#read99women: Therese Walsh

I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s hitting me again: 99 is a lot! We’ve got so many recommendations already in the hopper for upcoming days, and I’m so excited to share them. But I also want to use my intro space today to mention that among the other negative effects of the spread of coronavirus, bookstores and authors that would otherwise be celebrating new releases are now canceling tours, missing out on sales, and otherwise suffering. Anything you can do to help — like ordering online from an awesome indie— will make someone’s day. It’s a small thing, but I’m hoping to host a bunch of new-to-me authors for #read99women recommendations, so if you’re an author, please reach out to find out more.

Speaking of connecting, today’s author is one of the best connectors I know—Therese Walsh, one of the founders of Writer Unboxed. Through that site and the associated Writer Unboxed UnConference, I’ve been able to talk to, work with and/or meet more amazing writers than I can count. She does a lot of things really well (including write fiction!) but her keen sense of how to develop and support a community is super-special.

AND she has the prettiest author website there is.

A more official bio: Therese Walsh is the co-founder of Writer Unboxed, a site that’s visited daily by thousands of writers interested in the craft and business of fiction. She was the architect and primary editor of AUTHOR IN PROGRESS (Writer's Digest, 2016), a book about the key milestones a writer hits when writing a novel, with practical tips on how to reach those milestones while clearing psychological hurdles along the way.

Her second novel, THE MOON SISTERS, earned starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal, and was named one of the best books of 2014 by Library Journal and BookRiot. Her debut, THE LAST WILL OF MOIRA LEAHY, was named one of January Magazine’s Best Books of 2009, was nominated for a RITA award for Best First Book, and was a TARGET Breakout Book.

Therese Walsh

Her #read99women recommendation is Bryn Greenwood’s THE RECKLESS OATH WE MADE, and here’s her rave review: “The best thing about this book is everything: inventive storytelling, singular characters, perspectives that push and challenge and expand your worldview. A truly unforgettable tale that redefines what it means to be heroic. Your inner phoenix will roar!”

Read the full review on BookBub here.

(Psst—in case you didn’t see, every word in “ordering online from an awesome indie” above links to a different independent bookstore where you can buy books online. You can find a bunch more in the replies to this tweet.)

#read99women: Nancy Johnson

Everything in publishing takes place so far in the future, it’s easy to get excited about a novel a full year or more before you can actually get your hands on it! And that’s how I feel about Nancy Johnson’s upcoming debut novel, THE KINDEST LIE, forthcoming from William Morrow/HarperCollins in January 2021. Just check out this summary:

This debut novel tells the story of an unlikely connection between a black woman engineer and a poor, young white boy at the time of Obama’s election as President. The two meet in a dying Indiana factory town when she returns to find the son she walked away from. As long-held secrets emerge, their paths collide along the fault lines of race, class, and family.

(If you use Goodreads, you can go ahead and mark it as “to-read” right this minute.)

A native of Chicago’s south side, Nancy Johnson tells stories at the intersection of race and class. THE KINDEST LIE is her first novel.  An excerpt of the book was named runner-up for the 2018 James Jones First Novel Fellowship Award. 

For more than a decade, Nancy worked as an Emmy-nominated, award-winning television journalist at CBS and ABC affiliates in markets nationwide from Tampa Bay to Madison, Wisconsin. Her work has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine and has been supported by the Hurston/Wright Foundation, Tin House, and Kimbilio Fiction. She blogs regularly for Writer Unboxed and leads panel discussions on writing and publishing. A graduate of Northwestern University and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Nancy currently lives in downtown Chicago. 

Nancy Johnson

Nancy’s #read99women recommendation is PATSY by Nicole Dennis-Benn. You can read her full review on BookBub, but here are some highlights: “Often authors say it's tough to top themselves with their sophomore novels, but Nicole Dennis-Benn did it brilliantly with PATSY. At the center of this story is an unflinching look at a mother who abandons her daughter to chase the American dream. It's the story of a mother and daughter claiming freedom in their sexuality and gender identity. It's the story of us as women and the hard choices we may make without apology.”

Ooh, this one’s moving up my TBR by the word. And here’s the kicker from Nancy: “I highly recommend this novel that reeks of humanity and courage.” Sold! 

#read99women: Chanel Cleeton

As promised, and without further ado, please welcome today’s #read99women guest: Chanel Cleeton!

Chanel Cleeton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA and WHEN WE LEFT CUBA. Originally from Florida, Chanel grew up on stories of her family's exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. Her passion for politics and history continued during her years spent studying in England where she earned a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master's degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics & Political Science. Chanel also received her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. She loves to travel and has lived in the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. Her next book THE LAST TRAIN TO KEY WEST is forthcoming in June 2020.

Chanel Cleeton

Chanel’s #read99women pick is THE MAP OF LOVE by Ahdaf Soueif. You can read her rave review in full on BookBub, but here are some of the most intriguing tidbits: “This is one of those books I want to buy and hand out to people because it's so amazing and deserves for its praises to be shouted from the rooftop. The writing is lyrical and stunning. The plot is intricately woven and exquisitely crafted. The characters leap off the page and the novel fairly crackles with their chemistry…. For a book that often tackles complex identity and political issues, it is an effortless read and one that immediately captivates the reader. It is the sort of book that leaves a lasting mark and the sheer beauty of Soueif's writing should not be missed.”

#read99women: Stephanie Thornton

On Sunday, I mentioned that Stephanie Thornton’s new book AND THEY CALLED IT CAMELOT was coming out soon—and now the day is here!

Stephanie Thornton is a writer and high school history teacher who has been obsessed with infamous women from history since she was twelve. The subjects of her novels range from the ancient world’s Theodora of the Byzantine Empire and Pharaoh Hatshepsut to Alice Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt’s hellion of a daughter so integral to the political scene of her time that she was known as Washington’s Other Monument. Stephanie lives with her husband and daughter in Alaska.

Stephanie Thornton

Stephanie’s #read99women recommendation is Chanel Cleeton’s WHEN WE LEFT CUBA. “This is hands down one of my favorite reads of the year! In a tale as tempestuous as Cuba itself, WHEN WE LEFT CUBA is the revolutionary story of one woman’s bold courage and her many sacrifices for her beloved country. An absolutely spectacular read!”

You can read the full review on BookBub here.

And if you’re wondering what book Chanel Cleeton would recommend for #read99women, guess what? You’ve only got a day to wait…

#read99women: Deanna Raybourn

A little behind-the-scenes peek at the life of an author: for some conferences, you assemble a panel and pitch it yourselves, while for others, you apply as an individual and the conference organizers take charge of putting you together in pairs or groups. A couple of years ago I attended Fall For the Book for the first time. I found myself paired with Deanna Raybourn, whose books I adored, and we clicked so well as paired presenters, we then started pitching ourselves as a double act for other conferences. It’s always a pleasure to appear with Deanna, who’s every bit as clever and entertaining as you’d expect the author of the Veronica Speedwell mysteries to be.

The biographical highlights: Deanna Raybourn grew up in San Antonio, Texas. At the age of 23 she wrote her first novel. She married her college sweetheart and after the birth of their first child she left teaching to become a mom and full-time writer. Her debut novel, SILENT IN THE GRAVE, was published in January 2007. It is the first in the Lady Julia Grey Mystery series. SILENT IN THE GRAVE won the 2008 RITA Award for Novel with Strong Romantic Elements. The Lady Julia Grey series has been nominated for several other awards, including an Agatha, a Daphne du Maurier, a Last Laugh, and two Dilys Winns, and is currently in development for a TV series in the UK. Her newest mystery series featuring Victorian lepidopterist Veronica Speedwell began in 2016 with A CURIOUS BEGINNING, and continues with A PERILOUS UNDERTAKING, A TREACHEROUS CURSE, A DANGEROUS COLLABORATION, and now A MURDEROUS RELATION.

Deanna Raybourn

[Editor’s note: A MURDEROUS RELATION comes out tomorrow, March 10! And I, for one, cannot wait.]

Deanna’s #read99women recommendation is MY SISTER THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite. Says Deanna: “This is one of the tightest, most riveting books I've ever read. I devoured it in an afternoon and loved every twisted minute. It's the book I'm recommending to everyone--including people who never asked for book recs.” 

#read99women: Stephanie Dray

Oh wow! I got a little behind on my spreadsheet and missed the exact moment, but we’re more than halfway through the 99 recommendations of #read99women! So you can look forward to more and more recommendations well into the month of April.

And that brings us to today’s guest, historical fiction powerhouse Stephanie Dray.

Stephanie Dray is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author of historical women’s fiction. Her award-winning work has been translated into eight languages and tops lists for the most anticipated reads of the year. Now she lives near the nation’s capital with her husband, cats, and history books.

Stephanie’s #read99women pick is AMERICAN PRINCESS by Stephanie Thornton. She says, “In this dishy novel, Thornton skillfully brings to life the incomparable and unapologetic Alice Roosevelt, whose scandalous life was at the center of American politics for nearly a century. Fast-paced and written with verve and sass, this book is a treat and a treasure for history lovers.” Intrigued? You can read the full review on BookBub here.

By the by, Stephanie Thornton’s new novel AND THEY CALLED IT CAMELOT is due out in just a couple of days! And we’ll be welcoming her to the blog to celebrate. Stay tuned!

#read99women: Kat Howard

Happy weekend! As a follow-up to my thoughts yesterday about authors working in multiple genres, it’s worth noting that while authors absolutely need to read widely in the genre(s) they write in, very few authors only read in the genre(s) they write in. Personally, I’ve added a lot of romance into the rotation in the past year or so, though I have no idea whether I’d be capable of writing it or not. I’ve also been reading a lot more fantasy, especially new fantasy novels that break the fusty old mold of Tolkien-esque Man On Quest, With Creatures.

Kat Howard’s AN UNKINDNESS OF MAGICIANS, which features a fierce, powerful magic-making heroine in a beautifully realized alternate world, is one of my favorite recent fantasy reads. I’m delighted to welcome her to the blog as today’s #read99women guest.

Kat Howard is a writer of fantasy, science fiction, and horror who lives and writes in New Hampshire.

Her novella THE END OF THE SENTENCE, co-written with Maria Dahvana Headley, was one of NPR's best books of 2014, and her debut novel ROSES AND ROT was a finalist for the Locus Award for Best First Novel. AN UNKINDNESS OF MAGICIANS was named a best book of 2017 by NPR, and won a 2018 Alex Award. Her recent short fiction collection A CATHEDRAL OF MYTH AND BONE collects work that has been nominated for the World Fantasy Award, performed as part of Selected Shorts, and anthologized in year’s best and best of volumes, as well as new pieces original to the collection. She's currently the writer for THE BOOKS OF MAGIC, part of DC Comics' Sandman Universe. Her next novel, A SLEIGHT OF SHADOWS, is the sequel to AN UNKINDNESS OF MAGICIANS and will be out in June 2020. In the past, she’s been a competitive fencer and a college professor. You can find her @KatwithSword on Twitter and on Instagram.

Kat Howard

And speaking of crossing genres, Kat’s choice for #read99women is Nina MacLaughlin’s HAMMER HEAD.

“If you had told me at any point before I read it that a memoir on becoming a carpenter would become one of my very favorite books, I would never have believed you. Thankfully, no one asked before sending me an ARC of Nina MacLaughlin's gorgeous book, HAMMER HEAD. The first time I read it, I read it all in one day. And yes, it's about becoming a carpenter and the story of MacLaughlin's journey into that life is beautiful and rich and moved me in ways I didn't anticipate. But this is also a book about the idea of making things - creating space in your own life to remake yourself, learning to see the way pieces of things fit together. It's the book I recommend most. It's the book I go back to again and again when my own words are stuck in my head. It's a kind of spirit level for my soul, and I love it.”

events update!

Just a quick note here — if you’re in the DC/Baltimore area, I have a few events coming up to promote the paperback of WOMAN 99!

I’ve got upcoming dates at Johns Hopkins, Catholic University, and Loyalty Bookstore in downtown Silver Spring.

Check out the details here.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog programming! (That’s right, mostly #read99women interviews.)

#read99women: Therese Anne Fowler

It must be some kind of record that it’s already March 6th and I haven’t yet mentioned Women’s History Month on the blog! (Rest assured it’s come up plenty on Twitter.) But of course women, history, and especially historical novels featuring women from history are all near and dear to my heart. For the last two years, my spring blog project was a series of #womenshistoryreads interviews; this year it’s the #read99women series, and genre-wise, I’m casting a much wider net.

And a good thing, too, since some of the books I’m most looking forward to this year are outside of the historical fiction genre. One of the most highly anticipated is A GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD, coming from Therese Anne Fowler. Of course she’s a historical fiction superstar, best known for her Zelda Fitzgerald novel Z and its followup A WELL-BEHAVED WOMAN; but her newest novel is contemporary, and by all accounts, it’s a real knockout. It hits shelves next Tuesday, March 10.

Therese Anne Fowler (pronounced ta-reece) is a New York Times and USA Today best selling author whose novels present intriguing people in difficult situations, many of those situations deriving from the pressures and expectations of their cultures as well as from their families. Her books are available in every format and in multiple languages, and are sold around the world. Z has been adapted for television by Amazon Studios. A Well-Behaved Woman is in development with Sony Pictures Television.

Therese Fowler

Therese’s #read99women pick is PRIDE AND PROMETHEUS by John Kessel, which she describes as “a brilliantly imagined, vividly rendered tale that puts Mary Bennet from Austen's Pride & Prejudice into Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.”

More: “It's a tensely plotted yet thoughtful examination of Mary Bennett's character set ten years after Lizzie and Darcy wed, when Mary is on the verge of permanent spinsterhood. Kessel, who won awards for his novelette version of the story, originally conceived it when he noticed that Austen's and Shelley's novels were published around the same time. He wondered what might happen if Mary were to meet Victor at a London ball, when Victor is in the city as part of his efforts to create a bride for his creature. The result is a fascinating read. Stories about Mary Bennet have become almost a cottage industry. But Kessel was among the first in, and I would argue that his tale is among the most interesting, skillful, and original of the bunch."

Fascinating!

#read99women: Abby Fabiaschi

It should be no surprise to anyone reading my blog that I’m a constant reader. I believe reading widely is one of a writer’s most important tools for learning how to write even better. But it might surprise you to know that audiobooks form at least half of my reading these days. I get audiobooks for my phone through Overdrive (aka The Library) and audiobooks on CD to play in my ancient car whenever I have a drive of any length (without my kids present. Little pitchers and all that.)

Audiobook narration is an art, like any other kind of performance, and a great narrator — or set of narrators, if the book requires — can really make a good book even better. Sadly the reverse is also true, and awkward narration has definitely interfered with my enjoyment of a book, but the good news is that most narrators out there are pretty great at their jobs. If you have the chance to pick up anything narrated by Julia Whelan or Xe Sands, for example, they’ll take your audiobook experience to the next level.

One of my favorite audiobooks of the past few years is Abby Fabiaschi’s I LIKED MY LIFE. The book has three points of view and the audiobook uses three narrators, and it makes a wonderful story even more of a gut punch. (I mean gut punch in a good way!) I’m thrilled to welcome Abby as today’s #read99women guest.

And here’s her bio: Abby is a human rights advocate interested in economic solutions to social/cultural problems. In 2017 she co-founded Empower Her Network, an organization that paves a path for survivors of human trafficking with a will for independence by breaking down housing barriers, financing education, and uncovering employment opportunities. 

When her children turned three and four in what felt like one season, she resigned from her post as a high tech executive to pursue writing. I LIKED MY LIFE (St. Martin’s Press) is her debut novel. She and her family divide their time between West Hartford, Connecticut and Park City, Utah. When not writing or watching the comedy show that is her children, she enjoys reading across genres, skiing, and hiking. Oh, and travel. Who doesn’t love vacation?

Abby Fabiaschi

Abby’s pick is AMERICANAH by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. “I first learned of Chimamanda in 2009 through her Ted Talk on the dangers of the single-story. (If you haven’t seen it, the topic is more relevant than ever.) After watching her speak, I dove into HALF OF A YELLOW SUN, which was my favorite book of last decade. She earned the title again with AMERICANAH, a novel that changed some things for me.”

She continues, “Her writing sucks me in: ‘There was something in him, lighter than ego but darker than insecurity, that needed constant buffing, polishing, waxing.’ I believe Chimamanda to be the best contemporary novelist out there.”

No higher praise than that!