O gush of bushfire, O quintuple denim sea, sun pressing like a button on us all,O moon mirabilis, unmirrorable mirrorball, O, you, most bottomless of wholes,O arch as high as Maslow’s hierarchy, O I-wide eye, surround-soundness ofoh what’s happened this time, yet O timeless bigtime, day that lasts forever and a day,O, you, beforehand of […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/03/07/after-mechthild-of-magdeburg-camille-ralphs/
The basil plant scenting the window ledge. You could watch itsuccumb for months. To a raffle of aphids. To heat.You could take cuttings to garnish your bruschetta with sweetcontingency. You could love how to it it must seemrisible mooning after trumpet when all there is istriangle. Ding. Flattened and blemished it laments nothing.Spirited piecemeal from […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/03/07/party-after-the-the-dean-browne/
Is there anything as terrifyingly majestic as an erupting volcano? The ground shakes, fountains of incandescent lava spurt skyward, and roiling clouds, alive with lightning, grow with alarming speed. Volcanoes are so much larger than anything human, and they care nothing for us, as revealed by the body casts of Pompeii and Herculaneum, in which […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2024/03/07/ready-to-rumble-mountains-of-fire/
Many hardworking artists toil at the lowest rungs of their profession their entire careers, and many great successes would have stayed there had it not been for a lucky break. For the British pop band Wham!, that break was a slot on the Top 40 show Top of the Pops in the fall of 1982. Their second […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2024/02/17/just-enough-blues-george-michael/
In our February 22, 2024, issue, Emily Raboteau reviews Camille T. Dungy’s Soil and Elizabeth Rush’s The Quickening, two books that argue that confronting the climate catastrophe will require embracing values like “stewardship, nurture, and conservation,” concerns that, Raboteau points out, “often stem from motherhood.” Weaving in her own experiences of parenting and climate activism, she joins Dungy and […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2024/02/17/reading-signs-emily-raboteau/
In Temple in the Sand, you give readers an in-depth look at the life of a lesser-known historical figure of Pharaoh Seti I. What inspired you to write this book?
It wasn’t until the pandemic, when like the rest of the world, I was at home with time to view videos, that I came across Seti’s magnificent temple in Abydos, Egypt. Like his burial chamber, which is sometimes referred to as the “Sistine Chapel of Ancient Egypt,” the raised relief artwork inside its walls is considered to be some of the best, if not the best that ancient Egypt ever produced. Looking at the artwork captured by photographers on Flickr, allowed me to enlarge their photos on my computer screen to see the fine details of those high-relief carvings. I got a quirky idea of writing a type of ghost story in which a woman gets inadvertently locked in the temple overnight and is visited by the spirit of the pharaoh, who talks to her about art, aesthetics, and politics.
That idea lasted until I heard a discussion with Egyptologist, Dr. Kara Cooney, about a woman called Omm Sety, who seems to have had past life memories of a life lived at that temple and an affair with the pharaoh. My “ghost story” was nothing compared to her story. However, I got a book by Jonathan Cott on Omm Sety and in it, I found a wonderful idea. It is written in the temple that Pharaoh Seti left a personal diary hidden somewhere in the temple. It has never been found, but if it ever is, it would be the only such document written by a pharaoh himself. Then the real initiating spark lit things up: I would write the pharaoh’s diary.
I imagine this book required quite a bit of research. Can you share with us one of the things you found most surprising about Pharaoh Seti I’s life?
As I researched, I began to discover a person from a non-royal background, whose life as a soldier, commander, and even vizier was fantastic enough, without the added accolade of being pharaoh. As improbable as it might seem, Seti’s family was handed the throne when Pharaoh Horemheb realized he would have no heirs. He chose the family of his trusted comrade-in-arms, Paramessu, (Ramesses I) who had a capable mature son (Seti) and a healthy young grandson (Ramesses). Ramesses I held the throne for only about 18 months before dying around the age of 70. His son, Seti, did the heavy lifting to restore
Egypt to its former glory which had fallen away during the reign of Akhenaten.
The idea that Seti, this supreme soldier and superb administrator, was also someone with an extremely refined aesthetic sense and a taste for art was something that I wanted to present to the world. I wanted to show how someone of fairly “common” origins was indeed a stellar entity who always brought his A game to the table, whether in war, politics, or artistic creations. I wanted the reader to see that behind all that power and royal regalia, there was a real person, not so different from us, but one who was able to grasp the reins of destiny and move a whole nation in a different direction. Yet, he was also someone who suffered sorrowful defeats in his personal life. As we all know, no one gets to have it all.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from Temple in the Sand?
I’d like the readers of Temple in the Sand, the Memoirs of a Pharaoh to be able to sit with the humanity of this person as he writes in the wee hours of the morning, revealing his life in relation to the chapels in his temple. Each chapel deals with a different god who rules a different aspect of life which the pharaoh contemplates in terms of his own lived experience. I’d like for the reader to enter the world of one of the earth’s oldest civilizations and enjoy their time on the Nile in the company of the king.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
In terms of other books that I may write, I am updating a novella, Beautiful Imperfections, which deals also with art and two cities that I love, San Francisco and Toronto. It will reappear with a new cover this spring on Amazon.com. I have a partial outline for another novella set in Avignon, France where I lived for eight years. I would like to finish that one, a fun, whimsical piece with a bite (it deals with a local folklore creature known as the Tarasque) before I go to Egypt (depending on world conflict conditions). Once there, my focus will be on that wonderful raised relief art found in the Seti Temple and in his tomb, as I’d like to create a novel about the artisans who created the work that the pharaoh commissioned.
Author Links: Goodreads | Website | Facebook | Amazon
It is that temple, the Temple of Seti, that forms the structure of this novel which attempts to recreate the diary of the pharaoh. It is written on the temple walls that the king kept a diary and had it hidden somewhere in the temple. As yet it has not been found, but one can easily imagine the king in the solitude of the night writing of his life, as he realizes his shortness of breath and pressure in the chest may mean it is the last year of that magnificent life. Temple in the Sand, the Memoirs of a Pharaoh is a tribute to the mysterious and beautiful sacred structure built by Pharaoh Seti I in Abydos and to the man behind the royal regalia.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/02/17/one-of-the-earths-oldest-civilizations/
Timmy the Martian is the story of a Martian who ventures to Earth and meets a young boy with whom he forms a unique bond when they realize they share the same facial anomaly. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The story for Timmy including the character and the opening verses actually appeared in a dream and I wrote it down the next morning. Even the illustrations mirror exactly how it appeared in my dream.
Is there anything from your own life you put into the characters in your book?
Being mixed race you experience a lot of issues surrounding visual differences during childhood. My son is also diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, and we spent a lot of his younger years helping him understand that it’s okay to be different and you can still have friends and fun. So those experiences were useful in the storytelling of Timmy the Martian.
What led you to incorporate science fiction into a book with this particular theme?
I’ve always been fascinated by science fiction and thought the differences in species would make for a great children’s story about differences, bullying, and friendship. I also recognised how important it is for a children’s book to have great illustrations to accompany the story, and I’ve always loved illustrations of space and planets.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
When my 7-year-old stepdaughter read Timmy the Martian, she was curious to understand more about what Timmy’s home on Mars would look like and what pets Timmy would have. So I am working on a follow-up to Timmy the Martian with a second book called Timmy’s Home on Mars. It will follow a similar theme of Timmy’s home not being as big and impressive as some of the other Martian homes, but it is filled with happiness and love – which is all that matters. This will be available in time for her next birthday in September.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Amazon
The two new friends set off into space for amazing adventures, before returning home.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/02/17/86752/
A Purely Wrong Story is a nuanced spiritual self-help book tailored for women grappling with the aftermath of sexual shame. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I wrote this book not only because I have been in the same shoes, grappling with my own aftermaths, but because I could pack out a second book listing the mistakes I have made over a ridiculous amount of years! I hoped to save other women from any portion of the delays and regrets that I knew so well. My prolonged search for healing was partially due to the Christian community often preferring or only addressing a message of abstinence, so I felt there was a significant gap in acknowledging and supporting any woman whose story didn’t include abstinence. Yet beyond coming alongside those who are already hurting, I want to demolish the imaginary gap that has separated millions of women from true healing in the first place.
Women are often told to hide their past and not address anything that goes against the teachings of Christianity. What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Hiding and denying are rooted in shame: the belief that something is so inherently wrong, so beyond hope, or so uniquely horrible that it does not have the capability or deserve the privilege of being expressed. However, in every story I read about Jesus, He always sought the least likely companions. Never once did He silence or shame anyone with a messy past or a less-than-perfect present. What He did do, though, was deflate the religious elite of His time—those who felt they were superior, infallible, or beyond reproach.
No one is perfect. Everyone falls short of the Bible’s teachings in some way, so no one maintains the right to make any woman feel “less-than” because her life is imperfect in any capacity. For me, it was incredibly freeing to accept that there was nothing I could do to disqualify me from Jesus’ love. Nothing I experienced or did would ever overpower God’s grace. Keeping my past hidden produced zero value. Instead, hiding kept me from knowing the freedom of being loved and accepted.
I want all women to know this freedom available to them, too: Despite what they may believe or what others have said, they are not “ruined,” their stories still hold potential and value, and Jesus happens to think the world of them.
Sharing the things you went through and the shame you felt allows readers to see your book as more than just information; you connect on a personal level. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
The hardest thing when writing about painful experiences is that there is so much pain and so little time. Drawing on the rawest fears and hesitations that held me back, I sought to confront as many possible objections and hindrances as I could that may be barring readers from finding their healing. Despite my longing to remedy their pain, I know I cannot be the ultimate one to remove their pain, for healing is a choice every woman must make for herself. Yet, since too many women feel that healing is beyond their reach, I was desperate to speak life-giving encouragement and deliver life-sustaining help to those haunted by the deepest levels of hopelessness and shame. I tried my hardest to write in a way that honors every woman with the self-worth they deserve and the power they need to banish their pain once and for all.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your book?
Assurance. Women who have suffered any form of sexual trauma will likely approach this book with only one assurance: Life is hard. While hardship will remain a fact in these women’s stories, I want a more significant, undeniable fact to dominate their lives: their stories are not over. In the deepest parts of their souls, may readers walk away with unshakeable joy stemming from the assurance of their healing—both now and forever.
Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram | Amazon
Maybe someone took your choice, or perhaps you regret the choices you made, but with dysfunctional sexual incidents on the rise, so are the numbers of women living with the shame incurred from these detrimental experiences increasing as well. Until now, your best options have remained guarding your story and masking your pain–at least, that’s what your shame insisted.
But it’s time to improve your prospects.
Your circumstances might seem too awkward or embarrassing to address, yet author Laurel Burns was once a captive of shame too. Offering discreet support, A Purely Wrong Story halts shame’s infiltration and accompanies your journey to:Acknowledge and accurately assess your experiences and the resulting trauma or guilt
Discover motivations and beliefs preventing your healing
Demolish barriers keeping you, as a non-believer or even as a believer, from approaching Scripture to access an under-emphasized game-changer
Free yourself from self-doubt while ousting shame as the defining word of your life
Why bother trying to hide or erase your life’s details when they’re perfect for writing a purely wrong story?
Given this social issue’s vast reach, A Purely Wrong Story includes reflection/discussion questions as part of its bonus material for additional growth and support. These questions are suitable for an individual’s personal development as well as a social group study. A step toward healing, in any capacity, marks progress toward eradicating sexual shame–one story, one woman, one life at a time.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/02/17/life-giving-encouragement/
In The Skirmishers, the members of a military unit assembled to disrupt enemy plans find themselves facing secrets that threaten the success of their missions. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I remember as a child being captivated by the last-resort involvement of the military in high-stakes civilian incidents. The Iranian Embassy siege in London that was resolved by the UK SAS is one such childhood memory. In the UK, it seems as if most people assume that there is always a Special Forces unit on standby in case an incident arises.
I also find inspiration from brave acts of heroism, such as the story of Chris Craighead. Chris was an ‘off duty’ SAS trooper who set about actions that resulted in over 700 people being freed from a hotel siege in Nairobi. In Chris’s case, he decided to intervene without direct orders. A decision which must take a huge amount of courage.
So, when conceptualising The Skirmishers, I wanted to take this idea of a Special Forces unit and complicate it by examining their humanity. I wondered how their sense of duty exists alongside their desires and motivations. This is how The Skirmishers became realised.
Which character in the novel do you feel you relate to more and why?
Honestly, probably none of them. They all exist to me as separate entities with their own backstories and personalities. However, the overarching themes of the novel are based on my experiences on military operations and the truly incredible individuals who serve.
I have been lucky enough to meet Royalty, politicians, special forces personnel, military units, and civilian intelligence operatives. As a result, some of the characters do have traits of the people I have met, rather than being projections of my personality. While Mike Sharpe and Steph Holgate – our main characters – seem slightly larger than life, I can assure you there are people out there just like them. There are people out there who are willing to do the things that keep us all safe, that the average person can’t do.
I felt that there were a lot of great twists and turns throughout the novel. Did you plan this before writing the novel, or did the twists develop organically as you were writing?
I’ve had the idea for the book in my head for some time. The main characters were well-known to me and I also knew the scenario I wanted to place them in. However, as with real-life military operations, fate plays a role in everything we do, and I wanted to articulate this to the reader. It is this lack of control which allows these twists and turns to flourish. There are situations in the book that are close to the real situations I have found myself in, and fate appeared present in these events and for The Skirmishers!
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
Well, I can confirm that The Skirmishers WILL BE BACK!
I am currently working on a new plot outline for the team post the events of the first novel. Once I have a firm comprehension of the narrative, I hope to begin the writing process again. In terms of a release date, the writing process is normally a lot faster for me, but the editing process – with a huge thanks to all the editors – takes a lot more time! We want to be meticulous!
Author Links: Goodreads | Amazon
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/02/17/fate-plays-a-role-in-everything/
Owl B. Blue on Valentine’s Day, authored and illustrated by Rob Sudano, is a delightful children’s book that explores the theme of friendship with a gentle touch. Set against the backdrop of a snowy Valentine’s Day, the narrative follows the journey of a solitary and endearing owl, Owl B. Blue, who longs for companionship. This quest is sparked by a serendipitous encounter with a mysterious feather, leading him on a heartwarming adventure.
Sudano’s dual role as both the author and the artist enriches the story. His illustrations are vibrant and engaging, effectively bringing to life the expressiveness of Owl B. Blue. The character’s emotions are vividly portrayed, particularly in charming details like his fluffed-up feathers in the cold. The introduction of a new character, who complements Owl B. Blue’s introverted nature, adds depth to the narrative. The book also features an array of animal characters that contribute to the story’s quaint and wholesome atmosphere, reminiscent of the warmth felt from a cup of hot cocoa on a chilly day. The rhyming text of the book is fluid and adds a unique charm to the story. The book’s simple yet endearing message of friendship, combined with its appealing illustrations, makes it an accessible and engaging read for young children. It’s a charming choice for families to share during the Valentine’s season, offering a narrative that radiates warmth and cheer, much needed during the cold winter days.
Owl B. Blue on Valentine’s Day is a heartwarming tale that effectively captures the essence of friendship and companionship. Rob Sudano’s skillful combination of engaging storytelling and captivating illustrations make this book a delightful read for young audiences. Its charming characters and simple, yet meaningful narrative are sure to resonate with children and parents alike, making it an ideal read for family time. This book is a sweet reminder of the joy and warmth that friendships bring, even on the coldest of days.
Pages: 34 | ASIN : B0CSXJH5YC
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/02/17/owl-b-blue-on-valentines-day/