#read99women: J.T. Ellison

It seems so long ago already, but before we all stopped leaving our houses, I was lucky enough to catch J.T. Ellison’s event at Solid State Books for her new boarding school thriller, GOOD GIRLS LIE. J.T. is always a ray of sunshine and her newest book is getting some of the best reviews of her career, like this starred rave from Publishers Weekly: “A high-tension thriller...Alternating points of view raise the suspense, blurring the lines between what’s true and false...Ellison keeps readers guessing throughout." (I love to guess. Don’t you?)

J.T. Ellison began her career as a presidential appointee in the White House, where a nuclear physicist taught her how to obsess over travel itineraries and make a seriously good pot of Earl Grey, spawning both her love of loose leaf and a desire for control of her own destiny. Jaded by the political climate in D.C., she made her way back to her first love, creative writing. More than 20 novels later, she is an award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with millions of books in print, and is published in 28 countries and 16 languages. She is also the EMMY-award winning cohost of A WORD ON WORDS, a literary interview television show, and co-wrote the “A Brit in the FBI” series with #1 New York Times bestseller Catherine Coulter. She lives in Nashville with her husband and two small gray minions, known as cats in some cultures. She thinks they’re furry aliens. Visit JT at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more insight into her wicked imagination.

J.T. Ellison

J.T.’s #read99women pick is Laura Benedict’s THE STRANGER INSIDE.

“Nothing excites me more than a talented author making an editorial pivot,” says J.T. “Dark, intelligent, beautifully written.” Read her full review here on BookBub.

(And follow J.T. on BookBub while you’re at it, because she’s always making awesome recommendations!)

#read99women: Alice Stephens

Please welcome to the blog today’s guest, Alice Stephens!

Alice Stephens’ debut novel, FAMOUS ADOPTED PEOPLE, was published in 2018 by Unnamed Press. Her work has appeared in LitHub, the Los Angeles Review of Books, The Margins, Banana Writers and other publications. She is a contributing editor to Bloom and writes book reviews and a column, Alice in Wordland, for the Washington Independent Review of Books. 

Alice Stephens

Alice’s #read99women pick is Stephanie Allen’s historical novel TONIC AND BALM.

Her rave review: “To discover how our country arrived at this era of climate change deniers, anti-vaxxers, measles parties, and a conman in the White House, one only need look back to that unique American phenomenon, the medicine show, which mixed titillating entertainment with sketchy medical advice in order to sell useless balms for illnesses both real and imagined. Stephanie Allen’s fascinating and richly textured novel, TONIC AND BALM, depicts one such troupe, Doc Bell’s Miracles and Mirth Medicine Show, as it travels through Pennsylvania shortly after World War I. The relations in this close-knit community of outcasts are further complicated by racial divisions, as the troupe is comprised of both blacks and whites, including the eponymous Doc Bell, a man of Lincolnesque height who wears a suit of American flags; and the fulcrum of the novel, Antoinette Riddick, AKA Sheba, Queen of the Nile, a sideshow freak put on display for her Elephant Man-like deformity. Stephanie Allen richly renders an America where the marginalized must do everything they can to survive, which often entails exploiting the vulnerable, but also leads to tender displays of mercy, solidarity, and love.”

#read99women: Kristy Cambron

Blurbs are very much on my mind these days, as my forthcoming book THE ARCTIC FURY is out with a few key authors who are reading way-early advance copies in order to decide if they like it enough to blurb. Fingers crossed, right? I always advise first-time authors who aren’t sure about asking strangers to blurb that there is absolutely no harm in asking. I’ve encountered so many new-to-me authors when they or their publishers asked if I’d consider blurbing their books.

That’s how I first became familiar with the work of today’s guest, Kristy Cambron—reading and loving an early copy of her novel THE ILLUSIONIST’S APPRENTICE. (If you enjoyed my debut, THE MAGICIAN’S LIE, definitely take a look at this one!)

KRISTY CAMBRON is a vintage-inspired storyteller writing both award-winning historical fiction, including her bestselling debut THE BUTTERFLY AND THE VIOLIN, and nonfiction, including the Verse Mapping series of Bibles and Bible studies. Her work has been named to Publishers Weekly Religion & Spirituality TOP 10, Library Journal Reviews' Best Books, RT Reviewers' Choice Awards, received 2015 & 2017 INSPY Award nominations, and has been featured at CBN, Lifeway Women, Jesus Calling, Country Woman Magazine, MICI Magazine, Faithwire, (in)Courage, and Bible Gateway.

Kristy holds a degree in Art History/Research Writing and lives in Indiana with her husband and three sons, where she can probably be bribed with a peppermint mocha latte and a good read.

Kristy Cambron

Kristy’s recommendation for #read99women: “I was invited by a publishing colleague to advance read Patti Callahan's BECOMING MRS. LEWIS, the true-to-life love story of Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis. 

This was as stunning a novel as any I'd ever read. This book became a friend with the turn of each page. Even as I stood in line at the airport for my own season of travels, it gripped me and I couldn't put it down. I later wrote that it was: ‘Intelligent. Witty and charming. BECOMING MRS. LEWIS is a stunning foray into the wilds of faith—from doubt and discovery, to the great adventure of living it out. Patti Callahan’s invitation into Joy and Jack’s love story is as brilliant as the lives they led. I’m left as spellbound as the first time I met Aslan... with these characters now just as dear.’ 

If I've recommended novels by women, for women, in the last few years, this one has been (and still is) on the top of my list.” 

#read99women: Randy Susan Meyers

And it’s Friday once again! Doesn’t it seem like several years since last Friday? I went to check the calendar on something recently, trying to remember when it happened, and it turns out that a phone call that felt like over a month ago… actually happened last week. With all the rapid changes and unforeseen circumstances hitting us hard these days, be sure to take some time for yourself, relax as best you can, and breathe deep.

(And wash your hands. Then moisturize them, because with all this soap and sanitizer, we’re all starting to look like we’re wearing alligator gloves.)

Randy Susan Meyers is our #read99women guest today, recommending a read that sounds perfect for these trying times. But first things first, before we get to the book: the bio.

Randy Susan Meyers' internationally bestselling novels are informed by years working with families impacted by violence. Her fifth novel, Waisted, tackles the personal and political: body image. Parade Magazine, Pop Sugar, BookBub, Women.com, Get Literary, and Brit.Com chose Waisted as a Top 2019 Summer Read. Three of Meyer's novels were chosen as a "Must Read Book" by the Massachusetts Council of the Book, an affiliate of the Library of Congress. They wrote, "The clear and distinctive voice of Randy Susan Meyers will have you enraptured and wanting more." She lives in Boston with her husband, where she teaches writing seminars at Boston's Grub Street Writers' Center.

Randy Susan Meyers

“I adore Lorna Landvik, on the page and in person. I still remember the first time I discovered her —with PATTY JANE'S HOUSE OF CURL—as one of my peak read moments. Lorna's latest, CHRONICLES OF A RADICAL HAG (WITH RECIPES) is a complete and utter delight—I loved this story of an older female journalist's life being rediscovered by a troubled teenage boy. The novel is not only utterly engaging, but also presents a story of how a small community meshes and supports each other despite their political differences. This is a novel we need right now, and one that provides page-turning pleasure. We discover this columnist's life through her columns— being republished while she is in the hospital—and the views of those reading them for the first time. Landvik provides a time-span of history and the life of a woman ahead of her time. I loved it, and from the reviews below, I’m not the only one.”

"At a time when local newspapers are nearing extinction, and reporters are deemed enemies of the people, Landvik’s smart and lovely paean to journalists is a welcome reminder of the important role they play in the lives of those who depend on newspapers for more than just information."—Booklist

"Landvik’s heartwarming novel is packed with big-hearted people tenderly and hilariously learning to appreciate the past and each other by visiting the planet of the town’s octogenarian columnist and coming away the richer for it."—Star Tribune

"This is a real tribute to all of the small-town, warmhearted, big-mouthed ‘radical hags’ out there, and a truly fun read for them, too."—The Washington Post

"Chronicles of a Radical Hag (with Recipes) uncovers secrets, cures heartaches, changes assumptions and offers opportunities."—Hutchinson Leader

#read99women: Drēma Drudge

We all know it’s a tough time for authors to put new books out into the world; for small press authors, the challenges are often even steeper. So I’m happy to be able to spotlight new releases from small presses as they come down the pike, like VICTORINE by Drēma Drudge, just released this week by Fleur-de-Lis Press.

Here’s the summary of VICTORINE: “In 1863 Civil War is raging in the United States. Victorine Meurent is posing nude, in Paris, for paintings that will be heralded as the beginning of modern art: Manet’s Olympia and Picnic on the Grass. However, Victorine’s persistent desire is not to be a model but to be a painter herself. In order to live authentically, she finds the strength to flout the expectations of her parents, bourgeois society, and the dominant male artists (whom she knows personally) while never losing her capacity for affection, kindness, and loyalty. Possessing both the incisive mind of a critic and the intuitive and unconventional impulses of an artist, Victorine and her survival instincts are tested in 1870, when the Prussian army lays siege to Paris and rat becomes a culinary delicacy. Drēma Drudge’s powerful first novel Victorine not only gives this determined and gifted artist back to us but also recreates an era of important transition into the modern world.”

The author’s bio: Drēma Drudge suffers from Stendhal’s Syndrome, the condition in which one becomes overwhelmed in the presence of great art. She attended Spalding University’s MFA in Creative Writing Program where she learned to transform that intensity into fiction. Her debut novel VICTORINE is now available. For more about her writing, art, and travels, please visit her website, www.dremadrudge.com, and sign up for her newsletter.

Drema Drudge

Drēma’s #read99women recommendation is THREE WAYS TO DISAPPEAR by Katy Yocom. She says: “Filled with tigers, twins, passion, second chances, and plot twists which lead to an unexpected but satisfying climax, this book mesmerizes.”

Read her full review on Goodreads here.

#read99women: Anne Boyd Rioux

There are certain women writers’ names that ring out in the Western canon: Austen, Alcott, Wharton, a handful of others. But if you don’t dig any deeper, you might get the impression that men are represented far more heavily in the canon because historically, they were the ones doing most of the writing. Turns out that’s not necessarily the case. Today’s writers are digging deeper and bringing more names to light — including women writers who were exceedingly popular in their day. One of my favorite books in this genre is Anne Boyd Rioux’s biography of Constance Fenimore Woolson, a contemporary of Henry James whose work was popular with readers and embraced by critics. Why isn’t Woolson’s name more well-known? Anne’s biography gets into several of the factors at play, but sexism is an obvious culprit, as was her early death, a possible but not proven suicide. The more we find out about woman writers of the past, the more we see that they belong as much in the canon as their male contemporaries: the question is simply who chooses who gets remembered, and Anne’s work on the topic is well worth reading.

Anne Boyd Rioux is the author or editor of six books about American women writers, including the Indie bestseller Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters (Norton 2018) and Constance Fenimore Woolson: Portrait of a Lady Novelist (Norton 2016), one of the Chicago Tribune‘s ten best books of the year. She is a professor of English in New Orleans and the recipient of two National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships, one for public scholarship. You can find her on BBC Radio, in the Washington Post, and elsewhere.

Anne Boyd Rioux

For her #read99women recommendation, Anne suggests THE WHITE HORSES OF VIENNA by Kay Boyle, another woman writer whose work should be better known. The title story from this collection won the O. Henry award in 1935, and Anne shares a fascinating, detailed examination of the story in its historical context on her blog. “What is truly remarkable about ‘White Horses’ is the way that Boyle predicts the devastating consequences of Nazism for Jews, at a time when very few people could see the Nazis as truly dangerous.” Should a story be able to stand alone for a modern reader without its historical context? Does separation from that context affect perception of the story’s quality? Literature asks big questions; only the reader gets to decide on a “right” answer.

#read99women: Alma Katsu

You may have noticed my intros have been getting shorter due to — well, due to the extreme yikes we’re all dealing with these days. So today’s intro will be a brief commercial for my newly-discovered coping mechanism during these tough times: donating to a cause that helps someone, somewhere, deal better with the yikes. If you can afford it, even a small donation to a place like Meals on Wheels or No Kid Hungry can help. Tough times are tougher on some than others, so let’s all do what we can.

On that note! Times are not great for authors with new books out, as you might guess. They’re seeing conferences, events and festivals canceled left and right. Today’s guest Alma Katsu was only able to get in a couple of tour stops for her new book THE DEEP before the tour was, well, stopped. So now is the perfect time to host her here and mention that the Library Journal gave THE DEEP a starred review and called it “A riveting, seductively menacing tale of love, loss, and betrayal set amid the glamour of the Titanic.” Order it from your favorite indie bookstore online!

Alma Katsu writes character-driven stories that combine history with the supernatural. Her 2018 novel THE HUNGER, a retelling of the story of the Donner Party, made a number of lists of Best Books of 2018 and was nominated for the Stoker and Locus awards for best horror novel. Her latest novel, just out, is THE DEEP, a reimagining of the sinking of the Titanic and its sister ship the Britannic. She’s also written a serialized graphic novel for Porsche and 2021 will see publication of her first spy novel, RED WIDOW, for which she drew on a long career in intelligence.

Alma Katsu

Alma’s #read99women pick is Danielle Trussoni’s THE ANCESTOR, coming from Harper Collins on April 7th:

 "The bestselling author of ANGELOLOGY is back with a new novel that combines history, horror, and science in a thoroughly entertaining and unexpected way. It seems that Alberta 'Bert' Monte’s prayers are being answered when she finds out she's the last of a wealthy European noble family. In order to receive her inheritance, however, she has to visit the family estate in a remote mountaintop in the Alps. In short order, Bert finds she's trapped and has no choice but to figure out what secrets her family has been keeping. It's from this point that the novel goes in a completely unexpected and daring direction. You'll never look at genealogy in the same way."

#read99women: Colleen Oakley

Colleen Oakley is the critically acclaimed author of BEFORE I GO, CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH, YOU WERE THERE TOO and the forthcoming THE INVISIBLE HUSBAND OF FRICK ISLAND (May 2021). Colleen’s novels have been longlisted for the Southern Book Prize twice and Close Enough to Touch won the French Reader’s Prize. Her books have been translated into 21 languages and optioned for film.

A former magazine editor for Marie Claire and Women’s Health & Fitness, Colleen’s articles and essays have been featured in The New York Times, Ladies’ Home Journal, Women’s Health, Redbook, Parade, Woman’s Day, Fitness, Health, Marie Claire and Martha Stewart Weddings. A proud graduate of the University of Georgia’s school of journalism, Colleen currently lives in Atlanta with her husband, four kids and the world’s biggest lapdog, Bailey.

Colleen Oakley

Colleen’s #read99women pick is Camille Pagan’s FOREVER IS THE WORST LONG TIME. “Emotional, heart-breaking and unexpected, FOREVER IS THE WORST LONG TIME by Camille Noe Pagan kept me up way past my bedtime and had me crying into my pillow as I finished at 3 a.m. It's a beautiful novel about how life often surprises us, but love is the constant that keeps us going—my favorite kind of read.”

#read99women: Michelle Cox

Today’s #read99women guest is Michelle Cox, author of the multiple award-winning Henrietta and Inspector Howard series. She also writes "Novel Notes of Local Lore," a weekly blog dedicated to Chicago's forgotten residents. She suspects she may have once lived in the 1930s and, having yet to discover a handy time machine lying around, has resorted to writing about the era as a way of getting herself back there. Coincidentally, her books have been praised by Kirkus, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist and many others, so she might be on to something. Unbeknownst to most, Michelle hoards board games she doesn't have time to play and is, not surprisingly, addicted to period dramas and big band music. Also marmalade.  

Her new book, A CHILD LOST, will release on April 28, 2020.  It is book 5 of the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series.

Michelle Cox

Michelle’s pick is MOURNING DOVE by Claire Fullerton. She writes, “Claire Fullerton’s MOURNING DOVE is an exquisite coming-of-age tale set against the backdrop of Memphis, circa 1970.  With her haunting, lyrical prose, Fullerton immediately and effortlessly transports the reader south of the Mason-Dixon Line from the very first sentence… MOURNING DOVE is an achingly beautiful tale of love in all its myriad forms—a story that lingers long after the last page is read. Fullerton is an author to watch. Highly recommend!”

 Read the rest of Michelle’s review on BookBub.

#read99women: Meghan Masterson

And the great recommendations from great authors just keep coming. Let’s jump right into today’s!

Meghan Masterson graduated from the University of Calgary and has worked several unrelated jobs while writing on the side. As a child, she gave her parents a flowery story about horses every year for Christmas. She is drawn to strong historical figures and situations which present unexpected opportunities for her characters. Meghan loves reading at all hours, cooking, and going for walks with her dog. Meghan is the author of THE WARDROBE MISTRESS, a novel of one of Marie Antoinette's wardrobe women who spies on the queen during the revolution, growing torn between her loyalty to the queen and her love for a firebrand revolutionary.

Meghan Masterson

Meghan’s #read99women recommendation is THE SECOND DUCHESS by Elizabeth Loupas. You can read her full review on BookBub here. What drives her affection for the book? The woman at its center. “Barbara is such a sensible, likeable heroine that I was drawn into this book from the first page. The excellent historical detail, twisty plot, and dark, sexy hero were just extra garnishes on the cake!”