#read99women: Tracey L. Kelley

I am super excited to welcome longtime Iowan and all-around delightful human Tracey Kelley to #read99women today!

The official bio: Tracey L. Kelley shares stories, teaches yoga, and helps people listen. Her award-winning writing appears in a variety of forms, including essay, short story, online, magazine, broadcast, and podcast. She's the author of the 2019 release, one moment of a single day: essays with photographer Lynne A. Kasey; a developmental editor for other people's projects; and a facilitator of interpersonal communication workshops.

(one moment of a single day is a wonderful book for these times, by the way, full of images and words that pull your focus inward and expand your mind outward at the same time. More about it here.)

Tracey L. Kelley

Tracey’s recommendation for #read99women is Notes from No Man's Land: American Essays by Eula Biss.

Why this book? "It's her gentle, unwavering voice that greets you with the sharpest of imagery. It's her worldly perspective, pointing to the national atrocities of race, societal misconceptions, and continual struggle for understanding not with judgment, but with purpose. Ten years on, this book is as relevant as when it debuted. Layers of history, intriguing facts, and succulent phrasing remind us why, in the sea of all the words we can read, we must make time to take hold of culturally-significant non-fiction such as this, because we're all the better for it. Biss is an accomplished author and educator, and founding editor of Essay Press. Instead of yelling into the void, she uses these skills to help us all aspire to a new level of conscious awareness in the society we have the power to create."

support indies, win books!

Independent bookstores really need help during this crisis, and well, lots of us really need books. Most bookstores are closed to the public but still taking online orders and shipping — and a certain online retailer has stated that they’re “deprioritizing” sending books since they’re busy shipping cleaning supplies, food, and other personal needs — so it’s an especially good time to order from those independent bookstores, either your local store or another.

I’m supporting some of my favorite stores (OMG there are so many) by hosting giveaways, and this week, I’m giving away two books on Facebook. You just pick one of my books and one other of your choice, comment on this Facebook post, and on Sunday I’m drawing a winner. Then those books get shipped from A Likely Story in Sykesville, Maryland, and magic happens!

Good luck and happy reading!

#read99women: Heather Gudenkauf

My hat trick of Iowan #read99women guests continues! Thrilled to welcome Heather Gudenkauf to the blog today to share her recommendation. I first fell in love with Heather’s work after listening to the audiobook of NOT A SOUND, read by Julia Whelan. What a fabulous thriller. I’m equally excited for her upcoming novel THIS IS HOW I LIED, coming in May.

Heather Gudenkauf is the Edgar Award nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE, THESE THINGS HIDDEN, NOT A SOUND, and BEFORE SHE WAS FOUND.

Heather was born in Wagner, South Dakota, the youngest of six children. At the age of three, her family moved to Iowa, where she grew up. Having been born with a profound unilateral hearing loss (there were many evenings when Heather and her father made a trip to the bus barn to look around the school bus for her hearing aids that she often conveniently would forget on the seat beside her), Heather tended to use books as a retreat, would climb into the toy box that her father’s students from Rosebud made for the family with a pillow, blanket, and flashlight, close the lid, and escape the world around her. Heather became a voracious reader and the seed of becoming a writer was planted. Heather Gudenkauf graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in elementary education, has spent her career working with students of all ages and continues to work in education as a Title I Reading Coordinator. Heather lives in Iowa with her family and a very spoiled German Shorthaired Pointer named Lolo.

Heather Gudenkauf

Heather’s #read99women pick is WESTERING WOMEN by Sandra Dallas. You can read the whole review on BookBub, and here are some highlights: “WESTERING WOMEN is a testament to the power of friendship, forgiveness, and the discovery of unknown and untapped resilience and strength. This novel will leave the reader bereft for those left behind and cheering for those who survive the journey.”

new review at CHIRB: The City We Became

I’ve been lucky enough to read some great fiction for my gig at the Chicago Review of Books lately, including N.K. Jemisin’s THE CITY WE BECAME, a fascinating blend of mind-bending fantasy and harsh American reality. My verdict? “Jemisin has been quoted as calling this story ‘my chance to have a little monstrous fun after the weight of the Broken Earth saga,’ and it does read far lighter than that series. But it’s still laced with Jemisin’s trademark rigor, a sharp eye on systems and values that doesn’t let anyone or anything off the hook. It isn’t a book to fall asleep to, but a book to wake up with, when your mind is fresh and ready and open.”

Read the full review here.

#read99women: Kali White VanBaale

One of the fun things I get to do with this #read99women series is figure out what order to put things in, and the rest of this week will be a fun little combo: I get to feature several of my favorite Iowans in a row! (You know how my bio says “raised in the Midwest?” Yep, Iowa. When I went to college in Boston, as the first Iowan most of my classmates had met, I was frequently asked which side of Crispix is the crispiest.)

First up in our Hawkeye sequence: Kali White, author of the forthcoming crime novel THE MONSTERS WE MAKE (Crooked Lane, June 2020) and the novels THE GOOD DIVIDE and THE SPACE BETWEEN (as Kali VanBaale). She’s the recipient of an American Book Award, an Eric Hoffer Book Award, and an Independent Publisher’s silver medal for fiction. Her short stories and essays have appeared in The Coachella Review, The Chaffey Review, Midwestern Gothic, Nowhere Magazine, Poets&Writers, The Writers’ Chronicle and several anthologies. She’s the co-editor of the micro essay series The Past Ten, and volunteers for the PEN America Prison & Justice Writing program. Kali holds an MFA in creative writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a core faculty member of the Lindenwood University MFA Creative Writing Program. She lives in Iowa with her family. 

Kali White VanBaale

The novel Kali recommends for #read99women comes from Heather Gudenkauf, a New York Times Bestselling author of seven novels, and “a master of the unpredictable small-town thriller with a conscience. BEFORE SHE WAS FOUND is a contemporary thriller that explores the slipperiness between friendship and betrayal in young female relationships, the complex dangers of modern communication, and the lengths some parents will go to protect their children. I’ve lost many hours of sleep to Heather’s books.”

And by the way, Heather has a new book coming out next month — you’ll hear more about it directly from Heather when she appears as tomorrow’s #read99women guest! (Like I said. My favorite Iowans.)

#read99women: Ellen Marie Wiseman

Ellen Marie Wiseman's debut novel, THE PLUM TREE, was inspired by her mother's childhood in Germany during WWII. Ellen is a bestselling author whose novels have been translated into eighteen languages. Bookbub named THE PLUM TREE One of Thirteen Books To Read if You Loved ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE. Ellen’s second novel, WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND, was named a Huffington Post Best Books of Summer 2015. The Historical Novel Review named her third novel, COAL RIVER, "one of the most "unputdownable" books of 2015." Her fourth novel, THE LIFE SHE WAS GIVEN, was named A GREAT GROUP READS Selection of the Women’s National Book Association and National Reading Group Month and a Goodreads Best Book of the Month. THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR, a novel set during the Spanish flu, comes out in July 2020. Ellen lives on the shores of Lake Ontario with her husband and a spoiled Shih-tzu. When she’s not busy writing, she loves spending time with her children and grandchildren.

Ellen Marie Wiseman

Ellen’s #read99women pick is Julie Kibler’s THE HOME FOR ERRING AND OUTCAST GIRLS, which she calls “a beautifully written, heartbreaking novel.” She goes on, “I loved it, not only because of the wonderful characters and compelling storyline, but because it so artfully illustrates past and present discrimination against women, and how organized religion can save some people but destroy others.” Read the full review on BookBub here.

#read99women: Natalia Sylvester

As promised in yesterday’s post, today’s guest is the amazing Natalia Sylvester, whose YA debut RUNNING is coming from Clarion Books/HMH in July! Natalia’s adult novels are beautifully written, smart stories of family bonds and individual longing strained and smothered by outside forces. So I can’t wait to see what she does with the story of a Cuban American teenager forced to privately and publicly reckon with her father’s politics, and her own, when her senator father runs for President.

Born In Lima, Peru, Natalia Sylvester came to the U.S. at age four and grew up in Florida and the Rio Grande Valley In Texas. She received a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Miami and now works as a freelance writer in Texas. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Bustle, Catapult, Electric Literature, Latina magazine, McSweeney's Publishing, and the Austin American-Statesman. 

 Natalia’s first novel, CHASING THE SUN, was named the Best Debut Book of 2014 by Latinidad. Her latest novel, EVERYONE KNOWS YOU GO HOME, won an International Latino Book Award, the 2018 Jesse H. Jones Award for Best Work of Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters, and was named a Best Book of 2018 by Real Simple magazine.

Natalia Sylvester

Her #read99women recommendation is THE AFFAIRS OF THE FALCÓNS by Melissa Rivero. “It's the story of a Peruvian family living in 1990s New York as undocumented immigrants. Ana, along with her husband and two young children, wants nothing more than a happy, stable life full of opportunities for her family, but no matter how hard she works and how much she sacrifices, things keep getting harder instead of the ‘better’ that the American Dream promises. This is a book about being forced to make decisions in the face of unthinkable options. It's about the power of a mother's sacrifices. What has stayed with me most since I first read it is the compassion and complexity with which Melissa Rivero renders her characters—even and especially when they're imperfect and fallible women. The language is stunning, striking so deeply into the heart of things, that I can still vividly remember and re-experience how I felt reading certain passages. I also highly recommend listening to this book if you're an audio book lover. It's narrated by Frankie Corzo, whose voice is a beautiful balance of strong and tender, just like Ana Falcón.”

presto! ebook deal on THE MAGICIAN'S LIE

My wonderful publisher Sourcebooks has been bringing down the prices of some of my novels in e-book format to give new readers a chance to grab them at a discount for a limited time, and if you’ve been hoping THE MAGICIAN’S LIE would get a turn, you’re in luck! It’s on sale TODAY ONLY for $2.99 across multiple ebook platforms (Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple iBooks, Google Play Books, and Kobo.)

THE MAGICIAN’S LIE is my debut novel, the one that was optioned for film by Jessica Chastain’s Freckle Films, chosen by Whoopi Goldberg as a Book of the Month selection, and also picked for the Target Book Club, Indie Next, and LibraryReads honors. So, you know, some people liked it. Including the Washington Post, which said, “Macallister, like the Amazing Arden, mesmerizes her audience. No sleight of hand is necessary. An ambitious heroine and a captivating tale are all the magic she needs."

(I seriously should get that one framed, right?)

Snap it up today!

#read99women: Margaret Dilloway

I’ve mentioned before how impressed I am by authors who slay in multiple genres, right? Add Margaret Dilloway to the list. I really loved THE CARE AND HANDLING OF ROSES WITH THORNS in particular, and in addition to her gorgeous women’s fiction (perfect for book clubs, by the way) she’s also killing it in the books-for-tweens category, with her newest novel FIVE THINGS ABOUT AVA ANDREWS coming this summer. (And look! You can enter to win an advance copy right here on Goodreads.)

A more official bio: Margaret Dilloway is the author of 8 books for children and adults, including SUMMER OF A THOUSAND PIES,  the award-winning MOMOTARO series and HOW TO BE AN AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE. Her newest book, FIVE THINGS ABOUT AVA ANDREWS (Balzer + Bray) comes out this June, and is about a 6th grader with the invisible disabilities of a heart condition and anxiety, who uses improv to cope, make friends, and become an activist. 

Margaret Dilloway

Margaret’s recommendation is EVERYBODY KNOWS YOU GO HOME by Natalia Sylvester, which she describes as “a beautiful novel that’s a family story and a love story and, most interestingly, a ghost story. In the present, we meet Isabel and Martin newly married—as well as Martin’s dead father, Omar, who disappeared years ago. We then follow Omar and his wife, Martin’s mother, into the past, when they fled into the United States. It’s about immigration and hope and sacrifice and has lyrical prose and rich, complex characters.”

And guess who’s up tomorrow with her own recommendation? Natalia herself! Stay tuned… 

#read99women: E.A. Aymar

Well, I did it again. I’ve been keeping up my spreadsheet more or less, and because lately it’s been less, I missed marking the occasion of the 66th post, i.e. two-thirds of the way through this delightful yet exhausting #read99women exercise. Anyway, yay! A bit more than a month to go, and plenty of great recs yet to come.

So it’s as good a day as any to welcome our second male author as a #read99women guest — here’s E.A. Aymar, thriller writer, book recommender, and highly valued member of the DC-area writing community.

Of E.A. Aymar’s THE UNREPENTANT, Publisher’s Weekly wrote, “gut-wrenching…readers who appreciate depth of character alongside gritty nonstop action will be rewarded.” His past thrillers include the novel-in-stories THE NIGHT OF THE FLOOD (in which he served as co-editor and contributor). He has a monthly column in the Washington Independent Review of Books, and he is the Managing Editor of The Thrill Begins on behalf of the International Thriller Writers; he also serves on the national board of that organization. He was born in Panama and now lives and writes in the D.C./MD/VA triangle. To learn more, visit eaymar.com.

E.A. Aymar

Of his #read99women recommendation, Ed says, “I worried about Tara Laskowski’s debut novel, ONE NIGHT GONE. I’d been a fan of her two collections of short stories – the marvelously-inventive MODERN MANNERS FOR YOUR INNER DEMONS and the gripping, crime-influenced BYSTANDERS – but transitioning from short stories to novels is famously difficult. And, as deeply as I admired her style and prose, I wasn’t sure if either would work for a novel, particularly a crime novel.

There was no need to worry.

ONE NIGHT GONE is a taut, character-driven read, the kind of book that begs to be read slowly, and dries out your pen if you’re the type to underline mesmerizing passages. It’s recently earned nominations for the prestigious Agatha, Lefty, and Mary Higgins Clark awards, and more nods are likely to follow.”