A Memoir, A Cozy Mystery, And A Romance

Reading books of various genres keeps life interesting and can add a bit of spice.

Today I’d like to share my thoughts on three books that are listed in completely different genres. While the books have very little in common, I found each one to be entertaining and interesting. Today I offer you a memoir, a cozy murder mystery and a fiction romance.

FOLLOWING THE WHISPERS by Karen Walker

When a person shares their experiences, good or bad, we can learn from them if we really listen.

I believe that is the case with FOLLOWING THE WHISPERS, a poignant memoir by author Karen Walker. One doesn’t have to have the same experiences or problems to relate. It’s a matter of understanding how the problems were overcome and then translating that into your own situation.

The author tells how she was sexually molested at a very young age. That molestation, coupled with a loveless home life, drastically effected her growth as a teenager and then as an adult. It also carried over into their ability to cope with sexual relationships, marriage, motherhood, and even jobs.

During her road to discovery, the author had two failed marriages and lost custody of her son. Learning to understand what had happened as a child wasn’t her fault or her responsibility, the author was finally able to develop a stable and loving marriage, as well as connect with her adult son bringing them closer as mother and child.

This book is a great reminder for those with children, as well as though around children, they adsorb much more than we realize. They are not mature enough to realize when a hateful phrase is said in jest. Also, they may not understand the meaning of some words, but they do understand the tone and the frequency of words.

Another thing this book reminded me of is that we often hurt those we love and care about without realizing it. Continues negative attitude can have a degrading effect. Remember to sprinkle some positive in with your comments.

While Karen’s book does deal with very painful and devastating issues, I also found it to be inspiring, uplifting, and insightful. Despite a difficult background, Karen has learned to listen to the whispers of hope, strength, love, inner peace, and self-acceptance.

FOLLOWING THE WHISPERS is a must read for anyone facing difficult issues in their life or know someone else who is.

Author Karen Walker blogs at author karen walker…following the whispers.

Following The Whispers by Karen Walker, Bascom Hill Publishing Group, @2009, ISBN: 9781935098157, Paperback, 172 pages

FTC Full Disclosure - This book was sent to me by the author in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

BOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING by Jenn McKinlay

This is the first installment in the new Library Lover’s Mystery series by Jenn McKinlay, author of the Cupcake Bakery Mystery series.

Lindsey Norris, the new director of the Briar Creek Public Library, is beginning to settle into small town living where her best friend, Beth Stanley, is also the children’s librarian.

When a vacationing New York editor comes to town, it seems the perfect opportunity for Beth to present her children’s book manuscript for consideration. However, Beth’s author boyfriend, Rick, tries to discourage her for meeting the editor. When she disagrees, Rick breaks up with her.

When Beth and Lindsey present the story to the editor, they find out the real reason Rick didn’t want her selling her book. They go to confront Rick and find him dead. Beth becomes the main suspect and it’s up to Lindsey to sort through the events to find the real killer before she and Beth are the next victims.

Author Jenn McKinlay has created a warm and inviting place with the Briar Creek Public Library and the members of the crafternoon club. The cast of characters are intriguing and sometimes a little zany. BOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING is a delightful read that includes a number of great extras. There is a reading group guide, a knitting pattern, recipes, and a preview of the next installment in the series, DUE OR DIE. 

Author Jenn McKinlay’s website is http://www.jennmckinlay.com/

Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay, A Library Lover’s Mystery, Berkley Prime Crime, @2011, ISBN: 9780425242186, Paperback, 304 pages

FTC Full Disclosure - This book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

A GOOD HARD LOOK by Ann Napolitano

The central character of this story is author Flannery O’Connor and the many peacocks that live with her and her mother at Andalusia, the family farm in Milledgeville, GA.

Crippled with lupus, Flannery returned to her hometown. Author Ann Napolitano uses that to create her own unique story of how Flannery may have interacted with townspeople. As with most small towns, the lives of several people are connected in various ways.

Cookie Himmel has a dislike for Flannery and her writing. Cookie is the poster child for Southern womanhood. She spends some time in New York and returns with a rich fiancée. However, Cookie’s new husband, Melvin Whiteson, becomes fascinated with Flannery and her peacocks. 

Decorating her new home, Cookie hires seamstress Lona Waters to make the curtains. Lona’s husband, Bill, is a local policeman hoping to one day be police chief. Their 15-year-old daughter spends the afternoons with Flannery’s neighbors, the Treadles, giving Lona some time to herself. The Treadles’ only son, Joe, is in his senior year at high school and a bit withdrawn. ’Miss Mary’ asks Lona to hire Joe as her assistant for the summer hoping to draw him out of his shell.

As these people begin to interact, you realize an unforeseen tragedy is going to happen. The characters draw you in and author Ann Napolitano describes the scenes so vivid you can almost smell the magnolia blossoms and hear the peacocks’ calls. A tragic afternoon changes the lives of all involved and makes them take a good hard look at where they are and where they want to go.

A GOOD HARD LOOK will keep you spellbound from beginning to end.

Author Ann Napolitano’s website is http://annnapolitano.com/

A Good Hard Look by Ann Napolitano, Penguin Audiobooks, @2011, ISBN: 9781101494103, Unabridged Digital, Listening Time App. 11 hours 30 minutes

FTC Full Disclosure - This digital audio was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.

Hope you enjoy the different genres. What are you reading now?

 

Author Karen Walker: Finding Success As A Writer

I’m delighted to welcome author Karen Walker as the special guest blogger today as she stops on her blog tour with the eBook release of her memoir, FOLLOWING THE WHISPHERS.

Here’s a brief synopsis of FOLLOWING THE WHISPHERS: Karen Walker seemed to always have known that the whispers were there – the confidence and courage to heed them, however, were her lifetime journey.

In her poignant memoir, Karen Walker traces the effects of a cold, loveless home environment and an early sexual molestation on her growth, marriage, motherhood, and career. After freeing herself from a desert of a marriage, Walker loses custody of her child and then journeys to discover who she is and to find some sense of wholeness.

That journey takes her from her old life to new friendships, new lovers, and new professions. From New York to Portland, Oregon, and eventually to Albuquerque, New Mexico, Walker seeks someone to love her as she is. She finds that and more--a loving connection with her son. This fifty-year emotional odyssey ultimately leads Walker to a self who can look back over her life with a contentment and satisfaction that allow her to follow the whispers that the future may bring.

Karen is here to discuss ‘Finding Success as a Writer.’

According to Merriam-Webster, success is: 1. The accomplishment of an aim or purpose; 2) The attainment of popularity or profit. What does it mean to you?

I had to think hard about this when I decided to leave a 30+ year career in public relations where I had been successful according to this definition, in order to write full-time. That was in 1999. It took until 2009 for the memoir I was working on to get published. And it didn’t happen the way I’d intended. So, was I a failure?

I don’t think so. And here’s why. I write because I feel compelled to share stories about things that happened to me and how I overcame the obstacles life presented. It has been a painful journey, yet I am now 62 years old and have achieved a sense of inner peace and contentment--something I didn’t think possible.

If my goal had been to write, publish traditionally, and make a great deal of money, I would consider myself a failure. But when, after two years, I couldn’t find an agent and chose to self-publish, my goals changed. It became more about how to share my story and help others. Based on that goal, I am successful.

I haven’t obtained fame or profit, but in my own little blogging community, I am becoming known and books are being purchased. When I ask myself what it means to be successful now, I still have to say I’d love to be published traditionally. In society’s terms, that would make me feel successful. But society doesn’t tell us to follow our hearts and feed our souls. Society is all about making the most money and having the most toys. And since that is not who I am, I guess I can say I’m successful.

So please, take the time to ask yourself what you would need to feel successful. Be as realistic as you can about expectations versus reality. And by all means, go for your dreams. Just understand, they don’t always happen the way we want. And sometimes, they happen they way they need to, even if it doesn’t make sense at the time.

Thanks, Mason, for all you do for authors and for hosting me on my blog tour. You’re a success in my opinion. Big time! Karen

Karen, thank you so much for guest blogging and the kind words. If I’m successful, it’s because of wonderful authors like you and great blogging friends who stop by. I think you’ve touched on an important issue here - defining success. It can have so many meanings to each of us. Wishing you much success with your writing.

Now a bit of background on Karen. She has published essays in newspapers and magazines, as well as an anthology series. After a 30+ year career in marketing and public relations, she went back to college to complete a Bachelor's degree and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2005 from the University of New Mexico's University Studies program with a major emphasis in Creative Writing. 

She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her husband, Gary, and their dog, Buddy. When she’s not writing, you can find her doing international folk dancing, singing at retirement communities with her trio, Sugartime, hiking, reading, or hanging out with friends. For more on Karen and her writing (and singing), visit her blog author karen walker...following the whispers.

FOLLOWING THE WHISPERS can be purchased at Amazon and Smashwords.

What are your thoughts on being a success? Do you think we sometimes put too much emphasis on being successful without really knowing what we want? Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.

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Guest Blogger, Karen Walker

Please join me today in welcoming author Karen Walker as the special guest blogger here at Thoughts in Progress.

Karen,  who is also a fellow blogger, is the author of FOLLOWING THE WHISPERS, a memoir. Karen has stopped by to talk about “doing whatever it takes.”

When I quit my job in 1999 to write the memoir which had been building inside me for 20 years, I had no idea it would take another 10 years to see it published. If I had, I might not have kept going. But something inside of me kept whispering. And that’s what I want to talk about—what do we need to do to continue pursuing our dreams?

I had hundreds of journals I’d kept since 1978, the year I lost custody of my only son. The black hole of depression and despair I fell into during that time almost took my life. But I was lucky. Instead, it catapulted me into a journey of healing that continues today. I am convinced those journals saved my sanity, becoming a safe haven for me to explore my feelings, vent my rage and frustration, and search for answers to questions that burned inside my soul—questions like how could something like this happen to a nice, white, middle-class young woman; why do I hate myself; what’s wrong with me, and so on.

It was also the time my career as a PR professional began. As I wrote brochures, press releases, op-ed pieces and articles for clients, I realized I had things I wanted to say. In the back of my mind, the dream of writing about losing custody was seeded, lying dormant until I was ready to harvest it. Fast-forward to 1999, when my present hubby and the love of my life told me he would support me if I wanted to write. The harvest began. For 2 ½ years, I poured through journals, highlighting portions, then painstakingly typing them into the computer. Once the actual writing began, an emotional roller coaster ride ensued. There were days I’d end up sobbing, crumbled in a heap on the floor. Other days I would be too paralyzed to move. 

Nearly three years later, I had a manuscript—what I now lovingly refer to as a 700-page self-help tome. An editor very gently told me, “Karen, you have a book in you, but it’s not on these pages. You just need to tell your story.”

I didn’t know how to do that. Another dream which had been dormant inside me was to complete a college degree I’d begun in 1967, when I’d received a two-year Associate in Applied Science degree from a community college. Then I’d gotten married, had a child, put my husband through school, got divorced, lost custody, helped a friend start a business, had a couple more divorces, and now finally, could financially and emotionally handle going back to school. So I did. Fast-forward another four years and I graduated Summa cum Laud from the University of New Mexico, where I’d taken every creative writing course the university had to offer. It was 2005.

Are you with me so far? Do you see how, each step of this journey, there were hard decisions to make to propel me onward so I could complete my memoir? Take a look at where you are in your journey. Are there things you might need to do to take your next step?

Once I completed school, I re-wrote the memoir completely from start to finish. The original manuscript had had no scenes, no dialogue—it was strictly narrative. This time, the book needed to read like a novel. I cannot tell you how many drafts it went through—I lost count somewhere along the way. I found an amazing editor who helped me find what she called the golden thread of the memoir. Following the whispers of intuition was that golden thread—hence the title.

I was willing to do whatever it took to finish that book. When I finally stood at the podium at my book launch party on February 20, 2009, I felt as if I had become the person I’d been trying to be for all those years. I am still growing and changing as I work on new projects. One is a nonfiction book on aging and caring for aging parents. Another is a novel—a completely new genre for me. I don’t know if I am willing to do whatever it takes to complete that particular project. We’ll see. But I do know that’s what it takes to get it done. Willingness. May each of you find that willingness inside yourselves to do whatever it takes for you to live your dreams.

Karen, thanks so much for guest blogging here today. Your story is inspiring and serves to remind us that we need to keep striving if we want to accomplish our goals. For more about Karen and her writing, be sure to stop by her blog author karen walker...following the whispers.