A book to be sipped: Thanks Jabberwocky.

I attended a great set of readings at the Jabberwocky Bookshop a week or so ago. Jaed Coffin and Paul Harding gave us a peek into some of their current work. Both pieces were appropriately macabre given the season. Two bodies burned; one already dead, the other alive... at least for a while.

I'm now reading Paul's Pulitzer prize winning novel Tinkers, which is darkly gorgeous; lyrical, insightful, and tender but masculine. The tale intermixes the dingy reality of death with a glorious and real contemplation of the universe, all conveyed in prose that often reads like poetry.

Beautiful, beautiful stuff. A book to be sipped.

It is wonderful to be in this part of the country, so rich in writers and places that celebrate them.

Boston Book Fest!

Excited to be attending the Boston Book Festival on Saturday!

http://www.bostonbookfest.org/

Looking forward to great content in beautiful settings around Copley Square.

Woot!

Initial reviews of "The Cove Keeper"

My second picture book, The Cove Keeper, is ready to hit the pavement! I began submitting it today.

Initial critical reviews are very positive:

"Simply and truly done. A finely wrought spiritual conversation which is a pleasure to listen to and appealing to all ages and cultures."

"A tale with meaning for everyone today. A mixture of fable and faith, so right away the reader's reality transfers to a different world, more significant than the one he/she is standing in."

"Beautiful, lyrical, spiritual, well-crafted and subtle. Expands the bounds not only of Christian faith, but of culture. I loved this piece."

"Provokes the question: What role does fable play in our makeup?"

"Suzanne has a great gift for the mythic, and a very credible innocence. Genuine and deeply felt."

"A lovely, poignant tale, much needed at this time in our culture."

"Brava."

Book Recommendation: The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus

I recently read The Hunchback of Neiman Marcus by Sonya Sones, a novel written as a series of poems.

The protagonist is a woman facing menopause and an empty nest, and Sones conveys this stage of life with hope, humor, and an appropriate amount of pathos.

It is an amazing form, and would be fun to try someday when my list of projects grows shorter!

Find a copy and check it out.

Writing of another sort

This week I'm entertaining my mom and step dad, who are visiting from New York State. Not much time for writing on paper; re-writing history instead.

(Thanks DiDi.)