Bestselling author Julia Spencer-Fleming’s latest novel, ONE WAS A SOLDIER, explores the problems veterans face as they reenter society. Born on an Air Force Base and growing up an “Army brat,” Julia recalls how her mother always made sure to stock the bookshelves of the family’s new abodes and, even in poorer times, kept book-loving Julia well supplied.
Flannery O'Connor
The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.
Attribution
Flannery O'Connor
April is Autism Awareness Month, and so it’s a perfect time to draw attention to one mother’s recent compilation of an excellent list of graphic novels for her autistic son. This extensive list was published on AutMont, an autism resources site centered in Montgomery County, Maryland. This is a pretty comprehensive assortment of titles, and it ranges from such classics like Bone and Tintin to newer bestsellers like Babymouse, Copper, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Asterix.
April 16, 2011
Luanne Rice: A Tribute to Lucille Arrigan Rice, Who Taught Her Not to Worry About What Other People Think
A New York Times bestseller whose work has been internationally acclaimed, Luanne Rice is the author of 29 novels --- the latest of which, THE SILVER BOAT, is now available in bookstores. Below she remembers the woman who helped launch her writing career by giving her what she never had herself --- a sense of freedom.
Pixie Foudre
Browsing the dim back corner
Of a musty antique shop
Opened an old book of poetry
Angels flew out from the pages
I caught the whiff of a soul
The ink seemed fresh as today
Was that voices whispering?
The tree of the paper still grows.
Attribution
Pixie Foudre
Early April 2011
We all know what they say about April, and it sure seems to be the case. It's been raining on and off here the last few days --- let's just hope that May follows the adage, and flowers follow showers! In the meantime, be sure to check out some of the great reads we want to tell you about while we're waiting for spring to get its act together.
And I am a George R.R. Martin fan. As HBO begins what looks like a great adaptation of Game of Thrones (and I realize I need to start a subscription to HBO...I don't think I can miss this), the New York Times runs a great pro-comic book quote from the amazing writer. It's from 1981 (I wish I had known about it back then...it would have been very helpful to me when dealing with my parents and teachers). I think my favorite part is this gem: "My teachers soon began to marvel that I read with such 'expression,' while the rest of my class read . . .
Mary Higgins Clark is known worldwide as "The Queen of Suspense;” her daughter, Carol, has been following in Mom’s legendary footsteps since the days of re-typing her mother's manuscripts. Penning 42 and 14 books respectively, the prolific mother-daughter team has written five Christmas books together, beginning with DECK THE HALLS in 2000. Here, they discuss their collaborative process, and the joys of working together.
