Vincent's Women by Donna Russo #Giveaway #spotlight #artist

 

 

What if everything we think we know about Vincent van Gogh is all lies?

Vincent’s Women:

The Untold Story of the Loves of Vincent Van Gogh

Genre: Historical Biographical Women’s Fiction

Donna Russo's 'Vincent's Women' is the untold story of Vincent's loves: how they shaped his life, his art, and his death. It writes against the 'myths, ' exploring the possibility that none of them are true. It is the only novel to bring into question his sexuality, how he lost his ear, who he lost it for, and how he might have died, all through the eyes of a woman. We learn of Her; we learn all of it through Her.

The story is guided by Johanna van Gogh Bonger, Vincent's sister-in-law, as she decides to reveal the truth about Vincent to her son. We are then taken on a journey through Vincent's life, each section bringing a pivotal moment of Vincent's life alive while showing us the part she played in bringing it about. Between each woman, our guide, Johanna, gives us the transitional periods, right up to his death, which is now in question.

Hundreds of the nearly thousand letters between Vincent van Gogh and his brother Theo, now considered one of the greatest documents of the human experience, were used to help construct this novel, its narrative, and dialogue, especially the dialogue of Vincent himself.

Vincent van Gogh is one of the most well-known artists of all time. The world knows of his madness, traumas, and suicide. But what if all that we know isn't true? What if this knowledge is based on rumors and nothing more? What if his true story is vastly different when based on factual material and forensic information? What if the truth of Vincent's life-his madness and his genius-is defined by his never-ending search for love?

 

A Foreword Reviews Editorial Selection 

FINALIST Next Generation Indie Book Awards

 

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Donna Russo is the bestselling author of historical fiction, women’s fiction, and fantasy including the international bestselling Novels of Newport: Gilded Summers and Gilded Dreams as well as her latest release, Vincent’s Women. Her critically acclaimed work has been praised with multiple awards and has received a starred review in Publishers Weekly. (For more awards and reviews, please visit https://www.authordonnarusso.com/books). Additionally, Donna worked as a model and actor since the age of seventeen, working on such projects as Martin Scorsese’s The Departed and Showtime’s Brotherhood. Donna is also an award-winning screenwriter, ghostwriter, and painter. She holds two degrees from the University of Rhode Island. Her two sons—Devon, an opera singer; and Dylan, a chef—will always be her greatest works. 

 

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#Spotlight: Triumph by Jodi Lea Stewart #giveaway #novel #historicalfiction

 

Seething with old prejudices, wealth, poverty, voodoo, and young hot blood, TRIUMPH, a Novel of the Human Spirit will take you through the Louisiana swamps, New Orleans, the Texas prairies, and into the bustling but racially troubled city of St. Louis in the mid-twentieth century . . . and lead you to a place where people are accepted because of character and heart—nothing more, nothing less. 

At a time when the world needs more warmth and acceptance, two little girls – Mercy and Annie, take us on a journey where color doesn’t matter, and character and heart are the only things that do!

Deep in the Louisiana swamps, 1903, five-year-old Willy is kidnapped by a Vodou Priestess. One day, he will fight bloody battles in France and come face-to-face with the horrors of Vodou.

In bustling New Orleans, 1903, bachelor Jack—a former Texas Ranger—has an encounter with a young beauty hiding in his hotel room. What she wants and needs will change his life forever.

1958 St. Louis, two girls of different races, Mercy and Annie, meet in the fifth grade. Together, they secretly explore St. Louis via bus and streetcar, encountering cultural prejudices at every turn— including from within one girl’s own family. The turbulent times and the Civil Rights Movement will test the girls’ loyalty and affect their choices on

In a saga spanning from 1903 to 1968, compelling characters navigate the stormy paths of life in New Orleans, St. Louis, and Texas until they all collide in a startling and dramatic way.

From the Author

TRIUMPH, a Novel of the Human Spirit is extra special to me for many reasons, not the least of which is because it exemplifies my personal feelings about ethics and the differences in human beings as something to be celebrated, not feared or hated. The keys are always respect and acceptance regardless of race or creed or whatever the world wants to call "imperfect" or "different."

Other sub-reasons for writing this novel were to highlight life in St. Louis and beyond in the 1950s and early 1960s. I wanted to expose some of the dangers (okay, the horrors) lurking in old New Orleans, honor the Texas Rangers, and express my respect for people who learn how to overlook the color barriers that separate and dishonor us as people.

TRIUMPH, a Novel of the Human Spirit is for readers who enjoy high-concept books written with a literary pen, and those who wish to see justice fulfilled and old prejudices shattered.

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Jodi Lea Stewart is a fiction author who believes in and writes about the triumph of the human spirit through overcoming adversity via grit, humor, and stubborn tenacity. Her writing reflects her life beginning in Texas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, later moving as a youngster to an Arizona cattle ranch next door to the Navajo Nation, and, as a young adult, resuming in her native Texas. Growing up, she climbed petroglyph-etched boulders, bounced two feet in the air in the backend of pickups wrestling through washed-out terracotta roads, and rode horseback on the winds of her imagination through the arroyos and mountains of the Arizona high country. Her lifetime friendship with all nationalities, cowpunchers, and the southern gentry allows Jodi to write comfortably about anything in the Southwest, the South, and far BEYOND.

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#Spotlight: A Daughter's Journey by Myra Lee Glass #giveaway #YA #HistoricalFiction #Adventure

 Book Details:

Book Title:  A Daughter's Journey by Myra Lee Glass
Category:  YA Fiction (Ages 13-17),  132 pages
Genre: YA Historical Fiction / Adventure
Publisher: Coleche Press
Content Rating: G: Written for a high school school project :) by a highschooler

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Book Description:

The year is 1938 and a family in the small South Carolina town of Beaufort faces serious adversity. After the birth of her long-awaited son, Mary Banks dives into a dark postpartum period, throwing her into a deep depression. Thinking that her sister, Rose, is offering her a helping hand, Mary leaves her family and goes to Boston in search of a medical cure, not to be heard from again.

Where is Mary Banks? What has Rose done with the much-loved mother and wife of the Banks family? Finally, Mary’s 15-year-old daughter, Estelle can wait no longer. She gathers her wits and her courage and without a word, runs off to heroically rescue her beloved mother in faraway Boston. This is where the adventure begins……

Meet the Author:

Myra Lee Glass is a young adult author of A Daughter's Journey. She lives in Texas with her parents and sister.

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The Girl From St. Petersburgh by Joyana Peters #Spotlight #giveaway #Historicalfiction #bookseries

The Girl From Saint Petersburg

An Industrial Historical Fiction Series

Publisher: Amaryllis Press

Date of Publication: July 25th, 2022

ISBN: 978-1736937327

ASIN: B0B64DHZFJ

Number of pages: 122 pages

Cover Artist: Domini Dragoone

"Sacrifice, Starvation and Survival. What will she do to stay alive?"

Book Description: 

Russia, 1905: Thirteen-year-old Ruth dreams of growing up to marry the boy next door and living peacefully ever after. But when he and her father are forced to flee to America after the Bloody Sunday Massacre, Ruth and the other female members of the family are left behind amid the violence and chaos of revolutionary Russia. Overcoming violence and hunger with a strength she never knew she possessed, Ruth resolves to do what it takes to keep her mother and sister alive—whether it be work, beg or steal.

Then she lands herself in a predicament that threatens to put her own neck in a noose. This time she may not be able to keep them all safe, at least not without sacrificing their love for her and all that makes life worth living.

In this prequel to the award-winning novel, The Girl in the Triangle, author, Joyana Peters, portrays a tight-knit family fighting to endure at a precarious and crucial time in Jewish history. Join the countless readers who can’t get enough of Ruth and her story.

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About the Author:

Joyana Peters is the Indie author of the best-selling novel, The Girl in the Triangle. The Girl in the Triangle won the SCBWI's YA Spark Honor Award, the IBPA’s Ben Franklin Award for Historical Fiction, the Book Excellence Award for Multicultural Fiction and was a Top Five Finalist for Shelf Unbound’s Indie Best Book of the Year.

Joyana got her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of New Orleans in 2014. She has taught literature and composition on both the secondary and university levels. She also writes non-fiction and has been published in digital and print publications nationwide.

Joyana currently lives in Northern Virginia where she takes in the sights of DC with her two kids, husband, and goofy Yellow Lab, Gatsby.

You can follow her adventures at: 

https://joyanapeters.com/

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Sitting On Top of the World by Cheryl King #historicalfiction #YA #spotlight

 

Fourteen-year-old June Baker never in a million years thought she’d be dressing like a boy, sneaking into a hobo camp, and jumping onto a moving freight train to travel across the state of Tennessee. But that’s what she has to do to find work so her family’s farm can survive.

It’s 1933, and the Great Depression is spreading misery throughout America. Where once June was sitting on top of the world, now she’s carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Once she was picking fruit from the pawpaw trees, and now she’s picking up the pieces of a family torn apart. Once she was climbing and falling from trees, and now she’s jumping from moving trains.

June knows the risks. What she doesn’t know is that the railroad bull she’s falling for has a devastating secret that will change the course of her life.

Journey with June in Sitting on Top of the World, a historical fiction tale about family, friendship, love, loss, and hope.
Sitting on Top of the World bridges the gap between middle grade and young adult and is a book that middle school and high school teachers can be proud to include in their classroom library or in reading instruction.

Content warning: Some instances of physical violence, death, mention of suicide, mention of miscarriage, and characters encounter racial bigotry.

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Cheryl King is a born-and-raised Texan, Harry Potter fanatic, chocolate lover, and word nerd. By day she is a dyslexia therapist, but at night – look out: She enjoys writing flash- and micro-fiction for writing contests like NYCMidnight and has two of her short writing pieces accepted for publication. This is her first published novel.

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The Murderess Must Die by Marlie Parker Wasserman #historicalfiction #women #giveaway

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Crime Fiction

Published by: Level Best Books

Publication Date: July 6, 2021

Number of Pages: 250

ISBN: 978-1953789877

Purchase Links: Amazon / Goodreads

I want to begin by saying that I give this book the 5 stars it deserves. It was unbelievably well written. The character development was impeccable. The book is historical fiction but more historical than fiction. The author did an amazing job in using her primary resources to investigate the life, the murder, the trial, and subsequent end to the life of real-life person, Martha (Mattie) Place. From this point, I shall tell you that Mattie was the first women ever to die by electric chair. This is not a spoiler but a fact and the premise of the entire book. So, at this point dear readers, you may think that I loved the book. I did give it five stars after all.      

The truth of the matter is...no, I hated it! I hated it so much I kept reading it. I read it because it was a great book but in the same manner I loathed it, the tragedy of it disgusted me. The book begins with Mattie's life. A life full of poverty and abuse. A life full of death all around her as siblings, family, and friends died. Animals dies to as she was the daughter of a farmer who slaughtered animals to survive.

It carries through abusive marriages, giving up a child, and being ostracized by her second husband who favored his daughter many times over her. It poured out how women were second class citizens in the 1800's only risen to a different station in life because of the husband they might marry. At this time, women were not allowed to vote but the ideals were on the horizon with Susan B. Anthony and Caddie Stanton leading the way. Theodore Roosevelt was the governor of New York. Mattie knew of these people.

Ultimately, her station in life would fail her. The author's resources revealed a court system run by men. A court system that Mattie had to navigate with several inept lawyers and newspapers that never agreed on anything. A system that that had only electrocuted men in a fairly brand new invention, the electric chair.

Mattie's story unfolds in first person accounts that waver back and forth throughout the book. (Again, this is the brilliance of the book.) Details are revealed that may have helped Mattie in her tragic story but again, may not have. Some of these accounts are fill-ins and possibilities of different outcomes but in any case, still leads to one conclusion. None-the-less, it makes readers ponder, maybe feel for her, and want to discuss her, just as the papers did to sensationalize her in the 1800's. 

Did she do it? History says so, but the details of history has been known to fail before. Even though her fate has now been sealed, at least Mattie is finally getting a voice to tell her story, her way.

Yes, I hated everything that happened throughout this book but I urge you to read it, to know, and maybe learn something and decide for yourself.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle 

Author Bio:

Catch Up With Marlie Wasserman: Marlie Parker Wasserman writes historical crime fiction, after a career on the other side of the desk in publishing. The Murderess Must Die is her debut novel. She reviews regularly for The Historical Novel Review and is at work on a new novel about a mysterious and deadly 1899 fire in a luxury hotel in Manhattan.

www.MarlieWasserman.com

Giveaway can be found HERE

#Review: Outlawed by Anna North #western #historicalfiction #women

This book is a retelling of the Hole in the Wall gang with "Billy" The Kid. This time though, the whole gang is a group of women thrown out of their homes for the most idiotic reason, that is, most of them could not have children.

The story is told in first person from the character, "Doc"
as she tells her tale of living among the gang and treating ailments.

The book was not fast paced as one might imagine, but actually a slow burn kind of western comparable to what you might see in a spaghetti western movie. Descriptions of places and people were ok.

The only real disappointment of the book was the ending. It felt abrupt and more like a cliff hanger. The author definitely left it open for sequels.

Good read overall. 4 stars.

Disclosure: I am incredibly happy to have gotten a copy of this book from my local library. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours.- Michelle

The Other Me by Saskia Sarginson #WWII #familydynamics #historicalfiction

Synopsis:

Sometimes it is the people we think we know the best who surprise us the most.

1986, London: Klaudia is about to start high school. She’s embarrassed by her German father―he’s the janitor at her school, he has a funny accent and a limp. And when the kids at school taunt her by saying he was a Nazi during the war, she can’t dispute them with confidence. She’s never known exactly what he may or may not have done during the war. It is a period of time no one will ever discuss.

1995, Leeds: Eliza is in love. She has dropped out of university to pursue her passion―dance. But then talented artist Cosmo comes along and soon Eliza realizes that she might have room in her life for two loves. But can she really continue to lie to everyone around her? And why is she so afraid of the truth?

1930s, Germany: Two brothers are trying to fend for themselves during the chaos of the rise of the Third Reich. One brother rallies for the Fuhrer, one holds back. One is seemingly good, one bad. But history seems to tell a completely different story.

All of these characters’ fates will collide in a novel that explores what we are ultimately willing to do for love. Saskia Sarginson hypnotically examines whether our identities are tied to where we’ve come from in a captivating mystery that shows how sometimes history doesn’t tell the true story.

My review:

The problem I tend to have with rating systems are when I waver on what to give the book. I liked this book but did I 'really' like it? The actual rating here should be 3 1/2 stars for me so, I'll go with that.

I have had this book on my TBR pile for at least 1-2 years. I initially picked it up because I liked the cover and the title. I did not know the premise other than I thought it was about a girl who was hiding a secret. I was right and wrong at the same time.

It turned out to be told by three (spoiler) seemingly four people. It tells the tale of family secrets, school bullying, and  living on the non-winning other side of WWII. The book is broken up into the 1930's-40's and present day.

This was a tough and emotionally rollercoaster ride for me. I read this book often with a lens of disgust of what happened to the Jewish people at the hands of German people at the time. I was looking at the book as someone who "might" have Jewish heritage but not sure. I was also looking at it from someone who has German in-laws.

The German's in the book told how they grew up and what they endured as children but then moved through 'The Youth Group' into adulthood. I had hope that one of the characters would be a rescuer but was disappointed and how his life turned out was shocking.

The twists kept me reading. The intertwined story eventually ending with yet another twist did too.

However, I also could see these twists coming before they ever did thus another reason for a lesser rating.

I found the daughter character in the book to be a bit whiney. I felt she needed to stand up for herself and not keep perpetuating lies. I felt she needed to come to terms with her heritage and know it was not her fault. (Commentary) Simply you cannot help what family you are born into, you can however use the information and live a life of positive and make things as good as possible.

The story was good but overall, still 3 1/2 stars.

Side note: The author mentions in the back that she has had some possible interesting family heritage that she does not know the full extent of (like me). She did a ton of research for this book and it is total opposite of what her possible heritage is. That intrigued me more than the actual story.

Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book for my own collections. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle

#Review & #Giveaway: Copy Boy by Shelley Blanton-Stround #historicalfiction, #mysteries @blantonstroud @iReadBookTours

Summary: 
Jane’s a very brave boy. And a very difficult girl. She’ll become a remarkable woman, an icon of her century, but that’s a long way off.

Not my fault, she thinks, dropping a bloody crowbar in the irrigation ditch after Daddy. She steals Momma’s Ford and escapes to Depression-era San Francisco, where she fakes her way into work as a newspaper copy boy.

Everything’s looking up. She’s climbing the ladder at the paper, winning validation, skill, and connections with the artists and thinkers of her day. But then Daddy reappears on the paper’s front page, his arm around a girl who’s just been beaten into a coma one block from Jane’s newspaper―hit in the head with a crowbar.

Jane’s got to find Daddy before he finds her, and before everyone else finds her out. She’s got to protect her invented identity. This is what she thinks she wants. It’s definitely what her dead brother wants.

My review:
The setting is the Depression-era and the main character, Jane, has grown up with the hardships that many people of the time had.  She grows up in a shanty town and has the problem of an abusive father and unloving mother.

Eventually, as the summary says, she gets away after she thinks she has killed her father.  A friend of the family helps her get straightened out and that is where the real story begins. It took a little bit to get to this point but once it did, there was no stopping.

Jane is a tough character and it is totally understood where she has come from. Wanting to be a journalist, she manages to hide her identity and wiggles her way into be a copy "boy" for a local newspaper.  Even though it seems unlikely to me that she would be able to manage such a feat without be discovered, I liked her tenacity. She does not take no for an answer! This is an admirable characteristic of hers and a nice change from the sappy women characters often seen in books.

It also helps her to stand up to the people who have abused and used her over time. She is certainly a gal to be reckoned with and again, I like her. With a few well-placed twists, we find out she is in it for the long haul. I won't say how long, because that is truly a spoiler.

Even when she is eventually outed, she still walks in and announces that she is going to stay put. Whoo hoo, I say! You go girl! *laughs*

If you are interested in journalism, photography, strong women, history, or Depression-era topics, then this is the book for you.

I give it 4 stars.

Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book from the author. The opinions expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle

Where to find the author:

Shelley Blanton-Stroud grew up in California's Central Valley, the daughter of Dust Bowl immigrants who made good on their ambition to get out of the field. She teaches college writing in Northern California and consults with writers in the energy industry. 

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#BookBlast & #Giveaway: I. Am. Elizabeth, by Kathi Haacke Morehead

I. Am. Elizabeth by Kathi Haacke Morehead

I. Am. Elizabeth is a story of medieval intrigue based on the life of Elizabeth Plantagenet. Set both contemporaneously and in the 16th century, the reader will be invited to weigh for themselves the truth of Elizabeth's life, including the disappearance of Elizabeth's brothers, the Lost Princes in the Tower, the ascension of her uncle, Richard III, to the throne of England, and her marriage to Henry Tudor. Elizabeth Plantagenet was a daughter, niece, sister, wife, and mother to five Kings of England, and grandmother of the first and second Queens Regnant: Mary I and Elizabeth I. You may have met The White Princess, but prepare for your introduction to the real Elizabeth of York. Description: Elizabeth of York died in 1503. Annie Campbell lives today. Can they reach through time to heal one another's soul, or will their secrets be impossible to overcome? ... Why can't I sleep? It is not as though tonight is any different from last night, or the night before, or even the night before that. It's hot, and not a breath of air moves through the window. I feel like I will go mad from this anxiety, this fear. But of what? It's so very dark tonight. No moon, no light from the windows. Just dark... Damn you, darkness. You've not been kind the past few nights. What horror do you hold for me tonight?

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$1.00 of all sales proceeds of paperback and hardback editions of this book will go to the fundraising campaign of Mt. Blanc for MS on behalf of Neely Worldwide Publishing and Kathi Haacke Morehead. For more information please visit https://theroyalmarinescharity.org.uk/news/ascent-of-mt-blanc/

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About the author:
Kathi Haacke Morehead made her fictional debut with WHITE NIGHT followed by the sequel Eternal Night. She is the author of HEART BLEED: Letting go and stanching the flow, and THE BEST FROM THE CHEAP SEATS. Her fiction has tackled questions of morality, spirituality, life after death, love, and integrity. She is not a conventional author, writes in a conversational style to better interact with her readers. If you're looking for high style, you won't find it in her work. Kathi believes in the value of tightly crafted story - everything else will fall into place. To quote Kathi: "I guess that makes me a bit of a bohemian. And I'm good with that." Kathi lives in Brunswick, Maryland with her husband, Dave, and four finicky felines. They have a blended family of 4 children and 3 grandchildren.

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