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Known for her gritty, crime-ridden mysteries, novelist Kathleen George returns to bookstores with two new novels in 2014, “A Measure of Blood” and “The Johnstown Girls.”
George grew up in Johnstown, Penn., a small city that found its way into the history books with the Great Flood of 1889. In addition to a bachelor’s degree and a master of fine arts in creative writing, she holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in theater from the University of Pittsburgh. She now teaches theater arts and writing at her alma mater.
George published her first short story collection, “The Man in the Buick,” in 1999. The book was a finalist for the Helicon Nine prize in fiction. She is the author of the acclaimed Richard Christie mysteries, which started in 2001 with “Taken.” The book has been translated into six languages and was recommended by critic David Kipen on “The Today Show.” She continued the series with “Fallen,” “Afterimage,” “The Odds,” “Hideout,” “Simple” and her latest “A Measure of Blood.” “The Odds” was nominated for an Edgar award for best novel by the Mystery Writers of America.
Stepping just outside of the mystery genre, George introduces “The Johnstown Girls” in April 2014
(University of Pittsburgh Press).
George is the editor of “Pittsburgh Noir,” a collection of stories featuring Stewart O’Nan, Hilary
Masters, Reginald McKnight, K.C. Constantine, Lila Shaara, Nancy Martin, Kathleen George, and
many others. She has also written three books on theater.
She has appeared as a guest on mystery and literary blogs including Criminal Minds, Jungle Red
Writers, The Stiletto Gang, Writers Read, The Page 69 Test and Janice Gable Bashman, among others.
George lives in Pittsburgh where she enjoys cooking Lebanese food for her husband and fellow writer,
Hilary Masters.
Connect with Kathleen at these sites:
For those new to your series, can you describe the Pittsburgh Richard Christie mysteries?
My series has been called suspense, mystery, thriller, and procedural. I think all of those labels
apply in different mixes in different books. The series is very character oriented. Both the victims and
the criminals have personal lives in each book and sometimes those lives mirror those of the police.
The police have an ongoing story of their personal relationships over the course of the novels. They fall in love and out. I feel I know them. One reader told me my books reminded her of the Inspector Morse series. I love that compliment because I like to make my police, and especially Christie, human, flawed, contradictory, thoughtful. Lots of people have told me they’ve fallen in love with Christie. I have too. As I write him, I love him. There are other important police characters—and one of them is Colleen Greer who is a rookie in book three but well on her way in the profession by book six. She and Christie pretty much share the stage.
What makes Pittsburgh the perfect setting for a crime series?
Pittsburgh has a lot of “parts.” There are gorgeous views, more bridges than in Venice, many
trees and parks and also very poor areas, boarded up buildings, dark, rough streets. Needless to say
there are dramas of class and race in the very makeup of the city. And in between the extremes there
are ethnic neighborhoods that started out as immigrant strongholds and somehow held onto that identity even when mostly taken over by students looking for affordable housing. The people are extremely colorful. The braying Steelers fans that Tom Hanks made sport of on David Letterman. World famous doctors. The grandchildren of immigrants who have come up in the world and who are almost invariably friendly and unpretentious. Pittsburgh is friendly except when a ‘burgher is in a car. All bets are off for sweetness. The driver simply wants to get home.
How do you know so much about police work?
I called the police a lot. Then I realized just how much I had absorbed and how much was
common sense. I started to get freer about calling my own shots and when I checked with the police on
what I had done, I got the nod of approval. I’ve been extremely lucky. The police have been supportive and open with me. Actually the FBI, too, in the early days when I needed to consult were also helpful. My husband loves to tell people that when I tried certain plots on the FBI consultant, he said I had a fine criminal mind.
“The Johnstown Girls” is based on a real event that happened in your hometown. What inspired you to write about this piece of history?
The Great Flood of 1889 is an amazing story of greed and survival in America, a story everyone
should know. And I come from Johnstown. And there were subsequent floods. My mother was in two
of them. None was as big or devastating as the Great Flood though the lesser floods were plenty
serious with numerous deaths and significant loss of property. I wanted to include all three floods to
some extent in my novel because I experienced the fear in 1977 that I would lose my mother and I
realized that disaster stories are really about those moments of longing for those you love, fear of losing them. When I couldn’t get news, when the town was cordoned off, the drama that I knew first hand was that classic one of fear followed by joy at reunion.
How long have you worked on these books?
“A Measure of Blood” took about four years with some off and on time. Actually I began
working on “The Johnstown Girls” twenty-five years ago. It haunted me. I worked intensely but
sporadically over the years.
What was it like to grow up in Johnstown, Penn.?
Sweet! Little ethnic neighborhood. Smells of pierogies and kielbassa, small grocery stores
where the owners knew your family and what brands you wanted. And in the old days kids could play
dodgeball in the street if it was flat and well-paved or sled-ride down a steep street. We felt connected
to Pittsburgh. It was the big bit brother down the road. We were Pirates fans for sure. The whole town
listened to the 1960 world series.
How do you juggle your career as a theater arts professor at the University of Pittsburgh with your life as a mystery writer?
Eeeek. Sometimes juggle is the operative word. It’s tough to do it all, but I love all of it. I tend
to get up very early. In those morning hours when lots of people are sleeping and some are rocking
babies or walking dogs, I put words on a page.
How does your background in theatre help with writing?
Well it helps immensely. Theatre teaches you early on what a scene is, how a scene is an
interaction with tensions. Theatre teaches about motivation and what is going on underneath what is
said. Almost all plays are about lying. To oneself. To others. And that makes for the center of a lot of
plots.
When I was directing, I would coach actors for hours on four lines of dialogue. We would
totally explore inner life. What is thought, felt, seen, attempted. That is definitely good training for
writers.
Your husband, Hilary Masters, is a well-known writer who has been honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. What’s it like to have two writers in one household? Do you critique each other’s work?
Only very carefully. We know how tender the other is. So generally we wait for a whole draft
before showing anything. That’s the best way not to interrupt or get in the way of the initial impulses.
But then, after that, we read and tell the truth. Even if it hurts.
Would you ever collaborate with your husband for a book?
I suppose if we ever were interested in the same subject. Our work is pretty different and so is
our prose. But it is not out of the question. He has so much soul. And I am so dogged. I wonder how
that would work?
Has there been film interest in your work?
Yes, particular for Taken, my first novel. Even a screenwriter in France wanted to pitch it as a
French story (which I would totally love!). Someday, I have been assured, somebody is going to want
the whole series because of the ways the relationships change over time among the repeating characters while time passes and challenging new cases come along.
A murder sends a child into foster care and drags a detective into a feverish hunt for justice
Nadal watches for weeks before he first approaches the boy. No matter what Maggie Brown says, he’s sure Matt is his son, and a boy should know his father. After their first confrontation, Maggie should have run. She should have hidden her child. But she underestimated the man who was once her lover. With self-righteous determination, Nadal goes to her apartment. He demands to spend time with the boy. When she refuses, he reaches for a knife.
By the time homicide detective Richard Christie arrives on the scene, the killer has vanished, and Matt
is too scared to remember much more than his mother’s fear. As Christie looks for the killer and
Maggie’s friends fight to keep Matt out of the hands of Child Services, Nadal watches the news and
waits. A boy should be with his father. He’s going to get his son.
BOOK DETAILS:
Genre: Mystery
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: MysteriousPress.com/Open Road
Publication Date: January 14, 2014
ISBN-10: 1480445606
ISBN-13: 978-1480445604PURCHASE LINKS:
DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.
Recovery by Michael Baron
Published by: The Story Plant
Publication Date: Nov. 19th, 2013
ASIN: B00E79005K
Pages: 66
Review Copy from: The Story Plant
Edition: Kindle
My Rating: 5
Synopsis (borrowed from Amazon):
As November chill settles on the town of Oldham, CT, the world has shifted under the feet of Corrina and her teenaged stepson Ryan. Contending with tradition when nothing is the way it used to be is a challenge for the steadiest of relationships – and no one would ever define Corrina and Ryan’s relationship that way. But tradition is still staring them in the face, and they’re going to have to deal with it whether they want to or not. On a day when Ryan is too vulnerable to fight, he agrees to spend some time with his stepmother. Will it be the first stage in their recovery, or a final passage together before they go their separate ways forever?
In the first of four novelettes about the Golds – who we first met in Leaves – Michael Baron further explores the nuances, complexities, and unique comforts of family and shows that “nothing will be the same” has a multitude of connotations.
My Thoughts and Opinion:
I have been a huge fan of Michael Baron, enjoying every book written by him and even this novelette did not disappoint.
Recovery is a sequel novelette to Leaves. Leaves tells a story of 5 siblings dealing with the loss of not only their parents, but their decision to sell their family Inn.
In Recovery, Mr. Baron brings the reader up to speed on Corinna, (due to spoiler, will be vague) after a traumatic ending in Leaves. I felt that I was catching up with a friend. Emotional and tender, characteristics of Mr. Baron’s writing.
I understand that there will be 4 novelettes released, each chronicling one of the Gold siblings, which leads up to the next novel, Everything or Nothing. I can’t wait to read all the subsequent novelettes to see how each Gold family member is since Leaves.
If you haven’t read a Michael Baron book, you truly are missing out on an exceptional author. I highly recommend any and/or all books.
REVIEW DISCLAIMER
This blog was founded on the premise to write honest reviews, to the best of my ability, no matter who from, where from and/or how the book was obtained, and will continue to do so, even if it is through PICT or PBP.
DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.
(2014 Challenges: JustForFun, Mount TBR, EBook, Where Are You, A-Z, Turning the Pages, OutdoYourself
Burt Weissbourd is a novelist, screenwriter and producer of feature films. He was born in 1949 and graduated cum laude from Yale University, with honors in psychology. During his student years, he volunteered at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris and taught English to college students in Thailand. After he graduated, he wrote, directed, and produced educational films for Gilbert Altschul Productions. He began a finance program at the Northwestern University Graduate School of Business, but left to start his own film production company in Los Angeles. He managed that company from 1977 until 1986, producing films including “Ghost Story” starring Fred Astaire, Melvyn Douglas, John Houseman, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and Patricia Neal, and “Raggedy Man” starring Sissy Spacek and Sam Shepard, which The New York Times called “a movie of sweet, low-keyed charm.” In 1987, he founded an investment business, which he still runs.
Connect with Mr. Weissbourd at these sites:
Corey Logan was set up. She knows Nick Season’s terrible secret. Coming home from prison, all Corey wants is to be with her son. To get him back, she needs to make a good impression on the psychiatrist evaluating her. But Dr. Abe Stein doesn’t believe she was framed–until his well-heeled mother falls for the charming state attorney general candidate, Nick Season.
As the dogs of war are unleashed, Corey and her son run for their lives–taking her boat up the Pacific Northwest’s remote Inside Passage. Inside Passage is the first in Weissbourd’s haunting, heart-stirring Corey Logan trilogy.
BOOK DETAILS:
Series: Corey Logan
Hardcover: 268 pages
Publisher: Vireo Book, A
Publication Date: February 19, 2013
ISBN-10: 0985490233
ISBN-13: 978-0985490232PURCHASE LINKS:
Dr. Habib Sadeghi D.O. is the co-founder of Be Hive of Healing, an integrative health center based in Los Angeles. He is a highly-respected physician and researcher in the fields of integrative, osteopathic, anthroposophical, environmental, family medicine, German new medicine, homeopathy and clinical pharmacology. He has served as an attending Physician and Clinical Facilitator at UCLA-Santa Monica Medical Center, as well as a Clinical Instructor of Family Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences. He is a member of the Physician’s Association for Anthroposophic Medicine and International Post-Graduate Medical Training for Anthroposophic Medicine. An active member of the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation and American Holistic Medical Association, he is regularly sought after as an expert in the fields of nutritional therapy, dietary supplementation and detoxification for chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer and auto immune diseases at venues around the world.
Having recovered from cancer decades ago through his unique combination of integrative medical protocols, his services are in great demand. His patients come from as far as Columbia, Mexico, Germany, Thailand, France, Canada, Israel and the United Kingdom, seeking his specialized combination of integrative therapies.
Dr. Sadeghi serves as an on-air health expert for FOX News and Geraldo at Large. He is co-author of the book, The Light, along with renowned spiritual teachers, Don Miguel Ruiz (The Four Agreements), Terry Tillman (Writings on the Wall), Barbara Marx Hubbard (Emergence: Shift From Ego to Essence), John-Roger (Living the Spiritual Principles of Health and Wellbeing) and Marci Shimoff (Co-author,Chicken Soup For the Soul series & Love For No Reason). He was also one of the first two osteopathic physicians ever to be included as a medical expert in the nationally televised cancer research fundraising telethon, Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C), executive produced by Gwyneth Paltrow. He is also the publisher of Be Hive of Healing Medical Corporation’s monthly newsletter and the spiritual health magazine, MegaZEN.
Connect with Dr. Sadeghi at these sites:
“Dr. Sadeghi is the doctor who has changed my life. This book will change yours.”
– Gwyneth Paltrow, actress and author of It’s All Good: Delicious Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great and My Father’s Daughter: Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family and Togetherness
“Habib Sadeghi is an insightful, kind man who approaches healing in a fresh and uncomplicated way. If one is able to acknowledge that illness is created by an imbalance in the body, and that one’s state of mind and emotional wellbeing are integral to the overall health of the body, then Habib has practical suggestions on how to achieve a new realm of health and healing.”
– Tim Robbins, actor, director, producer
“Dr. Sadeghi has shown me how my outside often reflects my inside; how our minds and bodies mirror each other. He has helped me a great deal, and I hope that through this book more people can enjoy the benefit of his compassion.”
– Chris Martin, singer/songwriter, Coldplay
In his latest book, Dr. Habib Sadeghi provides a compassionately based, scientifically sound approach to the missing ingredient in the weight loss recipe: self-love. You’ll learn that real self-love is far more than an ethereal concept. It’s a tangible, evolutionary force that will create changes in your life that can only be described as miraculous.
You’ll discover the exciting, emerging science of epigenetics and that fat is not all in the family. You’ve never been doomed by your genes and have far more control over your weight than you ever realized. Most importantly, this program was created from compassion and experience by someone who has “been there”. So prepare yourself for a revelation that combines the latest science with spiritual nutrition for a quantum weight loss program that serves up a satisfying portion of real soul food. Take the journey to discover where the answers have been all along…within.
BOOK DETAILS:
Publisher: Premiere Digital Publishing
Publication date: January 1, 2014
Page Count: 300
ISBN: 9781624671807 (paperback)PURCHASE LINKS:
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Piers Anthony is one of the world’s most popular fantasy authors and a New York Times bestseller twenty-one times over. His Xanth novels have been read and loved by millions of readers around the world, and he daily receives hundreds of letters from his devoted fans. In addition to the Xanth series, Anthony is the author of many other best-selling works.
Connect with Piers at these sites:
In this latest in the popular Xanth fantasy series, Board Stiff demonstrates why we’re always warned to be careful what you wish for. What happens to the smart, beautiful woman who would make any man an excellent wife can’t find the man interested in just that? She gets bored stiff. And unfortunately, that’s just what she wished for. When Irrelevant Kandy looks at her reflection in the water of a shallow well, sees her lush midnight black hair, breathtakingly slender waist, and piercing dark eyes in a lovely face – so close to absolute perfection. She was every man’s desire, and that was part of the problem. As she contemplates her life at the well, the beauty says out loud “So here is my wish: I’m board stiff. I want Adventure, Excitement, and Romance.” Her wish came true. She is literally transformed into a flat, stiff board with two knotholes for eyes.
BOOK DETAILS:
Genre: Fantasy
Published by: Premier Digital Publishing
Publication date: Jan 6th, 2014
Number of pages: 250
ISBN:978-1624672248PURCHASE LINKS:
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