Guest Post by Author of Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters: Meredith Zeitlin

Five of My Favorite Books!


The Time-Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger. This book is magic. It destroyed me – first, because I simply couldn't believe that the author had gotten it all to work out so perfectly. I would go flipping back to previously read scenes, thinking, “There's no way there isn't a mistake here somewhere..” but there were no mistakes. The humor in this book, the language, the images, the raw emotion, the sex, the visceral pain of loss – it's all there. I cried so hard when I got to the end (and, FYI, I almost never cry, period) that a woman on the subway asked if I needed help. This is probably the most perfect book I've ever read.
(Do not ever mention the movie of this book to me. No, I haven't seen it, and I certainly never will. There's simply no point.)


Lafcadio, The Lion Who Shot Back, by Shel Silverstein. Yes, everyone loves Uncle Shelby. But for me, this is his best book, and one I have loved for a thousand years. Go read it right now, if you haven't. It's about what it means to be human, and what it means to fit into your own skin. It's funny and strange and brilliant.


French Relations, by Fiona Walker. I bought this book at Heathrow Airport when I was 18 and wanted something juicy and fun to read for the flight back to the US. Little did I know I had stumbled on the BEST BOOK EVER. It's just everything about a fabulous chick-litty, beach read only more – fashion! Scandal! Drunken midnight romps! Misunderstandings! Puns! Horses! English people! It's like Bridget Jones if she lived in a Judith Krantz world. Seriously, I know it sounds ridiculous and very unliterary, but everyone I have ever loaned my copy to (on pain of death if it not returned, btw) has agreed. Best. Book. Ever.


Wicked, by Gregory Maguire. People who are only familiar with the (in my opinion, totally awful – and I say that as a fully-fledged and knowledgeable theatre geek, btw) musical version of this need to go buy the book AT ONCE. It's totally different. It's a political manifesto, and so complicated, so nuanced, so brutal... every time I read it I discover something I completely missed the last time. I think it's the best of his books (and I've read them all) - but that might be because it's the first one I read and I don't know if anything could compete afterwards.


The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, by Rebecca Wells. I love Rebecca Wells' writing. I love the way she makes sentences, the ways she creates characters, and the way she tells a story. Her words are delicious. Her point of view is so specific. I think she has one of the purest voices in fiction – and I love Southern fiction. The Prince of Tides was a favorite novel when I was growing up, and her stories remind of it in all the best ways. (And no, I haven't seen the movie version of this either! You can't make me!)

Meredith Zeitlin is a writer and voiceover artist who lives in Brooklyn with two adorable feline roommates. She also writes a column for Ladygunn Magazine, changes her hair color every few months, and has many fancy pairs of spectacles. 
"Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters" (Putnam, March 2012) is her first novel. 
You can learn more about the book here: www.kelseyfinkelstein.com  

Guest Post by Deborah Hopkinson, Author of Titanic: Voices From the Disaster

Last year, at the beginning of episode one of Downton Abbey, when I watched the words “April 1912” flash on the screen after the opening scene in the telegraph office, I knew exactly what had happened.  For I’d just spent the last two years immersed in that very time period, researching my new nonfiction book, Titanic: Voices from the Disaster.

            This year, of course, marks the centennial of the Titanic sinking, and thanks to Downton Abbey many more of us are revisiting Edwardian times and, of course, those beautiful clothes (at least the ones the upper class women wear; though Anna has some walking outfits I wouldn’t mind having!)      

But during the writing of Titanic: Voices from the Disaster, which draws heavily on the personal accounts of survivors, I didn’t need a costume to put me in back in time.  The heartbreaking stories and terrified words of those on the Titanic were enough to make the tragedy as vivid as a recent news report.

 “The first touch of our lifeboat on that black sea came to me as a last goodbye to life,” said a governess named Elizabeth Shutes, who, like many others, was at first reluctant to leave the ship to be lowered 70 feet to the ocean on that cold, clear night of April 15. “…and so we put off – a tiny boat on a great sea – rowed away from what had been a safe home for five days.”

Jack Thayer, only 17 at the time, was traveling with his parents. Separated from them in the ship’s final moments, he contemplated his own death. “I thought of all the good times I had had, and of the all the future pleasures I would never enjoy; of my father and mother; of my sisters and brother. I looked at myself as though from some far-off place…”  His story is made all the more poignant to know that years later he committed suicide after the death of his own son in World War II.

Titanic: Voices from the Disaster was written primarily for young readers, but, at 300 pages, it can, I hope, also appeal to adult readers wishing to revisit one of the defining events of the early 20^th century, and a tragedy that still fascinates us today.  The book includes a wealth of resources, such as historical photographs, bios of passengers and crews, a timeline, and excerpts from survivor letters written aboard the Carpathia which carried the 712 survivors (out of 2,208 on board) to New York.

“I escaped in my nightdress and coat and petticoats; everything has gone,” wrote second class passenger Edwina Trout to friends. “I dare say you all have lots of sympathy for me, but believe me, I am one of the lucky ones.”

I feel lucky to have had the privilege of writing this book and getting to know some extraordinarily brave individuals.  And I look forward to sharing it with readers. 

As it happens, I have a book signing coming up to which some nearby elementary school classes have been invited; I hear the kids have been encouraged to dress in period clothing. That’s all the excuse I need: I may not be able to pull off a hat like Maggie Smith, but at least I’m getting myself a pair of lace-up boots. 

To read more about Deborah Hopkinson’s books visit: www.deborahhopkinson.com      

  

Guest Post & Giveaway: The Prince of Powys By Cornelia Amiri

From the pages of the ancient codex, The Anglo Saxon Chronicles, the warrior kings of Wessex and Mercia fought each other while they both battled the welsh king of Powys. Elisedd, the king of Powys’s deeds and genealogy is honored by a monument his great grandson Cyngen map Cadlel erected, the Pillar of Eliseg, which stands to this day.  Welsh poems from bygone days mention Elisedd’s unique crown, fashioned from thick, twisted links of gold. He also adorned himself with gleaming armlets and anklets of pure gold. This great king was succeeded by his son Brochfael, also a character in The Prince of Powys. The legend of these eighth century AD warrior kings, Celtic mythology, and the mystic hill fort of Dinas Bran where Elisedd ruled inspired me to write The Prince of Powys. It’s a young adult novel of an ancient god, a magic sword, and a brave prince named Blaise.

I created the heroine, Branda, the youngest daughter of Ethelbald of Mercia and the hero, Blaise, the youngest son of Elisedd of Powys.

Blurb:

In an age of heroes, Branda, a Saxon princess helps Blaise, a prince of Powys, escape her father’s stronghold. In turn, he vows to escort the princess to her sister in Scotland so she can escape an arranged marriage. Instead, he holds her captive as his hostage in the unbreachable hill fort of Dinas Bran, where she captures his heart. Will Blaise be forced to throw away his honor for love or tear out his heart for honor? 

GIVEAWAY:

I’m having a blogging contest and giving away three PDF Ebooks of the Prince of Powys to three lucky winners. Please fill this form and include your email so I can contact you if you are chosen. The winners will be randomly selected. Ends 20th March. 

For more on my young adult fantasy/romance, The Prince of Powys, please visit my publisher’s site at  http://www.eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781615725823

and my website at http://CelticRomanceQueen.com

Here’s a short excerpt:

Guest Post & Giveaway: The Earthquake Machine by Mary Pauline Lowry

I’m excited to be guest posting for Oops I Read That Book, not least because I LOVE both Wicked Willow’s sense of humor and the fact that she expects more from a novel than a stereotypical plot and a couple of shape shifters.

When I was a teenager, I thought I’d grow up to be an English professor. But then I realized I just want to have amazing adventures and write novels that inspire other women and girls. I’ve tried to find jobs along the way that support my writing habit, and provide great material for my books.

The most fun job I’ve ever had was working on an elite Type 1 Hotshot crew of forest firefighters. My second most fun job ever was writing the screenplay adaptation of my forest firefighting novel for a Hollywood producer. (Look for that novel, THE GODS OF FIRE, to be released in 2013).

When I wrote THE EARTHQUAKE MACHINE I was living in a basement room at the Desert Rose Horse Ranch outside of Durango and working as an apprentice carpenter. Working outside during the Colorado winters was hard, but way better than being trapped in a lame cubicle in some office. I woke up early every day to write before dawn.

I want THE EARTHQUAKE MACHINE to thrill and entertain readers, and also encourage them to take risks and live life fully!

The Earthquake Machine

The book every girl should read,

and every girl’s parents hope she’ll never read.

The Earthquake Machine tells the story of 14 year-old Rhonda. On the outside, everything looks perfect in Rhonda’s world, but at home Rhonda has to deal with a manipulative father who keeps her mentally ill mother hooked on pharmaceuticals. The only reliable person in Rhonda’s life is her family’s Mexican yardman, Jesús. But when the INS deports Jesús back to his home state of Oaxaca, Rhonda is left alone with her increasingly painful family situation.

Determined to find her friend Jésus, Rhonda seizes an opportunity to run away during a camping trip with friends to Big Bend National Park. She swims to the Mexican side of the Rio Grande and makes her way to the border town of Milagros, Mexico. There a peyote- addled bartender convinces her she won’t be safe traveling alone into the country’s interior. So with the bartender’s help, Rhonda cuts her hair and assumes the identity of a Mexican boy named Angel. She then sets off on a burro across the desert to look for Jesús. Thus begins a wild adventure that fulfills the longing of readers eager for a brave and brazen female protagonist.

Author Bio:

 Mary Pauline Lowry has worked as a forest firefighter, screenwriter, open water lifeguard, construction worker, and advocate in the movement to end violence against women. Due to no fault of her sweet parents, at 15 she ran away from home and made it all the way to Matamoros, Mexico. She believes girls should make art, have adventures, and read books that show them the way.

GIVEAWAY!


Mary Pauline Lowry is generously giving away 2 ebooks. Open internationally.

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Giveaway ends March 10.