What book would you give as a housewarming gift and why?

 JL:  That would depend on whose house was being warmed.  If it were a mystery fan, I’d be inclined to give them copies of all seven of my published books (less than $14 at Amazon’s current retail prices).  If they preferred non-fiction, I’d probably select an interesting ethnic cookbook.  We have one on Mexican regional cooking that we’ve enjoyed for many years.

4. CA: You can invite any author, living or dead, to dinner at your home. What are you serving and what will the conversation be about?

 JL:  I think it would be Robert B. Parker, author of the Spenser series.  We’ll serve braised pheasant, shot by me, and found, pointed, and retrieved by Jolie, one of our dogs, from the freezer.  Side dishes include mashed potatoes with garlic, since there’s a lot of gravy, and salad (it’s California so there’s always fresh veggies).  Conversation would be about mystery writing, and whether Spenser’s and Susan’s German Shorthaired Pointer, Pearl The Wonder Dog, would have fit into our pack of three GSPs.  Jolie, the model for Juliet in “The Deadly Dog Show”, seems to have a similar temperament to Pearl’s, but is much better trained. Finally, I’d like his opinion of whether Roger makes a good, albeit much more educated, Spenser-type hero, and what he thinks of Bruce as an assistant hero in the mold of Hawk.

5. CA: Can you leave us with a quote, a place, or a concept from a book that inspired you?

JL:  From Raymond Chandler’s essay “The Simple Art of Murder”, he describes the character of the private detective as follows:  “Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid.  The detective in this kind of story must be such a man.  He is the hero; he is everything.  He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man.  He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor . . .  He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world . . . If there were enough like him, the world would be a very safe place to live in, without becoming too dull to be worth living in.”

Tell us about yourself in 3 sentences or less.

JL:  I’m a scientist, a Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at The University of California Medical School in Davis.  There are times I feel schizophrenic as I try to juggle my life as a scientist with my life as a mystery writer, like this morning’s interview with a local TV news reporter sharing my allegedly expert opinion of the health effects of inhaling the particles produced by the major wildfires currently burning here in California and throughout the western states.  I live with my wife of almost 40 years, Elaine, three generations of German Shorthaired Pointers, and currently the fourth generation of this canine family represented by eight grand-puppies born to Schone two nights ago.

More about this week’s guest: Jerold is the author of the Roger and Suzanne mysteries which I first discovered because several are set in Montevideo, Uruguay. The latest is The Deadly Dog Show (find it on amazon here), the fifth novel in a series, which also includes two shorter novellas, and the second series entry (after The Body in the Parking Structure) to take place in California rather than South America.  The settings and locales for the preceding South American mystery novels, The Empanada Affair, The Ambivalent Corpse, The Surreal Killer, and The Matador Murders are authentic; Jerry and Elaine lived previously in Salta, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay for several months each, and selected the most interesting locations for Roger and Suzanne mystery settings.  Jerry’s blog describing the background and birth of Jerry’s books; Jerry, Elaine, and the dogs’ lives; and all things mysterious can be found at http://rogerandsuzannemysteries.blogspot.com.

Ebook vs Print: Enough Already and Here’s Why

Sep 10, 2013 | #noticed

ebook vs print

As both an author and an avid reader I’m often asked what now seems like an age-old question: ebooks or print? The question implies that I find one superior to the other. Often, the person asking already has an opinion and wants to know if my opinion matches.

Well, it doesn’t and here’s why. The answer is BOTH.

Both ebooks and print have multiple advantages.  Based on circumstances, one format may hold more of an advantage than another for the reader at a certain point in time.

A reader should have the option of seizing the advantage that is most suitable for the circumstance at hand and move between formats without having to swear an oath of allegiance to either.

So let’s examine the evidence, as the characters in my books occasionally say, and compare the advantages of both formats.

Ebooks:

  • Portable and lightweight: This is important if you want to take several books on a long trip, or move household effects with a weight limit.
  • Cost and access: Ebooks are typically cheaper, faster to obtain, and many are free. Ebooks can be downloaded around the world which is great if you live somewhere without a bookstore or in a foreign country where English-language books are few and far in between.

Print:

  • Display and physicality: Books with pictures can be gorgeous personal statements, reference volumes, and home decor. Antique books carry their history with them and are powerful reminders of the past. First editions and signed books are valid collector’s items.
  • Selection: Handling a book, reading the back cover, sneaking a look at the last page, getting the author’s autograph on a paper copy–these are all things that help us select books and discover new authors.

I’m sure there are other advantages to each format and if you can think of some, leave a comment. But for now, enough with the ebook vs print question. I’m going to turn on my Kindle and finish reading the latest Swedish mystery, while trying not to be distracted by the 2000 or so books lining the shelves next to me.

Huffington Post Premieres Emilia Cruz Short Story

Sep 3, 2013 | #booknews, #EmiliaCruz

Acapulco by night

This week the very first Emilia Cruz story, “The Beast,” was published by Huffington Post, in the website’s Huff/Post 50 showcase of female fiction writers. Acapulco beat cop Emilia Cruz wants to become a detective. But will they break her before she gets to the squadroom? “The Beast” is all about how the series started and takes place about 2 years before the action in CLIFF DIVER and HAT DANCE.

I’m pinching myself as I type today because I’m an avid reader of HuffPost, and being published on the website has been on my bucket list for awhile. I was surfing through the website at a coffee shop when I read about the writer showcase and sent the story off, expecting deafening silence. But instead I got a charming email from  Alexander Eichler at the Huffington Post saying: “We’d be pleased to publish “The Beast” on HuffPost — all of us here who read it were quite enamored of it.”

“The Beast” is part of a collection of Emilia Cruz stories that will be published later this year in an expanded edition of MADE IN ACAPULCO. Its debut on Huffington Post is a milestone for me.

So without further ado, here is “The Beast” on Huffington Post. The blood-red picture of Acapulco looks perfect with it!

If you like the story, please share with Facebook friends and leave a comment for Huffpost readers.

Many thanks to Alex E. and the team there for the opportunity.

NEW!

Acapulco is hotter than ever in the second Emilia Cruz mystery

Get it today on amazon!

Book Review: For Love of a Cause by Elly Michaels

Book Review: For Love of a Cause by Elly Michaels

Aug 30, 2013 | #reviews

Every once in awhile we come across books that we simply can’t put down. FOR LOVE OF A CAUSE by Elly Michaels is one of them.

In 1970’s Bolivia a small insurgent group is battling an undefined but assumed corrupt and brutal government. American suburbanite Annie Crossland travels there with a church group to aid an orphanage and connects with the British purveyor for the well-hidden insurgent group. Annie accompanies him on a supply trip to the main rebel encampment where she finds a role for herself that has been hitherto missing in her life, as well as a volatile yet fulfilling relationship with the rebel leader. Yet we know the fate of most South American rebellions . . .

This is an amazingly well-researched book that lets us walk in Annie’s shoes the entire way. She is the bored wife of a wealthy and bland lawyer but she has hidden strengths and skills that quickly become useful to the rebel group; shooting thanks to skeet with her father, Spanish from college courses, and animal husbandry because of the horses she has at home. She is an innate organizer, as well, who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.

The authenticity and writing quality of this book, in terms of both description and characters, cannot be overstated. Annie is no idealistic do-gooder and she is torn between going back to her husband, the Brit who makes periodic supply trips between civilization and the rebel encampment, and her growing fascination with Alex, the educated and handsome but brutal Marxist rebel leader (think Che complete with black beret and cigars.)

Everyone is complex—the product of their background—and Michaels does a wonderful job of slowly connecting Annie and Alex as each struggles with lust, ideology, and relationships with other members of the growing rebel force. I was impressed with the way the author kept Alex true to his character and never gave into temptation to soften him into an easier person for Annie to love. And Annie never loses her awareness of his volatility and cruelty. Dialogue is used to good effect such as when Alex taunts Annie because she is not eating and she tells him it is because he smells like an animal or they argue over socialist ideology. The atmospherics throughout the book are excellent and consistent.

The rebels want to create a new society in Bolivia and try to create a system of local justice to provide the peasantry some measure of protection and stem the Bolivian Army’s random seizures, taxes, and rapes. Annie gets caught up in the effort, deciding to stay with Alex and divorce her husband. Some of the best scenes are those in which Annie shoulders a gun and engages in guerrilla warfare with the rebels whose infiltration strategies are well described. Expect your heart to pound as Annie panics but does what is required, with an emotional aftermath she barely survives. Another stellar scene is when the volatile Alex finds out that she is married. And then there is the chilling moment when he becomes the ultimate arbiter of justice in the area the rebels now control.

I would have liked a little more backstory on the Bolivian government the rebels are fighting and a reference to JPG files was out of context, given the assumed time period of the book. The book also deserves a better editor, cover, and description page on Amazon. It is a gem that couldn’t be more hidden.

The author’s Amazon page and the book’s categories fit this into the Romance genre. There is sexual tension, to be sure, but billing this book as a run-of-the-mill romance does it a disservice. This is a sweeping 5 star novel that fans of Ann Patchett or Anita Shreve will enjoy.

for love of a cause

A Book Savor Chat with Writer Elizabeth A. Martina

Aug 29, 2013 | #friends

 The Book Savor series is new to this blog and grew out of my passion for good books,  good friends, and great discussions about what we are reading.

This week writer Elizabeth A. Martina shares the books she savors.

1.Carmen Amato: What was the first book you read that marked the transition from reading kids’ books to grown-up fare? 

EAM: The first book was one from the assigned reading list required to enter 9th grade. It was “The Axe” by Sigrid Undset, the Nobel Prize winning author. Adult themes and religious themes together for the first time. I was shocked at the complexity but bought the rest of the series. It was so intimidating that I never read the other three books.

2. CA: You are shipwrecked with a crate labeled “Books.” What 3 books do you hope are in it? 

Lives of the Saints book coverEAM: First and foremost, the Bible. You can read that over and over and still find more you didn’t notice before. Then, I would like to find Butler’s Lives of the Saints, preferably the four volume edition. Third choice would be “To Kill A Mockingbird”. I figure if I am shipwrecked it might take a while to find me. I get bored quickly if I don’t have literature to make me think.

3. CA: What book would you give as a housewarming gift and why? 

EAM: I tend to like to give books that will be read again and again. Books that direct your thinking. I often will consider a coffee table book featuring a subject that I know the person would value. For example, a religious book for a religious-minded person or a book on cats for someone who is really into cats. I once gave the book “A Catholic Mother Speaks to Her Children” by Marie Catherine-Sophie de Flavigny to a mother of six.

4. CA: You can invite any author, living or dead, to dinner at your home. What are you serving and what will the conversation be about?

EAM: I adore the couple writing team, Bodie and Brock Thoene. I would serve them barbequed spare ribs, mustard potato salad and moscal wine. Ribs, because they are country folk and would probably enjoy that. The wine, because it is sweet and my favorite. Conversation would inevitably turn to history of the 20th century, which is predominantly their book themes, and to Christianity which is always their secondary theme.

5. CA: Can you leave us with a quote, a place, or a concept from a book that inspired you?

EAM: This is from one of Glenn Beck’s books: “Good decent people are around. Good decent people can succeed.” I like this quote because so often, in today’s society, many people think there is no decency or value system anymore. Reminding people of the fact that values still exist will go a long way towards helping this world.

More about this week’s guest: Elizabeth A. Martina grew up in central New York and went to school in both New York and Massachusetts. She has a son and several foster children.  Most of her storytelling ability comes from her grandmother, who told her tales of growing up in the 1910s and 20s. Her current project is a true crime story of passion and organized crime uncovered via historical archives in Italy, the US, and Canada.

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