Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Shaun Harris and The Hemingway Thief

The Hemingway Thief


The Hemingway Thief
Shaun Harris

Debut novel
Action-adventure
Seventh Street Books, 2016

Ebook $9.99
Print $15.95
Audio $24.99

Buy on Amazon 

About the Book
Novelist Henry “Coop” Cooper is contemplating a new book between sipping rum and lounging on a Baja beach with hotel owner Grady Doyle. When Grady tries to save a drunk from two thugs, Coop tags along for the sake of a good story. The drunk is Ebbie Milch, a small-time thief on the run in Mexico because he has stolen the never-before-seen first draft of Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast from a wealthy rare book dealer. The stolen manuscript is more than just a rare piece of literary history. It reveals clues to an even bigger prize: the location of a suitcase the young, unpublished Hemingway lost in Paris in 1922. A year’s worth of his stories had vanished, never to be seen again. Until now. But Coop and Grady aren’t the only ones with their eyes on this elusive literary prize, and what starts as a hunt for a legendary writer’s lost works becomes a deadly adventure. For Coop this story could become the book of a lifetime . . . if he lives long enough to write it.

My review
I went to see a library program featuring Mr. Harris talking about his novel, and bought the mystery. The novel is a slapstick, satirically voiced and rollicking Mexican adventure filled with every cliché, plenty of booze and mild drug use, and locker room talk.

A down and out successful pop culture campy-vampire romance writer has run out of steam and takes a trip to the back side of Mexico’s popular tourist resorts where he stumbles across compadres willing to look for adventure. The hippie hotel owner and his cohorts agree to solve a legendary mystery when the descendant of a man who stole Ernest Hemingway’s suitcase of manuscripts nearly a hundred years earlier shows up on the lam and beaten. Ebbie Milch is a fourth or fifth generation conman and his story is full of more holes than he is. Yet Coop, whose alter-ego vampire detective is after a “real” literary tale, becomes obsessed with finding the case when he reads what he takes as clues to its whereabouts in a stolen manuscript Milch produces.

People who know people become the key to gain admittance to various cartels as Harris introduces fabulous underground boxing rings run by scary nationals, an acclaimed hit woman who has it in for her spurned lover who happens to be one of Coop’s gang of four, and a descendant of John Wilkes Booth, yes, that one, are among the many lost and found souls that create a background for the literary adventure Coop wants to create. The journey is a bloody Larry, Moe, and Curly production which waxes eloquent toward the end.

The Hemingway Thief is a romp for those who like big guns, rum with a side of tequila, the good kind of weed, a Mexican adventure, and aren’t fazed by a limited vocabulary of repeated four-letter words.

While I wasn’t looking for typos and Lord knows am not throwing stones, and turned down a contract by a company who refused to fix such errors after publication, I am disappointed by several instances of missing periods and quotation marks from this Simon and Schuster imprint.

About the Author
Shaun Harris grew up the son of a homicide detective in Southern New England. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame with degrees in both American Studies and Film and Television. As such he has a crippling obsession with Fighting Irish Football. He lives in Wisconsin with his wife, two kids, and a dog. Jim Rockford is his spirit guide. The Hemingway Thief is his first novel.

Friday, May 24, 2019

American Expats describe life in Germany

Patriotic Expats: Former G.I.s Describe their Lives in Germany


Patriotic Expats
Former GIs Describe their Lives in Germany
By Robert Potter
April, 2019

Nonfiction
Ebook $2.99
Buy on Amazon

About the Book:
Would his late Cold War bride have been happier—and better able to fight the cancer that took her in the prime of life—if the couple had chosen to live in Germany, rather than the U.S., after his military service in the 1960s? Decades after his wife’s death, the author remained haunted by that question. In a search for answers, he returned to Germany in 2017 and sought out former G.I.s who married their German sweethearts and elected to reside there. The result of that quest is this series of sixteen interviews with American expats and women who married G.I.s. The men we meet in these pages came from very different backgrounds, but they all experienced the challenges common to immigrants everywhere: learning a new language, adjusting to cultural differences, overcoming bureaucratic hurdles, and earning a living. Each story, recounted with honesty, courage, and humor, provides a unique, fascinating response to those challenges—as well as a detached lens through which to view American society today.

My review:
Robert Potter, a former GI, brought his German bride back to the US when his service concluded. Life here was very different, including laws that would not accept (and still don’t) German education and work experience in many professions like teaching and medicine. Robert and his wife had two children. Gerdi was unhappy in general, couldn’t procure work as a requirement of her visa, and eventually succumbed to cancer. Although Bob eventually remarried happily, he remained aware of men who chose to remain in or return to Germany after they had relationships or married German women. Eventually, Bob, with the help of his tech college writing students, put together an interview format for a project to record stories from ex-patriots to learn more about their situations. Bob found a group of expats who met regularly to discuss their lives and support each other. Several of these men and one wife agreed to meet Bob and be interviewed for this book.


I appreciated learning about what it’s like to move and try to adapt to a different culture and language. The stories included mostly those of servicemen who had done their time. The unbelievable issues with obtaining work permits and regulations, how much language to learn for what skillset, what kind of certificates to obtain for professional work or even unskilled labor was fascinating. Medical care seemed to be a big issue among the expats, as far as where to go for care and who pays. Most thought German medical care was superior. Some men had wives willing to live in the US for a time, and a few cases worked out quite well when the spouse was able and willing to retrain for a profession and get a US license to work. Getting visas and residency requirements were quite different though both countries seem regulation bound. Driving licenses and gun control were stricter in Germany. Voter apathy didn’t seem much different, nor did political opinions. The book was interesting and every person interviewed unique. Bob’s original quest regarding whether he should have chosen to live in Germany instead of having his wife emigrate to the US was determined to remain an open theory, though Bob finally found peace through reaching out to other veterans who may have learned something through sharing their own stories. 

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Malinda Andrews talks Ireland!

Malinda Writes


How long have you been writing and have been published?
I have been writing for as long as I can remember. I started very young simply being a storyteller, and then when I was old enough, I actually put those stories on paper. My “moment” I decided to be a published author came when I was 13. My Dad gave me The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, and I vividly remembering thinking: “I can do this. I can craft my own worlds and tell stories for others to read and enjoy.” So from that point on I focused my energy on becoming the writer I wanted to be. 

In 2015 I hit that “publish” button for the first time, and I haven’t looked back since. It’s too much fun!

Share a little about your storyline in your latest book?
My latest book concludes my Emerald Isle trilogy, a series that has now been six years in the making. It is titled “The Irish Bride” and covers exactly what you’d think: a wedding! Though the journey to get to the altar is not an easy one, including obstacles like family, disaster, and even mother-nature taking it’s course. Aubriee and Declan have quite the hurdles to overcome if they want to face each other and say their vows. 

Share one or two things you learned in researching your featured book
Ireland has caves! Who knew? The Aillwee Caves are beautiful and even feature at least one cave bear skull. Giant cave bears once lived in Ireland!? Not something I would have ever associated with Ireland. 

What's your favorite aspect of Wisconsin?
Honestly, I know we’re slowly clawing our way out of winter, but I love winter! The snow is beautiful, and I love the sense of peace and silence in the air that surrounds me when I’m outside and it’s coming down. It’s almost like having magic in real life. My second favorite season is autumn because I love watching how the leaves change color and the earth prepares for its annual slumber. 

What's coming up?
This year I have “The Irish Bride” being released in July, and also the third in my paranormal romance/urban fantasy series “Wolf’s Bane” releasing in October. Other than those two projects, I am doing a lot of prep work for my five-year publishing anniversary in 2020. 2020 will be full of exciting events including a re-launch of my first ever fantasy trilogy, releasing the second trilogy in that world throughout the year, and many more little milestones along the way.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 A transplant to the Midwest from Washington State, Malinda Andrews lives in Wisconsin within a stone’s throw of Lake Michigan.
The love of writing started young (she credits, or alternately blames, her parents for her love of reading and writing) and followed her passion for the written word into college. Forgoing financial security, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
An avid reader, Malinda also enjoys crocheting, watching TV and movies, book shopping, hiking, and camping. She lives with her loving husband and their son.

  Connect with her at:
  Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest:
@MalindaWrites
And on Goodreads!


Friday, May 17, 2019

Poetry workshop June 1 in Milwaukee


AllWriters Logo

Christine Swanberg Celebrity Saturday, June 1st!


This June 1st, AllWriters' Workplace & Workshop Brings You:

The Shape a Poem Makes: Shapeshifting

Have you noticed that you are drawn visually to certain poems because they are interesting or appealing on the page? Have you marveled at poems that not only invite you visually to read them, but then deliver the goods with satisfying and sometimes multi-layered strategies? Have you longed to accomplish more in your poetry?

Let’s examine what happens when greater care is given to sculpting the lines and shape of a poem. Some poems sparkle with originality. Some sing with musicality and lines that breathe like arias. Others have a message that moves us deeply. The shape a poem makes invites us to read it. We will examine how the use of stanzas, line breaks, indentations, and formal shaping can enhance the meaning and enjoyment of a poem.

Let’s experiment with shape and form and dare to stray off the beaten path of free verse. Is it possible to open up poems and let them do things we have not imagined or allowed them to do before by shaping them in original ways? We will look at a few poems that accomplish these things and discuss strategies used.

Participants will write a new poem with our discussion in mind, or revise a poem in need of invigoration, trying perhaps a new formal strategy, or adding complexity to the poem. in other ways. We will share in a supportive way with the group.

Sign up through the website link below.

CHRISTINE SWANBERG has published hundreds of poems journals such The Beloit Poetry Journal, The Louisville Review, and Spoon River Quarterly, and the June Cotner anthologies: Earth Blessings, Garden Blessings, Gratitude Prayers, and Back To Joy. Christine’s collections include Tonight On This Late Road (Erie St, 1984), Invisible String (Erie St., 1989), Slow Miracle (Lake Shore, 1990), Bread Upon The Waters (Windfall Prophets, UW), The Tenderness Of Memory (Plainview, 1995), The Red Lacquer Room (Chiron, 2000), and Who Walks Among The Trees With Charity (Wind, 2005), and The Alleluia Tree (Puddin’head Press, 2012). Her newest book, Wild Fruition: Sonnets, Spells, And Other Incantations, is out from Puddin’head Press. A community poet interviewed by Poets Market 2008, she has won many poetry awards and Arts Council grants as well as recognition such as The Mayor’s Award for Community Impact, the YWCA Award for the Arts, and the Womanspirit Award and various Pushcart nominations and poetry prizes. Gardening, horses, traveling, music, animals, nature, and various kinds of love are passions that inform her work. She is a retired English teacher and Clearing instructor, who now gives readings and workshops around the country.

At AllWriters’, we strive to bring you the best! Several times a year, we offer a Celebrity Saturday, which brings in a better-known, better-published author to work with you for one intensive day. Celebrity Saturday authors have included Jane Hamilton, Jacquelyn Mitchard, Michael Perry, A. Manette Ansay, Marilyn Taylor, Ellen Kort, and many, many more!

Celebrity Saturdays are a great chance to broaden your knowledge of what it takes to be successful and to learn from writers who are already knee deep in an author’s life. Christine Swanberg’s workshop will be held on Saturday, June 1st, 2019. This event runs from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and costs just $95, which includes a lunch catered by Waukesha’s own CafĂ© de Art!

AllWriters’ Workplace and Workshop offers on-site and online writing courses in all genres and abilities of creative writing, as well as coaching, editing, and marketing services. A schedule of classes, with online registration, is available at www.allwritersworkshop.com or by calling (262) 446-0284. AllWriters’ is located at 234 Brook Street, Unit 2, in historic downtown Waukesha, as featured in Milwaukee’s Journal Sentinel.




Tuesday, May 14, 2019