Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


Oct 18

4

Freefall: Divine Comedy by Lily Iona MacKenzie

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on October 4, 2018
Posted in Book Tours • My Past Giveaways  | Tagged With: , , | 3 Comments

Freefall: Divine Comedy by Lily Iona MacKenzieFreefall: Divine Comedy by Lily Iona MacKenzie

Publisher:  Pen-L Publishing (Oct 1, 2018)
Category: Women’s Fiction, Literary Fiction
Tour dates: Oct-Nov, 2018
ISBN:
Available in print & ebook, 255

Freefall

Description Freefall: Divine Comedy by Lily Iona MacKenzie


During a four-day reunion in Whistler, B.C., Tillie Bloom, a wacky installation artist, reconnects with three women she had hung out with in the late ’50s and early ’60s. While in Whistler, secrets surface and a near death experience occurs during a hike, both of which bind the women at a deeper level.

Their new intimacy prompts them to celebrate the millennium as well as their approaching sixtieth birthdays in Italy. So a few weeks later, Tillie travels to Venice to have an extended reunion with her friends. While the women assume they’re in Venice to vacation and deepen their relationships, Tillie has a hidden agenda: she intends to crash the Venice Biennale, hoping to find a larger audience for her art. Cupid’s arrows complicate her goals when she and an Italian priest fall for each other.

The reflective quality of Venice’s canals also create unexpected changes in the women, causing them to turn inward. They all end up with a fresh take on themselves and their lives. Tillie, in particular, experiences a deeper understanding of herself. But will it take her on a path she’s ready to travel, and will Venice finally give her the recognition she seeks as an artist?

Advance Praise Freefall: Divine Comedy by Lily Iona MacKenzie


“Hilarious, spiritual, and sensual, Freefall: A Divine Comedy takes you on a rollicking ride spanning three countries and four decades. These fascinating characters will fill your imagination, defying expectations about aging, art, and what truly matters in life.” —Laurie Ann Doyle, author of World Gone Missing

“This is an enchanting story about old friends reuniting as they struggle with thoughts on aging, religion, motherhood, men, art, and death. A delightful trip in every respect, with plenty of surprises and laughs along the way. A Divine Comedy, indeed!” —Mark Willen, author of Hawke’s Point and Hawke’s Return

About Lily Iona MacKenzieFreefall: Divine Comedy by Lily Iona MacKenzie


A Canadian by birth, Lily Iona MacKenzie has published reviews, interviews, short fiction, poetry, travel pieces, essays, and memoir in over 155 venues. Her poetry collection All This was published in 2011. Fling!, her debut novel, was published in July 2015. Curva Peligrosa, another novel, was released in September 2017.

Currently, she teaches creative writing at the University of San Francisco’s Fromm Institute of Lifelong Learning. She also blogs about writing and reading.

Website: http://lilyionamackenzie.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lilyionamackenzieauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lilyionamac

Buy Freefall: Divine Comedy by Lily Iona MacKenzie

 

Not Available Yet.  Expected publication date is January 1, 2019.  You can pre-order here:

Pen-L Publishing

Giveaway Freefall: Divine Comedy by Lily Iona MacKenzie

This giveaway is for the choice of a print copy or ebook for three winners. Print is open to Canada and the U.S. only.  ebook is open worldwide.  This giveaway ends on November 30th at midnight pacific time.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Follow  Freefall: Divine Comedy by Lily Iona MacKenzie Tour


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Freefall: Divine Comedy by Lily Iona MacKenzie

Sep 18

18

Hard Cider by Barbara Stark-Nemon: Giveaway

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on September 18, 2018
Posted in My Past Giveaways  | Tagged With: , , | 5 Comments

Hard Cider by Barbara Stark-NemonHard Cider by Barbara Stark-Nemon


Thanks to Caitlin Hamilton Marketing & Publicity, , I am giving away one print copy of ‘Hard Cider’ by Barbara Stark-Nemon.

Description Hard Cider by Barbara Stark-Nemon


Abbie Rose Stone’s acquired wisdom runs deep, and so do her scars. She has successfully navigated the shoals of a long marriage, infertility, challenging children, and a career. Now it’s her turn to realize her dream: producing hard apple cider along the northern shores of Lake Michigan that she loves.

She manages to resist new versions of the old pull of family dynamics that threaten to derail her plan―but nothing can protect her from the shock a lovely young stranger delivers when she exposes a long-held secret. In the wake of this revelation, Abbie must overcome circumstances that severely test her self-determination, her loyalties, and her understanding of what constitutes true family.

Praise Hard Cider by Barbara Stark-Nemon


“The novel soars with passages about upper Michigan’s unique beauty…Hard Cider is a story about following a dream…”—Foreword Reviews

“…fabulous…. Not just a great story, it’s a beautiful example of how to live.”—Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg, author of EDEN: A Novel

“I just flew through…Hard Cider. Well written and easy to read…A book that celebrates family.”—Caitlin Hicks, author of Reader’s Favorite and i-book award winning A Theory of Expanded Love

“Absorbing and thoughtful….[a] beautifully written story.”—Jessica Levine, author of the novels The Geometry of Love, and Nothing Forgotten

About Barbara Stark-Nemon


Hard Cider by Barbara Stark-Nemon

(c) hris Loomis Photography

BARBARA STARK-NEMON is the author of the award-winning first novel, Even in Darkness. She lives, writes, cycles, swims, does fiber art, and gardens in Ann Arbor and Northport, Michigan. After earning her undergraduate degree in English Literature and Art History and a Masters in Speech-language Pathology from the University of Michigan, Barbara enjoyed a teaching and clinical career working with deaf children. Barbara writes novels, short stories, and essays.

Website: http://www.barbarastarknemon.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bstarknemon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starknemon

Buy Hard Cider by Barbara Stark-Nemon


Amazon
Barnes&Noble
Indiebound

Giveaway Hard Cider by Barbara Stark-Nemon


This giveaway is open to Canada and the U.S. only and ends on October 5, 2018 midnight pacific time.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sep 18

11

Dog Story: Story About Divorce by Christopher Meeks- Review

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on September 11, 2018
Posted in Short Story Read in 2018  | Tagged With: , , , | 1 Comment

Dog Story: Story About Divorce by Christopher MeeksDog Story: Story About Divorce by Christopher Meeks


This short story is free on Kindle today!  Here is the link:

https://www.amazon.com/Dog-Story-about-Divorce-ebook/dp/B07GL15W7C/ref

Description Dog Story: Story About Divorce


In “A Dog Story,” a Los Angeles woman going through a divorce visits her soon-to-be-ex on Mother’s Day and gets their dog, Scrappy, for the day. That dog changes everything.

This story is part of a series of new tales from Christopher Meeks of modern life in America. When his first short story collection, “The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea,” came out, the Los Angeles Times called his work “poignant and wise, sympathetic to the everyday struggles the characters face.” Entertainment Weekly wrote it was a “stunning” collection. He continues here with his trademark insight and humor.

My Thoughts on Dog Story: Story About Divorce by Christopher Meeks


Neither Dan nor Chelsea know what happened to make them decide to split and get a divorce but they are now both trying to deal with the outcome.  It is evident that both have regrets and are having trouble moving on. 

 Chelsea goes to Dan’s to pick up his dog, Scrappy, to babysit him for Mother’s Day.  The dog seems reluctant to go with her and she seems reluctant to take him. While at Dan’s she learns that he has a date planned and she seems surprised and hurt. She is the one who broke it off but it is Dan who has decided to move on.  He tried so many times to win her back but now it is time.

She gets Scrappy in the car and drives off but is quite upset.  She thinks about Dan going on a date and about their daughter Bo, who is not speaking with her.  Then she gets into a car accident but her and Scrappy are unharmed. We learn more about the characters as the story progresses.  Scrappy even helps save the day.

‘A Dog’s Story’is a 14 page short story that really packs a punch.  It will be part of a new collection on divorce and modern day America by short story master, Christopher Meeks.

If you don’t like short stories, I challenge you to read this one!  Short stories are special, in the hands of the right author.  It is a true art form and Meeks always gets it right!  After reading this first story in the upcoming collection, I have to wonder if it will be even better than Meeks ‘The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea’.  It’s a high bar but Meeks comes out swinging with this, first story!  I highly recommend it!

5/5

About Christopher MeeksDog Story: Story About Divorce by Christopher Meeks


Christopher Meeks was born in Minnesota, earned degrees from the University of Denver and USC, and has lived in Los Angeles since 1977. He’s taught English at Santa Monica College, and creative writing at CalArts, UCLA Extension, Art Center College of Design, and USC.

His fiction has appeared often in Rosebud magazine as well as other literary journals, and his books have won several awards. His short works have been collected into two volumes, “The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea” and “Months and Seasons,” the latter which appeared on the long list for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award. He’s had three plays produced, and “Who Lives?” is published.

In longer fiction, he’s published two comic novels, “The Brightest Moon of the Century” and “Love At Absolute Zero,” and two crime novels, “Blood Drama” and “A Death in Vegas.” “The Chords of War,” written with Army veteran Samuel Gonzalez, Jr., focuses on the war in Iraq in 2006 and 2007. His unique literary sensibility ties the novels together–perhaps like the films from the Coen Brothers, directors who hail from the same state.

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