Blog Archives
The Last Pirouette: A Novel in Three Acts
Janette DeFelice’s The Last Pirouette is a psychologically charged work of contemporary women’s fiction and family drama set inside the demanding world of professional ballet. The story centers on Victoria, a former dancer who has poured her abandoned ambitions into her gifted teenage daughter, Delia. When Delia earns a prestigious opportunity in New York, what looks like a career breakthrough exposes a deeper struggle over identity, control, and the difficult boundary between devotion and possession. The novel’s theatrical structure, presented as a story in three acts, fits its preoccupation with performance, fate, and the roles people play for one another.
The mother-daughter relationship gives this ballet novel its emotional force. Victoria can be intrusive and frustrating, but DeFelice lets us see the grief, trauma, thwarted ambition, and genuine love beneath her behavior. Delia is just as carefully drawn. She loves the physical and artistic experience of dance, yet she’s unsure whether the life built around it belongs to her. That tension makes the book more than a familiar coming-of-age story. It becomes a sharp examination of how a parent’s sacrifices can turn into debts a child never agreed to repay, and how hard it can be to separate your own desires from the expectations that shaped you.
DeFelice’s background in dance is evident in the detailed descriptions of technique, rehearsal, injury, and the strange combination of pain and transcendence that ballet demands. Readers who enjoy dance fiction, psychological fiction, and mother-daughter novels will find plenty to absorb here. The recurring birds, rain, mirrors, wings, and prophetic visions give the narrative a dreamlike, sometimes surreal quality, while the alternating timelines show how unresolved experiences repeat themselves across generations. Some passages linger over physical sensation and interior thought, but that intensity suits characters who understand their lives through movement and through bodies that are constantly being trained, judged, desired, and pushed past their limits.
As the novel grows darker, its early sense of possibility becomes increasingly uneasy, and the closing act carries the momentum of a tragedy whose warning signs have been visible all along. Even so, The Last Pirouette remains deeply interested in choice, autonomy, love, and the question of whether people can stop handing their pain to the next generation. It’s an emotionally demanding literary family drama with a vivid ballet setting, complicated women, and a theatrical sensibility that makes every revelation feel as though it’s happening under stage lights. The result is unsettling, intimate, and likely to stay with readers who appreciate character-driven fiction that doesn’t look away from the damage people can do while believing they’re acting out of love.
Pages: 328 | ASIN : B0FWZX8Z64
Forgiveness is Key
Second Chance Highway follows a young woman fleeing an abusive relationship with her infant daughter, who drives west in search of the mother who abandoned her and discovers that escape is just the beginning of healing. Why was a road trip the right structure for this kind of emotional and spiritual journey?
Ginny was stuck, but because of her supernatural encounter with TC, she realized she needed to be in another place, both physically and mentally. How better to get to your destination? You take a road—preferably one that leads you to the correct destination. I took a road trip to gather information for this novel. We planned nothing. We simply climbed into the truck and took off, much like Ginny did. Frankly, I’ve never had a more rewarding experience.
Faith is central to the novel. What role do “unexpected helpers” play in Ginny’s transformation?
They play the role of being the hands and feet of Jesus, so to speak. They help her overcome doubts, fears, and the trauma that led her to the destructive relationship with her abusive fiancé. God put them in her path just to keep her on the path He sought for her.
The relationship between Ginny and her mother carries a lot of weight. What drew you to that dynamic?
Thankfully, my mother never abandoned me. She is an excellent mother. However, in my years as a writer, I’ve met people who struggle with past, very deep wounds caused by people who were supposed to protect them. In some cases, these traumas have led to self-destructive behaviors that have kept them, at least for a while, from pursuing the call on their lives. Forgiveness is key to wholeness and healing. It’s a message I discuss a lot—probably to remind myself of my own unforgiving heart.
I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where will the story take readers?
I’m writing another book now, but it tells the story of another fictional character, Lulu, who is grappling with the effects of a disintegrating family.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Ginny Carmichael feels trapped in her abusive relationship until an otherworldly visit ignites her determination to break free. With her baby daughter in tow, she embarks on a courageous road trip that not only takes her away from danger but also leads her to unexpected kindness, genuine connections, and profound forgiveness.
Along the way, she meets a compassionate waitress, a spirited aunt, and ultimately her estranged mother, who may hold the key to her healing. As Ginny approaches her destination-and the truth about her worth-she discovers that escape was never the destination. Wholeness was.
Second Chance Highway is a poignant tale of faith, friendship, and the path to restoration and redemption, and is the sequel to the award-winning Always Think of Me.
Stolen Diary
Stolen Diary follows Jasmin, a gifted young girl raised in a tightly controlled world shaped by family secrets, emotional distance, and the heavy weight of expectations. As she uncovers the truth behind her mother’s mysterious diary, Jasmin begins a long journey of self-discovery that stretches across Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The story blends coming-of-age tension with gentle mystery. It frames the inner life of a brilliant child who wants love, clarity, and a sense of place.
I found myself pulled in by the writing. The sentences feel smooth, simple, and clear. The author lets the scenes breathe, and I could feel Jasmin’s loneliness and her fierce desire to understand the world. Some moments hit me hard. The quiet pain in the family home, the mix of fear and longing, the strange way adults try to protect kids while also hurting them. I felt frustrated for her sometimes. I also felt proud when she found her own footing. The slower parts gave me time to sit with her thoughts, and that made the story feel honest.
The ideas in the book stayed with me. The balance between intellect and emotion. The pressure placed on children who shine in ways adults do not understand. The way trauma hides inside ordinary routines. I liked how the author handled these themes with gentle hands. Nothing felt forced. Sometimes I wanted sharper edges or more confrontation, yet the softer tone works for Jasmin’s world. It made the big emotional moments land with more force. I kept thinking about how families try hard yet still end up wounding each other.
I would recommend Stolen Diary to readers who enjoy intimate stories about growing up, especially those who like character-driven novels set against rich cultural backgrounds. It is a good fit for people who appreciate slow-building emotional journeys and mysteries that unfold quietly rather than loudly. If you want a thoughtful, heartfelt read that lingers in your mind, this book should suit you well.
Pages: 334 | ASIN : B0BSHFRD11
Shadows on the Heart
Shadows on the Heart is a deeply emotional and character-driven novel that traces the sudden upheaval in the life of Lita Bravo, an MMA fighter whose brother and sister-in-law are killed in a car accident, leaving her as the unexpected guardian of their three children. As Lita wrestles with grief, responsibility, and a fractured relationship with her estranged mother—who is suffering from dementia—she must confront her past and figure out what kind of future she can build for herself and the children in her care. Set in both Arizona and California, the novel unfolds across tender, painful, and even humorous moments of transition.
What really hit me was how raw and believable the characters felt. Lita is the kind of protagonist I don’t see enough—tough on the outside, absolutely flailing on the inside. She’s not a savior. She screws up. She runs away, literally, when confronted with her mom after nearly twenty years. Her brokenness isn’t glamorized, and that made her growth all the more satisfying. I’ve read plenty of stories about family estrangement, but this one nailed the messy, confusing swirl of shame, anger, guilt, and stubborn love in a way that felt too real.
The kids stole my heart. Jade especially. She’s twelve, and already carrying more emotional weight than most adults. Her quiet grief, her fierce loyalty to her siblings, and her desperate need to feel some control over her crumbling world broke me. The scene where she hides behind the curtain from the police, praying her parents will come home, is one I won’t forget. And the way Oscar, one of Lita’s friends, subtly becomes a calming presence for the kids—without stealing focus—was just sweet, in a gentle, understated way.
There were times I wanted to shake Lita. She’s impulsive. Stubborn as hell. And sometimes I got frustrated watching her retreat just when I thought she was going to show up for these kids. But that’s what makes her feel human. She’s no instant hero, and this isn’t some cozy “all’s well that ends well” journey. It’s rough. The pacing lags a little midway, and the transitions between character POVs—especially when jumping into Evie’s fragmented memories—can feel jarring. Still, those moments also gave the book texture. Life doesn’t flow smoothly, and Oldham leans into that discomfort with courage.
This book is for anyone who’s ever felt like the ground has dropped out beneath them and had to figure out how to keep going anyway. If you like layered family dramas, tough women with soft cores, and stories that don’t shy away from the ugliness of healing, Shadows on the Heart will resonate. It made me ache, made me laugh, made me remember why I read fiction in the first place.
Pages: 352 | ASIN : B0DL3KMTK7
Unspoken truths
A Little Something to Hide is a series of short stories following the passengers of the Briscola Coach Service, traveling from San Francisco to Albuquerque. What was the inspiration for the original and fascinating idea at the center of the book?
Many years ago, in a time before ‘pandemic’ had entered the common lexicon, I attended a concert in Oxford with my wife and some friends to see Wildwood Kin, a British folk-rock trio famed for their glorious harmonies. The support act that evening, a duo called Ferris & Sylvester, equally blessed with talent, sang their song, ‘Burning River,’ conjuring in me the image of a distant place. I found the muse powerful in the music and my mind began to wander. The seeds for A Little Something to Hide were planted somewhere during the four or so minutes of that song, with the book beginning its life with a working title of Nearing Albuquerque. From the outset, I envisaged an omniscient narrative perspective, giving the narrator the ability to express each character’s darkest secrets. It was a speculative notion that gnawed at me, with characters popping into my head with their stories loosely formed. The dog and I went for walks and held one-sided conversations about what might unfold and the book started to take shape. I’m so glad I listened to her.
What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
There is so much about popular culture today that obsesses about celebrity. Any number of shows delve into the lives of others, providing glimpses of their lifestyles and their motivations, which often manifest as an overwhelming desire for fame and recognition. What frustrates me about these shows is the vacuity of the central characters. I’m not remotely convinced that the façade that they present on screen is a true representation of who they really are, and if it is, they rarely demonstrate any great depth of personality – beyond the make-up and the trappings of consumerism, there’s not a lot that’s redeeming.
I am much more interested in ‘real’ people, those who are not defined by their celebrity, but by their very real existence. The struggles that they face, their unspoken truths, the secrets that they hide – those things are of far more interest to me and why, in A Little Something To Hide, I wanted to explore those who live amongst us and largely go unnoticed, to illustrate that ordinary people often lead extraordinary lives.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I didn’t consciously set out to explore any themes in the book, and those that appear, are a fortuitous coincidence. In developing each character, certain themes emerged. It wasn’t so much that I adopted them, more that I clung to their coattails, attempting to stay faithful to what unfolded. If there’s one that I think that pervades the novel, it’s that of perseverance; the desire to pursue that which a character most wants. Whilst many of the characters in A Little Something To Hide demonstrated phenomenal determination, others did not, demonstrating a complete lack of resilience. It was this dichotomy that I most enjoyed discovering.
I also enjoyed exploring that which gets left unsaid. The book is jammed with characters who choose not to share too much with the world, and I loved being able to eke their secrets from them as their stories unfurled.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I’m really excited about the next book, the first draft of which I began writing in 2003. It’s titled, Dignity and is another book that draws its inspiration from a song, in this case, a 90s song of the same name from a Scottish band, Deacon Blue. The song tells the tale of a bin man who quietly goes about saving his money to buy a boat, with plans to sail to somewhere better than the streets he cleans. I love the premise of the song, again, it’s about a character who is fiercely determined to pursue his dream and is yet another story of an ordinary man with an extraordinary tale – I just had to write it! I’ve moved the location from the gritty streets of Glasgow to the more gentile location of my hometown, Petone, in New Zealand. The story is told through the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy who befriends the protagonist, with more than a token nod to Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man And The Sea. I’m still a couple of drafts away from sharing it and my hope is to have it out by the end of 2026.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Bookbub | Threads | BlueSky | Books.by | Amazon
On the Briscola Coach Service to Albuquerque, that’s just not possible.
“All manner of people ride a Briscola coach. Some travel toward dreams, others are escaping horrors, each carries their secrets and the belief that they harbour truths known only to themselves”
Craig Brown’s debut novel, ‘A Little Something To Hide’, takes a peek into the lives of the passengers on the Briscola Coach Service from San Francisco to Albuquerque. Every traveller believes they’re harbouring a secret that none of the world can see. Some secrets are darker than others and none of them are truly hidden.
Climb aboard to learn more and remember, never trust the person you’re next to, no matter how sweet they look.
TAQUOMA
Kevin D. Miller’s Taquoma is an electrifying journey through a world on the brink of volcanic catastrophe. It follows Yara Del Rey, a committed volcanologist who finds herself entangled in a perilous mission to prevent a cataclysmic Yellowstone eruption. As the planet’s molten fury threatens to erupt, Yara fights against the clock to protect her daughter—and humanity—from certain devastation.
Miller excels at blending scientific realism with heart-pounding fiction. He paints a scenario so convincing it feels like a genuine threat, making you wonder just how fragile our world is. The characters are rich and relatable, each with their own emotional weight, drawing you deeper into the story. And the suspense? It’s relentless. Miller’s descriptions of volcanic chaos are breathtaking and terrifying, leaving you in awe of nature’s raw power.
The novel isn’t just about action and thrills, though. Beneath the explosive narrative, Miller explores crucial themes like environmental responsibility, the dangers of unchecked human ambition, and the unbreakable bonds of love and perseverance. It’s a fast-paced adventure, but it makes you think, too—about the world we live in and how precariously we treat it.
Taquoma is perfect for anyone who loves a high-stakes disaster thriller or simply enjoys a wild adventure with depth and meaning. It’s intense, thought-provoking, and will leave you on the edge of your seat, rooting for Yara until the very last page. If you’re in the mood for a gripping, explosive read that keeps you invested from start to finish, this one delivers in every way.
Pages: 266 | ASIN : B0BKTSN32S
Imperfect
Katy Motiey’s Imperfect is a poignant historical fiction novel that transports readers to the tumultuous era of 1970s Iran through the eyes of Vida, a mother trying to hold her family together as the world around her crumbles. Set against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution, the story chronicles Vida’s struggles after losing her husband and navigating a culture where women, especially widows, are marginalized. The novel delicately balances themes of loss, resilience, and love, making it an emotional journey through a period of personal and national upheaval.
I absolutely loved how Motiey intertwined the personal with the political. Vida’s challenges as a widow in a rigidly patriarchal society gave the story an emotional weight that resonated deeply with me. Early in the book, the scene where Vida is left out of a wedding ceremony because she’s considered a “bad omen” hit me hard. The sheer injustice of it is infuriating, but it’s also a subtle way the book shows how women were often dismissed or disregarded. I couldn’t help but feel Vida’s anger and frustration. How could someone so strong, who had already suffered so much, still be viewed this way?
Motiey’s writing is vivid and immersive, making it easy to connect with Vida’s emotional world. One scene that stuck with me was when Vida reflects on her children’s future, wondering how she’ll raise them without their father. Her thoughts, while sitting in the back of a car passing through Tehran, painted such a vivid picture of her anxiety and isolation. The dirt on the roads, the thorny bushes blowing in the wind, I felt like it all mirrored her inner turmoil. The imagery is simple, but it’s so effective in pulling you into her mindset.
What also makes this book so gripping is the way it tackles the weight of cultural expectations. Vida’s internal struggles with oppressive societal norms often come to the forefront. You can feel the tension when she’s trying to secure her children’s future, particularly the part where she attempts to gain guardianship. Her interactions with her father-in-law, who seems more concerned with the color of his tea than her plea for independence, highlight just how stifling her environment can be. It’s a heartbreaking reminder of how culture can simultaneously nurture and trap its people.
If you are someone who enjoys women’s historical fiction that digs deep into personal and societal struggles, Imperfect is a must-read. It’s about a mother’s love, a widow’s fight for respect, and the courage it takes to forge a new path when everything you know is falling apart. It’s an emotional rollercoaster, but one that leaves you feeling inspired.
Pages: 355 | ASIN : B0CZTPFBZF
Kintsugi
Asayi: An Autistic Teen’s Journey to Topple a Shogun in Medieval Japan follows an autistic teen on a journey to challenge the oppressive regime and find her tribe and love. What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
In Asayi – An Autistic Teen’s Journey to Topple a Shogun in Medieval Japan, the main character, Asayi, presents as mute. She understands what is spoken to her and can copy text, i.e., ink Japanese characters, but in book one, she is illiterate.
So Asayi has a rare skill, but is hampered by her lack of literacy. Not being able to speak is a severe disability in a culture that is with obsessed with perfection. That is why Nabui constantly repeats that the Shogun “had given him a defective gift” when Yoshinori Ashikaga arranged for Nabui to marry Asayi after her father’s death. The Shogun felt that the daughter of the late Chief Scribe needed to be placed in Nabui’s household since he was the next Chief Scribe. Asayi’s “defectiveness” led to beatings, rape and other cruelities in Nabui’s household. It was not until Yoshinori’s successor, Yoshimasa, came to power that the obsession with perfection came to be a bit dispelled. Yoshimasa introduced the art of “kintsugi” in the 15th century wherein broken porcelain was repaired with gold welding to restore its wholeness and utility.
While life has many struggles, the disabled in Medieval Japan suffered through more struggles than the average person. Had Asayi not been connected through her Chief Scribe father to the power circles, she would have no doubt been killed as a child or used as a household slave. As it was her father kept her condition a secret from the court during his lifetime. Asayi’s humanity is affirmed as she learns to communicate with others by drawing. Thus Asayi adapts to her limitation and uses her prowess with the brush to have a voice.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Certainly, I wanted to touch upon the norm of perfection held by the aristocratic class and present its impact on an autistic young girl. I also wanted to touch upon the severe restrictions on the lives of women in this period as they were ruthlessly governed by fathers, brothers, and husbands. When I asked a friend of mine who I worked with to teach me Japanese, he told me that I needed to learn the language from a woman. I then discovered the Japanese language spoken by women was like a different language, filled with many honorific words for males that the women were to use in conversation with men!
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
In my next book I will be covering the theft of the Imperial Regalia from the Northern Court. Controlled by the Ashikaga family for generations by the Southern Court, which was the province of the emperor. The regalia consisted of a sovereign sword, a many-sided mirror, and some gems. Whoever possessed these objects had the mandate to reign, and they were coveted by each Court. Asayi goes underground to recover these objects, so another adventure lies ahead.
Author Links: Website | YouTube | GoodReads | Librarything
Layers of nuance unfold: the vulnerability of an autistic young woman in a merciless time period; political unrest, physical survival, secret identities, and finding one’s tribe and love while facing injustices and revolts that are just as real as today’s inequities and discontents.
The underdogs prevail in this remarkable medieval Japanese saga replete with true to life characters, political and personal sagas, and the enduring Asian cultural icon: the ghost.
