The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme
Friday was crazy. I got my new progressive eye glasses and adjusting to them is like being on a boat. (FYI- I am prone to seasickness) Then we had storms roll through and multiple tornadoes impacted the area, causing widespread damage. Aside from ending up in lockdown at the school for an hour when I went to pick the grandkids, we only lost tree branches. My daughter, a pharmacist at Walgreens, was also on lockdown. They had a tornado pass across the street. While the church, (across the street from her building) remained untouched, the home next to was completely demolished. Hello Spring. Eep! Stay Caffeinated.
Last Week on the Blog
The Stranger I Wed By Harper St. George (book review)
Funny Story By Emily Henry (book review)
Archangel’s Lineage by Nalini Singh (guest post/ book review)
Aftermarket Afterlife by Seanan McGuire (audiobook review)
This Week on the Blog
The Nightmare Machine By Tim White (audiobook review)
One Of Our Own Lucinda Berry(audiobook review)
#JIAM Audiobook Mini-Challenge (event)
The First Death By Kendra Elliot (book review)
New Arrivals at the Caffeinated Cafe
Learn more:
Crossroads by Devney Perry
Chaotic Aperitifs by Tao Wong
Cult Classic by Stephen Blackmoore
Gray Days by Hailey Edwards
Heavenbreaker by Sara Wolf
A special thanks to Brilliance Audio & Dreamscape Media & Tantor Audio
Around The Blogosphere
#JIAM Audiobook Challenge June 1st-through June 30th. Sign up form coming May 1, 2024. Multiple challenges & amazing prizes. Join us in celebrating June is Audiobook Month. Don’t miss the fun!
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Whispers in the Vineyard follows a woman looking to learn more about her heritage and winemaking who falls in love with the son of a rival family. What inspired the setup of your story?
Whispers in the Vineyard draws inspiration from a rich textile of sources, combining elements of classic romantic literature, the time-honored tradition of vineyard cultivation, and the vibrant cultural heritage of Ghana. The central theme of the story—rival families with a complicated history finding common ground through the younger generation is a twist that highlights reconciliation and cooperation instead of tragedy.
The novel also taps into the universal appeal of returning to one’s roots. The protagonist (Loom)’s journey to learn more about her heritage and the art of winemaking serves as a metaphor for exploring one’s identity and reconciling with one’s past. This theme resonates deeply in a global context where many seek to reconnect with and understand their cultural backgrounds. Additionally, the setting in a vineyard is particularly symbolic. Vineyards, which require patience, careful cultivation, and a deep understanding of the land, parallel the process of nurturing relationships and building communities. They are places where nature meets human craft, where each season brings new challenges and opportunities for growth—much like the personal and communal growth experienced by the characters in the novel.
Lastly, the choice to set the story in Ghana—with its rich history, diverse cultures, and beautiful landscapes—provides a backdrop that enriches the narrative with authenticity and a sense of place. It allows the story to delve into specific cultural practices, particularly those surrounding agriculture and communal living, that shape the characters’ lives and the plot’s development.
Overall, the setup of Whispers in the Vineyard was inspired by a desire to weave together themes of love, heritage, and personal growth within the evocative setting of a Ghanaian vineyard, offering readers a story of enduring human connections forged in the face of historical rivalries.
Are there any emotions or memories from your own life that you put into your characters’ lives?
For characters in a novel like Whispers in the Vineyard, emotions such as longing, redemption, and reconciliation are often inspired by universal human experiences. These emotions are frequently explored in literature and reflect common human conditions—struggling with one’s identity, resolving past conflicts, seeking understanding and common ground, and experiencing the growth that comes from overcoming challenges.
Moreover, the emotions and journeys that characters like Loom and Feika experience can be modeled on real-life stories of heritage discovery, the complexities of family legacies, and the passionate pursuit of personal and professional dreams. The backdrop of a vineyard adds a layer of connection to the land and a tradition that many readers might find evocative and grounding. Thus, while the characters and their emotions are fictional, they are constructed to echo real human feelings and developments, not the author’s personal life, making them accessible and engaging for readers who may see reflections of their own lives and struggles within these stories.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
In Whispers in the Vineyard, several themes were pivotal to enrich the narrative and offer depth to the reader’s experience. Here are some of the key themes explored in the book:
1. Heritage and Legacy: The book delves into the significance of understanding and embracing one’s heritage. Loom’s journey into the world of winemaking is not just about learning to manage a vineyard but also about connecting with her ancestral roots and the legacy left by her family. This theme underscores the importance of preserving cultural heritage and how it shapes individual identity.
2. Reconciliation and Forgiveness: The theme of overcoming historical rivalries and personal grievances is central to the novel. The story explores how Loom and Feika navigate their initial animosity and the broader family feud to find common ground. Their journey toward reconciliation serves as a metaphor for healing and building new futures on the foundation of forgiven pasts.
3. Community and Unity: The story highlights the strength and resilience of community bonds. As Loom and Feika work together to revitalize the vineyards, they also strive to unite the community of Domeabra. The book celebrates how collective efforts and shared goals can lead to substantial communal growth and harmony.
4. Love and Partnership: Loom and Feika’s romantic love intertwines with their professional partnership, showing how relationships can evolve from rivalry to deep affection and mutual respect. This theme is explored in the context of personal and professional growth, illustrating how love can drive change and achievement.
5. Connection to the Land: The vineyard itself is almost a character in the story, representing a deep connection to the land that sustains the community. This theme explores how the land shapes the lives of the characters and serves as a legacy that ties generations together. It also reflects on the challenges and rewards of working closely with nature.
6. Resilience and Adaptation: The characters’ ability to adapt to changing circumstances and overcome challenges is a recurring theme. The novel showcases how resilience, often nurtured through adversity, is crucial for both personal growth and community survival.
7. The Power of Stories: Throughout the novel, stories play a crucial role in preserving history, teaching lessons, and bringing people together. The theme of storytelling is celebrated as a means of passing on wisdom, maintaining cultural identity, and strengthening bonds within the community.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?
I am currently writing a romance novel. As I fine-tune the elements of these stories, considering various factors that will shape their final forms, I will soon decide on the final title and when it will reach my readers. I eagerly look forward to sharing this news with my fans. Stay tuned for updates and teasers that I hope will whet your appetite for the romantic journeys ahead!
Whispers in the Vineyard is a romantic story of heritage, rivalry, love, and reconciliation. Loom, a young and independent woman who inherited a vineyard in Domeabra, Ghana, only to find herself entangled in an ancestral rivalry with the neighboring vineyard owner, the charismatic Feika. Despite their intermittent clashes, Loom and Feika’s mutual passion for winemaking and respect for tradition kindled a romance that blossomed amidst the challenges they faced. The discovery of family diaries unveiled a history of love and conflict. Nevertheless, that discovery laid the groundwork for understanding, healing, and love. Bravely confronting the past, Loom and Feika collaborated to unite their vineyards. Their journey, marked by innovation, resilience, and community support, transformed their rivalry into a partnership that revitalized the vineyards and became the heartbeat of Domeabra. They ultimately got married and were blessed with a baby girl, Loombik. The novel culminates in a grand celebration of the vineyard’s success, symbolizing the power of unity and the enduring bonds of love. They experienced the transformative power of forgiveness and the beauty of a shared vision woven into the rich embroidery of Ghanaian culture.
The Hook follows a man searching for his wife and daughter who ends up in a mysterious town and is falsely accused of murdering several children. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Part of the setup was inspired by a true story about one of my uncles who was in the Navy. He went AWOL (Absent Without Leave) to go find his family. He was in a lot of trouble with his commanding officer, but no one died. The rest of the inspiration was me wanting to write a story with themes of paranoia and mistrust as well as mistaken identity. These tropes help with building tension and that felt appropriate for this story.
The characters in your novel are richly developed, drawing readers into the storyline. What were some ideas that were important for you to personify in your characters?
My primary focus for my characters was to not give too much of their backstory. I tried to give enough information about their past to make them interesting and give them agency, but I felt a lot of their backstory didn’t lend itself well to the overall story with multiple characters. On my end, I wrote detailed pages about character’s backgrounds. I’d say only about 10% of those backstories were included in the novel.
What was the hardest part about writing a mystery story, where you constantly have to give just enough to keep the mystery alive until the big reveal?
The hardest part was outlining the plot. When do I give certain information? When should I build tension? I wrote a brief synopsis of each chapter to make sure I had a clear sequence of events. Some of it changed after I started writing. Some chapters were added after and some were shifted around. I wrote the story and all the edits and drafts on and off for about 3 years, and I think that helped me solidify the details and remove the parts that didn’t work. These kinds of stories require a lot of polishing to get things just right.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I have a second edition of a short story collection I published in 2019 coming September 17, 2024; The Morbid Museum: 5th Anniversary Edition. The second edition will feature two previously unpublished stories as well as an excerpt from my next short story collection that I’m currently writing. It is available for pre-order on Amazon, B&N, Bookshop.org, iBooks, etc…There are more details on my website.
It’s 1976 and Ernest Kemp is looking for his wife and daughter. After leaving the US Navy, he finds his way to Hallowell, Maine. He’s an outsider and the townsfolk don’t trust him. Their suspicions increase when someone starts killing children. After being falsely accused and arrested, Ernest teams up with Samantha Belcher as she investigates the murders for the Kennebec Journal. They discover the murders are ritualistic sacrifices. Ernest and Samantha’s issues rise as bullfrogs roam all over town and three new outsiders resemble women from a 100-year-old news article. Will they find the killers and Ernest’s family before another child dies?
The modern-day successor of Pendragon Arthur is summoned to the magic realm of Annwn in the multi-award-winning novel Excalibur’s Pendragon: Book One of the Aethervard Legacy!
There is an ancient legend wherein godlike sentinels known as the Aethervard created a sentient sword to guide their servants in the magic realm of Annwn. The sword was known as Excalibur, and the servants were known as the Pendragons.
One such Pendragon was the mighty King Arthur. After Arthur’s fall, Excalibur disappeared, leaving Annwn and the other realms without a Pendragon…until this legacy is revived!
In the year 2013, 17-year-old Ryan Walker of Fort Collins suffers from severe depression after his mother’s death. While struggling to cope with this loss, Ryan awakens one night to find the emblem of Excalibur appearing on his shoulder, revealing that he is Excalibur’s new Pendragon.
To withstand the evil forces that oppose this succession, Ryan must embrace Excalibur’s calling and overcome his inner conflict. Otherwise, the new Pendragon and those he cares for won’t survive.
However, can Ryan become a true Pendragon when he feels robbed of the right to choose otherwise? And if he were given that choice, what could possibly dissuade him from rejecting this calling after what he may endure?
Discover the answers to these questions and more in this award-winning fantasy novel: Excalibur’s Pendragon!
A winner of the Summer 2023 PenCraft Book Award, the Literary Titan Gold Award, and the 2nd Place Award for Fantasy in the Spring 2024 BookFest Awards, the first installment of The Aethervard Legacy will take you on an exciting journey that blends the modern world with ancient legends!
Stephen Frame’s The Festival of Hungry Ghosts introduces readers to Big Bad Wolf, a private investigator who has left the malevolent fairyland to forge a new life in 1930s Los Angeles. Escaping a realm dominated by sinister elves, Wolf finds himself amidst the racially diverse and gang-afflicted neighborhoods of the city, where tensions run high. The narrative thrusts him into the underbelly of gangster life as he attempts to protect a Chinese family, leading to an unwelcome entanglement with local mobsters.
In his mostly human form, deprived of his fairyland magic, Wolf reluctantly takes on a case to locate a crime lord’s missing son. He is further complicated by an alliance with a female gangster whose flair for drama and chaotic tendencies add layers to the already complex situation. Frame’s melding of traditional fairy tales with a gritty, noir backdrop creates a compelling atmosphere that enriches the narrative. The novel shines with its rich tapestry of fantastical elements and well-crafted characters, whose diverse origins and personal quirks enhance the dynamic dialogue and contribute to the story’s vibrancy. Frame masterfully maintains a brisk pace, ensuring that each scene captivates and propels the plot forward. His skillful blend of fantasy, historical intrigue, and crime elements makes The Festival of Hungry Ghosts a notable standout.
This novel is particularly appealing for those who enjoy an inventive mix of genres—combining fantasy, mystery, and historical drama with a noir twist. Frame’s creativity not only drives the story but also embeds depth and excitement, making The Festival of Hungry Ghosts a compelling read for enthusiasts of diverse narrative forms.
The Water Factor plunges readers into a gripping eco-thriller set in a dystopian near-future of 2039, a world not so far removed from our own. Here, the scarcity of water drives a tale of struggle, resistance, and survival, mirroring our current global water crisis. At the heart of the story is James Hokama Byrne, a character who embarks on a daring mission to steal water trucks for his drought-stricken community. The novel’s fusion of an urgent environmental theme with the classic elements of a thriller creates a compelling narrative that resonates with contemporary concerns about resource depletion and corporate greed.
Eichinger’s writing is both potent and poignant, vividly illustrating a world on the precipice of ecological collapse. The portrayal of a future where water is a precious and fought-over resource is unsettling yet believable, which is a stark reflection of current global water scarcity trends. What sets this novel apart is the author’s inclusion of indigenous perspectives on natural resources, which I thought was a rich and often overlooked dimension that adds depth and nuance to the environmental conversation.
One of the most riveting scenes in the book is the heist of water trucks led by James. In the dead of night, James and his team stealthily infiltrate a secure compound. This moment of high-stakes theft is not just about acquiring a vital resource it symbolizes a desperate fight against a corrupt system that commodifies water. It’s an exhilarating sequence that highlights the risks the characters are willing to take and the dire state of their world.
The Water Factor is a thought-provoking and timely novel. Its fusion of environmental issues with thrilling elements will appeal to readers who enjoy suspense novels that not only entertain but also inform and provoke reflection. Particularly recommended for fans of eco-thrillers and readers interested in environmental activism.
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