Blog
Archives - December 2014
Not only is Judy Chicurel an esteemed playwright, her debut collection of short stories, IF I KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO BE THIS BEAUTIFUL, I NEVER WOULD HAVE LET YOU GO, was published earlier this year. The coming-of-age stories are set in 1972 in a working-class Long Island community, and capture the universal experience of being poised between the past and the future. Here, Judy tells a different coming-of-age story --- one that is lovely, heartbreaking and entirely personal --- about one difficult holiday season and how a book saw her through it.
Award-winning author/illustrator Cynthia Copeland has a gift for discovering simple, timeless lessons. She did it when her children were younger with REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF MY KIDS HAVE TAUGHT ME and, more recently, in the tender, funny and irresistibly charming REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF MY DOG HAS TAUGHT ME. Turns out, Cindy’s life lessons don’t only come from her family. Here, she shares the impact one book about the amazing accomplishments of some pretty exceptional women --- written by a woman who is pretty exceptional herself --- has had on her own life and her daughter’s.
Jessica Hagy’s book, HOW TO BE INTERESTING (In 10 Simple Steps), is a charming and uniquely inspirational how-to that combines fresh and pithy lessons with deceptively simple diagrams and charts. And Jessica really does know a thing or two about being interesting; not only is she an author and an illustrator, she’s also an award-winning blogger and an Internet sensation. In her Holiday Author Blog, she talks about something else that’s interesting: how a book can sometimes be more than just a book.
Erin Healy has written nine books, most recently MOTHERLESS, a haunting tale of a mother's struggle to rekindle a connection with her estranged children. Not only is Erin a talented author and an award-winning fiction editor, she also happens to be an expert gift giver. Whether it's THIS BOOK JUST ATE MY DOG! for her four-year-old niece or ARE YOU MY MOTHER? for her own mother, Erin knows how to choose the perfect book for every person on her list. If only they could figure out what to give her!
In her first Holiday Author Blog for Bookreporter.com, Sukey Forbes (author of THE ANGEL IN MY POCKET: A Story of Love, Loss, and Life After Death) meditates on the power of a single book --- THE GIVING TREE. How does this children's book continue to surprise, teach and inspire over the course of a lifetime? Can we really learn something as complex as selflessness from a few dozen hallowed pages and pictures? Sukey's experience says yes.
Sheila Roberts is the bestselling author of 13 books. THE LODGE ON HOLLY ROAD --- the sixth installment in her fan-favorite Life in Icicle Falls series --- is about a recent widower and a single mom who get dragged to Olivia Wallace’s lodge on Holly Road, where unexpected romance is around every corner. Sheila’s granddaughters may still be too young to enjoy her fiction, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t already voracious readers! Here, Sheila talks about her little “book bugs” and the joy reading has brought to her life and theirs.
Cara Putman is the award-winning author of 19 books, including the acclaimed SHADOWED BY GRACE. In her latest, WHERE TREETOPS GLISTEN --- co-authored with Tricia Goyer and Sarah Sundin --- three stories chart the path of romance through one Christmas season during 1940s wartime. It comes as no surprise that Cara has a deep appreciation for the holiday season. Here, she shares what Christmas means to her family and why traditions are so important, no matter how you celebrate.
Besides being a bestselling author, Regina Calcaterra has many impressive titles: lawyer, state official and adoption/foster care activist. She grew up in foster care and on the streets of Long Island, surviving a painful childhood to become a driven, generous adult. Last year, her memoir ETCHED IN SAND was published, but she was no rookie when it came to telling the story of a life. More than a decade earlier, Regina helped trailblazing politician Geraldine Ferraro write FRAMING A LIFE, and that experience gave her the tools to frame her own life.
Actor, cook and author Tess Masters comes from a family of storytellers and book lovers. Today, Tess shares some of these stories on her popular BlenderGirl blog, where she offers countless fun and healthy recipes for life on-the-go. Her first book, THE BLENDER GIRL, is a cookbook full of some of her favorite recipes for meals, snacks and desserts. In her Holiday Author Blog, Tess describes her long relationship with Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and how it helped mend her broken heart.
In Ellen Meister’s most recent book, FAREWELL, DOROTHY PARKER, protagonist Violet Epps idolizes notorious literary firecracker Dorothy Parker, and gets more than she bargained for when Parker’s feisty spirit materializes from an ancient guestbook in the Algonquin Hotel and hitches a ride onto Violet’s life. Here, Ellen abandons Parker for Poe, in a spirited and wildly funny post-Christmas poem. Halloween is clearly not the only holiday that inspired horror!
