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Zulaikha
Niloufar-Lily Soltani’s Zulaikha is an exquisitely-penned novel that offers a glimpse into the life of an Iranian woman, set against the backdrop of the Iranian revolution and the Iran-Iraq War. The narrative elegantly charts Zulaikha’s life from her childhood through to marriage, childbirth, and the complexities of new love, painting a vivid portrait of a woman navigating the tumultuous waters of societal and personal change.
The novel shines a light on a region of the world that remains largely unexplored in literature, offering insights into the intricacies of Iranian culture and history. Soltani’s portrayal of Zulaikha’s strained relationship with her mother, Madineh, is crafted with sensitivity and depth, allowing readers to feel the emotional weight of their dynamic. The prose is beautifully wrought, with each sentence weaving a tapestry of Zulaikha’s dreams, heartaches, and journey toward understanding and forgiveness. Soltani’s skill in shifting between past and present narrative threads is commendable, creating a rich, layered story that keeps the reader deeply engaged. Zulaikha’s character resonates universally, transcending cultural boundaries and inviting readers from all walks of life to root for her triumphs and empathize with her struggles. The novel poignantly poses the question of whether Zulaikha will find her place in the Islamic Republic or be compelled to seek new horizons in the West, as many of her relatives have. While the novel occasionally unfolds at a more leisurely pace, this allows for a deeper appreciation of its many compelling strengths. One such strength is the incorporation of Persian poetry, which adds a layer of cultural richness and beauty to the narrative. Soltani’s depiction of Khuzestan is vivid and tangible, imbuing the novel with a strong sense of place.
Zulaikha is a book that will resonate with a diverse readership, with women, in particular, finding a special connection to its themes. Soltani adeptly addresses universal challenges faced by women, grounding her narrative in a specific time and place yet making it universally relatable. This novel is a must-read for aficionados of historical drama, romance, and literary fiction, offering a richly textured experience that is both enlightening and deeply moving.
Pages: 332 | ISBN: 978-1771339568
Shaken, Yet Satisfied
Fraidy Hole follows a grandfather and his granddaughter who must navigate their shared grief and the uncertainties of life while unraveling a series of mysterious clues in a world that challenges their preconceived notions. What was one goal you set for yourself as a writer with this book?
My goal was to make the reader feel like they were right there, in the middle of the nightmare. Too many times, I read a book and just don’t feel connected in any way to the main characters. These are very relatable, yet twisted characters that I needed the readers to feel their confusion and pain. The whole premise of my writing is to show the vulnerability that the human experience weighs down on us.
How did you balance the elements of suspense and the more intimate, emotional aspects of the narrative throughout the novel?
It’s simple really. I just went back to my happiest memories, of being a kid at my grandparents’ house, of warm summer days and bare toes. In order for my readers to understand the pain and heartache, first they have to experience the love and sheer simplicity of being a kid. Once that is accomplished, the suspense just kind of tags along for the ride, almost as an afterthought. Just like in real life, it’s the happiest of memories that your heart clings too, they, for the most part, overshadow the horrors.
The character of Bobo is quite intriguing. How did you come up with his character, and what challenges did you face in effectively portraying his emotions and memories?
Bobo was heavily based on my grandpa, his mannerisms, his working life. I took all of what I loved in that man and then twisted him, giving him a new past and new narrative. Writing from a male point of view was a new venture for me, and at first it was a little daunting. I found that when I just allowed myself to view the story as a movie, Bobo’s voice was easily coming to me, actually in the form of Sam Elliott! (Ha! Did you hear that, Sam Elliott?)
How do you hope readers will feel after finishing Fraidy Hole and what do you want them to take away from it?
I hope my readers are shaken, yet satisfied when they get to the end, the way you feel when you are walking out of an awesome movie that made you cry, got you angry, and left you stunned. I want the reader to reevaluate their own human connections within their own family and friend circles, because our days are numbered and you just never know when you will be saying your last goodbyes.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | TikTok
What happens though, when the lines are blurred… when reality and the nightmares of your past collide? Can the mind make sense of it all? Can the brain and heart sort out the drama and the subtext? What happens to the soul when the mind cracks, even just a little?
Fraidy Hole, the fictional dark suspense thriller that centers around a grandfather trying to save his granddaughter from herself, plays upon exactly that line of questioning.
Told from a Grandfather’s perspective, Fraidy Hole follows the unconventional life of his Granddaughter, Arlo, as she navigates the pitfalls of adolescence into adulthood, paired with the unfortunate events that unfold while she is being influenced by an unusual leader into her darkness, her best friend, Bast. Together, they are torn between hiding in and trying to escape the Fraidy Hole.
BELIEVE UNSHATTERED LOVE
Believe Unshattered Love by L.C. Renie elegantly continues Alexandria’s captivating quest for love and its transformative influence on her life. The moment she crosses paths with Alessio, her world shifts dramatically. But as she unravels her family’s intricate history, it threatens to cast a shadow on their blossoming romance, introducing layers of complexity and potential danger.
Both Alexandria and Alessio find themselves ensnared by the ghosts of the past. As Alessio confronts challenges rooted in Alexandria’s history, he finds himself navigating a precarious landscape. The duo are faced with a crucial choice: can their bond weather these storms and flourish, or are they destined for heartbreak?
Renie crafts a tale that effortlessly guides readers into the depths of Alexandria’s ancestry, laying a rich foundation for her narrative. The stakes are high for both Alessio and Alexandria as they grapple with the question of how much they’re willing to sacrifice for a shared future. The narrative is engaging and fluid, with each chapter drawing readers deeper into the unfolding drama. Packed with familial intrigue, pulsating action, and a tender romance at its core, this novel is a delightful treat for aficionados of the romance genre.
Believe Unshattered Love is a compelling continuation that seamlessly intertwines love, mystery, and adventure. It’s a must-read for readers who revel in tales of undying love and the challenges it faces.
Pages: 215
A Break From the Day-to-Day Drama
A Hole in Her Sky follows a young woman coping with the loss of her twin sister while at the same time navigating a family feud that threatens her newfound romance with a childhood crush. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I really wanted to take a break from the real world and let myself wander in a time and place that was less complicated in the day-to-day drama. This gave me a perfect place to experiment with love in its various forms, from family dynamics and friendships all the way to first love. The loss of someone who is essentially a part of you could completely erase who you are, and Maddie has a chance to either disappear completely or rewrite herself. Her strength becomes the only thing she has to hold onto in an uncertain time. She was an interesting character to interact with along the way.
There is a sense of love and innocence throughout the novel. How were you able to capture those feelings and put them into words?
I tried to imagine a time when my world felt innocent. And if that failed, I tried to see it through the eyes of a child like my own. With so many things making our kids grow up so fast, you have to remember what it was like to see the wonder in their eyes as they simply gaze up at the stars. I’d like to think that most of us would love to have more of that wonder back in our lives.
What experience in your life has had the biggest impact on your writing?
My experiences as a child still impact my writing. When I was younger, I often escaped into whatever world I was reading about at the time. Books got me through quite a few difficult times. I always wanted to do the same for another reader. I want to provide a small getaway from the world to let them forget the things that are weighing them down, if only for a little while.
I find a problem in well-written stories in that I always want there to be another book to keep the story going. Is there a second book planned?
Unfortunately, at this time, there are no plans for a second book. This was always intended to be a standalone.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
A Hole in Her Sky
Dealing with the devastating loss of her twin sister and an overwhelming sense of abandonment, Maddie spends her summer in a serene rural village with her grandmother in search of tranquility, hoping to get away from the emotional storm that is brewing inside of her. Her stay takes her on an unexpected trip that will force her to face her problems head-on and learn what it means to be sad, joyous, and in love.
A Hole in Her Sky, by Erik Daniel Shein, Karen Fuller, and Melissa Davis, is a compelling young adult novel that explores the complexities of grief, the nuances of young love, and the extraordinary resilience that lies within when faced with unfathomable loss. The narrative is told through the eyes of Maddie Tyler, a 17-year-old, whose emotional journey readers can easily identify with. Like most of us, she struggles with negativity that comes from inside, and it unfortunately affects her reality and fate. The use of Tristen’s character as not just her partner, but also as this supportive, affirming, and caring person was a nice touch added to the narrative. The authors use a delicate touch to intricately design their interactions, capturing the awkwardness and excitement of first love and creating a vivid image of the innocence and uncertainty that go along with these feelings. However, their affair is anything from easygoing. There is an additional layer of tension and strife brought on by the rekindling of a long-standing family rivalry between the Tyler and Tristen families. The authors expertly strike a balance between the dramatic and romantic components, making sure that the plot never gets overly serious or formulaic.
A Hole in Her Sky is a heartfelt and exquisitely written young adult book that examines sorrow, love, and the inner strength that may emerge from the depths of despair. The story is gripping from start to finish, thanks to its emotional resonance and surprising turns. This book is proof of the resilience of the human spirit and the ability to discover hope and fortitude in the face of tragedy. I highly recommend this book to anyone undergoing severe traumatic and emotional experiences in their life right now, as this book can give them hope and help them see there is still light at the end of the tunnel.
Pages: 232 | ASIN : B0CJ6L1Z44
Walking Their Walk
All About Us follows a young woman living in the height of the Jim Crow era as she and her siblings fight seemingly endless obstacles in search of a brighter future. What was the idea, or spark, that first set off the need to write this book?
As flight attendants, we often had nice layovers in New Orleans. It was 1995. I flew with a co-worker who was from Yazoo City, Mississippi, a place I had never heard of. My co-worker asked that I ride the three-hour drive with her to visit relatives. Upon entering the city, I was surprised. I could see how downtrodden the area was. Yazoo City’s downtown is a place with colorful dilapidated buildings surrounded by poor areas. I knew growing up that my family, like many other black families, was poor. However, the city was shocking.
The residents were poor, poorer, and poorest. I witnessed families without running water and electricity. Sagging tin roofs appeared to be the norm. Thick plastic used as makeshift barriers for windows and doors. Houses without indoor plumbing. The need for infrastructure was visible.
This was a wake-up call for me to write a story about poor blacks. Of course, I knew I would insert in this story a few experiences of my own growing up poor, as well as friends and neighbors I once lived around. I knew I had a story to tell and blending other’s experiences with my own would, maybe just maybe make a great novel.
What was your approach to writing the interactions between Caiti and her siblings?
Realizing that siblings play an important role in the development of social skills, I wanted to incorporate pretend-play interactions between younger and older siblings. I felt this could teach empathy, sharing, and cooperation between the characters.
It was important that nonverbal interactions be established early on. I did not want too many speaking interactions with the younger siblings until later in the story. After making that decision, I decided to showcase the younger siblings by taking their personalities, and rather than have dialogue, their physical mannerisms would lead mostly until they were a little bit older.
There is a lot of time and care spent with descriptions and building the setting and tone of the story. Was this out of necessity to develop the depth of the story, or was it something that happened naturally as you were writing?
Definitely a necessity. Giving vivid descriptions was an attempt to make the reader feel as if they were right there with the characters, walking their walk and experiencing their pain, joy, and their surroundings.
What is the next novel you are working on, and when will that be available?
Tainted Money, how it ruins lives, relationships, and at times murder, is about a young male Venezuelan, named Vincent, in the United States illegally. He meets Riley and falls in love with her. Months later in a convenience store, he purchased a lottery ticket and won two million dollars. Apprehensive about having anyone cash his ticket was wearing him down.
He finally selects Riley as the one person he could trust with the winnings. He would often think of the things his winnings could mean for him. He would hire an attorney to help him obtain legal status in the USA. Start his own business and perhaps purchase a house and marry Riley.
Riley cashed in the ticket and disappeared. After a few days, he set out to find her. He visits the places they had ventured together. He sought out her friends and relatives and they all claimed to have no knowledge of her whereabouts. He was becoming angrier and angrier at Riley. Why and how could she do this to him?
It now becomes a manhunt for Riley who was skilled with firearms. Although Vincent was not one who was interested in firearms. He had migrated from a country where guns were laid out like your favorite coffee mug.
It soon becomes a cat-and-mouse game. The one thing Vincent was good at was a slingshot. It had saved him and Rico, his traveling buddy, from a brutal attack as they made their way through the dangerous jungles of Venezuela.
Stay tuned, the book will be out in the summer of 2024.
Author Links: Goodreads | Amazon
Horrible conditions beat down the older kids, buckling their spirits. Their strong determination to protect their family while simultaneously being pulled in opposite direction resulted in a life of early labor, despair, anxiety, and subsequent murder. One child, scarred for a lifetime, something Pres and Caiti must keep to themselves. A best friend admits at a youthful age a secret they both must keep until their friend tragically meets his death.
Determined to remove themselves from their troubling past, was not an easy thing to do, particularly during the height of the Jim Crow era. One by one each of the Morris children left home in search of a better life, gambling on their dreams but not without obstacles. Their adult lives came with tragedies they never imagined.
Unlikely Friends
Brazzaville: A Sequel to Casablanca picks up where the iconic film ends with the memorable main characters fighting for their lives in the midst of Nazi-occupied Europe. What was the inspiration that drove you to share your vision of this sequel with readers?
First of all, I have loved Casablanca ever since I first saw it, and I never tire seeing it again and again. My curiosity finally got the better of me, and I decided to explore what happens after the movie ends with Rick Blaine saying to Louis Renault, as they walk into the fog, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” Where does such an unlikely friendship lead these two men? I wanted to see what the war might do to them and how they face life and death challenges.
Sure, Ilsa and her husband escape to Portugal, but Lisbon is an open city where English and Nazi spies work the streets. A big catch like Victor Laszlo might escape spies in Morocco but not so in Lisbon. Rick’s obligation to the people who helped him in Casablanca drives him to forge alliances with the French Resistance and free his friend Sam, Mister Ferrari, and others. Through their efforts in North Africa, we witness as this dedicated group of fighters keeps the Straits of Hercules open and helps to turn the tide of the war in North Africa and beyond. The concerted efforts of this close-knit family of friends help to thwart the advance of the Third Reich.
I imagine the research for this novel was extensive. Can you share with us a little about your process?
I research as I write, wherever the story takes me. I can do this primarily through many historical sites online which corroborate facts and offer insights into war, geography, and war-time situations that further my story. Writing a historical fiction novel gives me the opportunity at times to adjust facts that don’t exactly fit the dynamics of my story, but I try to be as historically accurate as possible.
Were you able to achieve everything you wanted with the characters in the novel?
Yes. I think so. We see how the lives of two ordinary people make a tremendous difference in the conduct and the prosecution of the war. We begin to see how a few individuals in a concerted effort make sacrifices that matter and step up to the challenges that confront them.
Will there be a third installment?
We could continue with the Algerian push for independence from France after the war. The idea that intrigues me is how Rick, Lisa, and Louis deal with this revolutionary movement and if they do or do not support the will of the Algerian people.
Right now, I’m working on a dystopian novel with themes that are more current and poignant.
If not, what can readers expect to see from you next?
We have several books already published that might interest readers:
Animal Court allows animals to put an African prince on trial for his crimes against nature. The judges, jurors, and attorneys are all animals. Even the news reporter for ANN (Animal News Network) is an animal. This modern fable reads like trial proceedings in a courtroom, and it is both educational and amusing. A story for all ages.
The Lilium is about the children of Lilith, the mother of demons, and how a few of her offspring reject their demonic impulses to try to find redemption and attain their humanity.
Also, The Apocryphal of Lazarus. Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, is raised from the dead, but he cannot die. What happens to him as he never ages and outlives one family after another? Where does he go? What does he do? We follow him until he finally starts seeing signs of aging in himself.
Author Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Website
All About Us
All About Us, by Priscilla D. Johnson, revolves around Caiti Morris, offering an intimate chronicle of her upbringing within a complex household during the 1950s. Alongside her older brother Preston and their younger siblings, Caiti navigates the challenges of their deteriorating living conditions. The story unfolds within the confines of cramped apartments, where the weight of familial responsibility rests heavily upon their shoulders. Amidst conflicting circumstances, they confront despair, anxiety, and enduring hardships. Despite their trials, the Morris siblings embark on individual journeys toward a brighter future, resolutely pursuing dreams while confronting unyielding obstacles. As they transition into adulthood, unforeseen tragedies test their resilience.
Johnson’s story is engrossing and captivating, drawing readers into her evocative world. The author’s writing style, simple yet engaging, compels one to delve deeper into the narrative. The depiction of the struggles inherent in a dysfunctional family is executed with great skill, with the characters’ words and actions serving as poignant reflections of the impact of a challenging environment on children’s well-being. The characters’ authenticity shines through as they evolve and reveal their imperfections, creating a deeply personal and meaningful reading experience. Their relatability fosters empathy, allowing readers to connect with their hardships and triumphs. Each turn of the page reveals new insights, transporting readers to a bygone era. While the intricate details add depth to the story, it’s worth noting that they might be overwhelming based on individual preferences. The writing style, though simple, effectively conveys the characters’ journeys and the emotional landscape they traverse.
All About Us is a testament to resilience, family bonds, and the pursuit of hope amidst adversity. Priscilla D. Johnson’s narrative paints a vivid picture of lives unfolding against the backdrop of societal and personal challenges. It’s a book that leaves readers enriched, having journeyed alongside characters who mirror both the vulnerabilities and strengths that make us human.
Pages: 425 | ASIN : B0CGMSB54P
LITERARY TITAN 